ImPossible Gathering

What a great series we are beginning together, 50 Day People, answering the question what it means to be a Pentecostal Church in a modern day world. We opened the series with ImPossible Gathering and will be continuing with ImPossible Power, Impossible Service, and Impossible Generosity...possibly covering even more during the summer...as The Holy Spirit leads!

City Life's foundational verse when asking the question about being Pentecostal is found in Mark 10:27, our life verse for the series...where Jesus declares what is impossible for man is always possible for God, that nothing is impossible for God! That is the essence of Pentecostalism, that the same God we read in Scripture is the same God alive and at work in our lives, able and desiring to be at work in our lives in ways that will cause others to say, "That's impossible!" At City Life, we have an unshakeable belief that God still makes the impossible possible!

This past weekend, we took an introductory look at Acts 2:1-4 where we found that The Church was born on the Day of Pentecost. The prescribed feasts, annual festivals, found in the Mosaic Law for Jewish people were and are still today, to both remember times of God's "impossible" intervention and favor as well as declare a trust for His continued, steadfast love, devotion, and favor forevermore. Two of the most honored for such feasts were Passover and Pentecost. I didn’t quite have time for the last of my three points so I wanted to blog about that point here in this article.

Just 50 days prior to this article, we celebrated Easter, remembering Jesus' atoning death and victorious resurrection, which 2000 years ago coincided with the Jewish feast, Passover. This was Jesus' grand and glorious declaration that He is the ultimate Passover Lamb for all eternity. This understanding is commonplace in churches, that Jesus' death at Passover was an unavoidable intention of a sovereign God. But 50 Days after Passover, we have Pentecost, a feast that primarily was to honor God during one of the year's first harvests (the word pentecost is Greek for “fiftieth day”) gives the name of the feast. The imagery here is just as poignant as Jesus' death at Passover. God was saying to the world that once people begin to have a revelation of Jesus as THE Passover Lamb who takes away the sins of the world, there will be a harvest of hearts, people, that The Church must gather into a spiritual community and take up the sacred work of Jesus’ Great Commission that He proclaimed at His ascension.

And to be a Pentecostal Church is to be a church that as we covenant together to see this great harvest gathered and commissioned, that we also engender within the church, a culture reminiscent of this first church. At City Life, we are committed to be such a church, a community of devoted followers of Jesus, disciples, where we still believe that the list of "impossibles" found in Acts 2:41-47, detailing this culture, are still possible today!

Luke tells us as he writes Acts, that people were enamored with this burgeoning religious movement formed around a common devotion to Jesus. Even for a time in history when there was a great interest in spirituality, the degree of growth, loyalty, community, prayer, power, generosity, service, gathering, worship, and favor that was found among these Jesus followers was, well, impossible! We covered in the opening sermon how their commitment to a daily, yes, DAILY, corporate worship gathering was a hallmark of this new movement. And we focused in on two areas of exploration within this gathering that we want to see in our own gatherings today...people came not with a "what's in it for me" mindset but rather with the hope of being a valuing presence and also if necessary a correcting presence. (You can listen to the podcast if either of those spark an interested in you!) So much of what we come to expect when we attend church, so much of what drives our decisioning as we weigh whether or not to attend weekend services...is unfortunately influenced not by Scripture but rather a western-world consumer based mentality that is grossly self-focused and self-indulgent. We intend to make no room for that at City Life!

So for the third motivation we are striving to see flourish among the people who call City Life home as we consider the priority that attending a weekly worship gathering should hold in our lives is...that we should come to church with the expectation of being a prophetic presence.

In the summer of 1990, the year of my own personal revelation of Jesus as the Passover Lamb...I was attending Mechanicsville Christian Center, not yet of devoted follower of Jesus but certainly wrestling with the debauchery of my life in light of the teachings of Jesus. This was the church that my family attended and I would often come to the service just as the musical portion of the worship service was concluding because of the intense conviction I would experience if I were there while the worship band was ministering. This particular Sunday morning, one of the elders, a man named Charlie Bevels, had a spontaneous, prophetic message at the end of one of the last songs that changed my life forever, being an audible voice for God, a message from God to someone in that room, a message for me.

