Having spent the better part of my life as a student, from 2yrs in kindergarten (an illustration for another day) through to Grad School, I notched 20 consecutive years in school.  I believe I’m qualified to speak to issues of the classroom.  I had many wonderful teachers and the consistent reality for each was that every year they had to accept a fresh group of kids who were by all accounts, immature, irresponsible, below average, some even troubled, and everyone of them, myself included, thought they were smarter and brighter than they actually were. 

                These teachers were gracious and kind.  They understood we were growing and maturing and learning.  In fact, none of my teachers had a problem with any of their students because of how they entered their education.  The problem arose when a student was unwilling to learn and grow.  When a student was satisfied to remain in the limited knowledge they entered the class in the teacher became frustrated, discouraged, and always disappointed.

                Disappointment because of lack of growth did not mean the teachers didn’t care or were being harsh or cruel demanding more of their students.  In truth, that expectation demonstrated great care, and some might say love, for their students.  The expectation of learning and growth was the direct result of knowledge our teachers had of what was possible and what we were capable of as a result of that learning and growing.

                It has become a well rehearsed and widely accepted lie that because God loves all of us and accepts anyone who will come to Him in faith and repentance, He also wants us to be as happy as we can make ourselves by doing whatever we want and remaining as we were before we turned to God by faith in Jesus Christ. 

                Scripture tells us very clearly that before coming to God, through faith in Christ’s sacrifice at the cross as payment for our sins, we were without true knowledge, ignorant, selfish, confused, ashamed, and loved sin. 

                It is true that God loves all men and welcomes them to come no matter their attitude, appearance, or past, but it is equally true that He has every desire and intention that we would grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord we now know.  Growth as a result of knowledge is equitable to conformity to the image of Christ.  That means that no matter who we are when we come to Christ there is an expectation that we would not remain the same.

                “Easy Believism” is the identifying name of this grand lie.  Easy Believism says to come to God and please Him takes only believing in Jesus as Savior and says nothing of the expectations that God Himself has of those who bear His name, Christians.

                Jesus Christ is God become man, He is our Savior, and He is also the greatest teacher to ever live.  Jesus Christ gladly welcomed the poor and the wealthy, the sick and the healthy, the decent and the defiled, the ‘sinners’ and the ‘saints’, but he never once evidenced anything but disappointment and righteous contempt for those who were willing to remain as they had been before coming to him.  To encounter Christ and leave unchanged is evidence of having an empirical knowledge of Christ(you know who he is) without having a personal knowledge of who he is(you’ve repented of sin trusting Christ alone for salvation).   God stands ready and willing to accept a fresh group of ‘kids’ who are by all accounts, immature, irresponsible, below average, some even troubled, and everyone of them thinking they are smarter and brighter than they actually are. 

                Christ’s final instruction in Matthew 28 would not have included instruction to teach all things that He had commanded if He cared not whether men changed their attitudes, actions, desires, motivations, and beliefs as a result of their encounter with Him.

                To openly declare we know God through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ demands that our lives represent, through changed and growing attitudes, actions, desires, motivations, and beliefs, a personal knowledge of Christ

                When God welcomes all with open arms it is a welcome into a relationship where we are exposed to the truth and in that knowledge there is growth out of our past failures and into the conforming work of Christ.

                As those who have come to God’s welcoming embrace we ought to strive every day to be learning and growing in Christ, not fighting to stay the same.

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“I can worship God anywhere under the clear blue sky.”  Maybe you’ve heard this statement before.  Or, maybe you’ve said this before.  I have heard this statement a number of times, typically from someone giving me an excuse for why they don’t or won’t go to church.  This sentiment, I can worship anywhere, is absolutely true, but is clearly a total misunderstanding of what church really is.  It is the result of disillusionment with the church and a false belief that the church exists only as a place of worship, and is therefore irrelevant.

