My New Favorite Hymn

How Deep the Father's Love for Us

How deep the fathers love for us
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give his only son
To make a wretch His treasure
How great the pain of searing loss
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the Chosen One
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon the cross
My sin upon His shoulder
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice
Call out among the scoffers
It was my sin that held Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts no power no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection
Why should I gain from His reward
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

Filtering Theology?

I was over at a church members house yesterday and we started talking about a co-worker of theirs who was a Calvinist. Without getting in to the whole theological discussion here, I do not believe in the predestination that a Calvinist believes in.

Over the course of the conversation, Reformed Theology was mentioned. I've had quite a few conversations and read a lot of material from people who have made Reformed Theology a major part of their beliefs. If my perception of RT is correct, the main tenet is the Glory of God. I say Amen to that!

The Glory of God is the whole purpose of His entire Creation. He has and will be glorified in and through everything that has and will happen throughout all of time. He is glorified in the justification and sanctification of His people. He will be glorified in the final damnation of those who refuse His gift of eternal life. God is glorified in all whether we perceive it as good or bad.

As I said a moment ago, I do not believe in Calvinism...which is also a tenet of RT. A common thread I get while reading RT writers is that God receives more glory based on the Calvinist view of salvation rather than the Biblical doctrine of salvation. Let me stop here and explain that I believe the work of salvation has been entirely completed by God through His Son, Jesus. However, I don't believe that faith is a work. Faith is a gift from God that is imparted to us through exposure to His Word. It is a gift He desires to give to all.

Now, to the point of this post: I believe that many have used the tenet of glorifying God, rather than the Bible, as the filter for their doctrine. Since a Calvinist believes that God gets "more" glory under their theological system, that is what they believe. I do not filter my theology through my belief that the chief end of man is to bring glory to God. My theology comes from the Bible.

Biblical doctrine does not contradict the purpose of God's Creation. I believe strongly that God gets more glory when His Holy Spirit convicts a person of their sin and they choose out of their free will to receive His gift of eternal life. God doesn't get glory from robots who have no choice. He gets glory when people choose to worship Him. Like I said earlier, He even gets glory when people don't.

PS This post is not an invitation for debate on this subject...I've done enough of that with enough people. If you believe differently than I do, you won't convince me and I won't convince you. This is simply an observation of a thinking preacher.

Merry Christmas!

I just want to wish you and your family a very merry Christmas.  Thank God for the awesome gift He gave us in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  I love the proclamation of the angels in Luke 2: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."

Tundra Ministry Commercial

This video is a spoof commercial we created based on the big storm we just had in the Portland area.  We're going to show it during our Watchnight Service on New Year's Eve.  Enjoy!

Why Us? (Portland Storm of the Century)

Two out of the last three winters we've been in a place that had the worst snow storm they've experienced in 40-50 years.  We lived just north of Denver during the winter of 06-07.  That year, they had a snow storm come through that dropped the most snow in 50 years.  Denver International Airport was completely shut down for 4 days and we saw drifts of snow upwards of 8 feet tall.  There was about 4 feet of snow in the flats.

Right now, we live in the Portland area and we just had the biggest snow storm this area has seen since 1968 over the weekend.  We have about a foot and a half of snow on the ground at our house in Dundee.  People in Oregon don't really know what to do with the snow.  As soon as the first snowflake hit the windshield, people started driving in to each other and in to ditches.

Here are some photos I just took outside our house.  Take a look at the carnage...

Our House

My Sisters PT Cruiser

Our Trash Cans

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm glad that I have Someone to thank for all the blessings I enjoy in my life.  Tell God about five things you are thankful to Him for.  It will make your day better.

Here's a statement I have written in the front of my Bible that keeps me thankful: Forgetting where we came from is the first step to forgetting what God has done for us.

Don't forget.  Be thankful.

1.20.09

The Beginning of an Error

Bad Apple

I have to admit that I have been a big fan of Apple computer products since about 2003.  I have coveted owning a Macbook for quite a long time.  Their products are good and they just work.

However, Apple made a very bad decision this week.  They decided, as a company, to support the No on 8 campaign in the state of California.  If you don't know, Proposition 8 would amend the state constitution and ban gay marriage in California.  Apple, Inc. donated $100,000 to the campaign.  Here is the statement they posted on their website:

"Apple is publicly opposing Proposition 8 and making a donation of $100,000 to the No on 8 campaign. Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation. Apple views this as a civil rights issue, rather than just a political issue, and is therefore speaking out publicly against Proposition 8."

