Common Ground Community Church

Pastor's Blog Welcome to my weblog (which most people call a blog). The opinions expressed herein are my own personal thoughts and opinions. Check back often for my musings and updates on our church, our ministry, and my life. Make sure you check out our ministries and worship service times. Feel free to e-mail me your comments on my entries or use our contact form. You can also post responses on 2commonground.blogspot.com

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A Letter to Barb Dean worth remembering
Sunday, as we said our goodbyes to Barbara Dean, and celebrated her life, and her eternal presence with Christ; Eileen Frost read a letter written to Barb in January 2009. I believe God gave Eileen these words for all of us. I post them here so we will never forget our dear sister. Because He is with us, Roger A Letter to Barbara Dean I remember the first day I met you; that Sunday morning in two thousand six. The weather had turned quite warm and there was a certain hope and freshness about the world. I had seen you during the service... sitting straight; tall and stately. You were framed by the sparkle of the stained glass window and the light that spilled through its colors came to rest on your shoulders. There was a countenance about you; an aura of peace, contentment... an awareness of 'self'... a confidence in who you are. And too, there was a confidence in whose you are. I sensed an assurance that you carry in your heart and in your being the knowledge that you... are a child of the King. I remember approaching you after the music to welcome you and invite you to our picnic on the church yard that afternoon. When I heard your voice I was soothed by it. There was a richness, a resonance, that seemed to climb from some place deep within your soul and undulate on the air; slow, rhythmic, strong. It wrapped around me settling with a certain gentleness to rest upon my mind. Your long and slender fingers wrapped themselves around my hand while your smile gripped my heart. Indeed you did come to the picnic that day and my world was changed. I grew to love, admire and respect you in a way that I cannot recall ever having done before... with anyone. I can't begin to say exactly why, but through you God allowed me a new connection with Himself. Perhaps it was to sustain my faith in Him as He takes you through this difficult time without my constantly screaming, "Why?" Perhaps it was for the comfort of remembering your voice as it tumbled down the aisle and rose to the rafters in praise... "How great thou art." I continue daily, with fists of prayer, to punch holes in the darkness. Someday the light will pour through. How I miss you. How thankful I am for the time I had with you. How beautifully you have touched me... and so many others. I love you, Miss Barbara Dean. I am honored to be your friend. Eileen Frost January 19, 2009
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Wednesday, July 7, 2010

In Times of Trouble
I just read an essay by a former mentor that speaks to how we react to times of trouble that stir up fear and anxiety in our hearts. For most it will seem like a long read. I promise it will be worth your time-especially if you are experiencing "trouble!" “My Times Are In His Hand,” by Stephen Lovelady “Dear Saints, When I was a relatively young father, I can clearly remember that each of our children were, by a strange turn of events, -every one of them away from our home. One was even in a foreign country! And I can remember saying to Harriet, just as if it were yesterday, ‘Something doesn’t feel right about this! We’re too young in this parenting thing to be feeling this anxiety about our children’s welfare!’ Looking back, it may have been a ‘natural’-premature feeling. But it wasn’t a ‘mature’ statement, not so far as the Scriptures are concerned. Let me explain… In the 31st Psalm, David found himself in a precarious state, to say the least. Whatever else his ‘situation in life’ may have entailed, he was clearly experiencing a number of threats-from sickness to enemies, to rejection, to slander and even conspiracy. And yet, as one reads through this… prayer, really, it is virtually filled with images of security and safety. Indeed, he concludes by making a most interesting statement that should have ministered to my own soul during those precarious early parenting days. He says… ‘You are my God. My times are in Your hands.’ Through his conclusions, I have come to take this one verse to reassure me when times of trouble come; times when I might otherwise be handicapped by fear and anxiety. Tomorrow, Pastor Ben (Pastor Lovelady’s son and my replacement as Youth Pastor of First Baptist Church) will be off to Brazil with a good portion of the precious sheep under my care here at church. Indeed, as I look back, I was one of the engineers of this kind of Youth Foreign Missions trip, whose purpose was to introduce, first hand, the ‘feel’ of doing Missions as a full time vocation to the young people of our church who were still exploring decisions about a life-vocation. And now that the time is here once again? Well, it’s a bit unnerving to see them go, what with all of the dangers of leaving the country. To add to this, I myself will be leaving to Myanmar next Thursday, where, once again, I will be separated from those I love most in life. I am ashamed to say, that though I am suffering virtually none of those more serious concerns that David was encountering years ago when he wrote that beautifully prayer, -still, I am threatened by my own life’s circumstances. And so, -at least now, as an older parent and shepherd, -I have learned to take solace in that prayer, in a way I did not back then. My encouragement therefore to you? It would be to consider that verse more intimately. If you do, it will suggest to you that God is concerned about every detail of those events that will constitute your day today, -every detail! In the 139th Psalm, David says something akin to this Psalm 31 conclusion. He says there, ‘All the days ordained for me were written in Your Book before one of them came to be.’ And while that is true too, namely that we will live a ‘full’ life no matter what age we are when we pass off the scene here on earth, -still the conclusion to which he comes in the Psalm for today, Psalm 31, goes much further than his conclusion in Psalm 139. And what it means for us is that as we walk out of our doors today, we must look for God in virtually every event that will befall us. I believe with all my heart that if we do that, then God will be honored at our ‘fellowship.’ Sunday, we sang ‘Step by Step’ as we concluded the service. I haven’t been able to get it out of my heart since then. For that is the way it was always meant to be. It would seem that old Simon Peter concurs with David’s conclusions. After discussing suffering in this life in his own epistle, he said… ‘To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow His steps!’ As I meditate on the image, then, that Simon Peter gives in his epistle, I remember being taught in Seminary, that disciples in earlier ages often even mimicked the particular stride of their mentor so as to demonstrate their dedication to ‘being in step’ with him. For me? I’ve always imagined it to be similar to the way in which a young boy, say like our own Phinny (I think Phinny is their grandson), would try to step into the tracks left by his father when trying to walk in deep snow. But maybe that’s because I’m counting on returning home to enjoy the snow that winter will bring… if it is God’s will, that is! Smile But the thing about Simon’s conclusions there in 1st Peter 2:21 is this… I’ve become convinced that Simon learned that quiet confidence of trusting Jesus precisely because he, himself, followed behind Jesus one day on the shores of Galilee, after his betrayal, and after Jesus’ resurrection. Interestingly, as John discusses that ‘shore walk talk,’ that Jesus had with Simon that day, I sort of picture Simon walking behind Jesus, just as we had been taught in Seminary about other disciples. But it was the content of that discourse I’d like to bring to the forefront of our discussion today. You may recall that Simon was wanting his future to be concurrent with that of his good friend John’s. Indeed, in the face of a foreboding future, Simon wanted to live as long as John would live. But Jesus seemed to clearly take issue with that ‘tit-for-tat’ view of life. And so He rebuked Simon for wanting that kind of perverted ‘fairness’ doctrine forced upon God. Accordingly, Jesus turned to Simon and said to him… ‘If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.’ Step by step? --- Yes, I think so… step by step.” I find Lovelady’s essay perfect reading for those experiencing “Times of Trouble.” Because He is with us, Roger Allen 757-652-1976 comngrnds@msn.com
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Wednesday, February 10, 2010

God of Woe and Grace
God has put our feet in a great set of starting blocks for the race (long distance) He has set before us: to know God intimately and bring others to know and love Him with us. The task is daunting; there is much to do, and the cares of this world, the cares of life, are a constant distraction. But God is in all the details of life, and often we miss His hand in the day to day "distractions!" As I study to bring a word this Sunday from Isaiah 6, I encourage you to find a word for your life as you read this small section as a meditation. Notice the majesty of God in the word pictures Isaiah uses. Notice how great God is to Isaiah. Notice the reaction of the prophet and the grace of God given so that the prophet can fulfill his mission. Isaiah needs a vision of a bigger God; we need to see a big God. No matter what confronts you; see God as He is. This is just a preview. Sunday, we hope to see this text lift us, heal us, and release us to see Him do great things in and through us. Because He is with us, Roger
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Wednesday, January 6, 2010