There are a number of purposes defined in scripture for the church.  Worship is definitely one of them.  There are however many more purposes for the church and reasons to be engaged in the local church.  Acts chapter 2 verses 40-47 are of primary importance in our understanding of the purposes of the church.  The description there is of the church worshiping God, fellowshipping, ministering as they met the needs of others,  telling others of the good news of Jesus Christ, and training men and women in an understanding of the ‘Apostles doctrine’.

The church is not intended to be a place a bunch of stuffy people go to feel good about themselves simply because they attended church this week.  Nor is it intended to be a place where worship is the only purpose.  We are engaged in the local church today for the very same reasons those early Christians were in Acts 2.  One’s relationship to the church is no different than any other relationship should be.  Biblically relationships are designed for us as an outlet, not an inlet.  That is to say that we are not in a relationship for what we can get out of it, but ought to be in a relationship so that we might contribute.  Scripture declares that we, as believers, are all members of one body with differing gifts given to us so that we might edify others.  We go to church and belong to a church because it is God’s place designed for us to be able to worship, fellowship, minister, evangelize, and learn.

Worship is the act of man in response to the love of God as a direct reflection of our heart’s desire to glorify God.  It is intended to be an offering, something we give to God, not something we get.  It would be naïve to say that you have to go to church to worship, but it is equally naïve to say that the only reason to go to church is to worship.

Christian fellowship is essential to the life of every Christian, and that is how God designed it.  God has purposed us with the work of edifying, encouraging, uplifting, and loving others.  That is not possible if we are forsaking the assembling of ourselves together.  This assembling does not have to be at church either, but church services are excellent times to be exposed to others who you can encourage and who can encourage you.

The ministry of the church is really the ministry of the people.  We are told to, and see the example in scripture of, ministering to others.  Ministry is meeting the needs of others; physical, emotional, or spiritual.  Local church ministry is the tangible way that the love of Christ is shown through us.   We do not minister to others while avoiding them by avoiding church.

Those who claim to know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior are well aware that salvation offered through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important thing anyone will ever hear and understand.  So, with that attitude concerning the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, we are expected to share with others what we know to be true concerning man’s sinful condition, the results of our sin, and the salvation from the penalty of sin offered through faith in Jesus Christ as Savior.  This purpose of the church is expected to be carried out through the ministry of the church, which is the ministry of the people. 

Teaching sound doctrine is a purpose of the church.  Teaching Bible truth is known as discipleship.  It is the reason churches have preaching on Sundays, Sunday Schools, Devotionals during mid-week prayer meeting, men’s and women’s Bible studies, Vacation Bible Schools, etc. The early church was being taught by the Apostles.  They were being established in the Word of Truth.  There was, through this teaching, a foundation being built that could not be shaken because the Word of God is unshakeable.

Yes, we can worship God from anywhere.  But, to say that that is an excuse for not being engaged in the ministry, fellowship, evangelism, and discipleship of the local church is to deny the truth of God’s Word and the plan of God for you.  

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                One of the greatest privileges we have in the Church is bearing the responsibility of participating in the ministry of the Church.  There is a great responsibility we bear in being engaged in the ministry of the Church.  Not only do we need to be concerned that the ministry we are engaged in is in line with Biblical standards and expectations, but we must also be concerned that what we are doing brings glory to God.  That responsibility ought to be considered a privilege, because, though Christ declares that He will build his Church, He has chosen to use men and women who are fallible, so that as His Church is built, He gets the glory and not us.

                Many in the Church today look at their church and ask, ‘What does our pastor need to do to grow this ministry, make it more effective, or reach our community?’  While the pastor undeniably bears a large responsibility in setting the tone for the congregation through his example, the example in scripture is one of the lay person in the church doing a great work in expanding and enhancing the influence and ministry of the local church.

                In Acts chapters 6-8 there is a description of certain men, not only being selected to serve, but stepping up and taking responsibility in boldly proclaiming every day through every part of their life the love of Jesus Christ and the salvation offered through faith in His death on the cross as the substitutionary payment for our sins.  Men like Stephen and Philip, two of the men identified in Acts 6, were not pastors.  Yet, these men are identified as being integral to the growth, effectiveness, and outreach of the early church.