Let me say very clearly: The gay marriage issue IS NOT a civil rights issue!  Notice their proclamation that they were "among the first California companies to offer equal rights" to employees and their same-sex partners.  The fact is: Everyone in America has the same marital rights!  It is just as illegal for me to marry a man as it is for a gay man to marry a man.  Every gay man in this country has the same right I do to marry a woman.  We all have the same rights!

By calling this issue a civil rights issue, the proponents of gay marriage are (successfully) equating this battle with the battle for women's rights and racial equality.  The problem is, when women or black people didn't have the right to vote, that was inequality.  A white man had a right that a black man didn't.  A male had a right that a female didn't.

Another tech company you might be familiar with, Google, also came out with their support of gay marriage.  Co-founder Sergey Brin posted this on the official company blog:

"While we respect the strongly-held beliefs that people have on both sides of this argument, we see this fundamentally as an issue of equality. We hope that California voters will vote no on Proposition 8 -- we should not eliminate anyone's fundamental rights, whatever their sexuality, to marry the person they love."

Ah, the "love argument."  Sergey is a genius in many ways, but a fool in this one.  People who make this argument never think it all the way through.  What if I said that I want to marry my sister because I love her?  According to Sergey's logic, there's nothing that should stand in the way of that desire.  What if I told you I love my dog and I wanted to marry her?  What if I told you I love 3 women and I wanted to marry all of them?  There are laws against all of these scenarios and, believe me, they'll be the next to go.

These are common arguments offered by those who support gay marriage.  However, with just a little bit of logic, you see how easily these arguments crumble.

Let's just say that I have lost my appetite for an Apple.

Atheist Ads

Please help me understand how this works.  A group of atheists are organizing to place anti-God ads on buses in London.  How do you place an ad against Someone you don't believe exists?

A hilarious part of the linked article states that there is "preferential treatment given to religion in British society."  Wow.  Seeing that Europe is one of the greatest bastions of secular liberalism in the world today, I find that very hard to believe.

Holiness

I'm teaching a lesson in my adult Bible class this Sunday about passing on a heritage of holiness to our children.  I'm going to make this statement:

I know holiness is unpopular in the world.  It's always been that way.  The day holiness becomes unpopular with God's people is a sad and dangerous day.

The thought seriously challenged me and I thought it might do the same for you.

Teaching My Son the Deity of Christ

I was having a conversation with my 3 year old son the other night and I was trying to teach him the deity of Christ.  I think he got a hold of that truth, but he got a little confused by another point.  Here's how the conversation went:

Me: "David, when we pray, who do we talk to?"

David: "Jesus!"

Me: "That's right!  Did you know that Jesus is God?"

David: "Jesus is God?"

Me: "Yes!  When you pray, you talk to Jesus and God because Jesus is God!"

David: "I talk to God, I talk to Jesus and I talk to Mary..."

Me: "No, you don't talk to Mary."

David: "You don't talk to Mary?"

Me: "No.  Mary is a person, not God."

David: "Mary is a person?"

Me: "Yes.  She's a person like Mommy."

David: "I can't talk to Mommy?"

Right-Wing Media Bias?

I have to admit that I don't listen to a lot of left wing TV or radio.  However, I've been giving myself a good laugh every now and then and checking it out.  I don't know if this is a new charge (I've been told it isn't), but I've heard for the first time that the media is bias to the Right.  Barack Obama made this charge in an interview recently.

This idiocy further proves that people on the far Left truly live in a fantasy world.

Having heard this charge, I figured I'd check to see if it was true.  By the way, "truth" is a value the Left has no interest in.  I went to several of the mainstream media web sites to see what headlines they had about Sarah Palin.  She is the most popular figure on the Right at the moment, so I figured she'd be a good litmus test.  Here is what my research uncovered:

• Newsweek.com
• Headline: Bristol's Choice
• Tag Line: Republicans and the illusion of reproductive choice
• CNN.com
• Headline: Pastor: GOP Downplaying Palin's Pentecostal Past
• New York Times
• Headline: To Have (as a Running Mate), and to Hold (Politely)
• MSNBC.com
• Headline: McCain, Palin Criticize Obama on Earmarks
• Tag Line: Palin's home state remains largest per-capita consumer of federal funds

Do you need any more examples?  These are the headlines right now.  I'm looking forward to see how the mainstream media "endorses" the Republican ticket over the next two months.  When I listen to the Left make moronic claims like this, I don't know whether to laugh or cry.  These people make up almost half my country!  They are completely out of touch with reality and two of them are running to lead this nation.  Scary.

