28 years ago Seattle had it’s first St. Patrick’s Day Dash, a 4 mile race to celebrate the holiday.  This year, thousands of people gathered to take part in the annual race through the heart of Seattle.

As a child, St. Patrick’s day was celebrated by wearing green.  If you didn’t wear something green, those who were wearing the color had the right to pinch you as hard as they wanted to.  If you were pinched and you were wearing green, you could return the pain to the mistaken pincher by pinching him 10 times.  St. Patricks day for us was one of strategizing to hide the green until some poor person decided to pinch you, then you could triumphantly go on your pinching binge to the delight of everyone around you. Except, of course, the one you are pinching.

Today, St. Patricks day is celebrated by millions of young adults that take the holiday as an excuse to go from bar to bar, pub to pub, having their good time drinking as much as possible.  The will wake up tomorrow regretting it but for now, they want to have, what they believe is, fun.

How Times Change

St. Patrick was a Catholic who, as legend has it, would try to explain the Trinity using the Shamrock, a 3-leaf clover native to Ireland.  His life was celebrated in Ireland long before the tradition was brought to the Pacific Northwest.

At one time, St. Patricks day was celebrated by attending church in the morning and having a celebration feast in the evening.  Not celebrating Irish whiskey, but celebrating the life of a much-loved man in Ireland.

The Trinity in a Shamrock?

As the legend goes, the people of Ireland couldn’t quite come to grips with the idea that there was one God, and at the same time three Gods, all equal and co-eternal but still making up one God.

St. Patrick would explain it by picking a clover from the earth.  He would show the people the clover’s stem and show them that there was only one stem.  Then he would show them the three leaves on the end of the stem and say one was for the Father, the other for the Son, and the other for the Holy Spirit.  Three separate leaves on one stem. 3 separate persons in one Godhead.

For the majority of people, Christianity is synonymous with this teaching.  There are three Gods called the Trinity.

The problem with this, is the Bible is adamant that there is only one God.

^{Deuteronomy 4:35} Unto thee it was shewed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him.

^{Deuteronomy 4:39} Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

^{I Chronicles 17:20} O Lord, there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears.

So was St. Patrick wrong?

Not totally.  He had it right, as many Trinitarians do up to a point.  There is only one God, one stem, one clover.

There may be 3 leaves on this clover.  But there is several other parts as well including the stem and the roots.  You can tear a leaf off of a clover and it’s still the clover.  You can’t take the stem out, however.  Neither can you remove the root.

The three leaves are what we see that identifies the clover as a clover.  We can look at a million stems but it would take a very special person to be able to identify a clover by only the stem.

No one would ever think that because a clover has three leaves it’s 3, separate plants making up one plant.

Three Manifestations Not Persons

Just like we identify a clover by its leaves, we identify God by the way we associate with Him.  We associate Him as a father.  We associate Him as a son.  We can associate Him as the Holy Spirit that we can feel living inside of us, comforting us, and touching us.

But these are not different Gods.  These are simply ways God has made Himself known to us.

Jesus communicated this very simple when He told His disciples that if they had seen Him, they had seen the Father.  That’s a simple statement.  When He gave the disciples the Great Commission, he solidified it further:

He told them to go into all the world and baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  A lot of people take this literally and, when baptizing, do so calling on these three different people.  They never use their names though.  They just invoke the name of the three different people by their titles.

If I took my dad’s checkbook to the store to buy a gallon of milk; if my dad had signed it “dad” I would probably have difficulty buying that gallon of milk.

My dad is a dad.  He was also someone else’s son.  He also has a spirit, a soul.  You cannot legally sign documents using your titles.  If your father sent you to the hardware store and said just charge the purchase in my name, what would you do?  Would you tell the clerk you were charging this in your father’s name?  If the clerk didn’t know you personally, he would ask the logical question, “what is your father’s name?”

Notice, Jesus said the ‘name’ of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  He didn’t say names. He said name.  One.  One name.  If all of these have one name, what is that name?  Easy right?  Jesus.

Maybe that’s why Peter told the sinners, when they asked how to be saved, that they had to be baptized in Jesus’ name. Acts 2:38.

The clover is one clover.  The leaves are part of the clover, not separate plants.  One clover.

Ephesians 4:5-6 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

 

The last Friday of every month, The Refuge teams with other area churches to feed the hungry and pass out free personal care items at 2nd and Pike.  We join together to meet the needs of those who’s circumstances have left them in need.   We serve soup and chili, desserts, and cold ice tea for anyone that wants to eat We also pass out personal care items to those who may not be able to afford to buy them.

It’s an exciting and rewarding experience.  Below are some pictures of us visiting with some of those that stopped by.

If you are interested in joining us or supporting this cause with your donations, please contact us.

Things of need:

• Clothing
• Blankets
• Backpacks
• Canned food
• Shoes
• Cash for purchasing food to serve
• Volunteers to help setup, serve, and clean up.

And a video of us singing and offering free Bibles.

We all have our strong points. We have those areas of victory in our life. Some are generous, others are honest. Some are talented, others are well-adjusted. But we all have our gifts.

Everyone has a weaknesses too. We ignore them, try to overcome them, and ultimately try to hide them; but they’re still there.

They frighten us. They make us second-guess ourselves. They make us afraid to try.

Our culture has taught us there are two kinds of people; the weak and the strong. There’s Rambo, and there’s the countless enemies he killed. There’s the guy that gets the girl, and the loser who is destined for unhappiness.

It’s no wonder we work overtime to hide our weaknesses.

God Made Us Weak

One thing we should always remember is that God didn’t just make us on purpose, he made us for a purpose. His plan is of paramount importance in His Kingdom, and in our lives.

• He planned to have David kill Goliath.
• He planned to have Moses deliver Israel.
• He planned to have Peter preach at Pentecost.
• He planned to have Paul be church planter.

God has a plan for each person, even before they are born. How many amazing stories will never be told because someone allowed their weaknesses to stop them from trying?

David & Goliath

Think about it. The champion of the Philistine army is taunting the Israelites, hoping to instigate a 1-on-1 fight to the death. The Israelites would have to send forth a champion to face him.

Who would have been the best choice to face Goliath?

If I had to choose, I would have picked out the biggest, baddest soldier in the army. Ironically, it was King Saul himself that stood head and shoulders over everyone else. Saul was a big man.

What kind of story would that have been?

The champion of the Philistine army falling to the King of Israel himself. You know God would have been with Saul in that battle. The only problem was, Saul refused to even think about fighting. In a move of absolute cowardice, Saul offers his own daughter as reward to whoever would be brave enough to challenge Goliath.

Who did God choose?

He chose the boy too young to be a soldier, with no training or battle experience. In other words, he picked the worst possible choice.

David had glaring weaknesses:

• He was not a soldier.
• He hadn’t trained for combat.
• He didn’t have any weapons of war.
• He wasn’t physically imposing at all.
• When he had the nerve to ask why no one was choosing to fight, his own brothers rejected him as a silly boy. When he volunteered to go, no one believed him, except for the coward Saul.

What did Saul try to do?

He tried to do the logical thing; he wanted to equip David with armor and weapons to overcome or hide his obvious weaknesses. But David did the most extraordinary thing; he refused to be afraid of his weakness.

Instead, he realized he was created weak by a God who had no weakness.

Saul saw his weakness. David’s brothers saw his weakness. The entire Israelite army saw his weakness. His enemy, the giant, saw his weakness. Goliath even went so far as to mock his weaknesses.

• Goliath mocked his lack of adequate weaponry.
• Goliath mocked his size and experience.
• Goliath threatened David with the pain and suffering of defeat.

In other words, David, you don’t have what it takes. You’re making a huge mistake and you’re going to pay a high price for your ignorant faith.

David made a couple statements that should keep ringing in our ears every day we face weaknesses. As he’s staring down this giant who he has no hopes of defeating David says:

“You’re coming to me with weapons made by man, but I’m coming to you in the Name of a God who has no weakness.”

That’s faith! The cause?