God is Faithful to Being God
Tom’s (one of our elders) sermon about commitment got me thinking. He mentioned that the word translated “God” in Moses’ encounter with the “Burning Bush” is Elohim-a name denoting God’s power and faithfulness. There is a question we must ask: Who is the primary object of His faithfulness? God is first of all faithful to Himself. His faithfulness to Himself drives His faithfulness to us. The Exodus is about God keeping His promises because that is what God does. God must always be true to Himself; He can never act in a way that is inconsistent with who and what He is. He must always be God. Or, as God put it “I Am who I Am.” This may seem like a small thing to us, but God goes through great lengths throughout Redemptive History to demonstrate His regard for His regard! A weird event follows God’s commissioning of Moses. After Moses offers up excuses for not being God’s instrument of deliverance, and after God takes every excuse away from Moses prompting Moses to submit to God’s calling, we see God angry and getting ready to kill someone! Moses is on his way to Egypt in obedience to God, but in Exodus 4:24 -26 we read: “At a lodging place on the way, the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him. But Zipporah took a flint knife, cut off her son’s foreskin and touched Moses’ feet with it. ‘Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me,’ she said. So the LORD let him alone. (At that time she said “bridegroom of blood,” referring to circumcision.)” Do you see that? It looks like God is getting ready to kill Moses while Moses is obeying God’s call! Closer reading reveals that God is actually getting ready to kill Moses’ son; but why? God is angry because Moses did not circumcise his son. From the context, that is our best explanation. Is God trifling here? No, He is revealing His desire for obedience. He is showing how serious He is about God being God. He is setting up, through events, our understanding of needing a redeemer because God is always faithful to being God. Paul mentions this in the New Testament. If we learn anything from Paul it is that God does not see commitment as one option among many. Paul is encouraging Timothy to be strong in God’s grace and endure hardship, and then he writes in 2 Timothy 2:11-13: “Here is a trustworthy saying: If we died with Him, we will also live with Him; if we endure, we will also reign with Him. If we disown Him, He will also disown us; if we are faithless, He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself.” Some interpreters focus on God’s faithfulness in contrast to our faithfulness maintaining that “even if we are faithless, He will remain faithful and welcome us into heaven because He cannot deny Himself.” I like that interpretation, but I can’t agree with it. It is written as a warning, not a promise of “saved no matter what I do. “The words that proceed are pretty clear: “If we disown Him, He will also disown us.” Why would He do that? Because He will remain faithful, for He cannot disown Himself” (emphasis mine). We have heard two sermons recently on the idea of being committed to God. We must not let them fall to the ground; we must ask God to create a love for Him within us that sustains our commitment. We must ask Him to create in us what is an essential part of His being: faithfulness to Himself to be God. And here is something to incite us to love Him faithfully: His faithfulness to Himself moves Him to be true to His holiness and His grace, which moved Him to love us by way of the cross. On the cross God was faithful to His justice by placing our sin on Christ. This enables God to deal with sin without destroying the sinner. God justifies us and maintains His justice while demonstrating His love. He does this all because He is faithful to all that makes Him God without diminishing anything that makes Him God. I find that kind of God (a powerful, faithful one) worthy of my love, admiration, and commitment! Because He is with us, Roger Allen
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

What Are Friends For?
What are Friends For? Friends don’t let their friends go into eternity without hearing about Jesus. Notice I limited the conversation to one thing-telling friends about Jesus, not about “my religion,” or “my politics” (although my relationship to Jesus should affect both), or the great and wonderful events coming up at “my church” (the events being a means to an end, not the end itself). A while back, I mentioned the idea of meeting with young people and discussing their thoughts about the church or Christianity. The idea is to create a contrast between what is negatively perceived as the church and Jesus. We want them to see Jesus. Recently, I was privileged to participate with Jessica (my secretary) and her mom, Stephaney as they entered into a discussion with one of their friends about Jesus and the church. It is my experience that often people may have gripes about the church or “Christianity” that are very different from their view of Jesus. I want them to see Jesus. I want them to see the church through His eyes. How does one make friends with someone who is hostile toward the church anyway? Should we become friends with “the world?” I’ll get back to Jess’ story, but first let’ entertain our question. In the Apostle John’s first general letter (a.k.a. 1 John) to the churches of Asia Minor (and to us), John tells his readers not to love the world (1 John 2:15ff)! The same writer in John 3:16 says “that God so loved the world He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life “(John 3:16 NIV). What is up with this? This is what friends are for! In the same Gospel Jesus tells His disciples that “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18 NIV). Later, John records Jesus praying for His own making a distinction between them and the world. At the same time He prays for them in relation to the world saying (we need to understand what Jesus is saying here-He is praying for us too): “I have given them (those who God gave Him) your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify (set them apart) them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. My prayer is not for them alone. I pray for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are one in me and I in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me“(John 17:14-21). Notice first that John uses “world” in two ways. In one sense, the world is an ordered system of thought, sentiment, ambition etc. that is set against God. This “world has no thoughts after God and they do not care about His thoughts regarding “life under the sun.” In another sense, John uses “the world” of creation and its creatures as objects of His love. This is the world of humanity, and most of this world of humanity is “the world” that hates the one who loves them. Notice second, that Jesus asks that we be protected from the evil one while we remain in this world even though we are not of it (we do not, or at least should not, identify with this world in its hostility toward God). Notice third, that we are to reach this world so that it will believe. That is what friends are for! In answer to our question; yes, we should make friends with people in this world, even though they are part of a world-view set against Jesus, in order to reach them for Jesus, as long as we don’t forget where our loyalties belong, and as long as we don’t become like the world (and the line is sometimes fuzzy). Now back to Jess’ story. While in nursing school, Jess made a friend. And Jess and her friend became best buds forever (bff?). Eventually best buds start talking about life and meaning and stuff like that. Jess’ friend is a really nice person with values. However, Jess’ friend has issues with Christianity and the church. Some of her issues are philosophical (she disagrees ideologically with some Christian beliefs). Some of her issues are experiential (she sees Christians doing things that are not very Christian-not very much like Jesus). I mentioned above that I wanted to meet people like Jess’ friend because I want to understand better their complaints with what they perceive to be “the church,” or “Christianity.” I get together with them and ask them to tell me their story-their experiences. I want to be their friend too! I try not to argue with them because I am in the meeting to learn. On the other hand I try to ask a question that will get them to start looking at Jesus. Usually, after listening to how they perceive “Christianity or Christians” through their experiences, I can ask: “Has Jesus ever done any of these things to you or anyone else in all of history?” Jess set a meeting up with her friend so that I could ask some questions. Now, here is the important part: The friend agreed because she valued her friend! She didn’t come to pick a fight, or make her case, or defend her life or beliefs. She came because of a friend who never hid her beliefs and never hit her over the head with them wanted to hear her side. Friends don’t let friends go into eternity without hearing about Jesus. Because He is with us, Roger Allen
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Thursday, September 17, 2009

On a Mission Part 3
To review: the word "missional" is not a new idea. It is ancient. Technically, it is as old as God telling Adam and Eve to "fill the earth" (Genesis 1:28b). Jesus put it this way: "make disciples of all the nations" (Matthew 28:19a). We have been looking at Dan Kimball's definition. So far, missional means that individuals in a church see themselves as people on a mission (disciple the nations); also, being missional means that the local church and its members see themselves and the church as "sent ones" into their communities, and that the church aligns everything it does with the mission of God. These two points lead to the third. Actually, they depend on the third. Kimball points out that: "Being missional means we see the church not as a place we go only on Sunday, but as something we are throughout the week." Church is not something we do; church is what we are. We are the Body of Christ. We have been seeing this as we study Ephesians. We are seeing that our lives matter. Being humble and gentle, patient and bearing with one another in love (4:2) are essential to being the church throughout the week. Permeating all things with the love of Christ mirrors Jesus to our world. Love makes people want to know Jesus. Knowing the spiritual condition of people means we must tell them the truth (lovingly) of their peril. Their condition is described in Ephesians 4:17-19; 2:1-3; Romans 1:18-32; 3:9-18; and 1Corinthians 2:14. That is the short list. Being the church as a way of life means imitating God as dearly loved children (Ephesians 5:1-2); it means living a life of love the way Jesus did. Jesus loved us and gave Himself up for us as an offering to God. That is how we should love others (check out Philippians 2:1-10 to see what that looks like). It means living without self-indulgence like sexual immorality or greed or talk that tears others down or profanes what God has made. It means going through life with thanksgiving (5:3-4). Being the church as we live daily is encapsulated in Ephesians 5:8 (Live as Children of Light) and empowered by His Holy Spirit controlling us(5:15-21). The last two messages on the Web site (Life Matters and DUI) speak to this. You can listen to them by going to the web site at www.2commonground.org. Go to the media section and just click on the icon. Being under the influence of the Holy Spirit puts the passion for mission into our lives. As I have been mentioning; we need Isaiah 26:8 to be the expression of our hearts: “Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait on You; Your name and renown are the desire of our hearts.” I again urge you to go to www.268generation.com and work through the 268 generation daily for a devotional. I listened to the first message that goes with the declaration. Please take the time to listen to these messages; they are only about 20 or so minutes long. They will point your heart and life in the right direction. Dear Father, put in us a desire to see your name and renown grow to the ends of the earth. May this first happen as we see you for the great God you are. Because He is with us, Roger
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Monday, September 7, 2009