Abraham's Obedience

This is part of my lesson for my Adult Bible class tomorrow.  It's actually part of a sermon I have preached before called "Faith Equals Obedience."  It puts the obedience of Abraham found in Genesis 22 in an understandable and challenging way.  I'll just cut and paste from the outline of my lesson.  Think on these things...

• The Timing of Abraham’s Obedience (vs. 3)

  • He rose early the next day.

  • God never told him when to do this.

  • Abraham: “I know what God wants me to do, so I’m going to do it.”

  • Abraham’s obedience was immediate.

  • Delayed obedience is disobedience.

  • If God has commanded, don’t sit around and wonder. Obey!

• The Trust in Abraham’s Obedience (vs. 5, 7-8)

  • Remember, God had asked him to do an unthinkable thing.

  • vs. 5 “…I and the lad will go…and come again to you.”

  • He knew what God had told him to do, but he believed God would deliver.

    • He may not have known how…we may not either.

  • vs. 7-8

    • Others around you may start wondering.

    • Abraham believed God would provide.

• The Totality of Abraham’s Obedience (vs. 9-10)

  • No matter what, Abraham’s obedience would be complete.

  • He believed God would provide, but he still built the altar, he still bound his son and he still raised the knife.

  • When God gives you orders, decide from that start that you will follow through to the end.

Time to Panic?

I'm not sure, but if there was ever a time to panic, this would be it.  Do these people seem a little too calm?

A Few Good Pictures

Here is the cutest baby in the world (with Grandma Lori):

Here is a typical Sunday afternoon at the Casillas home:

If Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest, why does it wipe you out so bad?

Oregonian Irrationality

In a letter to the editor of the Gresham Outlook, an individual that identifies themselves as C. K. Holton makes this statement about President Bush: "I do not know if he studied this king or Adolph Hitler, but the outcome is the same."

You can read his short letter by clicking here and scrolling down.

Over-the-top statements like this are commonplace among Leftists. Think...is the outcome of the Bush administration really the same as Hitler's dictatorship?

America has occupied a country, Hitler occupied a continent. Our enemy is evil, Hitler's enemies were largely innocent. Maybe tens of thousands have died as a result of the current war (one must consider the fact that nearly the same amount would have died had we never gone in to Iraq), 50 million died as a result of World War II.

I wish liberals would think before they speak.

Biblical Advice for Election 2008

"...meddle not with them that are given to CHANGE: for their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?" - Proverbs 24:21-22

Wedding in Montana

My sister and I made the 9 hour drive from Portland to Missoula yesterday.  We had a good time and some good laughs.  We stopped at a gas station/restaurant/truck repair shop (that should tell you everything you need to know about it) in Umatilla, Oregon.  They had doughnuts on steroids for sale.  Literally, the maple bar was almost a foot long.  We saw a billboard that said, "When life sucks...there's hope."  It then gave an 800 number to call.  I thought: If I lived in Umatilla, I'd want an 800 number to call when life sucked.  Too funny.

The purpose of this trip was to officiate my cousin's wedding on their family ranch in Stevensville, MT.  Joe (my cousin) and Carrie did great and the ceremony went well.  The sound guys turned my microphone off with the music at the beginning of the ceremony causing an annoying pause and one of them to come to the mic to get it going.  I told the sound guys before the service that they would either be my best friends or my worst enemies.  It turned out to be the latter.  I also dropped Carrie's ring when the best man handed them to me.  There's always something that goes wrong in a wedding.  Those are the things that you remember.  Here are some pictures from the ceremony and reception.  Notice the natural backdrop that no church building could ever come close to matching.

The arch is where we stood during the ceremony.  When I look at this picture, I think...postcard.

My sister Casey (on the right) and my cousin Molly.

A great picture my sister took after Carrie and her dad passed her as they walked down the aisle.

It was a great privilege for me to officiate the wedding.

Weddings are a great celebration.  As I prepared for the ceremony, I was reminded of how marriage pictures Christ's relationship with the church (Ephesians 5).  I believe that if both parties in Christian marriages just kept that fact in mind, there would be a lot less problems in those relationships.

I was also reminded that marriage was the first institution God gave to man (Genesis 2).  Marriage came before the home (the union of a man and a woman is the foundation of the home), government, nations and even the local church.  Obviously, God holds marriage in high regard.  Too bad our culture doesn't really do the same.  Satan knows that when he destroys marriage, he destroys the societal example of Christ's relationship with the church.  It's another victory for him.  He loves anything that keeps people from seeing Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4).

Pray for Joe and Carrie as they start their new life together.