I was intentionally late as usual and was standing right in the doorway at the entrance to the sanctuary, literally on the threshold. There were several hundred people in the room and the doorway was a considerable distance from the platform for anyone who might suspect Charlie was manipulating the moment having seen me arrive. He has since passed from this life into eternity but on this earth, he was one of the most genuine, honest, forthright men I have ever known. He began to say, "How long will you stand there on the fence, on the threshold? What else do you need to see me do in order for you to embrace the life you were created to live? How many more lives do you need to see me change, 10, 100, 1000...tell, what is it that will move you off that fence, out of that threshold?" Needless to say, I felt intensely conspicuous, under the gaze of my God. Just a few months later, in December of that year, I made my vow of devotion to Jesus.

I had the privilege of sharing that story at Charlie's funeral many years later. He didn't come to church for himself...he came to value others, to lovingly correct others when needed, and yes, he came with an expectation the Holy Spirit just might reveal to him something of God's heart that someone in that room needed to hear, possibly something that would alter the course of their eternity just like it did for me!

Why is it that so many churches that are stereotypically categorized as Pentecostal are over run with eccentricity, excess, sensationalism...just plain weird? We can be expressive without being strange, we can be impassioned without being obnoxious...we can have all the power but without the pageantry! I too want to see our church experiencing the working of the Holy Spirit among us! I also believe that the oddities that have characterized many of our own personal observations in times past were not because the Holy Spirit is aberrant but because people can be strange! I'm convinced the Holy Spirit is saying, "Hey, that wasn't Me!"

In Acts 13:1-2, we have a wonderful account of people coming to a church service in the ancient city of Antioch, with an expectation that God could use them in a prophetic way. And that is exactly what happened…through the working of the Holy Spirit, they identified Paul and Barnabas to be some of the first church planters of this early movement soon to be known as Christianity. When you come to church, do you have this same expectation? Take some time to read the second chapter of 1 Corinthians where Paul explains the Holy Spirit searches the heart of God and reveals His heart to us! And what would otherwise be indiscernible with our natural, human understanding becomes knowable through the mind of Christ at work within us! You are a candidate for such super-natural experiences and so should be one of your greatest motivators for coming to church each week...use me Lord, use me!

See you this weekend!

Pastor Fred

Judges 6-7

What a great narrative...and some convicting questions for each of us to consider!

In the first verse, we find that Lord allowed the Midianites to persecute the Israelites for seven years. In previous chapters, we find this same pattern repeated. Whenever the Israelites slipped into a pattern of disobedience, meaning that rebellion characterized them, more than just having a bad day, because of God's great love for them, there was a lesson to learn. In chapter three for example, the Israelites formerly suffered under Aram for eight years and eventually again under Moab for eighteen years. Each time we find the Israelites finally calling out to the Lord for help. My question is, what took so long? Really? Seven, Eight, and Eighteen years? So here's the first question. How long does it take you to cry out to God for help? If you have young children, you know that one of their first complete sentences spoken is, "I do it myself!" Even what we think we can do ourselves, ask for God's help, quickly!

As we continue reading in chapter six, we find that after seven years of suffering, the Israelites cry out to God and He sends a prophet. Then He sends an angel to Gideon which apparently still was not enough to move his heart and as the encounter progresses, the Lord Himself speaks to Gideon! I remember when Derick, our oldest was born. Just one whimper and we came running. Just a change in his breathing when he was sleeping, we came running...by the time Claire came along, our third, we had one rule, "Don't call for us unless there is blood!" You know it's true for you too! This too happens in our spiritual lives. Often our responsiveness to God from when we first became devoted followers of Jesus diminishes. How long does it take you to respond to God's promptings, His instructions? As we read in Ezekiel 36:26, may our hearts be tender and responsive to Him!