                It is a privilege we have been granted to be able to participate in the work God is doing in building His Church.  We ought to consider it for what it is and respond in kind.  Knowing that we have both a privilege and responsibility to serve in the Church we take seriously what we do and we do it with joy. 

                The Church today does not necessarily need better preachers or better programs, what it needs is more committed people.  By committed people I am talking about people who, like Stephen and Philip, are recognizable as having had their lives changed by the power of God’s love.  As those who claim to know Christ as our Savior, we have been transformed and should be unashamedly proclaiming the love of Jesus Christ and the salvation offered by faith in his substitutionary death on the cross. 

If we are committed to Christ and truly believe that trusting Christ as Savior is the most important thing that we have done and the most important thing anyone else will do, we must ask ourselves, ‘How much do we have to hate someone to with hold the most important information they will ever hear?’  Why are we not totally and thoroughly committed to the privilege and responsibility we bear, as members of the Church of Christ, to share the love of Christ, and participate in a large way in the growth, effectiveness, and outreach of our church?

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Fundamentalism, within Christianity, has gained a bad name over the last four decades.  Part of that bad name has been the product of men and ministries I would never associate myself with and would doubt their claim to historic fundamentalism.  So, before you answer the question in the title with a resounding, NO, let me explain what I mean.The term fundamentalist has it’s roots in the early 1900’s.  It is a term that describes those who believe in and hold firm the fundamentals of the faith.  So, though the term, as descriptive of a group of people, is relatively new, the beliefs we hold dear are not.  Fundamentalism as a movement within Christianity began, in large part, within the Presbyterian denomination, especially within conservative theologians at Princeton University.  The necessity of Fundamentalism arose from liberal theology in the early 1900’s that declared the Word of God, the Bible, was not as authoritative or as reliable as once thought, an idea known as ‘higher criticism’.  The debates between liberal theologians, asserting higher criticism, and conservative theologians, holding fast to historic Christian positions, became known as The Fundamentalist-Modernist Controversy. During these debates within and between denominations in America there was a series of booklets published known as ‘The Fundamentals’.  There were 12 books in all, dealing with just five subjects.  These five subjects became known as the fundamentals of the faith and are in fact the identifying marks of historic fundamentalism.These five fundamentals of the faith are:·       1.) The inspiration of the Bible by the Holy Spirit and the inerrancy and reliability of Scripture as a result of that inspiration.·        2.)The virgin birth of Christ.·        3.)The Deity of Christ.·        4.)The substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross as the atonement for our sin.·        5.)The Bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and the future physical return of Christ to earth as promised.There is a necessity in today’s culture of Fundamentalism to draw a distinction between what I would identify as Historic Fundamentalism and Social Fundamentalism.  Historic Fundamentalism is what has been described above.  Fundamentalists are generally a conservative bunch, both theologically and socially.  This conservative nature has led to non-Fundamentalist being called Fundamentalists based on their conservative stance, not their doctrine.  Groups like Westboro Baptist and their pastor, Fred Phelps, have been identified in the media lately as Baptist Fundamentalists.  This is the group that pickets at funerals of dead soldiers, spouting hate-filled and unchristian rhetoric.  Groups like these are seen by the general public as extremely conservative, when in reality they are just extremely wrong. This is not Historic Fundamentalism. Social Fundamentalists are ones who believe that their sense of morality and modesty are fundamental to true faith.Don’t get me wrong here, I firmly believe in Biblical standards of modesty and morality, but I am not willing, as Social Fundamentalists are, to assert that to remain modest, a woman has to wear a skirt all the time. Neither would I assert that a ‘good Christian’ avoids all secular forms of entertainment. Nor am I willing to dictate that men have to have short cropped hair and wear their suit and tie to church.  I do have short hair, I do wear a suit to church, and I am cautious over what I and my family are exposed to in entertainment, but those things are not fundamental to my faith, they are the result of my faith, not the basis for it.I have a friend who was on the road and decided to attend a church he came across in his travels.  