*Special Post* Good Friday, March 25, 2016

I woke up in the middle of the night inspired to write about Good Friday. Some people are saddened on Good Friday, and feel like they're waiting in anticipation on Saturday, for the victory that is brought about with Jesus' resurrection on Resurrection Sunday, in much the same way that the early disciples waited during that actual weekend. But was His death really a setback? Was it a minor loss on the way to a crushing victory? If not, then what was it?

Now reading the story from all 4 gospels, this is the stage I see being set. Jesus has been in a deeply distraught emotional state, not wanting to suffer and die, yet willing to accomplish the divine will and plan rather than satisfy the needs of His humanity. His fully divine, fully human nature is tested and proved here, as the human submits to the divine. (Matthew 26:36-44; Mark 14:32-39; Luke 22:41-44)

Next He is betrayed by one of His friends, yet shows no surprise and is still in charge of allowing the mob to arrest Him. (Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-49; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12)

Taken away, He is marched in front of Jewish priests, teachers and elders, all the rulers of His people. There He is questioned, lied about, mocked, spit on, slapped, punched, and beaten, before being led away to the Roman authorities. (Matthew 26:59-68; Mark 14:55-65; Luke 22:63-71; John 18:19-24)

Before Pilate, Jesus is accused of many things without any proof, He is sent to Herod where He is beaten and mocked, and returned to Pilate, Given to the Roman soldiers, He is flogged, made to wear a crown of thorns, beaten with a staff, mocked, ridiculed, spit on, and slapped. His body is put to the limit of pain and exhaustion, yet the governor still finds something amazing about Him and His commanding presence. (Matthew 27:11-31; Mark 15:1-20; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-19:16)

We're getting closer to the moment of His death now, not far to go. Already nearly unrecognizable from the damage done from the flogging, the bruised and bloodied face, the Saviour of the world is handed a large wooden cross and forced to carry it through the streets to the place of His death. Even this seems too much to the soldiers, and they find another man to do the carrying. Jesus looks back at women who are weeping for Him, and instead finds pity for them rather than Himself. (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26-31; John 19:17)

Finally in the place where He is to be crucified, Jesus is nailed to a cross, and hangs there in agony, next to two criminals. Even here, in intense agony, He asks God to forgive those crucifying Him. What strength of spirit, to always be thinking of others, even at such a time! He is mocked over and over, by those passing by, by the leaders of His people, and even by one of the criminals. Yet when the other criminal simply asks, Jesus is able and willing to forgive him, and save his soul. Jesus even has the presence of mind in the midst of agony to think about his mother, and one of his best friends. (Matthew 27:38-44; Mark 15:24-32; Luke 23:32-43; John 19:18-27)

As the shell of Jesus' body gets weaker and weaker, and more and more used up, the strength of His spirit is undiminished. His frail human nature is shored up by His unshakable divine nature, He refuses to die until He is ready and the time is right. The moment comes, and... Jesus commits His spirit into the hands of God, and breathes His last. (Matthew 27:45-50; Mark 15:33-37; Luke 23:44-46; John 19:28-30)

Now this is the moment people look at as a setback... but did Jesus see it that way? He has taken every step towards this point methodically and with intention. He has carried Himself with courage and a commanding presence, even presiding over those who judged Him, and forgiving those who crucified Him. If we weren't conditioned to think of this moment with sadness, could we not glimpse the single-mindedness with which Jesus has been pursuing this very moment, and realize that this is in fact the moment of victory? Now follow this thought process carefully:

Jesus is the Word of God. (John 1:14) The weapon believers hold onto in the spiritual fight is the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:17) Jesus, in the moment of death, is committing His spirit into the hands of God (Luke 23:46)

In effect, Jesus, at the moment of His death, hands Himself as a sword into the hands of God the Father, who thrusts it down the throat of death right to the hilt. This moment spells the end of death's power over humanity, and the end of our separation from God. From this moment on, Jesus' resurrection is a formality. Of course He will rise again. Of course He will empower us to rise again one day. He has already killed death, it no longer has any power over Him.