Finally, embedded in verse eighteen of chapter 6, the angel tells Gideon that he will remain until Gideon returns with his offering to the Lord. So here's the last question. How long do you ask God to wait for your worship? How many days go by without you offering praise to Him? Just last night one of our children was praying before dinner and the focus of the prayer was that the food would taste good. Apparently by way of observation, they had their doubts! I interrupted to remind us all that this was a time to be thankful, an opportunity for praise, not a time to pray for the pleasure of our palate! Let's make a choice today to not keep Him waiting for our worship! I am reminded of 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 which says, "Rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the will of God for us in Christ Jesus!"

Living In The Gap!

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 11-13

God's affectionate feelings of love toward us are most certainly unconditional but His favor and blessings are most certainly not! This is one of my complaints against Reformational Theology, that God's grace is never consequential. While I whole heartedly agree that there is nothing I can do to earn Heaven, I compel you to consdier that His favor in the here and now, what I call heaven on earth, is a reaction to our actions/inactions.

Paul in writing to the church of Rome, opening chapter 12..."I urge you therefore my bretheren, by the mercies of God, offer your body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the patterns of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, that you may know His good, acceptable, perfect will."

In Deuteronomy 13:5-11, without mercy, demands the death of everyone who attempts to lead the Israelites astray. We find the relevance of this text in our own hearts. What part of me, what part of you is continually leading you astray? Is it the past betrayal of a former relationship, temtping you to linger in bitterness? Is it a certain pattern of web browsing into places that damage your sexuality? Is it coveting the possessions of others around you...and the list continues! Satan wants us to believe that we are a victim to our humanity. Respecting our own personal vulnerabilities and being powerless against them are not the same! You have the authority to slay, to put to death the parts of you that lure you away from God's ways!

Paul in the text mentioned above gives just one of the countless examples of God's favor, that of having a confidence in regards to His will for your life. How, by putting to death our inclinations for conformity with Godless patterns of living.

Kill something today!

Pastor Fred

Deuteronomy 4

This selection comes from Deuteronomy 4, as you read through it, insert events from your life when you have experienced God in undeniable ways. For example, in verse 33, the text references the Israelites hearing God's voice speaking from fire...think of a time when you know God was speaking to you at a critical time in your life. Each time the text references a reason the Israelites should be faithful to God, insert something of your own personal experience...

³² “Now search all of history, from the time God created people on the earth until now, and search from one end of the heavens to the other. Has anything as great as this ever been seen or heard before? ³³ Has any nation ever heard the voice of God speaking from fire—as you did—and survived?³⁴ Has any other god dared to take a nation for himself out of another nation by means of trials, miraculous signs, wonders, war, a strong hand, a powerful arm, and terrifying acts? Yet that is what the LORD your God did for you in Egypt, right before your eyes.

³⁵ “He showed you these things so you would know that the LORD is God and there is no other. ³⁶ He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you. He let you see his great fire here on earth so he could speak to you from it.³⁷ Because he loved your ancestors, he chose to bless their descendants, and he personally brought you out of Egypt with a great display of power. ³⁸ He drove out nations far greater than you, so he could bring you in and give you their land as your special possession, as it is today.

³⁹ “So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The LORD is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other. ⁴⁰If you obey all the decrees and commands I am giving you today, all will be well with you and your children. I am giving you these instructions so you will enjoy a long life in the land the LORD your God is giving you for all time.”

Now, may we also ask ourselves this vital question, In light of all the encounters I have had personally with God, in light of all that I have witnessed Him do in people that I know, in light of everything that I believe about God from Scripture...does my life reflect all that I believe and know to be true...or is my life a contradiction? Just as He promised the Israelites in verse 40, so to with us, He longs for us to enjoy a long life, one where all is well for us and our children...a life that is only possibly when we abandon ourselves to Him!