Hook up with the 268 Generation!
I continue to encourage you to make the below declaration a meditation of your heart. Read the statements and the passages that go with them. Then, pray the prayers that go with the statements. Make this a daily/weekly routine until you find the content and heart of these prayers and statements knit to your own heart. Go to the web site and find the audio messages that go with the statements. Let them feed your soul until you find yourself sincerly crying out to God, "Lord, Your name and renown are the desire of our souls!" The web site is www.268generation.com
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Monday, September 7, 2009

What is the Bible About-part 2; an overview
The Bible is a book that gives the history of the human race from creation and fall into sin to its final redemption in the new creation, the new heaven and the new earth. The Bible is separated into two main divisions: the Old Testament and the New Testament, each gathering the literature written during and concerning the Old and New Covenants, respectively. The Old Covenant was made with Israel at Mount Sinai and was summarized in the ten commandments. It lays out the responsibilities of Israel and the blessings God promised to that nation for her obedience. The New Covenant promised gracious forgiveness in the death of Jesus Christ, the sinner's substitute, and eternal fellowship with God. The Old Testament, in our English versions, arranges its literature in four sections - Law, History, Poetry, and Prophets and covers history from creation to the formation of Israel to the exile of the nation of Israel and return to the land. The law (Genesis-Deuteronomy), also called the Pentateuch, Torah, or books of Moses, covers history from creation to just before Israel entered the Promised Land. Of major significance here is the creation and subsequent fall of humanity into sin and the divine promise of a redeemer - a promise that informs the remainder of the Bible. Next is the formation of the nation of Israel, its exodus from Egypt, receiving of the law of God (the Old Covenant) with its sacrificial / priestly worship, and wilderness wanderings. The historical books of the Old Testament (Joshua-Esther) highlight the history of the nation of Israel from their entrance into Canaan under the leadership of Joshua, to the chaotic days of the Judges, the establishing of the monarchy, the division of the nation (Israel in the North and Judah in the South), the exile of both nations, and the return of Judah to the Promised Land. The poetic books (Job-Song of Solomon). The Psalms record the aspirations of a redeemed heart - in virtually its every emotion - in the worship of God. Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes, with their emphasis on faithful living under God, are known as the "wisdom literature" of the Old Testament. The Song of Solomon is a love story portraying the relationship of marital love and reflective of the love of Christ and the church. The prophets (Isaiah-Malachi) were written during the time of the kings of Israel and Judah. The prophets were spokesmen for God to kings and to the nations. They gave warnings of judgment, demands to obedience to the law (the covenant), and they also gave prophesies of future hope. The New Testament begins with the announcement of the fulfillment of God's ancient promise that he would send a deliverer to save his people from their sins. This person was Jesus Christ, the promised king. The New Testament, like the Old Testament, is categorized into four sections: the Gospels, the History Book, the Epistles, and Prophecy. The Gospels (Matthew-John) record the events surrounding Jesus' birth, life, miracles, teaching, death, and resurrection. Each Gospel writer labors to emphasize one particular aspect of Christ and his work, but each builds his biographical account with an emphasis on the "passion narratives" - the death and resurrection of Christ - and stress that Christ died as the sinner's substitute and was raised from the dead in triumphal accomplishment of their salvation. The book of Acts is the church's first history book. Here Luke records for us how the message of Christ was taken from Jerusalem to the world. It also records the ministries of the apostles, but mainly of Paul, and his successes in establishing churches throughout the Roman Empire. The epistles (Romans-Jude) are letters that were written during period of book of Acts. The Epistles are letters that were written by the apostles mainly to churches that they had founded. Their purpose is to explain the significance of Christ in terms of both our faith and practice. Revelation, the leading New Testament book of prophecy, looks ahead to the climax of history when Christ returns to take his own to the new heaven and the new earth in eternal fellowship with God. From creation to the new creation, the Bible displays the unfolding purpose of God in history - a history in which he has set out to glorify himself in human salvation.
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Monday, September 7, 2009

What is the Bible About? Fred Zaspel shares some thoughts
The Theme of the Bible, by Fred Zaspel What is the Bible all about? What is its primary purpose in writing and its leading theme? We find the answer to our question when we examine the beginning and the end of Scripture. At the beginning God creates the world and all that is in it. We may be sure that he did this for his own glory, for this is his purpose in all he does. His creation is designed to reflect his glory. Humanity in particular was created for God's glory, and this is our whole reason for being - to glorify God. But we have fallen from our created purpose. With the entrance of sin through our father Adam (Genesis 3), humanity and all the created order has fallen under a divine curse. The whole created order is out of sorts - there is pain and suffering and injustice and death. And there is sin, rebellion against our creator. The curse of God upon the human race is evident in each broadcast of the evening news and in the experiences of our own lives. Through sin we are out of sorts with our creator, and as a result our world has been plunged into chaos and misery of every kind. But at the entrance of sin God not only spoke in judgment. He also spoke in grace and in promise. He promised that a champion would come to defeat the tempter and reconcile us to God. The root problem - our sin - would be corrected, and all of creation would be restored to its created purpose. All this we find at the beginning of our Bible. The end of our Bible (the book of Revelation) records end of the story. History climaxes in a new heaven and a new earth, a new world in which God dwells with his people and his people bask in the glorious presence of God their creator. This blessedness is secured for us, we read, by that promised champion, who by now we know is the Lord Jesus Christ. From beginning to end, he is the theme. Reading our Bible from the perspective of the beginning and the end enables us to gain a right perspective of the whole and all its parts. Throughout the Old Testament the redeemer is anticipated. The promise given and expanded. At the same time the world at large and God's people in particular (Israel) demonstrate continuously their need for this redeemer. Kings, princes, the people at large, and even prophets fail. Humanity is so given over to its sin that it cannot stop. There is universal abandonment to sin and universal enmity with God. And no king is powerful enough or faithful enough to bring even God's people - let alone the world at large - to cease from their sinning or into fellowship with God. So the promise is that God will send his servant to fix the entire mess. The whole, overall theme of the first half of the Bible is this - "He is coming!" Over and again the promise is reiterated - "He is coming! God has promised a redeemer! In fact, God has promised that he will himself come to our rescue!" And the Old Testament ends with the promise outstanding. The need for a redeemer remains, but the promise is left unfulfilled - "He is coming!" The New Testament, in turn, makes the happy announcement, "He is here!" - from promise to fulfillment. Matthew and the other Evangelists (the Gospel writers, Matthew-John), introduce Jesus Christ to us as the redeemer whom God had long promised. And so they tell us about his arrival and his life and teachings and miracles, but they tell us particularly of his death and resurrection. They are careful to tell us that Jesus Christ died as the redeemer in place of sinners and has for his people exhausted the curse of God against their sin. Accordingly, he was raised from the dead in triumph and in glory. He has successfully accomplished his assigned saving work. In Acts this message is taken to the world, and the epistles spell out the significance of all this for us in more detail. And in Revelation, as we have seen, it all comes to climax in Christ's glorious return as judge and as savior, when his redeeming work is brought to final completion and all his people stand in glory with him in the presence of the Triune God. And so in the end, creation reaches its original design - the glory of God the creator. Humanity is saved, and with it the whole created order is rescued from the divine curse against sin and restored to fellowship with God. The divine purpose is accomplished, and all the redeemed will be gathered to sing his eternal praise. God our redeemer has come and will come again to complete his promised saving work in Jesus Christ - this is the whole centerpiece and theme of the Bible.
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Thursday, September 3, 2009