Just look at the events that surround the moment of death... this is days before the resurrection, and yet the curtain of the temple that separated men from God was torn in two by God Himself (from top to bottom), there was an earthquake and tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people were brought to life. Is it any wonder that the very centurion guarding His body saw what happened and concluded on His death that He must be the Son of God? (Matthew 27:51-54; Mark 15:38-39; Luke 23:47)

So as we celebrate Good Friday today, let us truly celebrate Jesus' epic victory that came with His death, and be that much more excited to welcome our Lord and Saviour with His triumphant resurrection on Sunday, knowing the power and glory of the Lord we serve is, and always has been, undiminished. Happy Good Friday everyone!

Sunday, April 6, 2014 - 12:10 am

For one reason and another, I haven't written over the last couple months, partly because many things have been changing and taking the time I would have used to write. Well, today it's time to write again, and I'm calling this entry, 'My Road to Emmaus'.
Fittingly, a new day is just beginning, and though I'm no more perfect than I was in October 2012 when I started posting on this blog, I have seen God at work in my life, and I know He will continue the work, because He is for me, as He is for you, and not against us. I'm reminded of Psalm 30:5, which says, "For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning." With each new day there is hope, there is another chance, and there can be restoration.
Back in January, when Pastor Kip announced that 24/7 Church would be relocating some time this year, it met with mixed feelings. God has done a lot of work in people's lives in that building over the last 7 years, and there's a certain attachment to it as a result. On the other hand, we've known all along that a church is far more than a building. It's part of the living, breathing body of Christ, made up of the people who have made Him their Lord. As Kip described the changes that would be coming over the last couple months, one particular thought caught my attention relating to the new name of the church, Emmaus. The name comes from the story of two discouraged disciples who met Jesus on the day of His resurrection (Easter Sunday), on the road from Jerusalem to a village called Emmaus, which basically just means 'hot springs', or as it would have been understood then, 'healing waters'. They don't realize that it's Him, but as they walk He explains to them what the Scriptures said about Him, and opens their eyes up to a new hope. Finally, once they've reached Emmaus and invited Him to stay with them, He reveals who He is and disappears. This prompts their return to Jerusalem to rejoin the other disciples.
So here we are, back at the beginning of this post again - a new day is just beginning, bringing hope and a chance for restoration. I think God says it well in Isaiah 43:18-19, "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. / See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland." So I'm excited for what God is going to do at our church, through His people.
I think if we want to live up to the name Emmaus Church, we need to be the type of people who offer encouragement and healing for the hurting. We need to love those who don't know Christ yet, but we also need to love those who do know Him. If we aren't willing to take care of our Christian family, why would anyone on the outside looking in want to join? They will know that we are followers of Christ by our love for one another. So the real question is: How can we become the church that we need to be?
I believe that we need to continue building relationships and connections, both with those we have known a long time, and those who are new, either to church or to us. Obviously Lifegroups are a great way of connecting like that. Those connections will benefit us as well as those we are in relationship with. I've been involved in 3 or 4 Lifegroups over the years, and I would say from experience that I could know others, and be known, on a level that wasn't possible just by meeting on Sundays. The key is for us to take the initiative. If you're reading this, then you are responsible for the amount you allow yourself to know others and be known. If someone has hurt you (and we have all been hurt by others, to one degree or another), know that God loves you, He is for you, and that we as a church are for you, but we can't help what we don't know, and we can't get any closer than you will allow. If you are the strong one (and by God's grace, we all have our areas of strength), then you are needed. Bear with those who are weaker than you, support them in your area of strength, so they can support you in your area of weakness. Let's all take responsibility for the growth and change we want to see, whether in our own lives, our church, or our community. There's no room for individualistic pride that divides and separates people, no room for bitterness that holds others at arms' length and assumes the worst. As 2 Corinthians 6:2 says, "For he says, 'In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.' I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation." Let's walk together, even now, on the road to Emmaus, and bring healing wherever we go.

Saturday, January 25, 2014 - 6:55 pm

This past Sunday, Pastor Kip gave the second part of his series 'Church on the Move', entitled 'Facing the Giants', and spoke from 1 Samuel 17. The Israelites were afraid, because even if they somehow managed to win against Goliath, there was no reason to trust the thousands of Philistines remaining to honour his word, and there would be many more battles to come. After a while, it can be demoralizing to see challenge after challenge on the horizon with no end in sight. That awareness can lead to despair. We can be paralyzed with fear by the size of the fight, and just how far there is to go. We need to ask God to do 2 things:

1. Enlarge our perspective.
God is bigger than Goliath. An eternal perspective, once it gets into us, keeps us moving forward. We need to ask God for His perspective on our lives.