Live True!

Pastor Fred

Old Testament Offerings

As we are reading through the Bible, I want to share a quick guide to the ceremonial offerings prescribed by the Lord to Moses. This information comes from New Unger's Bible Dictionary.

There are 7 types of offerings: sin, guilt, burnt, peace, grain/drink, heave/wave, and red heifer. While each one has a distinctive, they all share in the same ultimate lesson, we are incapable of dealing with our own pervasive sinful nature. As Paul wrote in Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned fall short of the glory of God." And if we were to keep reading, we find why there is no longer a need for a sacrificial system..."They are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. God presented Him as a propitiation through faith in His blood..." Reading Hebrews chapters 9 and 10 also give great insight to Jesus being the final sacrifice for all sin for those who embrace Him as their Savior.

We must note that NONE of the seven offerings could atone for sins of defiance. Willful, defiant, or as the Hebrew idiom states, "sins with a high hand" meaning in complete arrogance against God's divinity, for these people death was the consequence.

The sin offerings were general offerings to address the sins of a person that were committed in the course of living, unintentionally. Even if the sin was the result of a moment of weakness, the sin offering was still efficacious. While a sin offering could be made by a person, they were also made on behalf of the entire nation of Israel at certain times of the year.

The guilt offerings differed from the sin offering in that the guilt offering addresses, atones for a certain act. The sin offering atoned for the person while the guilt offering was ransom for a particular offense. It many cases, it involved restitution for the person wronged.

The burnt offering was unique in that the whole animal was consumed in the offering (except the skin) compared to the other sacrifices where the animal was only partially consumed. This distinction gives insight into the meaning of this offering, we are to offer ourselves wholly to God. The burnt offering symbolized the entire surrender to God of the individual or the congregation.

The peace offering had three kinds: thank offering, votive offering, and freewill offering. The thank offering was in response to specific times of prosperity and success, offered in an effort to acknowledge God as the source of that success and a plea for that prosperity to continue. The votive offering was in connection with a vow or promise made. The freewill offering was more general, offered as a praise to God for His goodness and bountiful blessings.

The grain/drink offering "...is analogous to that of of the offering of the tithes and appears to be expressed in the words of David in 1 Chronicles 29:10-14 (...all things come from Thee, and from Thy hand we have given Thee..."). It recognized the sovereignty of Jehovah and His bounty in the bestowal of earthly blessings by dedicating to Him the best of His gifts--flour, as the main support of life; oil, the symbol of richness; wine, as the symbol of vigor and refreshment (see Psalm 104:15)." They were also offered with a dual meaning of acknowledging God was the only true source of spiritual sustenance, that nourishment that the eternal part of who we are is desperate to receive, only from His hand.

The heave/wave offering took their names from the manner in which they were offered. "When this offering was presented, the offering was placed upon the hands of the offerer then the priest placed his hands under those of the offerer and would move the offering back and forth in a horizontal motion. Heave literally means to lift up and wave is self-explanatory. These offerings were used when special offering were called for various religious purposes, often in support or repair of the temple and too for the care of the priests and their families.

The red heifer offering was used as a ceremonially cleansing for someone who had been made unclean according to the Law, for example, if the person had come in contact with a dead person. People who were considered unclean were often limited in their ability to participate in various religious ceremonies. They would need to follow the prescribed process of being made clean hence the purpose of this offering.

Don't just skim through the Old Testament, take time to read and research the enormous wealth of meaning and symbolism that God as placed there for us to discover!

Pastor Fred

Exodus 39-40

Of all the rich imagery we find in the garments of the priests, I am especially fond of the medallion on Aaron's turban described in verses 30 and 31.

³⁰ Finally, they made the sacred medallion—the badge of holiness—of pure gold. They engraved it like a seal with these words: HOLY TO THE LORD. ³¹ They attached the medallion with a blue cord to Aaron’s turban, just as the LORD had commanded Moses.