As he entered the church he was told that he would not be allowed to attend if he did not have a tie.  Unfortunately, anymore this ridiculous mandate is reminiscent of other stories from within the very broad range of Fundamentalism.  I have met socially conservative people from nearly every mainline denomination in America, not all of them were Fundamentalists. I don’t care if you wear skirts all the time or don’t have a TV in your home, but don’t make those things the marks of Fundamentalism. My point is this, not all Fundamentalists take the ‘fun’ out of Fundamentalism.  Not all Fundamentalists judge others spirituality based on how they dress, how long their hair is, or where they go and who they hang out with.  I am a Fundamentalist who rides motorcycles, generally dislikes wearing a tie, watches TV when I’m not reading a book, and am nearly as comfortable in a hunting blind as I am at the beach. I’m a Fundamentalist and if you believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, Jesus was born of a virgin, Jesus Christ is God, Jesus died on the cross for my sins and yours, and that he resurrected from the grave to return to heaven and will return again to earth one day to establish his kingdom in eternity, then you too are a Fundamentalist.
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There is concern across America that churches are losing ground in terms of their effectiveness in reaching younger generations.  While a number of books and theories have been produced explaining why this is the case, I believe the root cause is found in the home, not the church.  Ken Ham wrote a book several years ago entitled, “Already Gone”, which revealed some shocking numbers related to the percentage of kids who grow up in church, but never attend after high school or college.  Many who ‘drop out’ of church do so because they see the church as irrelevant.  Their perception of church is that church was an institution created by man for weak minded men.  The truth is that the church was ordained by God and is not for weak men, but is something designed to facilitate worship, fellowship, ministry, evangelism, and discipleship. Our perception is often formed by the way our parents act.  Those of you who are Ford truck fans undoubtedly have a father or uncle or grandfather who is a Ford man.  Those who perceive the church to be irrelevant likely believe this to be true because of how they saw their parents treat the church.  If you believe the Bible to be the Word of God, which it is, then you believe it to be true and reliable.  When scripture tells us as parents that if we “train up a child in the way he should go, then when he is old he will not depart from it”, then we should take the responsibility of raising our kids to love the church. Not because it is our heritage, but because they see in us the need the church is designed by God to meet.The church has a part in the privilege and responsibility of teaching.  A pastor’s responsibility is in part to be a teacher of the Word.  It is problematic and damaging for parents to assume that a Christian education for their child is the sole responsibility of the church. It is the responsibility of the parent to provide a Christian education for their child and part of that responsibility is bringing them to church and teaching them to love the church because it is God’s institution, not man’s.I came across this list in a brief article by Thomas Weaver on theresurgance.com.  The article is entitled:5 Ways to make your kids HATE church.1. Make sure your faith is only something you live out in publicGo to church... at least most of the time. Make sure you agree with what you hear the preacher say, and affirm on the way home what was said especially when it has to do with your kids obeying, but let it stop there. Don’t read your Bible at home. The pastor will say everything you need to hear on Sundays. Don’t engage your children in questions they have concerning Jesus and God. Live like you want to live during the week so that your kids can see that duplicity is ok.2. Pray only in front of peopleThe only times you need to pray are when your family is over, holiday meals, when someone is sick, and when you want something. Besides that, don’t bother. Your kids will see you pray when other people are watching, no need to do it with them in private.3. Focus on your moralsMake sure you insist your kids be honest with you. Let them know it is the right thing for them to do, but then feel free to lie in your own life and disregard the need to tell them and others the truth. Get very angry with your children when they say words that are “naughty” and “bad”, but post, read, watch, and say whatever you want on TV, Facebook, and Twitter. Make sure you focus on being a good person. Be ambiguous about what this means.4. Give financially as long as it doesn’t impede your needsMake a big deal out of giving at church. Stress the need to your children the value of tithing, while not giving sacrificially yourself. Allow them to see you spend a ton of money on what you want, while negating your command from Scripture to give sacrificially.5. Make church community a priority... as long as there is nothing else you want to doHey, you are a church going family, right? I mean, that’s what you tell your friends and family anyways. Make sure you attend on Sundays. As long as you didn’t stay up too late Saturday night. Or your family isn’t having a big barbeque. Or the big game isn’t on. Or this week you just don’t feel like it. Or... I mean, you're a church-going family, so what’s the big deal?These five points are really at the core of the problem churches are facing across the country.  