On a Mission Part 2
Last week we looked at Dan Kimball’s first element of what it means to be “Missional.” Basically, every Jesus follower must see that they (the person in the mirror) are participants in the endeavor to reach people with the good news that God reconciles people to Himself through Jesus Christ. We are all to be “On a Mission for God.” Charlie Mann posted an interesting comment on the church blog page: “When I think of a missionary, I think of someone whose life and work are completely intertwined. I suppose for each of us that would mean not leaving our faith in the sanctuary and also not leaving the real world outside.” Charlie is right on; a person is missional when mission is their life. The missional person lives to make Jesus known. Here is Kimball’s second element of his definition of “Missional:” “Being missional means that we see ourselves as representatives of Jesus “sent” into our communities, and that the church aligns everything it does with the missio dei (mission of God). The mission of God is the reversal of all that happened in the Fall of Adam and Eve. It is God working. We are called to work with Him. So, how do we represent God as individuals and as a church? I would love to know your thoughts and interact with you. Just go to 2commonground.blogspot.com and post your comments!
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Thursday, September 3, 2009

Before You Leave Your___________
Before you leave your __________________, read the essay below written by Steven Lovelady. Pastor Lovelady is the man who pushed me through ordination. He taught me to transition from what is called Systematic Theology to what is commonly called Biblical Theology. I call him the "bearded wonder," but not when he is around. Those of you who are contemplating ordination may have heard me speak of him. He is the tutor who made me memorize the names of all 25o members of our church, from infants to 90 year old shut-ins. I had to look at their pictures, know their names and how they were related to everyone in the church (friends, parents, children, grandchildren, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc.) I had to know who these people were and the dynamics of all the relationships in the church before he would assemble an ordination council to question me on Biblical and theological proficiency. He also made me stand before the church every Wednesday night to be questioned by the members of the church before assembling an ordination council of pastors in our association. Before the church I had to answer questions from every book of the Bible, and on every major topic (doctrine) of theology. He knew my strength was systematic theology, and he guided the evenings to force me to work on my weakness (Biblical theology, especially Old Testament theology). I will forever be grateful for everything the bearded wonder put me through. That being said, please read the article below. He has put to words things in my own heart I have found myself unable to express when needed regarding people leaving relationships (like marriages and church memberships). The article is titled "When God Interrupts." It is part of First Baptist Church of Silvis' monthly newsletter in a section called "Parson to Person." The article may seem long. Like most scholars, the bearded wonder tends to drive a thumbtack (his point/points) in with a sledgehammer. You will find the time spent reading the essay well worth it. (Comments below in parenthesis are mine). "Dear Saints, As we have been going through our trek each Sunday morning on Daniel's pilgrimage, I myself have been receiving incredible insight. After preaching for 29 years now, and having preached through the book of Daniel once before, it's like God is taking me to sights and heights I've never been shown (did I mention Lovelady is a recognized Old Testament scholar?). I'm not sure that any study has gripped me and taught me, already, as much as I've learned in this journey. Altogether now, it has included introductory chapters in 2nd Kings 22 and 25, and the book of Habakkuk just to get us ready for Daniel. And to accompany me in my study of the various commentaries on this most interesting book, I've been reading a companion volume to which God has led me, entitled, "When God Interrupts." Wow! What a read! Over and again throughout Daniel, we have been overcome by the insistence of God upon abandonment. Of course, abandonment is no stranger to the antecedent characters in Daniel's repertoire of role models. Abraham was asked by God to leave his family in becoming a disciple of this new God. He had to leave everything familiar, including his family, and the place where he had established his reputation. Then he had to send both Ishmael and Hagar off, and finally his beloved Isaac. And, through it all, the one thing we continued to discover is that God never wanted Isaac. What He wanted, in the end, - was ALL OF ABRAHAM! The same thing was true in the lives of Jacob and his father Isaac. They both sinned against one another, of course,- but God used their sinful decisions, -to bring about a cutting-off, or abandonment of familiar things in order to "recreate" them. Ultimately, Jacob then lost Rebecca, and Joseph. And Joseph? Well, he too was forced into a type of exile so that he might, through one injustice after another, be "reintroduced" to God. After him, Moses comes into view. And the mental and spiritual journey he took was also one of rejection, and seeming abandonment when God chose to "interrupt" his day to day life to thrust him into a desert over on the back side of Horeb. In the prophets, Hosea learns God's heart as his wife Gomer abandons him. Jonah learns more of the God he only "thought" he knew when, in his case, he, himself abandons God, and causes God to chase him down out in the middle of the sea. Indeed, one of the most interesting models of this is in the book and prophesy of Habakkuk. In his book, what we learn is that sometimes we receive answers that disappoint. He was taken aback that God had the sovereign audacity to surprise him in the way he 'thought' God should work out his dismay. Whenever I think of Habakkuk's surprise, I begin to reflect upon how we, as a contemporary family of God sometimes whittle in our minds representations of the God we serve that sometimes do not at all resemble the God we learn about in the Bible. But then, modern-day disciples, much like their old-testament counterparts, often "feel" that God is like what in fact He is not like at all like (this is a form of idolatry-inventing a God that suits us to replace the one who does not). So it is with decisions we seek from Him. Sometimes we "feel" we know His mind on a matter, when in fact, He has already expressed opposition to that mind set in His Word! Often, I discover that people are convinced that their feelings are true readings of the heart of God. Sometimes they feel that if they stay in their marriage they will simply die. -0r their jobs, or their house, or alas, their church. I fear that sometimes, these conclusions come from the idea that we are somehow promised happiness in life. I don’t think that is necessarily so. Just as we are angry that our government is coming precious close to determining what is one's quality of life in this health-care debate, so we need, I think, to reassess our definition of "happiness." I'm afraid that when we find ourselves defining happiness, it may not at all end up being the 'state' of quality of life for which we had been longing. "Contentment" is something that will come with putting God first in our lives. I believe that Abraham loved Isaac more coming down the mountain, AFTER he had decided that he loved God more. But once that was settled, I believe God then enabled him to love Isaac more coming down the mountain than he could ever have loved him going up the mountain, when, at that time, Abraham hadn't as of yet, discovered just which one he loved most. So it is with us. You see, some of us think we will not be happy unless we leave our wives, or our husbands, or our parents, or our job...or our church-on and on it goes. On the contrary, some of us, when being called of God to do something or to go somewhere, -do not think we'll be happy. But if God is calling us, He will download contentment. God will not ask us to go or stay where He will not also download the grace so that we can abide His leading! Once we believe that, we may well be able to stay in our marriage, or in our jobs, or in our church. I don't how much I can stress the point: Ungodly abandonment will not bring happiness. And if we're Christians, and God wants us to stay where we're put?-leaving will certainly not bring contentment. He may well be trying to do something in our lives through an unjust employer, or situation. Leaving will only assure that we'll end up running right back into that harsh taskmaster in a new job, -of course, it will be someone with a different face and a different name, -but the same person nonetheless. So? To the question, "If I stay here I'll die, I just know it." I say, "Where does it say you have to go on living?" If the only exit from the place to which God has placed you is an illegitimate escape, - I do not believe then, that it would be God's will for you to leave, -regardless of how you "feel." If, on the other hand, the evidence, rationale, and confirmed implications of your situation show God's unmistakable signature on your marching orders, and you have a solid Biblical model for leaving, then by all means, to stay would be a sin. In closing, I'll just bet you can remember the day you stepped out of the crowd and came forward (during a church service invitation), which, of course, became symbolic of your choosing to follow Christ for the rest of your life. And it was. What you probably didn't realize then, was that each day you get out of bed, you need to begin stepping forward to serve Him for that day too, which may well involve "going where you do not choose to go." But again, if you will put God's heart in the matter first, then "contentment"... and probably "happiness" too, will result. Just don't get the cart before the horse." Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6 Questions, comments, screams of outrage? Go to 2commonground.blogspot.com and post your stuff; we can chat!
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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Gettin Missional Part 1
A few Sundays ago, I mentioned the word "Missional" along with some elements of being "missional" found in Dan Kimball's book, They Like Jesus But Not the Church." I have great news. You don't have to dress up like the Blues Brothers to be on a Mission from God. However, I thought it would be good to think about what being on a mission would look like. Here was Kimball's first element: "Being missional means that the church sees itself as being missionaries, rather than having a missions department, and that we see ourselves as missionaries right where we live." How would that look? Take what first pops into your head about being a missionary and imagine how that would work itself into church life at Common Ground Community Church. Then, go to the blog, find this post, and share your comments, complaint, screams of outrage, or suggestions! Or, send me an email if you find posting on blogs too annoying. The blog can be found at: 2commonground.blogspot.com
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Friday, August 14, 2009