“The whole world will know there is a God in Israel. And It’s not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s.”

Facing Our Weaknesses

Remember, God created you weak on purpose, for His purpose. Rather than dealing with the weakness, we should embrace the weakness.

It’s in weakness that God does His most amazing works.

• He used David, a shepherd boy to kill the greatest warrior.
• He used a stuttering fugitive, Moses, to deliver his people from captivity.
• He used a cursing fisherman who denied him 3 times, Peter, to deliver the plan of salvation.
• He used a blasphemer and persecutor of Christians to be the greatest church planter in history and author of most of the New Testament.

What is your weakness? What have you been working most of your life to hide?

Don’t fear your weaknesses or your short-comings. Be honest about them, don’t hide them. Instead, embrace them. Step out on faith and watch what God can do.

He does his greatest works through our biggest weaknesses.

What is a Christian?  What is a believer?

For centuries the church has been trying to communicate to the unbeliever what it means to be a Christian and what that means to the unchurched. By and large, the church has been distracted by accusations, defensively explaining the church rather than honestly saying the truth.

This old article says it pretty well:

As the church reaches in love to those who are in need of salvation, let us not forget the truth of our position.  We are not hypocritical for what we believe. In fact, it’s the exact opposite.

A Christian with pride dishonors his label. A Christian who thinks they deserve salvation is an ignorant one. A Christian that looks down their nose at a sinner, making a moral judgement of how good they are compared to the sinner is one that is of no use to the Kingdom of God.

A real Christian, is the man, or woman, who knows the sinner needs salvation, because they need the same salvation.  A real Christian is one that says you need forgiveness, because they need it as well.  A true Christian is saying we need to strive to live a life morally right and acceptable to God, not because they’ve accomplished that goal, but because they know they haven’t.

Paul said it best when he named all the lifestyles that would not make it into heaven. He named the thieves, the immoral, on and on through a list of bad choices, lifestyles, and labels. After he’s listed all the negative lifestyles of sin he looks directly at the church and says “such were some of you. But, you were washed…” In other words, he was reminding the Christians that get a little too big for their britches where they came from, and how good they were on their own.

Paul himself knew what it was like to be in sin and find the unmerited favor of God. He called himself the chief of sinners; a remorseful remembrance of his life prior to conversion.

Christians are no better than the sinner. They are the sinner. The only difference is they’ve found grace; unmerited favor.

When I say I’m a Christian, I’m saying I’m a sinner that found grace; unmerited favor. I wasn’t worthy, I wasn’t valuable, I didn’t deserve anything. But what I was freely given has made all the difference. And I want to share that experience with everyone.

The message in this video is so simple, yet very powerful. When we continually question whether we should simply do what the Bible tells us to do, it reveals that we really have no faith in Jesus’ redemption plan.

What do you know about the Holy Spirit?

This is an enormous topic that could span several weeks of in-depth study. But, we recently decided to tackle this in our mid-week Bible Study (Find the Meet-Up group here).

Tonight, we are going to dive into the frequently, and most important, asked questions regarding the Holy Spirit. I’m sure it’s going to be quite a night of discussion and challenging preconceived ideas about who and what the Holy Spirit actually is. So, in the spirit of talking about the Spirit, I decided to leave some of our notes here on this blog.

What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit

Prophecies of the Holy Ghost outpouring is found in many places in the Old Testament. However, the two most obvious references are found in Joel and Ezekiel:

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
Ezekiel 36:26-27

And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Joel 2:28-29

Interestingly enough, it’s this prophecy from the book of Joel that Peter referenced when he was trying to explain the first outpouring of the Holy Ghost in Acts 2.

But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
Acts 2:14-17

Through these scriptures, we can understand that the Holy Ghost was a promise from God, one that He intended on giving us all the way back into the Old Testament.

But what is the Holy Spirit?

Obviously, it’s the Spirit of God dwelling in us. But these scriptures clear that up a little better than I can:

Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
John 14:17-18

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
Colossians 1:27

It’s important that we catch these small words that really impact the meaning of these scriptures. In John 14, Jesus says that the disciples knew the Holy Spirit because he dwelled with them.

This is a direct announcement that Jesus Himself was the Holy Spirit, only not in spirit form, rather in the flesh. 

Then, Jesus went on to say that the Spirit that was dwelling with them shall be in them. Don’t overlook the future-tense of “shall.” Then, Jesus finishes his declaration by saying that He Himself was the comforter that would come to them, only in the future He wouldn’t dwell with them, He would dwell in them, as the Holy Spirit.

Colossians reiterates this truth by saying it is Christ who is in us.

So, the answer to the question, “what is the Holy Spirit,” is easily answered as the Spirit of Jesus Christ, dwelling inside of us. But, this brings up many more questions than it answers. And that’s what we want to explore in this article.

What Does the Holy Spirit Do?

We’ve already read how the Holy Spirit would be our comforter. A lot of people just accept that word and move right on without really thinking about why Jesus called it a comforter.

You see, in John 14, He is explaining to the disciples that He would be leaving them again; only this time, He wouldn’t be returning in just 3 days. In other words, the disciples were going to have to get used to the fact that Jesus was not going to be with them bodily.

Do you know what would happen if Jesus never ascended, but was alive in Jerusalem somewhere?

Every single Christian (and there wouldn’t be that man) would be huddled around Him. They wouldn’t leave, and the Gospel wouldn’t have spread all over the earth.

Would you leave His side if Jesus was walking on this earth today? If you said yes, you’re a liar. (kindly said, of course)

Think about it, Jesus was arrested and crucified and his brave disciples went into hiding.

The Holy Spirit is Our Comforter

What was the difference of Peter who cut off the ear of the Roman soldier, and Peter who cursed at the little girl around the campfire?

Peter with Jesus was a brave (and hot-headed) warrior. Peter without Jesus was a coward.

The difference was, his comforter had been taken away. That’s why Jesus said, “I’m leaving you here on earth, but I’ll send you another comforter.” Paraphrasing: It’s not going to be this body, it’s going to be something else… but it’s still going to be ME. “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.”

So, yes, the Holy Ghost is Jesus with us. He’s in us. That means, He’s with me when I’m in Seattle, but at the same time He’s with our cousins who are missionaries to Namibia, Africa. That’s the solution to the riddle of why He would take his body away from us and instead, give us his Spirit.

The Fruits of the Spirit

But comfort is not the only thing the Holy Ghost does. It gives us Power, it leads us unto all truth, and it gives us what are called the “fruits” of the Spirit. You can find the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:

• Love
• Joy
• Peace
• Longsuffering
• Gentleness
• Goodness
• Faith
• Meekness
• Temperance

The Gifts of the Spirit

I Corinthians 12 lays out several gifts that are given to us when we’re full of the Holy Spirit – things like prophecy, wisdom, interpretation of tongues, and knowledge.

Resurrection Power

Not only do we receive special fruits and gifts through the Holy Spirit, but it is essential to our salvation. When Jesus comes back for his church (the rapture) we will be changed from mortal to immortal. But, that transformation requires the Spirit of God. Take a look at Romans:

But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Romans 8:11

Notice those small words: Paul said if, the Spirit dwells in you. That’s a huge word, “if.”

What if means is that there is a condition to the quickening of our mortal bodies. “If,” is the condition – if the Holy Spirit dwells in us, it will quicken our mortal bodies. If it doesn’t, then it won’t.

Maybe that’s why in verse 9, Paul said, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his…” (There’s that big IF word again.)

This leads us to the next question:

Why is it Important to Have the Holy Spirit?

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
John 3:5-6 

Jesus is saying the same thing Paul was saying in Romans, chapter 8 – without being filled with the Holy Spirit, we cannot attain salvation.

I know this goes against a lot of popular theology, but it’s what the scripture says, over and over again. It’s a requirement (that’s why Paul said “if”) to be filled with the Holy Spirit if we want to see or enter the kingdom of God.

I don’t know about you, but that cinches it for me. I have no more questions about this requirement.

How Do I Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost?