A Joke about Two Jewish Guys

Already you're thinking: this is going to get Chris in trouble. I'm sorry if you find this offensive or blasphemous. I don't think a reasonable person will. Here goes:

Two Jewish men have been friends since childhood. Several times a week, they would go on a walk together at the end of the day. One would always ask, "How was your day?" The other replied, "Fine. How was yours?" The first said, "Fine."

One day, the first Jew asked, "How was your day?" The second replied, "Not so good." The first one asked, "Why?" The other said, "It's my son. I've raised him to be a good Jew, taken him to synagogue every week, taught him the law of God and all of the sudden he wants to become a Christian!"

The first Jew looked at the other and said, "Funny you should say that, my son too! I raised him to be a good Jew, took him to synagogue every week, taught him God's law and now he wants to become a Christian! What should we do?" The other Jew answered, "I don't know, let's go ask the Rabbi."

So, off they went to the synagogue and they told the Rabbi the situation. "Rabbi, Rabbi, it's our boys! We've raised our sons to be good Jews, you've seen us bring them to synagogue every week, we've taught them the law of God and all of the sudden they want to become Christians!"

The Rabbi answered, "That's funny you should say that, my son too! I'm the Rabbi, I've brought him to synagogue with me every week, I've taught him everything I know about God's law, I've raised him to be a good Jew and now he wants to become a Christian!"

The two men asked the Rabbi, "What do we do?" The Rabbi replied, "Let's pray about it."

As they prayed, the whole synagogue started to shake and a loud voice spoke from Heaven, "Funny you should say that, my Son too!"

A Message for the Lakers

Get a rebound.  You're doing a good job forcing the Celtics to take long jumpers.  Long jumpers equal long rebounds.  The Celts are killing you on offensive boards and second chance opportunities.  If a long jumper is taken, don't run under the basket and expect the ball to fall in your lap.  Back up and block somebody out.

Rotate on pick and rolls.  I'm going to lose my testimony if I see another Celtic guard beat an LA big man to the basket by about 10 minutes.

Unless some things change real quick, this is going to be a short series.

More Global Warming Please

If I haven't already ticked off a liberal with something I've said on my blog, I just did with this post title.  Seriously though, where is summer?  I'm hearing of seasonable temperatures all over the country, but we're still in the dead of winter in the Portland area.  I'm glad to see "Global Warming" is alive and well.  Wait...I'm sorry...it's called "Climate Change" now.  I would like the climate to change.  We had one week of 90 degree weather a month ago and it's been in the 50's and raining ever since.  I seriously thought it was going to snow the other day.

I am going to ask the question regardless of the cliche factor: How is the weather where you are?

Let Jesus Use Your Boat

I taught a lesson in my adult Bible class this morning from Luke 5 on the call to be fishers of men.  I brought out an encouraging thought that I wanted to share with you:

Luke 5:3 says, "And (Jesus) entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land."

This chapter tells the story of the day Peter met Jesus Christ.  This event took place early on in the public ministry of Christ, but he had already garnered quite a following.  Vs. 1 tells us that the crowd of people "pressed upon him to hear the word of God."  He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to teach these people, but he couldn't address the whole crowd standing in the middle of them.  He needed to get to a place where he could face the people and speak to all of them at once.  Jesus looked over to the water and saw Peter's boat.  He got in and asked if Peter would push away from the shore, giving Jesus a speakers position.

I'll ask you the same question I asked my class: Did Jesus need Peter's boat?

A familiar story can be found in Matthew 14.  Vs. 25 says, "And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea."

You see, that day that Jesus wanted to preach to the crowd, He could have just stepped out onto the water and had the same result.  Rather then stepping on the water He stepped in the boat.  Jesus made a choice to use what Peter had.  He didn't have to, but He did.  Peter could have thought that he didn't have much to offer Jesus, but he let Him use what he had.

Even if you believe you have very little to offer to God, let Him use it anyway.  He doesn't need it, but He wants it.

Let Jesus use your boat.

Incomprehensible Lack of Intelligence Coming from the Left

Will Dudding put a very thought provoking post on his blog.  You can read it here.  We are in the middle of the political cycle so the fodder is readily available.

The thing that never ceases to amaze me is the continual stupidity that flows from any source that leans to the Left.  There seems to be no thought process involved in what they are saying.  They never think through their positions or statements and consider the end of their thought.  They simply spew things that sound good and make a partisan crowd cheer.  Their views and statements are vapid at best and moronic at worst.  Here is a recent example from Presidential hope-not, Barack Obama.