Fast Forward
Fast Forward Well, I am just about finished reading this book. There is a part of me that wants throw them a crying towel and tell them to get over themselves while at the same time "turning them over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh." But alas, this young generation has many legitimate beefs with what we call Christianity, and I find myself very sympathetic toward them. I find that my heart resonates with much of their complaints. I still encourage you to read this book and I would love to hear from you as you do (email me or post at 2commonground.blogspot.com). So, let me leave you a quote toward the end of the book. It is titled TRANSFORMED: "If followers of Christianity follow Christ for the next thirty years, Christianity will be comprised of faith-filled believers who are focused on the manifestation of God's power in every aspect of their lives, with the purpose of having dominion on earth until Christ returns. This will come as a result of the church shifting its focus from membership to relationship. Power doesn't come from membership at the right church or in the right denomination. Real power comes from a strong personal relationship with God, with encouragement and accountability coming from the body of believers. Christians in 2037 will care more about their personal relationships than their 11 a.m. Sunday morning reservation. In following Christ, Christians in 2037 will go to places others won't go and say things others won't say in the name of God, so that people are convicted, not entertained. The perception of Christianity will be that of a bold and transforming faith. Finally, Christians will be perceived as consistent. It is no myth that today we are event-based worshippers, willing to wear a mask on Sunday and Wednesday (or whenever we have Bible study), then go back to business as usual for the duration of the week. Christians in 2037 will equate relationship with God to a lifestyle, not an event. They will stop today's practice of interpreting divine doctrine through a filter of cultural convenience. These Christians will transform the world by letting God shine through us as much on the job, at the mall, at the club, and on the street as we do in the church. Perception is reality. I hope we do change our reality in 2007, to earn this perception change in 2037." -Jeff Johnson social activist BET host and international correspondent Let us at CGCC search our hearts, confess our sins openly and ask God together what we can do, what we must do to look more like Jesus to the world around us. Let's pray for each other, love each other, forgive and forebear one another. Because He is with us; because we want His name great in all the earth, Roger Allen Questions, Complaints, Screams of Outrage? Let's dialogue at 2commonground.blogspot.com
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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Let The Imperfect Say So
The book, Unchristian, What a New Generation Really Thinks About Christianity... and Why it Matters is good reading. The title is accurate. Unchristian are what outsiders looking at the church see. This book reveals what they think and why, and what we can do to get them to look at Jesus. It was recommended by a professor for a project I am writing for a class on Missions. I love this book and hate what it is showing me in the mirror. If you have not guessed which chapter I am on, it is the one about hypocrisy. Here is a rather long quote I found to be profound (snippets in parenthesis are from me): "There is a separation between church and neighborhood. And hypocrisy-talk without action-plays a part in this divide. “I have spent my life living and working in the urban centers of Philadelphia and Atlanta. In these communities, you will find an abundance of churches. In my current Atlanta neighborhood there is one on every block. Then you consider that on the very same street corner reign drug activity and prostitution. It is not out of the ordinary to watch drug deals on the church steps. The institution has made its own quiet and unspoken deal with the vendors who make their living there. People who most need the church are sitting outside, waiting to feel worthy enough to come. For the young who grew up on the streets, it’s an age-old story: the drug kingpin knows their name, and the pastor does not. The teachers at school don’t think they can learn, but they conquer the ‘street classes’ just fine. The street always pursues and welcomes them, but the doors of the church are open only on Sunday. The church wants them neat and clean, but the streets take them as they are. For the past eighteen years I have worked with young adults in missions programs. These usually involve college-aged followers of Jesus coming into these same neighborhoods, ready and eager to represent the church to hurting people. They want to be the hands and feet of the gospel. So they move into the city and get to know their neighbors .They serve in summer camps and after-school programs. They become tutors and mentors. And they come ready to find support in their local church, plugging into whatever they’re already doing in the neighborhood. Young adults with full hearts are ready to serve and listen to the voices of the rarely heard. They set out to bring Christ’s love outside the church’s walls. These young adults quickly discover a loyalty to their new neighborhood. They fall in love with the streets and all those who live there. This should be a match made in heaven. But it isn’t. Instead it turns out to be a sharp gust of wind, extinguishing the flame of trust that these young adults kept lit for their vision of ‘church.’ Their new church is not ready for the neighborhood kid who comes to youth group for the first time without a Christian foundation (“they might interact with my kid”). The homeless men really smell when they come to services. The building fund, pew fund, and organ fund (and what else?) lose their importance when you encounter hungry people daily. Those who have put in a year or more living with families in pain, people on the street, and victims of injustice, quickly lose respect for the church. I believe that today, young adults are starting to see the church as a place that has not dealt well with the poor and the outcast, whether it be a homeless man in the city of Atlanta or a suburban teen who struggles with pornography. Young people will not communicate with and seek help from parents, pastors, and teachers whose lifestyles and passions do not match their words and faith. They will go to those who will embrace relationships with them; those who are also hurting and who are willing to share it. Young adults are turning away from a modern church that they see as nothing more than hypocritical. Standards and rules without sacrifice and solidarity is hypocrisy. A large building with little connection to the streets is essentially empty.” -Leroy Barber, president, Mission Year I recommend this book to you. Share your thoughts on my blogspot as you go. Share your comments, concerns, and screams of outrage at 2commonground.blogspot.com. Because He is with us, Roger Allen
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Friday, July 31, 2009

Blessed Be His Name
Last week, I started an article about Joy with this quote: "Our greatest cause for rejoicing tomorrow will not be that we have been spared from trial and suffering but that Christ has been present to sanctify the trials to us and comfort us in them." -T. J. Bach You will have to read last week's article to get the flow, but I was basically saying that God is in the details. You can read the article in the "Roger's Ramblings" section of the web page at www.2commonground.org. I would like to expand on last week's rambling with another quote. It is rather long, but worth the read. It goes like this: "Pain is inevitable, but misery is optional. We cannot avoid pain, but we can avoid joy. God has given us such immense freedom that He will allow us to be as miserable as we want to be. I know some people who spend their entire lives practicing being unhappy, diligently pursuing joylessness. They get more mileage from having people feel sorry for them than from choosing to live out their lives in the context of joy. Joy is simple (not to be confused with easy). At any moment in life we have at least two options, and one of them is to choose an attitude of gratitude, a posture of grace, a commitment to joy." -Tim Hansel The context of this quote is an essay on the Spiritual Disciplines necessary to develop the character traits to prepare one's self to be a missionary. The discipline under discussion is "praising and thanking God in all circumstances." The writer of the above quote is significant because he spends his entire life filled with physical pain incurred from an accident, one single event in his life that will give him pain every day of his life. I rarely can say I know how someone feels, but in his case, I can. And I am just getting to where I can say that the pain I feel daily may just be one of the greatest gifts God has ever given me as far as my walk with Him is concerned. I only wish I had learned to thank Him earlier rather than later. But this is not about me, or Tim Hansel. This is about all of us. More importantly, this is about God being praised and thanked in the midst of our pain. We all have pain, and we always will until Christ returns. But there is a secret hiding in plain sight as far as our joy in the midst of pain is concerned (joy in the midst of pain will cause people to ask you of the hope that is in you). Check out the story of the disciples' response to being beaten for preaching Christ in Acts 5:17-42. When released from prison they went on their way "rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." What is the secret hiding in plain sight? They learned to be content; they learned joy apart from their circumstances. They were thankful that God counted them worthy of suffering for His name's sake. You will face trials; you will have pain. But, will you see it as from God and rejoice that He will be pleased to see His name lifted up as you go through the fire with joy? One of my favorite songs we sing together is Blessed Be You Name, by Matt and Beth Redman. As I have gone through a time of grieving the last few months, I sing this song daily to my heart. Notice the writer's determining to bless God's name when the sun is shining and when darkness looms: Verse 1 Blessed be Your name In the land that is plentiful Where Your streams of abundance flow Blessed be Your name Blessed be Your name When I'm found in the desert place Though I walk through the wilderness Blessed be Your name Chorus: Every blessing You pour out I'll turn back to praise When the darkness closes in, Lord, still I will say Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the Lord Blessed be Your glorious name Verse 2 Blessed be Your name When the sun's shining down on me When the world's all that it should be Blessed be Your name Blessed be Your name On the road marked with suffering Though there's pain in the offering Blessed be Your name Tag: You give and take away You give and take away My heart will choose to say Lord, blessed be Your name Blessed be the name of the Lord... May these words speak faith, hope, and love to your soul as they do to mine. Because He is with us, Roger Allen
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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