Adults in the church are living as nominal Christians.  A faith that does not affect the way you live and act is not a faith.  In the book of James we read that “faith without works is dead.” The life we lead should be the result of having a life and heart changed by Christ through faith in his finished work on the cross. 
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Today we live in a world, and in fact a town, wherein there exists a number of Christian denominations.  Amongst these denominational systems there exists a host of issues that are disagreed upon.  While we pray for unity through the Holy Spirit around the truth of the Word of God, there are issues that historically have been a test of the ability to call oneself a Christian. Paramount among these beliefs is the deity of Jesus Christ, that is a belief evidenced in scripture that Jesus is God. Another issue is the belief that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and therefore infallible and inerrant in it’s origin.  The Gospel, or good news, upon which Christianity rests is the reality of God coming as a man, Jesus, and dying on the cross as a just sacrifice for our sins. From the early days of the New Testament Church to the present there has been a consistent belief in the literal return of Christ for his church, called the Rapture.  Though this belief and the “apocalypse” has been falsely depicted in many recent Hollywood films there are still biblical Christians who believe that what Christ promised, he will do. Only recently has it become popular in many denominations around the world to deny the promise of Christ’s return.The apostle Paul, who authored much of the New Testament counted the return of Christ as his “blessed hope”, ( Titus 2:13  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ).  This event is what ought to give us hope as Christians. To believe that Christ will return and take his church (Christians) with him to Glory is a blessed motivating factor in the life of a Christian. While there is some disagreement amongst Christians as to when the return of Christ will happen, we must rely upon the testimony of the Bible to understand when the rapture will occur.  The issues of Biblical prophecy can become very confusing and outlining a biblical understanding of prophetic events is not the purpose of this article.  However, we must consider what the Bible tells us about the rapture in light of what else we see in scripture.  Matthew chapter 24 describes an event known as the Tribulation which is a still future event where God will bring judgment upon the world. Matt. 24:36 tells us that the date of this event and the final destruction of the world is unknown to any but the Father. In Revelation 6:16 the term “wrath” is used to refer to the Tribulation, and in I Thessalonians  1:10 and 5:9 we have a promise of deliverance from wrath because of our salvation in Christ Jesus. Revelation 3:10 also promises deliverance for Christians from the trials which will afflict the whole world, the Tribulation. So then while we do not know when the Tribulation will occur we do know that the Rapture of the Church will happen before God’s judgment is poured out on the ungodly.We must also consider that when the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians he counted himself as one who would be alive at the rapture.1 Thessalonians 4:13-18  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.  14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:  17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.Paul, in verse 17, considered the rapture as an immanent possibility.  He believed it could happen in his lifetime and certainly the Tribulation had not occurred yet.  That belief affected the way that he lived and the way that he taught others to live.  Biblically, we must understand that the Return of Christ for His Church could happen at any moment. There will not be a 24 hour advance notice of Christ’s return, I Corinthians 15:51 says it will happen in the twinkling of an eye, and so we must live each day in a way that is representative of the love we claim we have for Christ because of what he did for us on the cross.  I Corinthians 15 is a lengthy passage that relates to the rapture of the Church and verse 58 sums up the attitude we should demonstrate in light of the immanent return of Christ; I Corinthians 15:58   Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
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Thanksgiving 06/29/2011
 