2. Narrow our focus.
All we are required to do is the next right thing. Victory is won one step at a time. At some points in life, the next 5 minutes might be our Goliath, where we just need to narrow our focus to the next right thing, and God will give us what is required for it. If we are to really be the church that God has called us to be there is work to be done, but as we continue to do the next right thing we will see God's provision in bringing it about.

We all want to be like David, taking down the giant, but before becoming the hero he was the shepherd. We have to be willing to serve before God will call us to lead. Far too often, like the Israelites, we go out shouting a war cry, but do nothing about it. It's not about whether God will love us or not, He already loves us regardless of our actions. It's about being a conduit of His love to others, and living out the life that we're inviting others to. David had voices trying to hold him back, and so will we when we walk toward what God is doing. We need to guard against those voices, from without and within. It's not our job to defend against all criticism, it's our job  to hear God, and move on to the next right step. God is still bigger than any Goliath that we can or will face.

Monday, January 13, 2014 - 2:15 pm

Yesterday Pastor Kip gave a big announcement at the beginning of his sermon - some time in 2014, 24/7 Church will be moving to a new location. They are currently looking into a number of possibilities, and the goal is to have the first service in the new location on Easter Sunday. Kip's series, "Church on the Move", was a reflection of that, and the focus this week was simple obedience, looking at 1 Samuel 16:1-13. God had rejected Saul as king because Saul had rejected God's commands, and now Samuel was being sent to anoint a new king - a new beginning for the nation of Israel. Just as this new beginning didn't erase the good things that Samuel had already experienced, we can't hold onto the things of the past that we're comfortable with when God says to go. It's okay to mourn their passing, God's command is not to stop being sad, but to get up and start moving forward with what God is doing next. Simple obedience is never insignificant, no matter how it seems to others. When we obey God, step out and go, we learn how God works things out, not just in theory but in practice. God is constantly at work within the steps of obedience that we take. The newly anointed David was a man after God's own heart. There was something about David's heart that God loved, and we can learn from his example. David was humble, willing to do whatever was needed at any time, behind the scenes or in front of everyone. He had the heart of a servant, and though his family may have overlooked him, he wasn't overlooked by God. David wasn't perfect, but he wasn't one to make excuses. He was quick to confess and seek restoration. David was confident in who God had called him to be, and in the power of God to use him. As we walk in faith, confidence, and a humble heart toward what God has called us to, we too can expect big things. As we commit to His ways, He gives us the strength to live them out.

Sunday, January 5, 2014 - 6:30 pm

Today, Pastor Kip spoke on "One Thing". Instead of having a list of things we want to do, and try and fail, what is the one "God idea", what is the one thing we need to do, with His help, in 2014? The questions are the same as last year (Sunday, January 6, 2013 - 5:35 pm), but my answers, and yours, may be different this year from last, so I'll include the questions, my answers, and the action plan as well.
1. What one thing do you desire from God this year?
Most of all this year, I want God's vision for my life and future.
2. What one thing are you lacking with God?
I need more discipline, and intentional focus on God's will.
3. What one thing do you need to let go of?
I need to let go of a feeling of unworthiness and trust God and put on the worth that He has given me.
4. What one promise do you need to claim?
I've been feeling rather tired and needing God's strength, I need to claim His promise in Isaiah 40:28-31, "...He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. / He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. / Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; / but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
The action plan is just 4 steps:
1. Choose one "God idea" to focus on this year.
2. Write it down, and put it somewhere you'll see it.
3. Determine what you need to do. (your part)
4. Pray and thank God everyday for His involvement in this area.
I know that God has been working on me, and will continue to do so, and I'm excited to find out what He has in store for this year.