God is Still Here!
GODISNOWHERE "Our greatest cause for rejoicing tomorrow will not be that we have been spared from trial and suffering but that Christ has been present to sanctify the trials to us and comfort us in them." -T. J. Bach The context of this quote is the persecution of missionaries for telling people about Jesus Christ. It could just as easily be applied to any Christian encountering life and all that comes with it. Life is full of highs and lows. Life is filled with both pain and pleasure. It seems the only constant in life is change. But God expects there to be a constant that cannot be changed. God expects us to have joy. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. He gives it to us, but we can lose the sense of it. How does this happen? It happens when we let our circumstances dictate our disposition or sense of well-being, and worth. Take the trials of life (loss of income, friends, family, personal dignity, disappointment etc.) for instance. Bach's words above are very instructive. They are also biblical. What if tomorrow we are not spared from trial? What if we are not spared suffering? What if the pain of today is glaring at us in the morning? What if it is staring at us day after day after day ad nauseam? What if our current circumstance has no end in sight; what if we can't find "joy?" Entertain a thought with me. The Holy Spirit is given to us at conversion. The Holy Spirit produces life change in us. He gives us a new set of attitudes and characteristics. Here is a sampling: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other." -Galatians 5:22-26 God gives us joy. God also allows life in a fallen world to happen to us. Here is a truth we must speak to ourselves: God is in the circumstances of our lives. They are not out of His control. He either causes our circumstances or He at least allows them. God had several options available to Him the morning I was hit by a car while walking my dog. He allowed the car to hit me. How should I respond to this? Let's say it's not a car. Let's say it's family, or friends, or church members, or co-workers, financial setbacks, etc. that God brings into my life? What am I to do with these trials? Bach writes that "Christ has been present to sanctify (use them for His holy purposes) the trials to us and comfort us in them." Sometimes God calms the storms; sometimes He calms the saint; ask the Apostle Peter; he'll tell you all about it. Peter and the boys are out on a big lake and the wind picks up. It is the kind of wind that can typically sink their boat. They look up and there is Jesus taking a stroll on the Lake! They freak out thinking He is a ghost or something. Jesus tells them to relax; it's Him, not some ghost. So Peter says, "If it is you, then have me walk out to you." Jesus tells Peter to step out of the boat and walk to Him, and Peter does just that. But as he is walking toward Jesus he starts fixating on the waves. These are really big waves and he takes his eyes of Jesus in fear and begins to sink. He does something he knows will keep him alive; he cries out to Jesus to save him and Jesus picks him out of the water. The lesson is in Jesus' words: "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" This word doubt carries the idea of a split opinion. Peter, in his crisis was split between faith in Jesus to walk on the water and the power of the waves to drown him. Now, consider this. Imagine you are in heaven no longer living by faith. You are "in His presence." Will it be possible to worry about anything happening on earth while in His presence? Would it be right to worry about anything here on earth while in His presence? Imagine it! "Wow God!" I heard you were all-powerful, and all-knowing, and sovereign over all, but now I see you, human language is too limited to describe the enormity of your character and powers. Nothing is too big for you; You really are reigning over everything causing everything to work out to your good will and pleasure. You are amazing! But, I am worried about my family now that I am gone..." Absurd, is it not? Jesus "sanctified" the trial to teach Peter, and Jesus comforted him (he did after all pull him out of the water). There is a truth we need to get here. We must speak truth to our often divided hearts. We must believe God is big, and that He cares for us, and that He will use our circumstances for His good will and pleasure. Our joy comes not from escaping the trials, but in believing He is in them. We must speak truth to our hearts just as the Psalmist of old. Here is a truth to speak to your heart. If you are His; He is with you... now. In the Bible, "I am with you" often means "I am for you." "I am in your corner." "I got this, relax; trust me." He is with you. In whatever you are going through right now at this very moment and all the moments that follow; He is with (and for) you. And He is with you for His name's sake. James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. Because He is with us, Roger Allen
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Monday, June 1, 2009

Saving Faith
This Sunday we will witness a public profession of faith. In preparation (for us and those being baptized) I thought it would be good to discuss faith. I'll call this little article "Before You say 'I do to Jesus.'" If Baptism is a public profession of faith (and it is), then it is important that a person know what it is they are professing. It is important that they believe what they are professing! It is important that they have a faith that saves. When one looks at the Bible, they notice the characteristics of saving faith. First, saving faith is believing Jesus saves (Acts 16:31). This is faith that takes God at His word, which presupposes a belief that we are actually reading from God's word! God says He saves us through Jesus' death and resurrection, and we believe Him. This begs a question. Is faith that saves just a belief in a set of promises or propositions? I am sure the answer is no. Faith is more than simply believing; faith is trusting. Secondly, Saving faith is a reliance on Jesus and His cross. I am not just believing something happened; I am counting on it. You can't be saved from something relying on someone else if you can save yourself. We are saved from something (sin and consequent death). We are not able to save ourselves. We must depend on someone else to save us. When a person comes to Christ to save them, they come believing He is their only hope. When a person comes to Jesus to save them, they come to Him alone, trusting Him alone and nothing else. As Corduan Winnifried puts it, "faith is an all-or-nothing phenomenon." "Reliance that looks elsewhere for support really is no reliance at all." Galatians 2:16 asserts we are saved by faith, not by works of the law. Ephesians 2:8,9 says we are saved by grace through faith, not of works, lest we brag. Galatians 5:2-4 argues that we are actually diminishing the work of Christ on the cross if we supplement faith with works of the law. Thirdly, saving faith is a faith that works. A person who stops trying to save themselves, and puts their trust in Christ instead is a person who will have in their life an orientation toward Jesus Christ that lives for Him. The good works are evidence of a good confession of faith. So, are you ready to profess faith in baptism? You are if you are trusting only in Jesus Christ to save you. It is that simple. When you are baptized you confess before witnesses in the form of a picture (die with Him going under the water; rise with Him coming up out of the water) that you are someone trusting only in Jesus Christ to stand right before God. Because He is with us, Roger Allen
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Monday, March 2, 2009

The Power of Dedication
The Power of Dedication I would like to share some thoughts that came to me in my Bible reading last week. The Bible records great growth (mainly spiritual) events of God’s people in both the Old and New Testament. The reforms of King Hezekiah provide a great example. His life, and what God worked in and through him are recorded in 2 Chronicles 29-32. As we move toward our All In Sunday , a theme in King Hezekiah’s story instructs us. Two words drive the reformation during Hezekiah’s reign: consecration and purification. Consecration means “to dedicate or set aside for God’s use.” To purify something is to make it clean. People and things must be cleaned before they can be set aside for God’s use. Hezekiah set his heart to doing this task. Consecration and purification must come from the heart’s desire, not from a sense of duty. Hezekiah replaced the evil King Ahaz. Hezekiah inherited a kingdom completely sold out to idolatry, and God was angry. God had consecrated the sanctuary in the temple forever. God had set it aside and dedicated it to Himself, and the Israelites under King Ahaz used it to worship other gods-idols. Hezekiah determined in his heart to call Judah back to the Lord God. First, Hezekiah set out to repair the doors to the temple, and then he called on the priests to dedicate themselves to their calling. Part of this was to call the priests to rid the temple of the idols. He called them back to “standing before the Lord and serving Him in returning to administering the worship in the Temple. In the New Testament, believers are called a royal priesthood. We are to be set apart for God’s purposes. As a church, we must make knowing God and making Him known our pursuit, our act as priests. What are you pursuing? What is your passion? Are your passions “consecrated?” After the temple was cleansed and everything put in order, Hezekiah got some people (very important people) to offer up a sin offering for the kingdom that these very important people allowed to be corrupted. So, the priests and king first dedicated themselves to God, and then they led the people to the same dedication. Eventually, after a lot of offerings, Hezekiah led the nation to celebrate the Passover. There were not enough servants to offer up the sacrifices, and a lot of people showed up “un-consecrated.” This led to another lesson for us: intercession. Hezekiah sent out a message to the nation calling them to repentance. Repentance came with a promise: “the Lord your God is gracious and compassionate. He will not turn His face from you if you return to Him.” It was not an empty promise as 30:12 notes: “Also in Judah the hand of God was on the people to give them unity of mind to carry out what the king and his officials had ordered, following the word of the Lord.” This unity led to corporate worship and momentum. And, it led to the people of Judah, from their heart consecrating everything to God as displayed in their giving. The offerings were piled in heaps and almost unmanageable. This episode in Judah’s story will work in our story. If we turn from pursuits that will fade in this life and turn to pursuits that offer eternal promises, we will find God with us, working in and through us. We will find ourselves growing toward Him together. We will find ourselves united in fulfilling His purposes for us, and we will find God opening the gates of heaven for us when we are dedicated to Him and His mission- knowing Him and making Him known. Because He is with us, Roger Allen
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Thursday, December 18, 2008