In response to statements made by President Bush (which weren't necessarily directed at Obama), Barack said that "tough talk" on the part of the Republicans isn't working in dealing with terrorists and their state sponsors.  That statement begs the question: "Will weak talk work, Mr. Obama?"  Obama also stated that Bush hasn't made America safer.  This one really gets me!  Since 9/11, America has not been attacked one time.  How much safer could President Bush make our country in the last 7 years?  He has a perfect record!  100% effectiveness in making us safe!  Does Barack think about that before making statements like this?  No.  Why?  Because he doesn't think very much.  That much is clear.

Discipleship

"Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." - Matthew 28:20

Becoming a disciple of Christ is a lifelong process.  The word sounds like "discipline" because it comes from the same root word.  Being a disciple of Christ means you are disciplined to follow His commandments.  That's why He tells us to teach baptized believers to "observe" the things He has commanded us.  Discipleship is doing what Christ wants you to do.

When is the process of discipleship complete?  Not in this life.  I believe it is complete when we see Him (1 John 3:2).

Building disciples should be the goal of everything a church does with believers.  Worship and preaching services, classes, fellowship times...all of it should make a child of God a stronger disciple.

One of the ways our church disciples people is through a class that takes place during our mid-week service on Thursday nights.  I am taking two couples through a book called 7 Steps to Joy.  (It actually takes about 10 weeks to go through the course.)  It is a simple book that covers eternal security, baptism and several practical aspects of the Christian life.  One of the greatest feelings in ministry comes when you are teaching someone the Bible and "the light comes on."  I love seeing the look in someone's eyes when they grasp a truth from God's Word.  It's harder to see it when you're preaching because of the size of the crowd.  In a small group, it's much easier to catch.  I'm having a blast on Thursday nights.  The 7 Steps book is pretty basic, but it's amazing the stuff we talk about based on questions the students ask.  Tonight's topic was "the Church" and we ended up hitting on things like the Passover and communism in the book of Acts!

If you know anything about the Bible, make the effort to pass that knowledge on to someone else.  It's the pinnacle of ministry and the culmination of the Great Commission.

What does your church do to build disciples?

God's First Work

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.  And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.  And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness." - Genesis 1:1-4

Here are a few things to think about from the awesome story of Creation:

1. When God created the heaven and the earth, He did NOT say it was good.  He said the light was good.

2. When God created something apart from Himself, it was dark by default.

3. God's first work after letting light shine into His creation was dividing the light from the darkness.

Ponder these thoughts and you should be reminded of some foundational characteristics of God's character and work.

Knee Jerk?

Let me start this post with a few disclaimers:

1. I haven't been saved very long (almost 12 years), let alone around fundamentalism very long.

2. I don't know all the "circles" within fundamentalism nor the individual men that make them up.

3. I may not be reading the right blogs.

What I'm trying to say is: I don't have an omnipresent, omniscient perspective when it comes to the subject I'm about to address. I'm only presenting my humble view and theory. So, here goes...

I've come across several blogs that are authored by people who have come out of "hyper-fundamentalism," "IFBxdom," "psuedo-fundamentalism" or any of the other little nicknames they create. To a degree, I understand what they're talking about. On the other hand, it seems a little over the top.

Dennis Prager (yes, I listen to him quite a bit) was talking about how people raise their kids and he brought up a great, but obviously not universal, point. He said that children who are brought up strict tend to raise their children more loosely, whereas children who are raised loosely tend to raise their children more strict. My first thought was: there will be a consistency if generations raised their children according to the Bible. But that's beside the point.

Anyway, it kind of made me think about the "fundamentalist" movement. As I read, it seems there has been an ebb and flow to the emphasis placed on certain aspects of Christian faith and practice. It's kind of like the parent who was raised in a strict home that raises their child loosely or vice versa. The parent wants to give their child something they feel they missed out on. If they missed out on liberty, they go over the top with giving their child liberty. If they missed out on direction and standards, they go over the top with rules.

To me, that's how fundamental Christianity has gone for the past few centuries.

People in certain generations look back at the generation that raised them and say, "My parents (figuratively speaking) didn't give me...fill in the blank." As a result, they go over the top with whatever they feel they missed.  I see a lot of bloggers who seem to have this attitude. I see blog titles and sub-titles like "Ichabod" and "encouragement for those longing to break free."  I read of the terror of KJV-onlyism and ruthless, overbearing pastors.  Our church only uses the KJV.  Our pastor leads our church.  I love it that my church would just be lumped in with the "IFBxers."  Don't bother asking why we use the KJV or how my pastor leads.  It must be tyranny.  (By the way, I've been serving at my church for almost a year and I've never heard my preacher rant about or even mention the KJV in a message.  Also, I know that he loves our people more than anything but God.  And...he graduated from Hyles Anderson.)