Now, we have come to probably the most difficult question to answer of all of them. God gives this gift, we must ask Him.

In Matthew 7:7, and 21:22 Jesus told us we have not because we ask not, and that if we ask in His name, we shall receive. A lot of people just file that away under asking for healing or a new job, etc.. But it applies to spiritual things as well.

• In Acts 1, the disciples were together in one place, praying when the Holy Spirit was poured out on them for the first time.
• In Acts 2, Peter just says after you repent and are baptized in Jesus’ name, you will receive it.
• In Acts 10, while Peter is preaching, his audience of Gentiles receive it, which surprises all the Jews who didn’t think that was possible.
• In Acts 19, a group of believers received the Holy Spirit after being rebaptized in Jesus Name, and Paul lays his hands on them in prayer.

We have examples of people getting the Holy Ghost after repenting and being baptized, which is the most common occurrence. But, there is also the example of Acts 10, where people received the Holy Spirit in the middle of listening to their first Christian sermon. Then, they were baptized in Jesus’ name after receiving the Holy Spirit.

In my experience, most people get the Holy Ghost right after being baptized, and most of the time they are just praising God when it happens. I had been baptized for several years before receiving the Holy Ghost for the first time. No one was praying with me, but I was praying and asking God for it during an “altar call,” at the church I grew up in.

A church planter in Washington D.C. named Jerry Staten received the Holy Ghost in the middle of Vietnam, locked away in a room by himself. He didn’t even really know what it was when he received it for the first time.

People have received the Holy Spirit in an upper room, in someone’s home, in McDonald’s, on the side of the road, on the street, in a church, in a magazine storage surrounded by explosives, at gas stations, standing in baptistries still soaking wet… God chooses when and where to give the Holy Spirit.

The only consistent theme, over and over, is that people are praying when they receive it. The more important question is, “what happens when I get the Holy Spirit,” or, “how do I know when I receive the Holy Spirit?”

How Do I Know When I Receive the Holy Spirit

With something as precious, and as important (since it’s required for going to heaven) as the Holy Spirit, a believer needs to know when it has happened. A lot of people “accept” Jesus into their heart (not sure what that even means) and then claim they are filled with His Spirit. One thing I notice in these settings is that there’s nothing really spectacular that happens. Nothing out of the ordinary to give witness to the amazing miracle of God putting His Spirit inside of us.

So, what if when we “accept” Him, He doesn’t come?

Can you show one place in the Scripture where someone “accepted” the Lord into their heart, and were filled with His Spirit?

It doesn’t happen.

Not once.

What does happen?

And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Acts 2:4

This was the first time the Holy Spirit was poured out. This is what Peter said was a direct fulfillment of the prophecy in the book of Joel. And, when they were filled, something very spectacular happened: “They began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” But, this isn’t the only time this happened.

While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.
Acts 10:44-48

This passage in Acts 10 is fascinating:

First, the Holy Spirit was given to the Gentiles. When you read the context of this story, Peter doesn’t believe Gentiles can be saved. This is amazing, because Peter had said all the way back in Acts 2, that the promise of the Gospel was to all, even as many as the Lord would call. Now, here he is believing that it’s only for one group of people. He’s so misguided in this assumption that Jesus has to give him a vision and tell him, “what I call clean, don’t you call unclean.”

Then, Jesus tells Peter to get down off the roof because He has sent some men to talk to him, and that Peter should go with them. When the men arrive, they are Gentiles.

Obeying the command of the Lord, Peter goes with them. When they get to Cornelius’ house, Peter preaches to them the Gospel. And while he’s preaching, these Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit. And the Jews that were there were astonished, leaving Peter to ask “can we forbid them a baptism?” Then Peter doesn’t

Why were they astonished? Because they witnessed the Gentiles receiving the Holy Spirit “as we.” Meaning, they had received the Holy Ghost just like the Jews had.

How did they know? “For they heard them speak with tongues.”

Then Peter doesn’t just suggest, but he commands them to be baptized in Jesus’ name.

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied.
Acts 19:4-5

In Acts 19, Paul comes across a group of believers and asks them about the Holy Ghost. Not only had they not received it, they didn’t even know what it was.

Now, a common Christian today might just pass right on by and say, “eh, you got it when you believed.” But, it’s interesting that Paul didn’t do that. In fact, Paul thought something was wrong.

How could a believer not have the Holy Ghost?

So, Paul becomes Sherlock Holmes and starts trying to figure out why these believers haven’t received it yet.

They had faith, because they were believers. So, faith wasn’t the problem.

They obviously were living Godly lives, so repentance was the problem either.

Surely, as believers they were baptized… Wait a second!

“How were you baptized?” Paul asked.

“We were baptized after the example of John the baptist,” they replied.

“Ahah!” Paul says, that’s not the baptism of the new covenant, for the baptism of the apostles was in Jesus’ name.

So, Paul arrives at the conclusion that the reason these believers had not yet received the Holy Ghost was because they had been baptized the wrong way.

So, he tells them they need to be rebaptized in the Name of Jesus – which they readily accept and obey. Then, after they are rebaptized, Paul prays for them, and they all receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

(Have you been baptized the right way?)

How did they know they received the Holy Spirit? “They spake with tongues.”

In every single instance in the Bible, when it describes what happened when someone received the Holy Spirit, they speak in tongues.

It’s a phenomenon, but it happens.

It’s exceptional, but it happens.

It’s a miracle, but it happens.

Have you really received the Holy Ghost since you believed?

If not, let’s schedule a Bible Study today. I want to introduce you to the most amazing experience a human can have on this earth.

What if you spent your entire life, all your time and energy, chasing a dream you didn’t really want?

For the past few Thursday nights, we’ve been studying the book of Philippians in depth. (If you want to join us, find out meetup here.)

In the first chapter, we find a passage that is often quoted, yet rarely understood. “… to live is Christ, but to die is gain.”

What did Paul mean by that?

What Are You Living For?

In order to understand what Paul meant, we have to take that passage in the context with which it is written.

Paul opens the book of Philippians encouraging the church at Philippi by telling them that his imprisonment in Rome has actually caused a revival. That God was using his circumstance to further the Gospel.

The church, apparently, was very worried about Paul. They knew he was there because of his appeal to Caesar, which would mean going before Nero – the first Caesar to sponsor wholesale persecution of Christians. The last thing they wanted was for Paul to be executed, leaving them without their pastor.

Paul, though, had a different outlook on things.

The church in Philippi had, to this point, escaped most of the persecution – but that was about to change. Paul was both wanting to encourage them, but also to get them in the right frame of mind – to serve God through the persecution, and to not let any amount of suffering tear them away from the joy they had found in God. So Paul opens up in an honest way to let them know how he felt about the possibility of being executed at the hands of Nero (something that would eventually happen).

Paul refers to an internal struggle, both wanting to remain alive and spread the Gospel, and wanting to get it over with and just go to be with Jesus. When he compares the two, he qualifies going to be with Jesus as “even better.” Still, Paul said, it was God’s will that he stick around a little while longer, to help facilitate the spread of the Gospel for a time – and to be their spiritual father for a few more years.

And there’s more to talk about here, but stop for a second and realize what Paul is saying… the only thing he is living for, is Christ. He prefers to go to heaven, but since he is still alive, he will concentrate on doing the work of God.

A few scriptures later, he admonishes the Philippian church to have the same mindset – to desire heaven, but live for the will of Christ.

What’s the Point?

Paul is accomplishing two things with this line of teaching:

1. He is preparing the Philippians to have the right mindset, which will keep them through persecution.
2. He is preparing the Philippians to have the right priorities, which will keep them from losing their faith.

Having the Right Mindset

The first one is easy to understand – in light of heaven, a short time of persecution on earth is worth it. If my heart has a constant, burning desire to go to heaven, it keeps me from getting discouraged and disappointed through times of persecution. In fact, that desire in my heart even grows the more persecution I endure.

It was this desire that amazed the Romans as they executed hundreds and thousands of Christians – leaving historians to remark at the joyful way the Christians endured their executions, with many singing praises to God as they burned at the stake, or laid their heads on the chopping block.