Visit our Archive
You can read past newsletters and articles by Pastor Roger by going to the above link.
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Saturday, November 29, 2008

Black Friday Gets Darker and Darker
Hope You all had a Happy Thanksgiving! I slept in today (Friday after Thanksgiving Day). My wife on the other hand, zoomed out the door at 4 a.m. Today is “Black Friday,” So she was off to the sales. There are many reasons for this term,"Black Friday," mostly economical. This is the day the stores offer huge sales for Christmas on items that bring people to their doors hours before they open. Cindy bagged some really great deals this morning! I like to think of the day as “Freaky Friday.” The irony of this day bites. I was thinking about this last night as I watched a show (Grey’s Anatomy). My mind busied itself contrasting the show’s characters’ pitiful and godless pursuits of happiness with an article Larry Quier read about the first Thanksgiving Day to his family right before a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner. Being A.D.D. (a.k.a. Attention Deficit Disorder), I was simultaneously listening to the article (read devotionally) and thanking God for two things: friends who invite me to really cool Thanksgiving Dinners and the really good white wine Susan’s dad handed me. But, I digress (I blame the A.D.D.). My point of interest in the story Larry told centers on the belief that a prayer of Thanksgiving from the Common Book of Prayer of the Church of England was read that day. The prayer goes like this: "Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we Thine unworthy servants do give Thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all men. We bless thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for Thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ, for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory." This prayer expresses thankfulness for all the blessings of life, and all that comes with life (including the pain). But most of all, they are thankful for redemption. This is what I contemplated over my fine glass of wine (one of God’s many gifts): If I lost everything, would I be content with the little things God gives me because of the one great gift He gave me-His Son. Would I be thankful just to know God? Notice the prayer. God is known in creation; God is known in His preservation of all that is His (you must toss your naturalist interpretation of life to embrace this); God is known and appreciated (or should be) in the “blessings of life”; and as we are studying, God is best known (revealed/glorified) in Christ on the Cross. Is this enough to make your Thanksgiving Day happy? Is this enough to make you a happy person? Here is the irony of “Black Friday.” On Black Friday, people swarm the stores to buy what they believe will bring either them or someone else happiness. In other words they seek happiness by obtaining something they do not have the day after giving thanks for what they already have. And, to top it off, they will open these trinkets on the day we mark to remember the coming of God’s greatest gift to us-His Son. And here is some more irony; on a day after thanking God for his blessings and anticipating being a blessing to others (via the gifts we are getting on sale), greed took a day that remembers the light of the world and displayed just how entrenched we are in darkness. On this Black Friday, a mob trampled a man to death. What did this man do? He opened the doors of the Wal-mart store where he worked. The story gets worse. When told that a man was killed and the store had to close, people became incensed because they had waited in line all night to get to the good deals inside. Some just kept shopping. What did this man die for? According to a news report, “Items on sale at the Valley Stream Wal-Mart included a Samsung 50-inch Plasma HDTV for $798, a Bissel Compact Upright Vacuum for $28, a Samsung 10.2 megapixel digital camera for $69 and DVDs such as "The Incredible Hulk" for $9.” Now I call that a really Black Friday! It’s all kinda freaky to me. But, as the prayer above states: God preserves, so I rest in God, and that makes me very happy (at least at the moment). And, in a world entrenched in darkness, brokenness and bitterness; God has given His people a story of hope. For what it’s worth, Roger Allen
posted at 11:34AM	comments

Friday, November 28, 2008

Cross Life
“You can’t make someone learn.” I hear teachers say this all the time, and it is a true statement. You can’t make a person love either. You can’t make them love you, God, their neighbor, their spouse or anyone or anything else. Yet we are called to love God and call others to love Him as well. We are called to learn of Him and teach others as well. Two things bug most pastors, at least these things should bug pastors: a lack of love for God and others; and a lack of desiring to learn and promoting truth. As a pastor, I have several aspirations regarding the church and the world around me. I want to see God’s people grow in their love for Christ. I want to see their love for Him cause them to want to know Him more (a.k.a. become pursuers of truth). And, from their pursuit of truth caused by their pursuit of Christ, I live in hope that their knowledge of Christ and their love of Christ will create in them a desire to see others love Christ and grow in knowledge of Him. And in turn, I long to see these others seek to see others know Him. In other words, I want to see the church of Jesus Christ grow through love and not through marketing. I have been teaching a series of messages on the Cross of Christ because I believe it is the Cross that demonstrates God’s love. The cross is the center. It is the cross that transforms a church from on organization into a movement of God. Or, at least, it should be. Consider page 131 from Erwin McManus’ book, An Unstoppable Force. On this page, McManus is leaving a discussion on the ethos of the church to the architecture of the church bookending his transition with two scriptural references. Matthew 28:18-20 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” “The Baka Pygmies have made one of the most hostile environments on this planet their home. They are the people of the rain forest. Without formal education or written language, they pass on to their children skills and knowledge that would equal a Ph.D. in botany. Their children learn not only how to survive but how to thrive in this complex ecosystem. The Baka have created a culture that transmits the secrets of Baka life. And learning the mysteries of the rain forest is nothing less than life and death. We learn from the Baka that some things are best transferred through the multi-textured environment of real life. In the same way, we must pass on the deep teachings of being a disciple of Jesus Christ through the context of biblical community engaging a broken world. It is in and through this community that God makes manifest His transforming power. Like the Baka, the church must teach her children how to thrive in a dangerous world!” Ephesians 3:10-11 10 His (God’s) intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, 11 according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord. This Sunday we will continue our study on the Cross of Christ. We will transition from looking at what Christ accomplished to looking at what the Cross reveals about God and His messiah. It is important to apply these messages to how the church reveals God to the world because of the Cross. Just as the Baka pygmies created a culture transmitting the keys to life in their world, so the church must transmit life into our culture. We believe a written word, left behind by a movement that turned the world upside down. We must learn to live the life of the cross to get people to look at Jesus the Word (revealer) of God and His work (the cross). May God begin working in our hearts and transforming us into walking message boards that reveal the wisdom of God to a blinded and broken world. Because He is with us, Roger Allen Pastor/teacher
posted at 09:40PM	comments