It is no secret amongst my friends and family that Spring and Fall are my two favorite times of the year.  I lived the first 25 years of my life in areas of the country where the humidity of the summer made it feel as though you were slapped in the face by a wet towel as you stepped outside and the wind and snow of the winter would have made polar bears and penguins feel at home.
Maybe this favor of mine is a result of Spring and Fall being two of the most noticeable seasonal changes of the year.  Spring just fades into summer and Fall freezes slowly into Winter, but Spring literally springs to life and the Fall is such a contrast in temperature, landscape, and daylight to Summer.  Maybe it is as simple as Spring Turkey season and Fall deer season being the highlights of my years since early childhood.  Whatever the reason I enjoy these seasons they both provide reminders of what God has done.  
At Easter we are reminded of God’s love for mankind as evidenced through Christ’s death on the cross and subsequent resurrection.  During Thanksgiving we are pausing for a moment to offer thanks.  Offering of thanks requires a knowledge of what God has done for us and how He has worked on our behalf.
At our church we spend about a half-hour every Wednesday night praying for the needs and desires of our church family, their families, and our community.  Once every 3 months we take time to recall how God has worked to answer specific prayer requests.  In a knowledge of how God has answered we take that half-hour of prayer to offer praise and thanks.  
So often we are all guilty of confusing gratitude and thanks.  Feeling grateful for what we have is not the same as offering thanks for what we have been given.  Gratitude is a feeling of thanks, but giving thanks is an acknowledgement of appreciation.  Thanksgiving is the result of gratitude.  
It is insufficient to simply be grateful for what God has done.  Sufficiency here rests in expressing that gratitude.  Thanksgiving in often a time of year that we take opportunity to let our friends and family know how thankful we are for them or we tell them what we are thankful for.  This is an appropriate exercise in giving thanks, but I have focused here purposefully on thanking God because that is what this day is reserved for. 
Though we associate Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims, and Franklin D. Roosevelt was the president responsible for making it a National Holiday it was on October 3rd 1789 that George Washington made a proclamation as America’s first President.  The following is an excerpt of that proclamation.
Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor--and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me `to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.'
Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be --That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks…
.   George Washington understood the purpose in giving thanks. As Washington acknowledged God as ‘…the Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be’ so Thanksgiving has always, is now, and always will be a day ‘of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God’
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“Unbelievable.”  That was all I could manage to say audibly as my wife and I were given the news of the accident my brother-in-law Jeremy had been in.  It was early on the morning of the 18th of September that we began to understand the details of the events of the previous night.  While my mouth produced, ”unbelievable” as an expression, my heart was saying confidently, “God is good!”Jeremy is a senior at Grace College in Winona Lake, Indiana.  He worked as the student athletic director and was majoring in Sports management and Business.  He was what many of the athletes called their ‘practice dummy’.  Though he did not play on any of the many sports teams Grace had, he practiced with all of them.  The girls volleyball team was his focus of late as he practiced with them.  Jeremy had taken an interest in one of the volleyball players and was out on what might be considered a first date with Malorie.  They had taken a walk around the city park lake and were sitting in a hammock by the lake when the tree the Hammock was secured to uprooted and fell on them both.  Malorie was killed instantly as the tree struck her in the head. Jeremy was struck in the back of the neck was instantly paralyzed. A passerby discovered them and called 911. Jeremy was life-flighted to a Fort Wayne hospital where he was met by a trauma team and neurosurgeon.  By 3pm on the 19th Jeremy was already recovering from his second surgery.  They had taken bone from his hip and fused his neck after replacing his c-3 and c-4 vertebra with a block of bone from his femur.  The neurosurgeon sat with us and plainly told us Jeremy would be a quadriplegic and would be on a ventilator the rest of his life.  We continued to pray. I heard a saying once that as Christians we ought to pray as if it all depends on God and work as if it all depends on us.  We have, maybe unknowingly, embraced that attitude.  We prayed hard. We enlisted prayer support from around the country, and in fact from around the globe.  A website was established so that friends and family could keep up to date with the latest news on Jeremy’s recovery.  In less than 10 days that site has had over 20,000 visitors.  Many of the messages left for Jeremy via that site have included statement concerning the prayers that have been said for Him and his recovery.  Our best estimate is that there are some 15-20 thousand individuals praying for Jeremy’s recovery.The evening after surgery Jeremy had no feeling or sensation below his ears.  As prayers were offered in faith believing that God could heal Jeremy if he desired we began to see improvement in the first 24 hours.  By Monday evening, the day after his last surgery, Jeremy was responding to questions by shrugging his shoulders.  Prayers of thanksgiving were said and followed by continued requests for his recovery.  As of the time of this writing Jeremy has movement of his shoulders, feeling down to the middle of his chest and his elbow of his right arm. He is also breathing through a ventilator but at a higher rate and volume than the ventilator is dictating, meaning he is doing some of the breathing on his own.Another part of his prognosis was a timeframe for his initial recovery which included a month in the ICU followed by a year in a rehab center.  At our last report the doctors were hoping to discharge him from the ICU 2 weeks early and he could be home and out of rehab by Christmas. All of this is shared so that I can say, GOD IS GOOD!You may be wondering; “How can this family possibly say ‘God is good’ after an injury that has left their son and brother paralyzed?”  Well, here’s what you need to know about how Jeremy and our family are dealing with this tragedy; GOD is good! Every event and challenge in life is an opportunity for God to be glorified. We understand that as Christians our purpose here on earth is to glorify God, so if God is glorified we are satisfied. We know that God is in control and that he has a plan in allowing this to happen to Jeremy.  Job 14.5 assures us that God knows the number of our days and we can do nothing to change what God has decreed will happen.  Seeing then that Jeremy is still with us we are confident that God has a plan for him.  Jeremy, as well as our family, are looking forward to seeing answered prayer and God's grace demonstrated in all of our lives. 