For a Christian who is holding on to the world, persecution makes them want to give up.

For a Christian holding on to heaven, persecution increases the desire to go there.

Having the Right Priorities

The second is harder but just as important. Paul was turning their eyes away from earthly pursuits, and onto the work of God.

Philippi was a very wealthy city, and many in the church were middle-to-upper class citizens. The church actually started with the conversion of a wealthy merchant, named Lydia – a seller of purple.

It’s really easy to get carried away with ambition for earthly advancement – and when that happens, the Father’s business becomes less important.

Let me be honest for a second, and give you a personal example:

Moving to Seattle to start a church costs a lot of money. God, through nothing short of a miracle, gave me a great job in marketing. Within two years of moving to Seattle, I found myself the head of marketing for a growing marketing and design agency – which required me to fly across the nation attending different marketing conferences.

One year, the CEO of the agency asked me what my personal goals were. With excitement, I revealed I wanted to build a personal brand and speak at the biggest marketing conference. I wanted to be an expert people looked up to, and the fastest way to “marketing rockstar” status was to speak at these conferences.

I wanted it so badly!

Thank God, He is always patient with me.

A few weeks ago, I was called by our head of operations about the biggest marketing conference. He asked me if I wanted to go or stay home this year (an option I have never had). I told him I preferred to stay home, as I didn’t even really enjoy that conference anymore. Then, I went into the living room and told my wife, “good news! I don’t have to go to the conference this year!”

Then it hit me – what was so important to me a year ago, wasn’t even remotely important to me now.

I was busy with building a church – and it was growing! That was so much more exciting than a stuffy marketing conference.

Then, the image of me gathering angels around after 10,000 years in heaven, telling them about the exciting time I spoke at this large marketing conference. Yeah, right. The angels wouldn’t care. And neither would I. Next to 10,000 years in heaven, a marketing conference is so unimportant.

Next to 10,000 years in heaven, a marketing conference is so unimportant.

That’s what Paul was trying to explain to the Philippian church – To die is gain – but to live… let our living be for Christ.

What are you living for?

What dreams are you holding onto that are more important than anything else?

How do those dreams stack up to 10,000 years in heaven?

If they have anything to do with earthly accomplishments – they don’t! Not even close!

Now, I believe we should strive for success on this earth. We should strive to make good incomes and be the best at whatever we put our hands to do. But that success should be to facilitate the furtherance of the Gospel, not our own selfish ambitions.

It’s okay to see success – it’s preferred to see success! We need more millionaires in the church. But let those millionaires see their fortunes as a blessing to further the gospel, not so they can heap unto themselves a lot of possessions that will rot and decay away.

Ask yourself, what are you living for?

What are your main goals in life?

Take advice from Paul, and pick up the priorities of Christ. You’re on this earth for one reason – to share the Gospel with others – to make disciples.

All earthly gain is loss.

Death is gain (heaven).

But to live our lives dedicated to the cause of Christ is having the very mind of Christ.

What are you living for?

This was originally an email I sent out on Mother’s Day morning. People seemed to like it, so I’ve posted it here.

“When I look around to see if you are standing next to me, just be there.”

Those are the words my mother sang the night of my High School graduation, singing about heaven and her desire to see me make it.

It’s been almost two decades since that night, and those words still haunt me.

Just Be There

They keep me going, especially in the times I want to give up.

You see, my mom knew that if I could just make it to heaven, no matter what the cost, it would be worth it.

After 10,000 years in heaven, the struggle of this life will be a forgotten memory. Something we vaguely recollect, but can’t quite remember the details. All the sacrifices we make, or tough times we go through will be over.

Just be there.

It’s a simple statement, but it carries a lot of meaning.

Kind of like, when it’s critical that someone be at a certain place at a certain time, but they make all kinds of excuses as to why they may not be able to make it. But if it’s a life or death situation, we can’t worry about the excuses. Right?

How many times have you said that to someone? “Just, be there!”

Nike is famous for “just do it.” The statement is famous because it removes all excuses.

It makes it simple.

With one song, my mom let go of her parental control over me and allowed me to swim in the deep end of life.

She knew I would do things that would scare her to death. That I would make choices that would make her cringe. And I imagine she spent a lot of sleepless nights wondering if I had lost my mind.

But, no matter what mistakes I made or what this life threw at me – even after crying buckets of tears – those lyrics make me get back up, dust myself off, and keep pushing toward that prize.

How many countless times have mothers done exactly that for their children? Little things we take for granted, but when the going gets rough, what Momma taught us keeps us going.

This is why we celebrate Mother’s Day today.

It comes just one day a year, and mothers deserve so much more, but today is their day.

Today is when we stop with our busy lives and tell them how thankful we are for their sacrifices, their teachings, and their belief in us.

If you’re thinking about coming to church today, but aren’t quite sure if you can make it – You’ve got a couple hours…

Just be there!

Best,
Ryan Scott
Pastor

I know what you’re thinking. That’s no typo!

Last Thursday, we’re studied the 3rd chapter of Philippians, and the theme of this chapter is about where we, as Christians, want to go.

Paul has already dealt with the subject of suffering and persecution, and the ultimate Christian dilemma: the desire to just get it over with and go to heaven, vs. the passion of winning the lost.

When Paul says to die is gain, but to live is Christ – he’s speaking about this dilemma – and he urges the church to have the same struggle. In the light of going to heaven, both our persecutions and earthly gains become insignificant.

The question of chapter one is, “what are you living for?“

Then, moving into chapter two, Paul begins to encourage the Philippian church to stay strong in the faith and to shine as “lights to the world” in the middle of a dark and perverse nation.

He uses Jesus as an example of extreme selfishness, rejecting the glory of being God and submitting Himself to death for the sake of the lost. In light of His sacrifice, and our desire to work in His kingdom – our passion and purpose revolve, not around ourselves, but around the mission of saving the lost.

The question of chapter two is, “who are you living for?”

Now, don’t get confused here.

• The first chapter is dealing with living for the work of God rather than selfish reasons.
• The second chapter is about living for the cause of saving the lost, rather than our selfish reasons.

Now, here in the third chapter, Paul is framing his letter to encourage and prepare the church.

The question of chapter three is, “where are you living for?”

To this point in time, the church in Philippi had largely avoided heavy persecution (partly because of the Magistrates’ mistakes in beating and imprisoning Roman citizens), and church problems with false doctrine. But, Paul knew it was only a matter of time before that began to happen.

In chapter three, he admonishes the church in Philippi to use him as an example of being spirit-minded over flesh-minded.

To accomplish this goal, he mentions a group of people who are not practicing the truth but are merging the practices under the Law with the new covenant. Paul calls these people dogs, which is rough language but he’s trying to make a very important point – one of which uses his own experiences as an example.

Paul walks through all the credentials he possesses – those who cling to the old practices under the Law would hold Paul in such high regard because of his credentials in Judaism. He was the best of the best in their eyes, prior to his conversion. But now, he regards all those fleshly accomplishments as dung – meaning they were unimportant and something he actually shunned.

Why?

Because flesh can’t win the prize – which is making it to heaven.

This is where the theme of chapter three really begins to shine, giving us the third question: where are we living for?

Where does our heart truly lie? If it’s in earthly accomplishments, what happens when we reach those lofty goals?

That’s why Paul says, in spite of all those things he can put on his spiritual resume, he forgets them and presses forward toward the prize, not as though he had already attained it (fleshly-thinking) but that he may finally, one day, apprehend it.

Where does your heart lie today?

When you get up in the morning, what are your goals?

If you thought about anything other than the work of Christ and making it to heaven, you’re Paul’s audience in this letter.

Where are you living for?

If I’m living for this present world, my priorities reflect that reality:

• My career and salary become very important.
• My possessions become very important.
• The social status of those I associate with becomes very important.
• Where I live becomes important.
• My car and clothing brands become very important.
• I might miss church regularly if it means I can meet a professional goal.
• I may move to a new city solely because of a job opportunity.
• etc. etc.