I really don't know what these people have experienced, but I don't feel like I'm in prison! If it wasn't for a "fill in the nickname" church, I wouldn't be saved today! It just bothers me that I see very little gratitude for the heritage people have been given. Are those that gave the heritage perfect? No. But neither are you.

Here's my prediction: those that are "reforming" and moving away from some of the emphasis of their fathers are going to raise a generation that sees weaknesses in them and that will "reform" back to be like the original generation. For example: one generation emphasizes passion, another emphasizes doctrine. The doctrine generation produces the passion generation. The passion generation produces the doctrine generation.

Is there anything wrong with that? Not necessarily. Would it be better if there wasn't so much criticism and more gratitude for heritage handed down? I think so. Would it be great if we could find a balance and stop the "swings?" Absolutely.

As long as sinners are handing down the heritage, there will always be weaknesses in the heritage. Just don't have a knee jerk reaction.

Numbers

I think I've come to a conclusion about an issue that really isn't important.  (Aren't Baptists really good at that?)  Every now and then I hear or read about somebody criticizing someone else because that someone else "only cares about numbers."  Usually they're talking about a pastor or ministry that has expressed some kind of passion for reaching more people with the Gospel or growing numerically.  I've heard it said about such men as Paul Chappell or Jack Schaap.  Dr. Schaap just released a very compelling book called Where are We Going?  In a nutshell, the book chronicles the decline of fundamental Baptist influence in America over the last 30 years.  This is the kind of book that draws the criticism I'm talking about here.

Here's my take: I think criticism about this issue is pointless and ignorant.  Is the ministry all about numbers?  More people in the pews?  More people saved and baptized?  Of course not.  However, I don't think that emphasizing numerical growth is unbiblical or carnal.  It can be, but we can't judge another man's heart in that respect.

Jesus did say to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature."  1 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."  1 Timothy 2:4 says that God "will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth."  There are over 6 billion people on planet earth.  God wants every one of them to be saved.  Why is it wrong for us to emphasize greater numbers when God doesn't want us to miss even one?

Of course, a Calvinist or one who believes in sovereign election will have a hard time with this.  I don't believe in arbitrary election by God regarding who will be saved and who won't...but that's for another post.

If numbers are your god or your measure for success in life and ministry, then there's a problem.  However, there is nothing wrong with having and expressing a passion to reach more people with the message of the Gospel.  God Himself has given us a numerical goal...the whole world!

Thank You...Thank You Very Much

Navy SEAL Michael Monsoor

Please take 11 minutes and watch President Bush present Michael's parents with the Medal of Honor given to their son posthumously.  You can see that video by clicking here.  Thank you again, Michael.

Spirituality vs. Religion

Dennis Prager was discussing a very interesting subject on his syndicated radio show today.  If you don't know who Dennis is, you can find out more about him at his website.  He is a very conservative, religious Jew.  He has very strong morals.  I agree with about 95% of what he says.  The areas I usually disagree with him on have something to do with the Bible or religion.  By the way, he knows the Torah inside and out.  I don't believe he understands it, but he knows it.  If he understood it, he'd see the obvious types of Christ found in it.

Anyway, the subject he covered during the Ultimate Issues hour today was: Spirituality vs. Religion.  He argues strongly for being involved in some kind of organized religion.  One of his points is that any substantive spirituality must come from a source.  Jews get theirs from the Old Testament.  Christians get theirs from the Bible.  Muslims get theirs from the Quran, etc.  As I listened to people call in about their "spirituality," a thought occurred to me.  People are OK with being "spiritual" as long as they aren't accountable to anyone or anything (a pastor, church, holy text or especially God).  They want to be "spiritual" on their terms.

Many people like this who called in referred to "god" or a "higher power."  The funny things is, if God exists or if there is some "higher power," that means He is in charge!  They reference this "higher power" but they don't submit to it.  They want to be in charge.  That is the ultimate sign of pride in man.

You see, if you want to worship God, you have to do it His way.  Jesus said in John 4:23, "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him."  In essence, religion is man's understanding of how God wants them to worship Him.  That said, man certainly isn't right about this all the time.  In fact, he's wrong about this most of the time.  That is why there are so many false religions in the world today.

The way I see it, there are three kinds of religions:

1. A religion that worships a false god.

2. A religion that worships the true God the wrong way.

3. A religion that worships the true God the right way.

God is only pleased with option number 3. 

Religion is certainly better than spirituality.  Why?  Because religion is worshiping God and that is the highest form of spirituality.  The key is having the right religion.  When you worship God, you'd better be sure you're doing it the way He wants you to.

