The Palms Of His Hands by Jason Sanchez

I had yet another amazing conversation with my little 4 year old, Ayantu Faith.

The other night, I walked into our room just as Jackie and Antu finished reading a story from her  Jesus storybook bible.  As I knelt down by our bed to spend a moment with her, she said “daddy, I want to tell you something…”  I don’t know how many times I’ve heard that line, followed by all kinds of either questions, stories, thoughts, etc.   Little did I know, she was going to move me to tears and a deeper thankfulness for her and our Lord.

Antu continued, “…daddy, my mom and dad left me…”  she paused for a second and looked like she was going to rephrase her words.  I wasn’t quite sure what she was saying, and was ready to respond with, “no we didn’t, we are right here.”  But before I could say something, Antu was talking again, “daddy, my mom and dad left me…and that’s when the police found me and brought me to my nannies at the orphanage.  They took care of me until you and momma came and got me.”

Jackie and I often talk about when the appropriate age would be, to tell Antu her complete story, but apparently she’s got it mostly figured out.  She has talked about her nanny before and how we are in an orphanage just like the one she was in.  In fact, yesterday while we were in the dining hall, she said, “you know dada, this orphanage is different then my orphanage I lived in.”  She then proceeded to point out all the things that were different (as if she really remembers).  However i’ve never heard her talk about how her mom and dad left her.  I didn’t need to hear anything else for the tears to start flowing.  I immediately hugged and squeezed her tight, telling her how much I love her and how thankful I am that she is our daughter!

I think part of the reason I was so emotional was because I can’t believe someone would abandon this precious girl.  How in the world could someone leave a 2 day old baby, naked, alone, on a dusty dirt road.  And then I started thinking of the boys in the other room, who too have experienced abandonment.  All three of them don’t have fathers, Erasmo’s mother forsook he and his siblings and little Luis is truly an orphan, not having any family. I don’t understand it!

Well, actually, I do understand it.  We live in a fallen, broken, sinful, hurting world.  And apart from a relationship with Jesus, people do the craziest things.

Every year, we celebrate and remember the greatest sacrifice and gift the world has ever received.  Around Easter, we spend time remembering Jesus’ brutal death on the cross, the day He took ALL the broken, fallen, sinful, hurts of this world upon Himself to cleanse and change our lives forever.  The day that our Savior remembered all those who have, are, and will be abandoned or neglected, and He engraved us on the palms of His bloody hands!  The day that TRUE LOVE died…that He might be raised again, as we will celebrate and remember every Easter.

“Can a nursing woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?  Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.  Behold, I have enraged you on the palms of my hands…” (Isaiah 49:15-16).

I pray that the Lord uses this reminder to minister to your heart in a new and fresh way, as you think on our Lord, engraving you on the palms of His hands!

Mission looks like what? by Cameron Barber

I think that there might be some confusion about what a church plant looks like, or what mission is today.  I would like to share some things we are learning as we go along.

The first is the notion of a product.  When you think of church, what comes to your mind?  Is it four walls, pews, chairs, sound system, worship band, and pulpit?  Is it some kind of house church?  Whatever picture comes into your head, it is a physical product that took years of hard work, prayer, and God moving in a certain way, to get to that point.  Was this the only way that Jesus meant to build His church?  

Why are there no pictures this time?   Photos of church are great, and God has blessed this church plant.  But, there are things that happen that are not on film, or even part of what happens in Sunday service.  These things are the very essence of what church planting, and mission is all about.

Through working at a job outside of the church, I have been able to have many great conversations, made connections, and been able to share the Gospel with people who would not be caught dead inside the four walls of any church building.  Because of the nature of this job I get to talk with one person, for an entire day.  I don’t always get to share the Gospel, but there are times that the Lord opens a door and softens someone’s heart to let me speak truth into their life.  

There are certainly incredible things that God does during church gatherings, but I have seen God do much more that cannot be expressed in pictures.  Things like, conversations with homosexuals, or with young men that have turned their back on God.  This is the very Spirit of God in motion.