If I’m living to make it to heaven, my priorities reflect that reality:

• My career is less important – a means with which to make a living to support my work for the kingdom.
• My possessions become less important – I’m more concerned with doing the work of God than getting more stuff.
• Social status doesn’t matter.
• Where I live is determined by my calling – where does God want me?
• I’ll drive a lesser car, and cheaper clothes, if it means I can give more to the Kingdom.
• I’ll make church the utmost priority in my life – and even change jobs if it’s keeping me from church regularly.
• I’ll move to a new city because of a calling – and rely on God to supply the right opportunity for me.
• etc. etc.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
– Jesus (Matthew 6:19-21)

Now, there’s nothing wrong with enjoying your life. Even Jesus said he came to bring us abundant life.

I take vacations.

I have fun.

I have hobbies.

I even occasionally buy things I don’t need, just because I want them.

Paul and Jesus are not calling us to asceticism where we can’t enjoy ourselves. But there is a difference in enjoying the blessings in our life and living for the blessings in our life.

When you get up, what “home” do your priorities speak of?

When was the last time you woke up in the morning with the work of God on your mind?

When was the last time you made a decision based on a burning desire to make heaven your home?

 But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
– Paul

Where are you living for?

I received a phone call today from someone who has been coming to our church for a while. They are facing something none of us would even want to face.

While I can’t share the problem, I can say that if any one of us received the news they had received, we would probably go through anxiety, despair, doubt, anger, and a lot of other emotions.

In the end, we would still be powerless to do anything about it.

Nearing the end of our conversation, after we had talked about prayer and faith, I told them to “keep believing.”

After I got off the phone, an old song came to mind that says:

When troubles rise and catch you unaware
The day to day of living seems unfair
So you try again all your dreams and plans 
But they end up in defeat
The fancy frills that once brought thrills 
Now leave you incomplete

Keep believing in what you know is true
Keep believing, you know the Lord will see you through
When troubles rise in your life 
and you don’t know what to do,

If you’re looking for answers and you can’t find your way
And the enemy tells you that there’s no need to pray
You just remember God is faithful and His word is true
Everything He’s promised is what He’s going to do
And you’ll be fine if you just keep believing.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

All of us can relate to the first verse of this song. Sometimes troubles rise and catch us off guard – unprepared.

​​We didn’t ask for them, yet, here they are. Now, we have to deal with them.

It’s even worse when we have no power to do anything about them.

That’s when we can either give up, or we can keep believing.

If you’ve prayed – pray again.

If you’ve believed – believe again.

If you’ve had faith – have faith again.

Until whatever your facing has killed you, you can keep believing.

The thing we need to remember is that God does His greatest miracles when there is no other way but by His power. If we can handle it, it’s not a miracle. It’s when we can’t handle it, that God gets the glory.

If you’ve read the Bible – read it again. Except, this time, keep an eye out for all the people who are taken to the end of their rope. With nothing left to offer, they turn to God – and it’s in those instances that He does the miracles we preach about thousands of years later.

If you’ve been to church – come to church again.​​
​​
Today might be the day you get what you’ve been looking for.

What would you do if God answered your biggest, most outrageous prayer request?

In Acts 12, Luke tells the story of Herod, fresh off of executing James (John’s brother) threw Peter in prison.

Why? To score some points with the Jews in Jerusalem who had little love for the Christians.

As Peter was put into the prison, bound by chains, and guarded by a ton of Israel’s finest, some of the church members got together in a house to pray. As they prayed into the night, Peter fell asleep only to be awakened by an angel kicking him in the ribs.

Without so much as a hiccup, the angel leads him out of the prison and to freedom.

The soldiers? They never even noticed he was gone – which is a miracle because two of them were chained to Peter while he slept. And another group guarded the doors and gates he walked through.

This is when the story turns humorous.

What If God Answered Your Biggest Prayer?

Peter arrives at the house where they are praying for his protection and release. He knocks on the door, and when Rhoda realized who it was, she was so excited she left him locked out on the front step as she ran to tell the others.

Now, Peter is standing out front, and the church is inside arguing with Rhoda about whether or not Peter is there. They tried to convince her that she was going crazy.

They didn’t even look to see for themselves.

As Rhoda stuck to her guns, the church members came up with another theory – perhaps it was an angel and not Peter in the flesh.

As they sat debating, Peter was banging on the door. Eventually, some rocket scientist of the group decided to open the door and look for themselves.

When they see it really is Peter, they are so astonished they just start babbling at each other. Peter has to shut them up so he can tell him what happened.

What faith, huh?

This is how Luke relayed the story:

And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison.

Acts 12:13-17

How Is Your Faith Doing?

How many times has the answer to our prayer literally pounded on our door as we sat inside oblivious to the noise?

Pentecostals often have the reputation of being way too emotional. That includes people like me who are introvert and stoic to the point some people are exasperated with me. But, get me in the presence of God, and some of the most extroverted people in the world will call me too emotional.

Worshipping God’s Who Don’t Answer Prayer

I recently watched a video clip of Steve Perry, the former front man for the legendary rock band, Journey. It was 2014, and his San Francisco Giants had made it to the World Series. Perry happened to be in the audience as the stadium blared their classic song “Don’t Stop Believing.”

What did Perry do? Why he jumped up and down, ran around, twirled a towel, and sang at the top of his lungs – much to the delight of the crowd. I have to admit, I thought it was pretty cool.

What did the crowd do? They danced, they shouted, they sang along, they waived their arms, and some of them acted like fools on national television (now YouTube).

Now, Steve Perry has a great voice. Journey was a great band. But they’ve never done anything for me.

Nothing.

I have never had a need where Steve Perry knocked on my door and said, “hey, let me help you with that.”

That’s the same for every single person in that stadium that was shouting their heads off because a guy that sang songs in the 80’s was performing again.

I’m pretty sure there were people in the stands with broken homes. They probably had a good time with Perry, but when they went home, it was still broken.

I’m pretty sure there were people in the stadium battling depression. Sure, it was fun to sing along with the legendary Steve Perry, but when they left the stadium that night – they still had depression.

Addictions, wounded spirits, broken hearts, broken people – nothing changed for them after they shouted and jumped and sang with Steve Perry.

Worshipping a God Who Does Answer Prayer

Now, when I go to church, I get just as emotional as the people in that stadium – maybe even more so. But there is a huge difference in why and the result of that emotion.

Jesus died for me, he’s healed me, he’s provided for me when I was in need. He’s been there for me when no one else could or would be. He’s been closer than any brother ever could be.

He’s saved me.

Do I get emotional? Yes, I do.

I shout.

I sing at the top of my lungs.

I jump up and down.

I’ve been known to dance a little jig as well.

Yes, I’ve acted like a fool worshipping Jesus before. (Kinda like David did and made Michal embarrassed)

Now, let me ask you – if God answered your most audacious prayer request, how would you act?

What would you do?

How would you come to church the next Sunday?

A lot of people will skip right over that question like it’s nothing important. That’s because they don’t have any audacious prayer requests. They probably don’t pray that much at all.

But me? I’ve got some pretty huge prayer requests.

Jesus said He could do more than I could ask or even imagine. He wouldn’t say that if He didn’t want us to put Him to the test!

So, I dare you – figure out what audacious things you can start praying for. Then, make sure you don’t stand inside and doubt while your answer knocks at the door.

Good Sunday Morning!

Last night, the world (meh, not really the world. Let’s just say a lot of people)​​ were on the edge of their seats. This was supposed to be the fight of the century – a world champion boxer taking on a world champion UFC fighter.

Mayweather vs. McGregor​​

The fight ended in the 10th round. 

​​McGregor was bloodied​​, disoriented, and, according to one report, about to fall through the ropes and out of the ring when the referee stopped the fight.

Mayweather ended his career undefeated, 50-0.

Beating the Air

In the book of Corinthians, chapter 9, Paul talks about the sport of boxing.

