• The Relevance of Theology…

  June 24, 2011

  I remember several years ago as a late 20 something.  I was asked to be the Sunday school teacher of a group of old adults (sarcasm inserted!) – in their mid to late thirties.  I was nervous and wanted some insight from an older Christian who was on staff at the church.  He told me that, while he knew I favored the verse-by-verse approach to teaching, it would be important to give these 30 somethings some practical insight…give them something relevant.  Talk about marriage.  Talk about finances.  Be relevant.

  FAST FORWARD TO TODAY…
  As I prepared to write my sermon today, I received a phone call.  It was my brother.  My best buddy.  His voice was shaking, and he simply asked me to pray.  My three year old niece was in an ambulance on her way to Children’s Mercy after suffering a seizure.  There are a lot of things I wish no human being had to experience.  But, the thought of my sister-in-law watching her daughter going through the scary symptoms of a seizure is not something I would wish on my worst enemy – let alone family that I love so much.

  As I drove to the hospital, my mind raced.  When I saw my buddy, what would I say?  As anxious thoughts raced through my mind, I prayed.  I prayed for healing.  I prayed for the medical staff.  I prayed for my brother and his wife.  I prayed for their 1 year old son.  Then I began to think…

  THEOLOGY (PART 1)
  ROMANS 8:28 says that all things work together for our good – for those who are called according to his purpose.  What is that purpose?  What is the definition of good in this very real situation where my niece is being raced to the hospital?  Good must be her healing.  Good must be an immediate release from the hospital.  Good must be all of us reflecting on God’s goodness tonight with her home and a clean bill of health.  After all, that is what I was praying for.

  Not necessarily.

  The purpose for which all things work together is found in ROMANS 8:29 - that we will be conformed to the image of Christ!  The definition of good is found in the very character of who God is (PSALM 119:68).  So, no matter what God’s specific answers are to our requests, we can rest assured that it will further conform us to the image of Christ and that it will be good - His definition, which is infinitely better than we could ever dream.

  THEOLOGY (PART 2)
  Sometimes as I pray, I remember Christ’s teaching in MATTHEW 6:8 and wonder why I should even pray.  After all, that verse says the Father “knows what [I] need before [I] ask Him”!  Not only does He know, but He has ordained it!  Even the most seemingly mundane details of life – like dice being rolled and the numbers which will show up – are ordained by Him. (PROVERBS 16:33)  Yet, He desires us to pray…in fact, He commands it! (LUKE 18:1; ROMANS 12:12; PHILIPPIANS 4:6; 1 TIMOTHY 2:8; 1 THESSALONIANS 5:17)

  I know.  God’s sovereignty.  This topic is reserved for the ivory towers of scholars and theologians.  This isn’t practical.  Isn’t relevant.

  I heard a definition of sovereignty today.  It goes something like this:  What you would choose for yourself if you knew what God knows.
  
  Hmmmm.

  RELEVANCE
  So, my niece is still in the hospital.  Has had at least two more seizures.  No diagnosis yet.

  So, I pray.  I pray because I am commanded and because God’s power is unleashed through the power of His people (JAMES 5:16B).  I make specific request and I make them known to God specifically (PHILIPPIANS 4:6).  I pray for her healing.

  So, I have peace. I have peace because God promises it (PHILIPPIANS 4:7).  I have peace because all things includes these things (ROMANS 8:28).  I have peace because I know the purpose of these things is our being conformed to Christ.  I have peace because God in His nature is good!  I have peace because God is sovereign.

  The circumstances haven’t changed.  The situation is still weighty – for us as extended family and especially for my brother and his family.  Yet, we can all have a practical, relevant peace – because of the absolute truth of biblical theology.

  Thank you for joining me in praying for my niece, my brother, his wife, and their son.  We continue to pray for healing and trust in the character and sovereignty of God.

  What would you choose for yourself if you knew what God knows?

• Brain Tumors. Barrenness. Blessings.

  June 15, 2011

  “Why do bad things happen to good people?”  Yep.  I’ve wondered the same thing.  So did David.  So did Job.  We are in pretty good company if we have ever asked such a question.  Yet, as I gain experience in life and grow in my theology, I am beginning to think that there are two errors in such a question – both of them stem from our definitions of words.  The words are “bad” and “good.”  Let’s develop that… BRAIN TUMORS… I have been listening to Matt Chandler lately.  The pastor of Village Church in Texas, Matt was diagnosed with [...]