Making a Difference

Her name is Michell. I didn't spell that wrong, there is no "e" on the end of her name. She is one of the most faithful attendees of our Saturday night service at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility. She is one of 100+ ladies who lovingly refer to that service as "church." We sing, we preach and we grow together in the Lord. Ladies trust Christ as Saviour every week. It is definitely church.

Michell also cuts hair in the salon inside the prison. I thought that was strange at first, but it is just one of the many life skills that can be learned while in prison that can be used productively on the "outside." She cut my hair this morning and she did a great job.

Michell was interviewed for an article that appeared in the Wilsonville Spokesman (the local paper). The article was about religious services in the prison. It was a great blessing to me and the other volunteers to read the testimony of a life that was changed. You can read that article by clicking here. Let it bless you and encourage you to keep serving the Lord and making a difference.

Quotes That Made Me Think

Every now and then, when I'm listening to a sermon, I'll hear the preacher make a statement that is "inside-of-my-Bible-flap-worthy."  In other words, there are a few blank pages at the front and back of my Bible.  Over time, those pages have been covered with quotes from sermons I've heard.  Here are a few of the really good ones:

"Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, they reject it because it contradicts them."

"The twentieth century never saw a revival." - Dr. John Goetsch

"If God took the power of the Holy Spirit out of this world, most of what Christians would do would keep on going and nobody would know the difference." - Evangelist Dave McCracken

"If you don't want to fall, stand." - A preacher who fell

"All of my problems are equally infinitesimal in the sight of God."

"Why would the devil waste his resources on you when he knows you can't even get the victory over your own flesh?"

"Don't ever lose sight of the One who is unseen."

"Somewhere, sometime, someone is going to come along who really believes the Bible and they'll embarrass us all." - R. B. Oullette

"The entire world is against what we're doing for God, but all of Heaven is for us."

"Holiness is more important than happiness, but you can have both." - John Bishop

"You're going to have problems with or without Jesus, I'd rather have Jesus."

"The supernatural realm is God's natural realm." - Sidney Stone

Have you heard a great quote lately?

Time for Celebration?

A wedding ceremony is an obvious cause for celebration. Two people are starting a brand new life together. Two families become one. Dreams are big. Joy is everywhere. A wedding is an exciting event for all involved. Marriage was God's idea. It's His institution and He has something to say about it.

Genesis 2:24, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh."

Matthew 19:6, "Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."

As far as our culture is wandering from God and His Word, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by this piece of news. Things are bad when we're celebrating the demise of God's plan.

Duh

Only a Harvard University economist could come up with this.  It actually took two of them!

The Replacement Principle

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper." -Psalm 1:1-3

I think it would be safe to assume that most Christians would want to be like that fruitful, prosperous tree described in verse 3. They want God's hand of power and blessing on their life.  There's certainly nothing wrong with desiring those things.

The problem comes when we only apply part of the formula described here to get those results. There are a lot of Christians who pride themselves in applying the principle found in verse 1. (I know I've been guilty of this at times!) They are separated from the world and it's philosophies.  They truly shun influence from people who want nothing to do with God.  These are good things, but they're only part of the formula!

This is where the Replacement Principle comes in.  God doesn't just want certain things to be removed from your life.  There are also things He wants put in.  The Christian life is not just about abstaining or separating from certain influences.  It's about filling that void with something that glorifies God.

The first part of the formula is found in verse 1.  The second part is found in verse 2.  It's not all about despising the world, it's also about delighting in His Word.  It's not just about removing something from your life, it's also about adding something to it. If you're seeking the blessing of God on your life, make sure you're applying the whole formula to it.  If you don't you'll just end up being a frustrated, unusable vessel.

Here's a convicting question that will tell you where you're really at with this: Do you delight in the Word as much as you despise the world?

The truth is, our delight in God's Word should be greater than our disdain for the world.

God Have Mercy on America

Last Sunday morning, Dr. David Gibbs III preached for our Sunday morning service. His sermon was a testimony/message wrapped around the Terri Schiavo case. Dr. Gibbs is an attorney for the Christian Law Association. He was the lead attorney for Terri's parents as they fought to preserve her life. What we heard last Sunday was beyond powerful. I've never heard a message that made me so burdened about the state of our country. I strongly suggest taking 35-40 minutes and listening to it. Click here and find the Sunday morning sermon from February 24th. The title is "Fighting for Dear Life."

Pray for our country.