You see, the Corinthians were near to Athens, where the Olympics were born. In fact, Corinth had it’s own version of the games, called the Isthmian games. ​​

Greeks knew about sports. They loved sports.

So Paul uses these boxing to get the attention of the Corinthians, and to show them the correct way to approach living for God.

When a fighter trains to fight, he studies his opponent. 

​​He works on his footwork. 

​​He ​​​​​​​​​​​works on his endurance.

He works on his punching power and quickness.

He works on dodging punches.

Long story short, a boxer never climbs into the ring on accident. He never crawls through the ropes wondering who he is going to fight tonight.

A boxer never rolls of the couch, dusting the chip crumbs from his belly, and put on the boxing gloves to go fight.

He knows the fight. He has a strategy for the fight. And he is ready for the fight.

To the Corinthians, Paul draws a comparison between the fighter who trains for the mastery of his craft and to win his bouts, and the Christian who trains for the mastery of winning his contest. One is corruptible, and doesn’t last – the other determines our eternity.

​​Paul says, “so fight I, not as one who beateth the air.”

In other words, he isn’t in this for shadow boxing. 

​​He doesn’t approach living for God like it’s a Nintendo game.​

Boxing great Joe Frazier spoke of a boxer’s preparation, and he said,

“If you cheated on that in the dark of the morning, well, you’re going to get found out now, under the bright lights.””

​​​​I wonder how many Christians live their life like they have nothing to lose or gain. They just are.

They get up in the morning, stay awake for a while, and go back to bed at night.

They come to church on Sunday, and then go home afterward and take a nap. ​​​​

They never give a thought to the hundreds of people that live within a mile of their home, people that may never hear the Gospel, may spend eternity in hell because we weren’t being Christians on purpose.

We pray, but we pray with disconnect – no passion that connects our prayer to a cause.

We give in the offering, with no thought as to the worship that action is supposed to be.

We​​​​ live our life, but not on purpose.

We live for God, but with no intentions.

Is that you and me?

I have to admit, sometimes it is. 

When things get mundane, ​​we go into robot mode​​​​​​.

When things get hectic, we go into busy mode.

Do we talk to people in the coffee shop, never thinking of their eternal destination.

we pass people on the street, never considering their salvation.

we live with people in apartment complexes and never consider building a relationship with them.​​​​​​​​

Then we come to church and worship God, hoping to get “our” blessing, oblivious to the heartache and pain the one we worship is experiencing for those lost and dying around us.

We want our paycheck, God. But, don’t bother us with the details of your business.​​​​ Just let us show up, put in our time, and get what you have for us.

How different would our lives be if we lived every day intentionally for God?

How would our city look if all of God’s people woke up every morning, determined to be about the Father’s business?

What if we became the kind of Christians that took eternity, salvation, and heaven as serious as Mayweather takes the boxing ring?

Yeah, it’ll cost a little more.

Yes, you will have to wake up in the morning and down some of those raw eggs.

Yeah, you may have to deal with a cantankerous manager pushing you to be better.

Yeah, you​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ may have to run every morning until you feel like your legs are going to fall off.

You may have to spar a few lessers to get you ready for the big show.​​

But when it matters, you’ll have the stamina, the power, the endurance, the quickness, and the mental toughness to actually make a difference.

It’s time to stop being proud of how well we beat the air. It’s time to notice the other fella in the ring. We know his tricks. We know his methods.

McGregor lost, they will say, because he was playing Mayweather’s game by Mayweather’s rules.

Every day we get up and live for God in apathy, we’re playing by our opponents rules. 

​​But when we live for God intentionally, we change the game.
​

On the last day of our vacation, as I always do, I stared at the blue ocean and daydreamed about being able to see it all the time.

​​What would it be like to live in a Caribbean paradise?

The scuba diver and ocean lover part of me thinks I would love it. And that part is very vocal every time I have to leave it and come back to rainy, cold Seattle.​​

As our plane landed at Seatac, and we jumped in our Uber coming home, I realized what makes me happiest.

It’s the cold, rainy Seattle!

Yeah, it surprises me every time, too.

This world tries to tell us to do what we want. Whatever makes you feel good is what you should do. Ignore all the voices, and do it – regardless of the consequences. Live in the moment!

Take that drink.

Take that drug.

Have that one night stand.

That is what will make you truly happy.​​

Deal with the consequences later… or, if you prefer, don’t deal with them at all. Just do something else that makes you feel good.

The problem with that logic is that it’s a fairy tale. Doing what makes you feel good in the flesh is usually the fastest route to heartache and regrets.

How many people have lost families they loved because of that one night stand?

How many people have lost everything because of that one drug or drink?

It’s sad, and it’s a very common story.

Then, of course, there’s living for God. The constant struggle of spirit vs. flesh – presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, etc. It seems like such a drab life from the outside looking in.

A drab Christian decides to live in cold, rainy Seattle rather than living it up on a Caribbean beach.

But, it’s not drab at all. It’s wonderful!​​

This life is better than that life.​​

​​God keeps proving that I find my greatest joy in being a living sacrifice.​

Psalm 37:4 says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our heart.

That thing that is so deceitful we can’t really know what it wants – God knows. Our heart lies to us and says sandy beaches are what we want. But God sees through those superficial lies to the truth. And as we lay those sandy beaches on the altar, and sacrifice for what God wants for us, we find that we get what our heart really wants in return.

David said it like this: “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.”​

He was glad. He was happy. He was fulfilled.

This morning I walked into our little church building in downtown Seattle. This little miracle in a long line of miracles… and I realized…

This is where I belong.

This is what fulfills me. This is what my heart truly desires.​​

Living for God, I do get to do what feels good. I get to do what I truly want.

I get to enjoy His presence today, along with several other people.​​​​​​​​ We get to sing, dance, and celebrate His blessings, goodness, and provision.

We get to celebrate because we are free. We are happy. We are fulfilled.

And, we get to do it in Seattle, the place where God has called all of us.

What can be better than this?​​​​​​

This is so much better than that could ever be!​​

Jonathan and his armor-bearer fought the Philistines. A great victory was won, but where were the other champions?

David slew the giant Goliath and won a great victory. But, where were the other champions?

The 3 Hebrew Children stood strong and were thrown into the furnace. They also won a great victory. 

But, where was Daniel?

There Is No Other Champion

Benaiah faced off a 7’6″ Egyptian, even though it was spear against club, the Egyptian died, and a great victory was won.

But, where were all the good guys with spears? Surely, Benaiah wasn’t all by himself with just a club.

What about Shammah?

He was of David’s Mighty Men, and had the honor of being regarded as one of “The Three,” that had the most renown. 

When the entire Israel army retreated from the Philistines, Shammah faced them alone and won. 

But, where were the other 37 mighty men?

There was another time the Israel army retreated, and one man stood alone, this time it was Eleazar, who fought so long his hand cleaved to the hilt of his sword.

But, where was Shammah at this point?

Over and over again, we see the Bible highlight something that God did through a human being. In every instance, there are others that could have joined in. But, they didn’t.

Does this mean David was a coward because he didn’t stand with Shammah?

Does it mean that Shammah was lazy because he didn’t want to fight with Eleazar?

Do you really think, out of the entire Israeli army, that the armor-bearer was the only one that would have willingly fought (and possibly died) by Jonathan’s side?

I don’t believe it for a minute!

The point I’m trying to make is, as long as we’re on this earth, God will be using people in amazing and mighty ways to accomplish His will. He’s performing miracles for people who take steps of faith.

But, what has He done through you lately?

He can use Shammah, but I wonder what the story would be if Eleazar had decided, “eh… let Shammah do it!”

How many heroes of faith have never done anything heroic because they left it up to other people?

How many people have lived and died comfortably never knowing the fear of the battle, nor the thrill of the victory?

You can’t have one without the other.

You can’t have a miracle without an impossibility. 

You can’t have a healing without an ailment. 

You can’t have victory without a fight.

You can’t have a testimony without a test.