Sunday, January 5, 2014 - 12:00 am

Today I want to look at hope. At the beginning of a new year, many hold out hope that things will be better, or at least different, and that they have the power to make it that way. There is an extent to which that is true, but what happens when we come across an obstacle too big for us? Or what if we ourselves are the obstacle, with the best intentions but no follow-through? Quickly that hope can be replaced by frustration and even a feeling of hopelessness. That's why I'm glad that my hopes do not ultimately rest on my ability. With God there is always hope. When I am weak, He can show up in strength. He can do the impossible, and He has control where I have none. He has overcome every power that was ever set against Him - what am I facing that He can't handle? I've noticed that when I'm feeling hopeless, it seems so much easier to buy into the lies, to give up and let things happen, to let the weight of the world come down on my shoulders. The thing I often forget is that the hopelessness is itself a lie. God always holds out so much more hope for us than we ever do for ourselves, and He has already taken the weight of the world on His strong, capable shoulders. When I recognize His care and control, I no longer have any control to give up, instead trusting Him and walking in peace. There are many places in the Psalms talking about hope; here are a few for the sake of encouragement. Psalm 31:24 says, "Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the Lord." Psalm 33:20 says, "We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield." Psalm 42:11 says, "Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 62:5 says, "Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him." Psalm 130:5 says, "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." Finally, I'd like to share a passage as a prayer for each of us, from Romans 15:13, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Tuesday, December 31, 2013 - 2:30 pm

Well, 2013 has certainly been another step in the journey, with many ups and downs, hopes and fears. However, no matter how much things change, God's love has always been constant, and here at the end of the year, I can look back and see His hand at work, and look forward with hope. When I take my focus off Jesus and look only at my circumstances, I echo one of Job's friends in saying, "Yet man is born to trouble as surely as sparks fly upward." (Job 5:7) I feel like I'm stuck in a rut which will only get deeper, and I lose hope, but when I look on His face, what a change! Psalm 71 is a beautiful expression of that hope regardless of circumstances. Reading it over today, verses 14-21 really jumped out at me: "But as for me, I will always have hope; I will praise you more and more. / My mouth will tell of your righteousness, of your salvation all day long, though I know not its measure. / I will come and proclaim your mighty acts, O Sovereign Lord; I will proclaim your righteousness, yours alone. / Since my youth, O God, you have taught me, and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. / Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come. / Your righteousness reaches to the skies, O God, you who have done great things. Who, O God, is like you? / Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up. / You will increase my honor and comfort me once again." If God can bring me up from the depths of the earth, it doesn't matter how big the rut I see myself in, it's not too big for Him! With that in mind, and a hopeful outlook, I want to look at a few points as we're about to cross the threshold into a new year. Since having some chats about God and life last night, I've been thinking a lot about identity. Some of these points may be quick, and others may need more explaining. They may all run into one another, but we'll see as we go. First of all, I know that I can be pretty critical of myself, and to some degree I think that's good because it pushes me to grow and develop rather than just being satisfied with the parts of me that need to change, but it can also be dangerous when I take it too far and begin to criticize what God has made a certain way for a reason - as though my standards are somehow higher than God's, or as though I know better than He does. I need to learn to appreciate those unique, weird or special gifts, and use them for His glory. I'm not going into detail now about what those are for me, but suffice it to say that if it's not something God wants me to change, then it's something I'm responsible to use for Him, and appreciating those gifts is not vanity, but a heart of gratitude toward God, a participation in His work, and the joy that comes from finding what I'm meant to do, and doing it with all my might. Another thing I've been learning this year, and hope to grow in next year, is seeking to develop character and perseverance in constantly doing the right thing whether the immediate consequences seem to match up or not. I'm not just talking about avoiding sin, though that is certainly a big part of it, but things like holding onto hope when nothing around points to anything but defeat, despair and discouragement. Things like knowing how much hurt can result from loving and being vulnerable, and choosing to love and be vulnerable anyway. Things like wanting patience so much I'm willing to wait for it... and most of all, wanting the heart of God so much that I will do anything it takes to get closer to Him. Galatians 6:9 says, "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." My prayer is that when the time comes, I will confidently say with Paul in 2 Timothy 4:7, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." So I stand on the brink of 2014, choosing to throw out any trepidation and look in the eyes of my Saviour, waiting with excitement for Him to say, "Let's go!"