Our weekly service is not very big, around 10 on a good night, but the sowing of seed is what is really exciting.  Think of a church plant like that.  It’s not taking a root bulb, or a small tree and putting it in the ground.  It’s digging a hole, planting a seed, covering it, and watering, watering, watering, watering.....

I’m telling you this to get the message out there that the mission field is outside your front door!  Jesus said that He would build His church, and the gates of Hell would not prevail against it.  He wants us to take ground, get dangerous, and love like there is no tomorrow.  Because for those without Christ, that is exactly the case.  You don’t need to be skilled in music, have a degree, or even go through a “How to” program in evangelism.  You need a spirit that is willing to submit to whatever God wants, because if enough of us submit to Him, the world will shake!   

THE GLORY OF INCONVENIENCE by Pilgrim Benham

 I didn’t sign up for this.  When I first got involved in ministry, in serving God for His glory and fame in the world through the local church, I forgot one crucial element of ministry: people.  What is it, more than anything else, which causes distractions and problems in a church?  People.  Who gets offended or causes division?  People.  Who are the sources of constant woes and heartache and turmoil?  People!  It seems that when I thought about ‘ministry’, I was thinking about the glory of my gifting : how well I could communicate, how I could explain Biblical truth, how hard I could work or serve or how talented I was as a musician, writer, or athlete.  What I had missed was what ministry was all about: people!

Ministers who focus on the glory of their gifting miss out on one of the greatest blessings of serving Christ: the glory of inconvenience.  Think of what Jesus’s public ministry looked like.  He was constantly pulled away from the task God had given Him by needy people.  What most of us fail to realize is that this was the task God had given Him!  Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost.  His ultimate purpose was to lay down His life as the sacrifice for our sins, to save us.  This mission played out by saving people from temporal pain, suffering, demonic possession, ignorance, and hunger.  Jesus said in John 17:4, “I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave me to do”.  Jesus prayed this before even going to the cross.  Jesus was referring to the pre-cross ministry of teaching, healing, forgiving, and ministering to people’s needs.  And it brought God glory because peppered through His ministry was the glory of inconvenience.

Inevitably as a Christ-follower and fellow minister of the gospel of grace, you will face inconvenience.  Though we certainly are inconvenienced by common hassles like spending our time, money, energies, efforts, talents, and goals for Christ, the most prevalent difficulty is: people!  People require grace, love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness.  People need our longsuffering, discipline, explanation, instruction, rebukes, attention, sympathy, and listening ears.  We get frustrated when someone interrupts our schedule, our goals, or our comfort.  The reality is that these people are not interruptions or inconveniences to ministry; they are the ministry!

Pastor Don McClure recently mentioned that when we feel people are “in the way” we fail to realize that God doesn’t see them as that. People are the way. So people aren’t getting in the way of something you have to do, they are the way, the focus, the priority, the reason we do what we do.

Paul explained the glory of inconvenience in 2 Corinthians 11.  Among the difficulties and disturbances he faced, he was constantly moving, facing trouble in every neighborhood he ventured into, losing sleep, going without meals, heat, and even his dry cleaning!  He was beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, and imprisoned.  Moreover, he was constantly concerned for the people God had brought into his life.  His final analysis is that though we are weak in Him, “yet by God’s power we will live with Him to serve you” (2 Corinthians 13:4).  May that be our prayer no matter how difficult the glory of inconvenience becomes—that we are, by God’s power, living with Him to serve others.

The boy who didn’t know his age BY JASON SANCHEZ

I’m getting old!  Well, at-least it seems that way.  I just turned 35 years old.  Most people know when their birthday is, especially children.  My 4 year old is already anticipating her birthday coming in March.  She has things planned out and talks about it frequently.  It’s not very often that you come across a child that doesn’t know their birthday or how old they are, especially if they are 11.  However, I talked with one the other night at our fall festival.  It was actually one of our children, Juan.