Sure, there are always those who seem to do greater things than us. Benaiah won a fight with two Moabite heroes. He kills a lion in a pit on a snowy day. He defeated an Egyptian giant with only a club. 

And the Bible says about Benaiah, “but he attained not to the first three.”

Good job, Benaiah. Those other guys did better!

But, those other guys weren’t in the pit with the lion.

And they didn’t appear to help out with the two Moabite war heroes. And, they didn’t lend a hand against the Egyptian giant when Benaiah could have really used a spear.

My point is, God uses people for His purpose, to bring the victories He has planned for the moment. And, while there may be people God seems to use more strongly, they aren’t fighting the battle you’re facing. It’s your battle, this time.

You can either run away like everyone else. Or, you can pick up the sword and stand firm.

There are people all throughout Seattle waiting for some heroes to do something heroic. Something no one else has done.

Your friends at work, who else is going to pray for them?

The guy sitting at the next table in the coffee shop, who else is going to invite him to church?

Who else is going to fill the role God called you to?

Nobody but you.

Who else is going to occupy your seat at church today?

Who else is going to sing your praise?

Who else is going to thank Jesus for the mercies and blessing in your life?

Who else is going to stand in the gap for your friends and family?

Who else is going to clap their hands?

Who else is going to dance your dance?

Nobody but you.

Have you ever said the words, “what difference does it make?”​​

That question has one purpose: to point out that the “it” is insignificant and unimportant.

It doesn’t matter.

It has no value.

It serves no important purpose.

It makes no difference.

I’ve been challenged by a test many times in my life, to increase the value of the things I choose to devote my time to. For instance, I write an email to our list every Sunday morning – if it’s not valuable to someone, it’s not worth the time to type.​​

If I stopped writing these emails​​​​, would anyone miss them?

If the answer is no, it doesn’t mean I should quit writing them. It means I should work to add more value so that they would be missed if they ceased to be sent.

Now, let me ask you this question: What difference do you make?

If you just disappeared tomorrow, would anyone miss you?

Of course, your family would. I’m not talking about that. I mean, would your impact on the world be missed?​​​​

Would your impact on the Kingdom of God be missed?

I’ll be honest, over the years I’ve lived for God, I’ve seen people come and go. Some leave, and it’s like they never were there to begin with. Others leave, and there’s a huge hole where they used to be.

Which one are you?​​​​

If you feel like you could disappear without a trace, it doesn’t mean you should give up. It means you should be looking for ways to increase your value in the kingdom of God.

If you feel unimportant in the Kingdom of God, don’t accept that label. Jesus thought you were worth dying for, so that valuation didn’t come from him. And He didn’t die for you to sit around and wait for death.

He died for you so you would set the world on fire for Him.

Are you making a difference?

If your answer was no, that doesn’t mean you can’t.

Not knowing how is not the same as not being able.

​​Every born again believer has a built-in capacity to feel the heartbeat of God. He died so that every person on this planet could live. But as the world plummets toward hell, believers everywhere are sitting on church pews feeling like they are insignificant.

If you are insignificant right now, it doesn’t mean you should be. Rather than allowing the feeling of insignificance chain you into passivity, let it be the alarm bell that calls you into action.

You can make a difference.

If you don’t know how to start, that’s okay. Just don’t take that as the answer.

​​Seek the answer of how.

Every single person that walks the face of this earth​​​​ in their right mind has a gift. This gift is yours, and is as unique to you as your facial features and personality.

There are others that might have similar gifts, but no one has your exact gift. You were fearfully and wonderfully made with that gift.

If you do nothing with it, humans may never notice. When asked what difference you make, they might say “not much.” If you do nothing, you may be able to disappear without a trace as the Kingdom of God marches on without you.

But, do you know who notices those of great potential who do nothing?

God does.

​​He made you and called you and placed you strategically into His story. He has the purpose lined out, and when you fulfill God’s purpose, it creates shockwaves through this space rock we call earth.​​​​​​

Want to matter?

Want to make a difference?

Then, do something.

Don’t overthink it. Just find something you can do for God, and do it with the intention of doing it for Him.

The easiest thing is to consider your talents. What are you good at? What do you like to do?

More than likely there is something in there that you can use for the Kingdom of God.

Are you a nerd that loves board games? Start a small group for others like you. Have a night where you play board games and a have a devotional time together. The purpose can’t be so you can have fun playing games. The purpose must connect with God’s desire to reach those gamers. You are building relationships with them so that you can influence them to live for God.

It really can be that easy.

Too many people associate working for God as preaching, singing, leading church groups, etc. And, there’s always a need for that.

But, not everyone is cut out to do that. But everyone is gifted for a particular purpose. Seek yours. Ask for it. And, you will find it.

The bottom line is. Just do something.

God turns our little attempts at something into great things.

Most of the people that accomplished great things didn’t set out to accomplish great things. They just did something, and God took that something and made awesome out of it.

David just took some bread and cheese to his brothers.

Moses just went to watch a burning bush, and took off his shoes.

Gideon was just hiding from the enemy, threshing some grain.

Peter was just fishing.

What are you doing?

If you’re doing nothing, the hard truth is you don’t matter. You are insignificant. You won’t be missed much.

But, if you start doing something, that ceases to be true. And, you become an impact, a difference maker, a servant in the Kingdom of God.

And, when you skip off this world, you will leave behind a gaping hole where your “something” used to be.

On the last day of our vacation, as I always do, I stared at the blue ocean and daydreamed about being able to see it all the time.

​​What would it be like to live in a Caribbean paradise?

The scuba diver and ocean lover part of me thinks I would love it. And that part is very vocal every time I have to leave it and come back to rainy, cold Seattle.​​

As our plane landed at Seatac, and we jumped in our Uber coming home, I realized what makes me happiest.

It’s the cold, rainy Seattle!

Yeah, it surprises me every time, too.

This world tries to tell us to do what we want. Whatever makes you feel good is what you should do. Ignore all the voices, and do it – regardless of the consequences. Live in the moment!

Take that drink.

Take that drug.

Have that one night stand.

That is what will make you truly happy.​​

Deal with the consequences later… or, if you prefer, don’t deal with them at all. Just do something else that makes you feel good.

The problem with that logic is that it’s a fairy tale. Doing what makes you feel good in the flesh is usually the fastest route to heartache and regrets.

How many people have lost families they loved because of that one night stand?

How many people have lost everything because of that one drug or drink?

It’s sad, and it’s a very common story.

Then, of course, there’s living for God. The constant struggle of spirit vs. flesh – presenting ourselves as living sacrifices, etc. It seems like such a drab life from the outside looking in.

A drab Christian decides to live in cold, rainy Seattle rather than living it up on a Caribbean beach.

But, it’s not drab at all. It’s wonderful!​​

This life is better than that life.​​

​​God keeps proving that I find my greatest joy in being a living sacrifice.​

Psalm 37:4 says that if we delight ourselves in the Lord, He gives us the desires of our heart.

That thing that is so deceitful we can’t really know what it wants – God knows. Our heart lies to us and says sandy beaches are what we want. But God sees through those superficial lies to the truth. And as we lay those sandy beaches on the altar, and sacrifice for what God wants for us, we find that we get what our heart really wants in return.

David said it like this: “I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord.”​

He was glad. He was happy. He was fulfilled.

This morning I walked into our little church building in downtown Seattle. This little miracle in a long line of miracles… and I realized…

This is where I belong.

This is what fulfills me. This is what my heart truly desires.​​

Living for God, I do get to do what feels good. I get to do what I truly want.

I get to enjoy His presence today, along with several other people.​​​​​​​​ We get to sing, dance, and celebrate His blessings, goodness, and provision.

We get to celebrate because we are free. We are happy. We are fulfilled.

And, we get to do it in Seattle, the place where God has called all of us.

What can be better than this?​​​​​​

This is so much better than that could ever be!​​

Jonathan and his armor-bearer fought the Philistines. A great victory was won, but where were the other champions?

David slew the giant Goliath and won a great victory. But, where were the other champions?