In 1994 Jeremy recognized the truth in Titus 3:5 that there was nothing he could ever do that would be good enough to merit God's favor and eternal salvation.  Even as a young boy he understood his need for a Savior and repented of his sins placing his faith and hope for salvation in what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross.  That faith in Christ is what is sustaining him and his family today.

The Bible tells us in Romans chapter 3 and chapter 6 that  'all have sinned' and 'the wages of sin is death', eternal separation from God in Hell.  It also tells us that 'the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ'. 

Jesus Christ's death on the cross was the sacrifice necessary to satisfy the righteous wrath of a Holy God against sin.  The book of Romans tells us that if we do not know Jesus as our personal Savior, the way Jeremy and his family do, that you are the enemy of God.  As his enemies, though he loves us, we are subject to his wrath and judgment, HELL.

You too have a decision to make.  Life is short and this tragedy is a reminder that the life we have can change in an instant.  Will you be ready to meet God when you die?

Romans 10:9-13  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.  11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.  12... for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

Our desire is that through Jeremy's testimony of faith and dependence on God others might come to know Christ as their personal Savior, and through that God would be glorified.
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Death is one aspect of life that, though inevitable, short of Christ’s return we will all deal with. Over the last few weeks I have been confronted with death from many angles.  I have officiated a funeral, attended another, lost an uncle to a long battle with cancer, and am writing this article after visiting with my childhood pastor who is on his deathbed. With all of this exposure to the realities of life and death I have been forced to think more pointedly about living a life well spent.  There are many ways in which man has defined a life well spent. Great emphasis is put on attaining success, accumulating wealth, helping others, finding love, raising children, being honest, and showing generosity.  Ultimately the only things that will matter in eternity are the things done in service of Christ. I sat in a hospital room today with my childhood pastor.  He is without a doubt one of the two most influential men in my life and ministry.  Pastor, though weak, managed to reminisce with me about his ministry as I look forward to the remainder of mine.  Pastor has raised children, been married almost 40 years, and has earned a Doctorate. He has pastored the same church for 26 years which now has nearly 800 people attending on Sunday mornings.  Under his ministry there have been over 20 individuals, including myself, who have been called into full-time Christian service. From the human perspective Pastor has lived his life well. The thing that has concerned Pastor in his last days is the same thing that ought to concern us everyday.  He has not been concerned that people would remember him for his accomplishments as a man, but that they would see him as a man who lived his life in full regard for what the Lord Jesus Christ expected of him.  He has an understanding that only the things done to further the cause of Christ will matter in eternity.The Apostle Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians; “I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.   Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize?  So run that you may obtain it.  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air, but I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”We do not live our lives so that we might honor others or impress our peers.  As Paul said, “…They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.”   The ancient athlete trained and competed to win a laurel wreath that would rot and disappear with time.  We live our lives striving to please God by bringing honor and glory to him through the testimony of His grace and love in our lives.  Our only concern and motivation in life should be; “Has what I have done today been pleasing to God?”   
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Knowing God 06/29/2011
 