Our children were very exciting about going to the fall festival at the church and of course, getting a ton of candy.  The church was packed and everyone was having a great time.  Towards the end of the night, it came time for musical chairs.  They broke it up by age group.  I was in charge of starting and stopping the music and Juan was right by my side helping me.  At one point he turned to me and asked how many years he was.  I didn’t understand what he was wanting, to which he asked again…how old am I?  He had been patiently waiting his turn for musical chairs, but didn’t know when to go because he didn’t know how old he was.  When I told this young man that he was 11 and it was his turn to play, it was as if I told him he won a million pesos.  Smiles and joy filled his face as he ran to the chairs.

I am so thankful for and treasure those little moments, like that night with Juan.  It reminds me of the importance of what we are doing and gives me  the desire to want to love on and minister to these children all the more.

Staying connected to the Lord by David Baldwin

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. —John 15:5

A lamp’s purpose for being created is to shine light. In order to shine its light the lamp must remain connected to its power source: the electrical outlet. However, when unplugged it is impossible for a lamp to generates its own power to accomplish its purpose to shine light.

You are no different. God designed you for certain purposes which require His wisdom and His power in order to function as designed. Jesus said, "apart from me you can do nothing," meaning you can’t shine any of His light onto this world when you are unplugged from Him. This is extremely important to grasp because the evil one knows your power source and he is doing everything possible "every" day to keep you unplugged from the Lord. To help elude his deceptions it is crucial to be in the Word every day, stay prayerful, listening to the Spirit and wrap all this up by putting God’s Truth into action.

You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. —Matthew 5:14-16

Takeaways:

To be God’s light to the world you must remain plugged into Him.

The Lord takes great joy when you remain plugged into Him. The evil one takes great joy when you remain unplugged from Him. It is your choice to see who receives the greatest joy.

Always remember “every" day the evil one is doing everything he can to keep you unplugged from the Lord.

Reflection:

What are you purposefully doing every day to stay plugged into God?

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." —John 8:12

We have been adopted by PILGRIM BENHAM

Jane was born in an impoverished area of Ethiopia, which is an understatement to say the least. Children like Jane are born into conditions of extreme poverty and malnourishment, disease, danger and terrible suffering. Even with one or two loving and protective parents, many newborns don’t live very long, and many don’t live to even see their 4th birthday. Jane had an added disadvantage: her biological parents left her in a public place so that she would be found, which is often the case when parents are unable to provide for their children. She was found by a loving police officer the next day and taken to an orphanage. Eventually they discovered she had an internal cyst. This was something very treatable in the United States, but without surgery her health was quickly declining.

Jane’s story would have ended tragically like so many other children born in similar conditions, but it didn’t.

Jane’s life was forever changed in a moment.

She did nothing to help or change her situation.

She can’t look back to a decision she made or a discipline she kept that made her life better.

She was rescued: adopted by an American family that loved and welcomed her into their own lives to be one of their very own beloved daughters.

Today Jane is 4 years old and thriving! Her father Matt, a good friend of mine, doesn’t look at her as a ‘second-class citizen’ of the family. All the blessings and benefits that his biological daughter enjoys are available and provided for Jane, his adopted daughter. Her life will never be the same, and her identity is forever legally associated with her new family.

This is such an apt description of the adoption you and I have received through faith in Jesus Christ! The believer’s adoption as a child of God was determined by God from eternity: God “predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ” ( Eph 1:5 ). This adoption is not the result of any merit on the part of the believer, but solely the outworking of God’s love and grace (Ephesians 1:5 Ephesians 1:7). Romans 8:15 says “For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father’”.

Jesus instructed us to pray to “our Father”. He told Mary Magdalene that He was ascending to “my Father and your Father”. For our sakes Jesus was rejected by the Father and cast out of the city gates and given to “dogs” to be consumed and conquered. He knew no sin yet became sin for us. Jesus was cursed on the tree and took the curse of sin and death for us. But because Jesus rose again and conquered death, God has elected by His grace to pursue those in despair born in the family of Adam. By faith in Christ we have been adopted into the family of God and are now recipients of the promises the Father intended to bestow on His beloved Son. We are now co-heirs with Christ, our elder brother.