Saturday, December 21, 2013 - 4:30 pm

On Sunday, Pastor Kip finished the series 'All I Want for Christmas' with a focus on presence - God's presence. Throughout the Bible, when people were in God's presence their first inclination was reverent fear and a sense of holiness. Even John, one of Jesus' best friends on earth, when he sees Him glorified is quick to fall at His feet. There's no silliness about 'Buddy Jesus' or 'Jesus is my homeboy' from John, and if anyone had the right to say those things you'd think it would be him, but instead there's a sense of awe and majesty. The holiness of God reveals our own unholiness, ungodliness and unworthiness. So then, why would we seek out His presence? Nowadays it seems we would rather live in ignorance than seek out the truth, especially if it will make us feel uncomfortable. It reminds me of the situation with Phil Robertson from the show 'Duck Dynasty', which took place several days after Kip's message. He was asked a leading question about sin in an interview for a magazine, and when his response lined up with the Bible rather than popular opinion, the network that carried his show decided not to work with him anymore. It seems they were uncomfortable, and afraid others would be made uncomfortable too. Despite Phil's response to the incident, that he himself was a sinner before Jesus saved him, that he would not disrespect those with different beliefs, and that he tries to follow the two greatest commands in the Bible - love God, and love others - there are those who are so uncomfortable that they choose to construe his remarks as hate. To be honest, if all we ever heard was our own unworthiness, there would be no hope, no good news, no inclination to seek out the presence of God which illuminates these things in our lives - at least, not in today's self-focused mindset. So why should we seek for God's presence? Because God has done something incredible for us, and it's not because of our great worthiness, but despite our great unworthiness. That's why it's such good news, and that's why we don't need to be afraid anymore. God is not a distant, far off, uninvolved God, who doesn't see and doesn't care. He is with us. He came to us in love, to redeem us and make us holy once again. Christmas is all about His presence.

Friday, December 13, 2013 - 2:35 pm

This past Sunday, Pastor Kip continued his series 'All I Want for Christmas', this time focusing on peace. During Christmas time, everyone seems to be pushed to a faster pace, leading to more stress and less peace. Isaiah 9:6 talks about Jesus being the Prince of Peace (or 'ruler in charge of peace'). In Christ, we have peace, but when we step out from under His rule, we lose that peace. So how do we keep the peace in the middle of stress and anxiety? In Luke 2, when the angels announced the birth of Jesus to the shepherds, we find that God gets all the glory... and we get peace. When we give God the glory, He gives us the peace. Romans 5:1 and Philippians 4:4-9 also talk about God giving us peace. If we take the focus off ourselves and the things we're stressed about and go to God, thanking Him and rejoicing in Him, and putting the focus on Him, then not only will we have peace, but His peace will guard our hearts and minds. That's an active barrier against stress and worry. When we think about and focus on God, His peace will be with us, but when we walk it out, and do what He shows us, then He Himself, the God of peace, will be with us. This message was especially relevant for me because I've been feeling stressed out lately, as though all my strength has been spent, yet I need to keep going. I need to allow God to be my strength, my peace, my rest, and my focus. From His example and presence I will draw my hope, persistence and even joy in stressful times.

Friday, December 6, 2013 - 4:15 pm

This past Sunday, Pastor Kip began a series called 'All I Want for Christmas', and he focused on contentment, speaking from the book of Ecclesiastes. According to King Solomon, the wisest and most rich and powerful man on earth, life is short, fleeting, frustrating, and looking for satisfaction on earth is like chasing the wind... we can't find satisfaction without God. An interesting side note is that we always seem to think we'd be satisfied with just a little more. So how much will be enough? Let's just skip to the very end of that thought and look at Solomon, who had more money, more power, more knowledge, more popularity, more servants, and more intimate relationships than we could ever dream of having... and he's saying even that's not enough to give satisfaction. Since that's the case, that satisfaction has to come from another source, if it's to be found at all. We can't fix ourselves, or straighten out what's crooked and twisted, because we're that way too, and we don't even have the resources to begin to fix it. Even Solomon, with all his wisdom and resources, could only diagnose the problem, he couldn't fix it either, for all his power. In Matthew 12:42 however, Jesus said, "...now one greater than Solomon is here." Jesus could and did fix the problem. Jesus came to straighten out what was crooked, to provide a solution to the problem. He didn't just bring information, He brought transformation. That transformation is contagious too, just as the problem was contagious. Jesus always blesses and changes His people so that we can be a blessing, and bring change and healing to those around us. In Christ, we can say with Paul in Philippians 4:12-13, "...I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. / I can do everything through him who gives me strength."