Friday, September 5, 2008

Godisnowhere
"Godisnowhere." This graphic on a tee-shirt or billboard is sure to generate a conversation. If not verbally, it should cause a cerebral wrestling match. The graphic may be interpreted at least one of two ways. It can say "God is no where." Or, it can say God is now here." It's all a matter of perspective, and this perspective, I believe is the most important piece we have to knowing God intimately. God comes to those who are His. He finds them dead in their orientation towards Him, and He gives them life; He gives them a desire for Him. He changes their orientation. Then, He gives them a longing for Him. But, the ability to see Him in life is not automatic. If we would know Him; if we would draw close to Him; if we would become His friend, He gives us habits designed to enhance our sense of being His and knowing Him in a way that transcends knowing things about Him. God would have us pray. Prayer is pouring our hearts out to Him, and it also reading His word, and waiting for a word from Him as His word reads us. He gives us fasting, an exercise that takes our minds off food and helps us focus on Him. He gives us His written word, His chosen method of revealing Himself by recording His promises and actions, and attributes through commands, and poems, and stories, and recordings of His actions. All these are woven into a fabric of literature that leads from God with us, to God separated from us, to God among us, to God in us, to God again with us face to face. God gives us the practice of meditation, where we ponder His creation and His person. God gives us silence to listen for Him; He gives us the practice of simplicity, where we learn to live for Him; to yield all to Him. He gives us a hope of seeing Him. This gets me back to the time when we will see Him face to face. Between the God in us as Jesus promised (I am with you in Matthew 28) and the time when we will again walk with God as Adam and Eve did in the Garden, we live in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. We live with all these practices to draw us close, but something occurs to me. These practices will do nothing if we do not believe by faith that God is now here. He is here in our high mountain experiences. He is here when we succeed, when we get the big promotion, when we see our loved ones do well, when we do well. He is is here now as we are "happy." But, we must see by faith that His is now here in all circumstances. He is here now when we suffer setbacks. He is here now in the stuff of life that causes us pain we can not put to words. Here is where faith is tested and proven. When we can look at life whether we abound, or whether we are abased, as Paul would put it, and we come through content. This is only possible if we know, if we are convinced that He is with us, if we are convinced that God is now here. As I write, a good friend is looking at his 22 year old niece. She is unaware of his gaze. She is unaware of the love mixed with anguish in his face and in his eyes. She is unaware of his love for her and her dad. She is staring back at him from a coffin. She died suddenly, unexpectedly, and from a human standpoint, quite tragically. As he looks at his niece, he will either cry out in his heart to the God he knows is "here." Or, he may think that God is no where, not here, not anywhere. He may not be able to see God in this event. I talked to him yesterday. He is holding on to God in his hurt. His heart speaks "God is now here." Before I sat down to write this article, I sat with a couple in their den. They were very relieved. Earlier, they were terrified. They were facing a scare that if proved to be as feared, would bring their world crashing in around them. This wasn't a flat tire, or financial ruin, or a life- like set back we all experience; they were looking at death. They are good strong believers, thankful for their lives and the giftedness God endowed them with. But they are young; too young to be looking at death. This is the stuff that brings down giants. I don't believe they ever doubted for a second that "God is now here." Their faith in the midst of fear, uncertainty, and bewilderment put a thought in my head as I drove away: God is now here.
posted at 04:53PM	comments

Monday, August 18, 2008

Forgiven; can you believe it?
I have some sobering words for you. But, they are good words, if you can believe them. Here they are; I'll give you the good news first: 1 John 1:9 (NIV) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. Isn't that cool? Before you get all excited, let me ask you a question: Do you believe it? You are probably scratching your head wondering why I would ask such a question. The answer is easy. We often say we believe Jesus died for our sins, and we say we are forgiven for our sins because we believe the gospel. However, do we look at ourselves believing we are forgiven? Or, to put it another way; do we see ourselves the way God does? Here is where things get sobering. It's a sin to not see yourself the way God does. It's a sin not to see others the way God does. God's way of seeing you or anyone else is all that matters. Allow me to tell a story. A few years ago, we met in an all-purpose room at another church. Every Sunday morning I would set the room up for our service. After I set the room up, and before our service a pre-Sunday School gathering met in the same room. Often an older woman would sit in there while I worked. This woman did not care for me much. One day she decided to share her thoughts on " today's young people" (I would be considered young to her and I am 50). During the tirade against any generation younger than her, she began to talk of the shamefulness of these "young girls walking down the aisle to get married in a white wedding dress while they were obviously pregnant." This was too much for me, so I picked a fight (can you believe it?). I first asked why it was wrong for them to wear a white dress. She of course stated the obvious. The white dress is a symbol of purity (a.k.a. virginity). Obviously, if they were pregnant, they were not virgins. So, I asked about a widow who remarries. She said that was okay if they had not had sex after their husband died before the wedding to the new husband. "Oh, I replied, but she isn't technically a virgin though?" At this she saw my point and got really... umm, agitated. But, I was not finished. I conceded her point. I said, I think you are right. As far as God is concerned (to her we will replace God with "morality)) she was a virgin because virginity in His eyes is more about moral purity that it is physical virginity. She agreed with me, which meant her argument was, umm, messed over. I asked her about the above passage. "If God purifies us from all our unrighteousness when we confess our sins, is the girl in the white dress, pregnant walking down the aisle, "pure" if she has repented, confessed, and believed God regarding what He does when we confess our sins?" She did not want to be confused with the obvious. She could not bring herself to admit the girl, as far as God was concerned, was a virgin. She would not see the girl the way God sees her. Now, here is the problem. A lot of the girls (and I am only using them as a hypothetical example) don't see themselves as virgins either. Did you know there will be virgins in hell? If they are unbelievers, they will still be in hell if they do not believe God (in His declaration that Jesus died for us and we must trust in Jesus for our salvation). So, here is the point. Often we with our minds believe God cleanses us and purifies us, but we act as if we have to purify ourselves. We don't really believe He sees us as clean. We play this game a lot. The game manifests itself in regret. That is when we live in guilt and shame for something God has already forgiven. The game manifests itself in trying to gain God's favor and smile by working for it. God has already declared that it is impossible to please Him without faith, and He says so in the context of believing that we are right before Him because of Christ. But we keep trying to earn our righteousness. We are haunted with memories of our past actions. They torture us. We must atone for our sins; we must feel bad for them. If we find ourselves in guilt and shame for sins we have honestly confessed before God, we are living in unbelief. Notice I said "honestly" confessed. By that I mean we call our sin what God would call it; we see it the way he sees it and we make a confession. Then there are those who feel guilt for things they never did. They feel guilt for sins that God does not see as sins. There is a long list, but they need no mention; you know what they are. So, what do we have here? We have self-righteous people who refuse to see people the way God does, and we have people who look in the mirror and refuse to see themselves the way God does. This is unbelief. And God is just like us; He doesn't like being called a liar. Now, that's a sobering thought is it not? Let me give you another passage: Romans 12:3 (NIV) For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. This verse is a two-edged sword. On the one hand, don't get cocky. But, on the other hand, don't short God on who you are or on how He sees you. Use "sober" judgment of yourself "in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." This text is about spiritual gifts in relation to loving each other. But, it makes a stand alone point: see yourself as God sees you; see others as God sees them. Here is the point. If God says He has forgiven you in Christ, claim it. Cling to His grace and believe you are forgiven. Live as one wearing white, married (united) to Jesus Christ (like Ephesians 5 says you are). See yourself the way Paul describes believers in Ephesians 1:1: Ephesians 1:1(NIV) Paul, an apostle a of Christ Jesus by the will of God, To the saints (holy ones set apart to God) in Ephesus, the faithful (people of the faith, people who live by faith) in (united to) Christ Jesus: Chin up, if you confess your sins, He is faithful to forgive and cleanse. Can you believe it? Set aside your guilt and shame for sins confessed (and for stuff you feel guilty about that are not sins) and dump the sin God hates most- unbelief. If you want to really get at it, consider this: all sin comes down to belief. We either believe God knows what is best for our lives or we do not. We either believe pleasing Him holds out more joy than the sin we are contemplating or we do not. And, we either believe we are forgiven and see ourselves the way He does or we do not. Notice there is no middle ground here; there is no fence to straddle. We either believe or we do not. Believe and live! Nuff said, Roger Allen pastor/teacher
posted at 06:10PM	comments

Friday, August 15, 2008

Some Thoughts on Theology
I am reading a book by Dallas Willard called The Spirit of The Disciplines. By the Disciplines, Willard is writing about things like Bible reading and Bible study, and meditation, prayer, fasting, a simple life, and other things that God uses to transform us into the image of Christ. In this book (which is very good), he talks about the need for a "theology of these disciplines." He writes this in the context of a discussion of a Christianity that exists that does not change lives. He also argues that everyone has a theology-a concept of God. Even atheists have a theology. It all makes me continue teaching the Cross of Christ as it informs us and transforms us into the image of Christ. Let me leave off today with a quote from Dallas Willard. It is short and sweet, and should give us a moment of pause. As you read it, search your own soul to see what kind of theology is guiding you. Are you pursuing God with an informed view of who He is and what He has done? "A thoughtless or uninformed theology grips and guides our life with just as great a force as does a thoughtful and informed one." -Dallas Willard
posted at 09:12AM	comments