We have been adopted from the line of Adam to the line of Jesus. Let this wonderful truth resonate in your soul as you consider the great love of the Father in Christ.

Pastor Pilgrim

Who’s will are you following by David Baldwin

Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise … Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. —Ephesians 5:15-17

Many believe in Christ but not all who believe follow in His ways. Believing in Christ is a start but not the end. The end is to yield to “all” the ways of the Lord—to seek "His" will. Sadly, many are pursuing “their" will on “their" terms thus failing to pursue the higher ways of the Lord. Your freewill was never intended for you to pursue your “selfish” will. You were created to have kingdom impact which can only happen when there is a selfless pursuit towards seeing that His will be done.

… continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. —Philippians 2:12-13

Note the scripture says to “his” good purpose and not to your selfish purposes.

Jesus gave you the perfect example to follow as He had no selfish-will in His heart—only the will of the Father.

By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. —John 5:30

Takeaway:

Live wisely—pursue the Lord's will.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. —John 15:5

QUEST FOR JOY by John Piper

Have you ever known true joy? Do you have this joy in your life right now? If you are longing for fulfillment, for true joy, please read on—this blog may assist you in your quest.

1. God Created Us For His Glory

“Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth… whom I created for my glory” (Isaiah 43:6-7). God made us to magnify his greatness—the way telescopes magnify stars. He created us to put his goodness and truth and beauty and wisdom and justice on display. The greatest display of God’s glory comes from deep delight in all that he is. This means that God gets the praise and we get the pleasure. God created us so that he is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him.

2. Every Human Should Live For God’s Glory 

“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). If God made us for his glory, clearly we should live for his glory. Our duty comes from his design. So our first obligation is to show God’s value by being satisfied with all that he is for us. This is the essence of loving God (Matthew 22:37) and trusting him (1 John 5:3-4) and being thankful to him (Psalm 100:2-4). It is the root of all true obedience, especially loving others (Colossians 1:4-5).

3. All of Us Have Failed To Glorify God As We Should 

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). What does it mean to “fall short of the glory of God?” It means that none of us has trusted and treasured God the way we should. We have not been satisfied with his greatness and walked in his ways. We have sought our satisfaction in other things and have treated them as more valuable than God, which is the essence of idolatry (Romans 1:21-23). Since sin came into the world, we have all been deeply resistant to having God as our all-satisfying treasure (Ephesians 2:3). This is an appalling offense to the greatness of God (Jeremiah 2:12-13).

4. All Of Us Are Subject To God’s Just Condemnation 

“For the wages of sin is death…” (Romans 6:23). We have all belittled the glory of God. How? By preferring other things above him. By our ingratitude, distrust, and disobedience. So God is just in shutting us out from the enjoyment of his glory forever. “They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might” (2 Thessalonians 1:9). The word “hell” is used in the New Testament twelve times—eleven times by Jesus himself. It is not a myth created by dismal and angry preachers. It is a solemn warning from the Son of God who died to deliver sinners from its curse. We ignore it at great risk. If the Bible stopped here in its analysis of the human condition, we would be doomed to a hopeless future. However, this is not where it stops…

5. God Sent His Only Son Jesus To Provide Eternal Life And Joy 

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1 Timothy 1:15). The good news is that Christ died for sinners like us. And he rose physically from the dead to validate the saving power of his death and to open the gates of eternal life and joy (1 Corinthians 15:20). This means God can acquit guilty sinners and still be just (Romans 3:25-26). “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Coming home to God is where all deep and lasting satisfaction is found.

6. The Benefits Purchased By The Death Of Christ Belong To Those Who Repent & Trust Him 

“Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out” (Acts 3:19). “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). “Repent” means to turn from all the deceitful promises of sin. “Faith” means being satisfied with all that God promised to be for us in Jesus. “Whoever believes in me,” Jesus says, “shall never thirst” (John 6:35). We do not earn our salvation. We cannot merit it (Romans 4:4-5). It is by grace through faith that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is a free gift (Romans 3:24). We will have it if we cherish it enough to receive it and treasure it above all things (Matthew 13:44). When we do that, God’s aim in creation is accomplished: He is glorified in us and we are satisfied in him—forever.