If we believe God to be the sovereign creator of the Universe, the One who rules all that is in existence, and One whose heart overflows with affection for His creation, how can we not have a seal upon us that declares Holy To The Lord? Once I am convinced of who He is, surrendering to His sovereignty, giving myself fully to His governance should be what naturally follows. How can I embrace His identity and then deny my own? Once I am convinced of His identity, what sort of self-perception can I possibly have except to live in complete surrender to Him?

What majestic garments God chose to adorn Aaron and the priests. Each component, although individually unique and symbolically distinctive, all shared one ultimate expression: God is God and man's great privilege is to serve Him. This idea of "holy" as inscribed on the medallion attached to Aaron's turban means to be set apart, consecration. For what and for whom have you set your life apart? What medallions do we wear: promiscuity, gluttony, bitterness, self-promotion, greed, anger, lust, addiction, apathy, profanity, drunkenness, laziness, isolation...? Who gave those medallions to us? Why do we insist on keeping them?

In Ephesians 6, the Apostle Paul speaks of the helmet of salvation. What medallion do you think is attached to that...an Exodus 39 seal...Holy To The Lord! I want to challenge you to consider something. What are your struggles? Possibly I listed some above. Cut out some round pieces of paper and write on them a word or two that describes an area of sin in your life that is a constant struggle. You might have several. Now shop around an find a coin, a medallion, something that can represent to you a commitment to be Holy To The Lord. What is actually on the coin or medallion doesn't matter...it may say OBX or South of the Border, some trinket you picked up on vacation. What matters is how you see it, how you will use it, how it will begin to re-shape how you see yourself...Holy To The Lord! Put those other paper medallions in something that is safe to burn, put on some of your favorite worship music, talk to God about your desire to live a life that is set apart to Him and Him alone, and then put a match to them!

Keep that coin with you for the next month and every-time you face a temptation that you are endeavoring to conquer, reach for that medallion and say, "I am Holy To The Lord." Do you know what 1 Peter 2:9 says about you and me?

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

Living in the Gap (Psalm 124:1)

Pastor Fred

Genesis 28

27 When the time came for Tamar to give birth, it was discovered that she was carrying twins. 28 While she was in labor, one of the babies reached out his hand. The midwife grabbed it and tied a scarlet string around the child’s wrist, announcing, “This one came out first.” 29 But then he pulled back his hand, and out came his brother! “What!” the midwife exclaimed. “How did you break out first?” So he was named Perez. 30 Then the baby with the scarlet string on his wrist was born, and he was named Zerah.

I love this story in Genesis! I am using the New Living Translation and the footnotes define Perez as meaning "breaking out" and Zerah as "scarlet" or "brightness" ...a story which gives us a rich offering is symbolism as we reflect on our own lives.

I love how the midwife was prepared. Properly identifying the firstborn in Jewish culture is vital. (If you want to read more about this, try New Unger's Bible Dictionary which is a mainstay in my library.) She was not casual about her responsibilities. What are you presently doing as ministry in your church? Are you just doing enough to get by? Do you have an attitude that if they gave you more responsibility that you would be more committed? Whatever it is that you have been asked to do, do it with excellence..."a pocket full of scarlet strings" kind of attitude!

Finally, I'm always captivated by their names. How? There is a prophetic promise in them for each of us! The birthing of your destiny, my destiny will always "break out" no matter how "bright" my present circumstances appear to be in the contrary. What does that mean? Often our present circumstance seem to be so prominent (bright) that they are irrefutable. We have a promise from God but our present reality is blindingly obtrusive, making believing in His promise exasperatingly difficult. Abraham was 100 before Isaac was born. He was blinded by the brightness of his natural condition...but come on, providence arrived, destiny could not be denied, Zerah was overcome by Perez!

Be prepared and above all else, be willing to believe for your own Perez moment!

Pastor Fred