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• Project Millennial?

  June 10, 2011

  I just had a very interesting conversation with a guy.  He is in the construction industry…construction of church buildings.  He offered his opinion on the trends and needs of the church today.  The focus was on the millennial generation.  Boy!  Was it interesting. I learned a few things… First, I found out that I am not of the millennial generation.  Bummer!  Man, missed by just one year.  Maybe I could be grandfathered in?  It is 18 – 35 year olds <citation needed>. Second, he related that the trends of churches today are to identify what the millennials enjoy, how they communicate, what keeps [...]

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• Beyond Our Walls…

  January 3, 2011

  The body of Christ extends beyond the walls of our local church…beyond our community…and beyond our country. As a local body, we share the vision of Harvest Bible Fellowship in being passionate about planting churches.  In 2011, some 13 churches are scheduled to launch in the U.S. and all over the world! It is exciting to see churches being planted with a firm commitment to proclaiming God’s Word without apology, worshiping our Savior in spirit and in truth, believing firmly in the power of prayer, and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ boldly - no matter what the culture or the obstacles. Click HERE to read [...]

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• Full Service?

  September 3, 2010

  Months of prayer, training, planning, learning, growing, leading, following, and so much more have led to this… September 19th…10 AM…the launch of Harvest Bible Chapel in Olathe, Kansas. Thoughts flood over me as I anticipate this great day.  There is excitement over the growth of our people as they have worked hard to understand the foundations and culture of Harvest Bible Chapel.  I am overwhelmed by those who have stepped up to serve.  We have already seen lives transformed and people doing things they never thought they could. So, you are considering visiting on the 19th and are curious as [...]

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• Healthy Things Grow

  July 23, 2010

  This fall, six Harvest Bible Chapels will launch! Each church represents a group of believers who are catching the vision for what God is doing through the many churches of Harvest Bible Fellowship across the world. Each church also represents a pastor and his family experiencing the joys and chellenges of church planting. As a Launch Team, we spend the last minutes of our weekly meetings to pray for these churches, the pastors, and their families. I wanted to take the time to put some faces and details with the names: Al Blake (St. Vincent, West Indies) The first time [...]

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• What’s Happening (At Harvest)?

  July 13, 2010

  For the last few months I have been getting calls and emails asking the same question…”When are your services?” The Lord has blessed us with a wonderful location and a beautiful facility.  Yet on Sunday mornings, people drive by our facility and see no cars in the parking lot…so what IS happening at Harvest this summer? Glad you asked. Sunday Morning Services The answer I give to the calls and emails is that we are not meeting for “services” this summer.   We believe strongly that Sunday morning, the first day of the week, is should be set aside for the body [...]

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• They Searched the Scriptures Daily…

  June 2, 2010

  ACTS 17:11 (ESV) “Now [the Bereans] were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” I can remember reading these words for the first time as a young believer.  From the day of my conversion, I had a passion planted in me to study the Word of God.  As I discovered pastors such as John MacArthur and John Piper, I learned that the Bible has the answers for all areas of life!  So, my heart resonated to read in the 17th chapter of Acts that the people of Berea [...]

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• Straightening a Winding Path…

  May 1, 2010

  PROVERBS 3:5-6  “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” A little over four years ago, we loaded our belongings into a Penske truck, sold our home, and left my job to follow God’s calling.  At that point, we knew He had called me to full time ministry and to be trained at The Master’s Seminary. As He often does, our Lord did not reveal anything past that. Leaving Kansas City meant leaving family, friends, our home church…our comforts.  We [...]

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• Joshua…An Introduction to Theodicy

  March 15, 2010

  The-o-di-cy: A vindication of God’s goodness and justice in the face of the existence of evil. My study through the Bible in one year has brought me to the book of Joshua. Have you ever studied Joshua? What an amazing book of conquest and victory and fulfillment of promises. And, yet, what a book of complexity and theodicy. Beginning with Jericho, on to Ai, then the defeat of the Jerusalem alliance, and on and on…there is one story after another of conquest. What is terrifying is that nearly every conquest includes the killing of “everything that has breath.” (11:14) Your mind probably [...]

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