Does This Make Sense To You? 

Do you desire the kind of gladness that comes from being satisfied with all that God is for you in Jesus? If so, then God is at work in your life.

What Should You Do? 

Turn from the deceitful promises of sin. Call upon Jesus to save you from the guilt and punishment and bondage. “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Start banking your hope on all that God is for you in Jesus. You can break the power of sin’s promises by putting your faith in the superior satisfaction of God’s promises. Begin reading the Bible to find his precious and very great promises, which can set you free (2 Peter 1:3-4). Find a Bible-believing church, and begin to worship and grow together with other people who treasure Christ above all things (Philippians 3:7).

(Source: goodnewstracts.org)

Gospel vs. Religion

If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. – Galatians 1:9
 

Is your Christianity marked by a deep belief, assurance and dependency on grace through Jesus? Or is your heart bent on man-fearing, self-worshiping religiosity? Religious people are glory thieves – taking from God what is rightfully his. Even worse than resulting in personal corruption, religion spread insidiously in churches; Paul’s fiercest commands throughout his letters were always against the religious people in the church.

Grace is freedom from the curse of works (Gal. 3:10), freedom from condemnation (Gal 2:15), freedom from slavery (Gal. 5:1) and freedom to worship and obey Jesus by the power of the Spirit (Gal. 5:16). Religion can never love or honor Jesus – it is ashamed of and offended (Gal. 5:11) by the gospel that declares all as sinners in need of a Savior. Religion says you can save yourself. Religion is “another gospel.”

What gospel are you spreading like a wildfire in your church or life? Grace? Or Religion?

Tim Keller shows the difference between Religion and Gospel in his new publication, Gospel in Life Study Guide (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), p. 16.

Acceptance

Religion: “I obey; therefore, I’m accepted.”
Gospel: “I’m accepted; therefore, I obey.”
 Motivation

Religion: Motivation is based on fear and insecurity.
Gospel: Motivation is based on grateful joy.
Obedience

Religion: I obey God in order to get things from God.
Gospel: I obey God to get God – to delight in an resemble him.
 Circumstances

Religion: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I am angry at God or myself, since I believe that anyone who is good deserves a comfortable life.
Gospel: When circumstances in my life go wrong, I struggle, but I know my punishment fell on Jesus and that while God may allow this for my training, he will exercise his Fatherly love within my trial.
Criticism

Religion: When I am criticized, I am furious or devastated because it is critical that I think of myself as a “good person.” Threats to self-image must be destroyed at all costs.
Gospel: When I am criticized, I struggle, but it is not essential for me to think of myself as a “good person.” My identity is not built on my record or my performance but on God’s love for me in Christ.
Prayer

Religion: My prayer life consists largely of petition, and it only heats up when I am in a time of need. My main purpose in prayer is control of the environment.
Gospel: My prayer life consists of generous stretches of praise and adoration. My main purpose is fellowship with God.
Confidence

Religion: My self-view swings things between to poles. If and when I am living up to my standards, I feel confident, but then I am prone to be proud and unsympathetic to failing people. If and when I am not living up to standards, I feel humble but not confident – I feel like a failure.
Gospel: My self-view is not based on my moral achievement. In Christ I am simul lustus et peccator – simultaneously sinful and lost, yet accepted in Christ. I am so bad that he had to die for me, and I am so loved that he was glad to die for me. This leads me to deep humility and confidence at the same time.
Identity

Religion: My identity and self-worth are based mainly on how hard I work, or how moral I am – and so I must look down on those I perceive as lazy or immoral.
Gospel: My identity and self worth are centered on the one who died for me. I am saved by sheer grace and I can’t look down on those who believe or practices something different from me. Only by grace am I what I am.

By Scott Thomas, President of Acts 29 Network