As a child I was curious. I always wanted to be the one with the information no one else had.  I wanted know more than anyone about any given subject.  I did extra credit history reports in 6thgrade, just so I wouldn’t be bored in class. I read my science text book in English class because science was a more factual study than was grammar.  In 8th grade I discovered ‘Ripley’s Believe it or Not’ and ‘Guinness World Records’.  These were life changing because now I also had useless information that none of my friends had.  I began memorizing a list of interesting facts so that at any given time I could produce tidbits of info to wow my friends, like how often the average person picks their nose, or how much faster a cheetah can run than a bee can fly. I had a thirst for knowledge that was described by my mother as unquenchable.  I have since toned down the useless info craze in my life, but the desire to be knowledgeable in as many areas as possible has not left.  That desire has especially been true in that last few years in the area of trends within Christianity. We are a curious people and God has created us that way.  The Bible tells us that God has revealed himself to us in nature and within our conscience (Romans 1:19-21; Romans 2:14-15). We know that there is a God.  What God desires of us is that we would know Him.  Nature and our conscience tell us that there is a God but the Bible tells us who God is and what He has done for us.  We must first know God as our Savior.  We must confess our sins and believe that Jesus died on the cross as the substitutionary payment for our sins to satisfy the just wrath of God against man as sinner (Romans 5:8-9). Once we know God as savior we can begin to grow in the knowledge of God.  There are many who would say that they know God because they can recite facts about God; He is love, He is all powerful, He is everywhere all the time, He created the world.  That type of knowledge is necessary, but is not an evidence that we really know God.  The Bible says that those who have never trusted Jesus Christ to save them from their sins are still carnally minded and as such cannot understand the spiritual things contained in scripture concerning who God is and what His nature and character teach us about Him.We know we are naturally curious about the God we see revealed in nature and our conscience so the question then is why do we need to have a knowledge of God.  The first reason is so that we can better understand how God works in the course of human history.  In that knowledge we are better able to appreciate what he has done for us and offer him praise for what he has done in our lives. The second reason is so that as those who have come to know God as our personal Savior, we might be able to identify error in teaching within the broad realm of Christianity.  The apostle Peter warned in II Peter that the church would continually face false teachers who would enter the churches as ones who seem to have an understanding and knowledge of God’s Word, but are really just teaching “swelling words of vanity” in order to satisfy their own greed or sinful desires of the flesh. Just like identifying counterfeit money, we cannot identify error if we do not know what the truth looks and sounds like.  The true knowledge of God is found within His own Word the Bible. Everything that you hear from the pulpit, or the radio, see on tv, or read in print should be compared to what the word of God says. An understanding of God and His word reveal that no portion of scripture when properly viewed in context will ever disagree or contradict any other portion of scripture.  And just like any other text in human history mankind has become skilled at skewing the meaning of a Biblical text in order to satisfy his own desires or preconceived notions about God.  II Peter 3:16-18 says, “There are some things in them [the Scriptures] that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.  17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability.  18 But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”In our curiousness over God and in our desire to know Him more thoroughly as our Savior, the Bible must be our sole authority concerning who God is, what He has done, and how He interacts with mankind.
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