Jacquelynn Marie Casillas

It's official, we have a baby girl!  Jacquelynn was born at 8:41 last night.  She was 21 inches long and weighed 7 pounds and 6 ounces.  She's actually a little heftier than her brother was.  Here are some first pictures of the little beauty.

Here she is sleeping soundly.  She's a pretty good sleeper.

Jacquelynn with a proud Grandma Knutsen.

I'm a pretty proud dad too!

It was a good day.  Kim was in labor for about six hours after being induced at 11:30 AM.  The night wasn't over after everyone left the hospital.  My sister, Casey, was taking my son home in my car and she got side swiped at an intersection.  I was on the scene of the accident at midnight.  That wasn't exactly the first thing I wanted to do after being in the hospital all day.  Casey and David are fine.  The front bumper of my car is tied on with vinyl twine.

I really only wanted to remember February 10th for one reason, but now there's two.  Thanks for all your prayers!

Characteristics of Great Faith

Matthew 8 tells a story that, I believe, contains one of the most powerful verses in all of the Bible.  In vs. 10, Jesus says, "I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel."  The faith of the centurion He met in this chapter was greater than any faith He'd ever come across.  He hadn't even found someone with faith like this among God's people.

As I looked at this passage the other day, I started wondering what it was about the faith of this man that impressed Jesus so much.  We don't have a lot of Scripture dealing with this man, but we do have a little and a few characteristics jumped out at me.

1. Great faith knows Who to turn to (vs. 5).  The faith of this centurion caused him to turn to Jesus when he was in need.

2. Great faith understands the need (vs. 6).  Strong faith gives us the eyes to see the needs of people around us.

3. Great faith causes compassion for others (vs. 6).  The man was obviously moved by the condition of his servant.  He told Jesus that the servant was "grievously tormented."

4. Great faith causes humility (vs. 8).  The centurion said he wasn't worthy for Jesus to come to his house.  Faith will make us humble before God as well.  By nature, faith is the reaction to our understanding that we can't.

5. Great faith recognizes the power of God (vs. 8).  The centurion told Jesus to simply speak and his servant would be healed.

6. Great faith knows who is in charge (vs. 9).  The military man understood a chain of command.  He also understood that God is always ultimately in charge.

Obviously, these thoughts could be elaborated on greatly, but I hope they at least get you thinking about your faith.  Do you see any of these characteristics in your life?

TBC Grand Opening

I'm sorry it's taken over a week to give a report on the Grand Opening service that took place on the 13th.  It's been busy.

God blessed the service in a great way.  At least 350 people were in attendance.  Over 30 families were there visiting for the first time.  At least 2 people trusted Christ as their Saviour.  It was a great event to be a part of.  We have a lot of work to do following up on all the visitors.  We're praying that many of them will find a place to grow in Christ right here at Timberline Baptist.

Another thing: Click here for an extremely powerful blog post by Trey Morgan.  It's a thought you've probably never thought of before and it will make you very grateful for God's grace.

Another thing, again: Kim is due in less than 2 weeks!  I'm going to have a baby girl!  We're very excited.  Pray that Jacqueline is healthy and happy.

Grand Opening Tomorrow!

It's been a very busy week at Timberline Baptist Church.  We just got done with an awesome Revival Meeting with Dr. John Goetsch.  God moved in our church in a powerful way.  Click here and listen to the Sunday night sermon called "God's Use of the Broken."  If you aren't challenged by that message, I don't know if it's possible for you to be challenged.

Tomorrow afternoon is our Grand Opening service for our new building.  We have invited the mayor of Sherwood, contractors who worked on the building, friends, family and coworkers.  We also mailed a postcard to 35,000 homes in the area.  We're not really sure what's going to happen.  God knows what we can handle.  I'll give a report on the day tomorrow afternoon.  Keep us in your prayers!

The Pursuit

I was thinking about our Declaration of Independence this morning and specifically about the famous statement: "Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." As the differences between Republicans and Democrats are made blatantly obvious during this election season, a thought came to me. Liberal philosophies and politics has a tendency to feed a great character flaw in our society. That character flaw is the attitude of entitlement.

Nobody that I know would say we don't have the right to life, liberty and happiness. However, the welfare mentality that is prevelent on the Left has removed the idea of pursuing happiness. Our founding fathers were extremely wise. They understood that happiness is a right, but that it also takes work to achieve. We live in a day where more and more people want their retirement, health care, education, groceries, etc. taken care of for them. We are entitled to it after all. Our culture needs to regain the character trait of pursuing the happiness they have the God given right to enjoy.

Off subject: why is "Brit Stripped of Custody Rights" the 3rd of 3 major headlines on Foxnews.com right now? Do that many people really care? Sad.