“MESSAGES FROM GOD”

Pastor Zach Bartels, a friend of mine from seminary, posted something to Facebook that caught my attention. Here’s what he said;

“Dear Facebook: Those ‘Messages from God’ (ya know, that app with the cloud-writing)? They're not really from God. It's just some dude who writes his own folksy thoughts and attributes them to the Almighty. Just thought you'd want to know…”

Out of curiosity, I did a search for “Messages from God” on Facebook, and found several groups, pages, and apps. The one that Zach was referring to had “303,406 monthly active users.” In the grand scheme of things, that’s not a lot of people, but, it does give evidence that a lot of people are looking for, and longing to hear, a “message from God.” The big problem is that many people don’t (or won’t) recognize it when they see or hear it. Either that, or they look in all the wrong places, whether it be an “inner voice” that comes through meditation, a motivational speaker or spiritual guru, or “some dude who writes his own folksy thoughts and attributes them to the Almighty.”

The good news is that true “messages from God” are readily available to much of the world. But, you have to look in the right place! The Bible is the definitive and complete “message from God.” If you want to hear what He has to say, spend regular time in His Word. As Hebrews 4:12 says, “... the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. (ESV)

And, it doesn’t take long to see that true “messages from God” are all around us ... from the person holding up a John 3:16 sign at a ballgame to the many Bible verse posted on Facebook to the hundreds (or perhaps thousands) of Bible applications for our phones and computers. So, to everyone who is looking for “messages from God,” I dare you to read the Bible. It IS the message from God that you’ve been looking for!

In His grip,
Pastor Decker

EVENTS IN JAPAN

As I walked over to the church on Wednesday morning, I saw the cloudless blue sky and thought, “what a beautiful day.” At the moment, my biggest concern was about trying not to splash any mud onto my pant legs as I walked between the snow banks and the really muddy parking lot. Then, my mind went back to the images from Japan that we’ve all been seeing on TV; entire villages (and cities) reduced to piles of rubble, people gathered in shelters with no place to go and little, if anything, to eat, people waiting for hours to get into stores with empty shelves, and thousands of people unaccounted for. First a 9.0 earthquake, then a tsunami, and now a nuclear crisis … could it get any worse? I think the answer is “yes” when you consider the following statistics from OperationWorld.com:

Population of Japan: Roughly 127 million
People groups: 34 (68 % unreached)
Religions:
Buddist: 69.59 %
Christian: 1.54 %
Evangelicals: 0.5 %
(The remainder is not noted)

Even with so much devastation, so few answers, and so much loss of life, these figures make the picture look more bleak … so many people living and dying without Christ, facing a hopeless eternity. Our hearts should be broken.

Today, I encourage you to pray in three ways. First, pray for the people of Japan- that God would draw many people to saving faith in Jesus Christ through this crisis. Second, thank God for the blessings, safety, and eternal hope that we enjoy as His children. Finally, pray for those around you who are living without Christ, and, therefore, without hope.
In His grip,
Pastor Decker

DISPOSABLE (OR NOT!)

Many things we deal with in today’s society are disposable. With most things being mass-produced, it is often cheaper or more efficient to simply replace something that has broken or become worn out. While those who lived though the great depression often saw things differently, we hardly give a thought to throwing something away. Case in point—a pair of my shoes. Just before the beginning of this week’s deacons meeting, the sole on one of my shoes separated from the upper part. My initial thought was something to the effect of … there goes another pair of shoes. However, Pastor Mead had another thought when he saw it … he saw something he could fix with the help of some “Shoe Goo.” He took the shoe home with him, and I suspect that I’ll have it back (and wearable) by the time you are reading this.

What does this have to do with anything? Well, I, for one, am thankful that God does not see us as I saw my shoe … we are not disposable. The Cathedrals sang a song entitled, “He Didn’t Throw The Clay Away.” Take a look at the first verse:

Empty and broken, I came back to Him,
A vessel unworthy, so scarred from sin.
But He did not despair...He started over again
And I bless the day, He didn't throw the clay away.

As Isaiah 64:8 says, “But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand.” At any point, God would have been justified in throwing any or all of us sinners away. But, Instead of giving up those He would call His children, God continues to shape and reshape us. Praise God for that! As the old hymn says, “Redeemed - how I love to proclaim it! Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb; Redeemed through His infinite mercy, His child, and forever, I am. (Redeemed, by Fanny Crosby)

In His grip,
Pastor Decker

THE SUN AND THE SON

Jesus often used common things to illustrate a point He wanted to communicate. Granted, Jesus was far more effective than I’ll ever be (I don’t quite think people will be reading this two thousand years from now), but I’ll follow the lead of the Great Shepherd with a natural illustration.

On Tuesday morning, I decided to shovel away the snow left in a drift by the church’s back door, in preparation for Thursday’s restocking of the food pantry. It was a sunny, but cold day, and the drift wasn’t going to disappear on its own. By the time I was done, most of the snow was gone, but some snow and ice still remained. That didn’t worry me, because I figured that with most of the snow removed, the sun would warm the concrete and melt what little was left … and I was right. So, what’s my point, you ask.

Just as the snow was a barrier to the sun warming the concrete and melting the ice, so can there be barriers to the Son warming our hearts and melting away what encumbers us. Like removing the snow, it may take some action by an outside source, namely the prompting and conviction of the Holy Spirit. But, once that happens action is required on our part. In the case of sin, clearing the way for the Son to warm our hearts usually requires confession, repentance, and setting things right. With other barriers, it requires diligent prayer, day after day. In some cases, it may even require professional help. But, once the barrier is removed and Christ warms our hearts, our whole outlook is changed, and we can move forward in our relationship with Him and in the work He’s given us to do.

Do you have any “snow drifts” getting in the way of God warming your heart today? If so, pray for God’s help, and then, do your part to remove it/them. Then, pay special attention to the words as we sing the first verse of Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee and make it your prayer today:

Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee, God of glory, Lord of love;
Hearts unfold like flowers before Thee, opening to the sun above.
Melt the clouds of sin and sadness; drive the dark of doubt away;
Giver of immortal gladness, fill us with the light of day!

In His grip,
Pastor Decker