The 3 Hebrew Children stood strong and were thrown into the furnace. They also won a great victory. 

But, where was Daniel?

There Is No Other Champion

Benaiah faced off a 7’6″ Egyptian, even though it was spear against club, the Egyptian died, and a great victory was won.

But, where were all the good guys with spears? Surely, Benaiah wasn’t all by himself with just a club.

What about Shammah?

He was of David’s Mighty Men, and had the honor of being regarded as one of “The Three,” that had the most renown. 

When the entire Israel army retreated from the Philistines, Shammah faced them alone and won. 

But, where were the other 37 mighty men?

There was another time the Israel army retreated, and one man stood alone, this time it was Eleazar, who fought so long his hand cleaved to the hilt of his sword.

But, where was Shammah at this point?

Over and over again, we see the Bible highlight something that God did through a human being. In every instance, there are others that could have joined in. But, they didn’t.

Does this mean David was a coward because he didn’t stand with Shammah?

Does it mean that Shammah was lazy because he didn’t want to fight with Eleazar?

Do you really think, out of the entire Israeli army, that the armor-bearer was the only one that would have willingly fought (and possibly died) by Jonathan’s side?

I don’t believe it for a minute!

The point I’m trying to make is, as long as we’re on this earth, God will be using people in amazing and mighty ways to accomplish His will. He’s performing miracles for people who take steps of faith.

But, what has He done through you lately?

He can use Shammah, but I wonder what the story would be if Eleazar had decided, “eh… let Shammah do it!”

How many heroes of faith have never done anything heroic because they left it up to other people?

How many people have lived and died comfortably never knowing the fear of the battle, nor the thrill of the victory?

You can’t have one without the other.

You can’t have a miracle without an impossibility. 

You can’t have a healing without an ailment. 

You can’t have victory without a fight.

You can’t have a testimony without a test.

Sure, there are always those who seem to do greater things than us. Benaiah won a fight with two Moabite heroes. He kills a lion in a pit on a snowy day. He defeated an Egyptian giant with only a club. 

And the Bible says about Benaiah, “but he attained not to the first three.”

Good job, Benaiah. Those other guys did better!

But, those other guys weren’t in the pit with the lion.

And they didn’t appear to help out with the two Moabite war heroes. And, they didn’t lend a hand against the Egyptian giant when Benaiah could have really used a spear.

My point is, God uses people for His purpose, to bring the victories He has planned for the moment. And, while there may be people God seems to use more strongly, they aren’t fighting the battle you’re facing. It’s your battle, this time.

You can either run away like everyone else. Or, you can pick up the sword and stand firm.

There are people all throughout Seattle waiting for some heroes to do something heroic. Something no one else has done.

Your friends at work, who else is going to pray for them?

The guy sitting at the next table in the coffee shop, who else is going to invite him to church?

Who else is going to fill the role God called you to?

Nobody but you.

Who else is going to occupy your seat at church today?

Who else is going to sing your praise?

Who else is going to thank Jesus for the mercies and blessing in your life?

Who else is going to stand in the gap for your friends and family?

Who else is going to clap their hands?

Who else is going to dance your dance?

Nobody but you.

Have you ever said the words, “what difference does it make?”​​

That question has one purpose: to point out that the “it” is insignificant and unimportant.

It doesn’t matter.

It has no value.

It serves no important purpose.

It makes no difference.

I’ve been challenged by a test many times in my life, to increase the value of the things I choose to devote my time to. For instance, I write an email to our list every Sunday morning – if it’s not valuable to someone, it’s not worth the time to type.​​

If I stopped writing these emails​​​​, would anyone miss them?

If the answer is no, it doesn’t mean I should quit writing them. It means I should work to add more value so that they would be missed if they ceased to be sent.

Now, let me ask you this question: What difference do you make?

If you just disappeared tomorrow, would anyone miss you?

Of course, your family would. I’m not talking about that. I mean, would your impact on the world be missed?​​​​

Would your impact on the Kingdom of God be missed?

I’ll be honest, over the years I’ve lived for God, I’ve seen people come and go. Some leave, and it’s like they never were there to begin with. Others leave, and there’s a huge hole where they used to be.

Which one are you?​​​​

If you feel like you could disappear without a trace, it doesn’t mean you should give up. It means you should be looking for ways to increase your value in the kingdom of God.

If you feel unimportant in the Kingdom of God, don’t accept that label. Jesus thought you were worth dying for, so that valuation didn’t come from him. And He didn’t die for you to sit around and wait for death.

He died for you so you would set the world on fire for Him.

Are you making a difference?

If your answer was no, that doesn’t mean you can’t.

Not knowing how is not the same as not being able.

​​Every born again believer has a built-in capacity to feel the heartbeat of God. He died so that every person on this planet could live. But as the world plummets toward hell, believers everywhere are sitting on church pews feeling like they are insignificant.

If you are insignificant right now, it doesn’t mean you should be. Rather than allowing the feeling of insignificance chain you into passivity, let it be the alarm bell that calls you into action.

You can make a difference.

If you don’t know how to start, that’s okay. Just don’t take that as the answer.

​​Seek the answer of how.

Every single person that walks the face of this earth​​​​ in their right mind has a gift. This gift is yours, and is as unique to you as your facial features and personality.

There are others that might have similar gifts, but no one has your exact gift. You were fearfully and wonderfully made with that gift.

If you do nothing with it, humans may never notice. When asked what difference you make, they might say “not much.” If you do nothing, you may be able to disappear without a trace as the Kingdom of God marches on without you.

But, do you know who notices those of great potential who do nothing?

God does.

​​He made you and called you and placed you strategically into His story. He has the purpose lined out, and when you fulfill God’s purpose, it creates shockwaves through this space rock we call earth.​​​​​​

Want to matter?

Want to make a difference?

Then, do something.

Don’t overthink it. Just find something you can do for God, and do it with the intention of doing it for Him.

The easiest thing is to consider your talents. What are you good at? What do you like to do?

More than likely there is something in there that you can use for the Kingdom of God.

Are you a nerd that loves board games? Start a small group for others like you. Have a night where you play board games and a have a devotional time together. The purpose can’t be so you can have fun playing games. The purpose must connect with God’s desire to reach those gamers. You are building relationships with them so that you can influence them to live for God.

It really can be that easy.

Too many people associate working for God as preaching, singing, leading church groups, etc. And, there’s always a need for that.

But, not everyone is cut out to do that. But everyone is gifted for a particular purpose. Seek yours. Ask for it. And, you will find it.

The bottom line is. Just do something.

God turns our little attempts at something into great things.

Most of the people that accomplished great things didn’t set out to accomplish great things. They just did something, and God took that something and made awesome out of it.

David just took some bread and cheese to his brothers.

Moses just went to watch a burning bush, and took off his shoes.

Gideon was just hiding from the enemy, threshing some grain.

Peter was just fishing.

What are you doing?

If you’re doing nothing, the hard truth is you don’t matter. You are insignificant. You won’t be missed much.

But, if you start doing something, that ceases to be true. And, you become an impact, a difference maker, a servant in the Kingdom of God.

And, when you skip off this world, you will leave behind a gaping hole where your “something” used to be.

Are you tired?

When a 42-year old woman finished her shift sewing for a department store, all she wanted to do was go home.

She spent that night in jail.

You see, in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, segregation laws were still in place. Black people could only drink from specific water fountains, they could only use the “black” library, and had to go to specific schools.

And, when you rode the public bus, as a black person, you had to sit in the seats designated for blacks – which were at the back of the bus. The seats for whites were reserved in the front of the bus.

1955!

The 42-year old seamstress did not get on the bus to cause any issues. She sat in the “black” section, like she was supposed to. But, when the “white” section was full, and a white man wanted to ride the bus, the bus driver decided to add to the white section, and asked a row of blacks to move.

They all moved, except for Rosa.

She refused to give up her seat. Soon, she was arrested and placed behind bars.

When Rosa died in 2005, she became the first woman in history to lie in state in the United States’ Capitol. And, she joined the likes of George Washington and Thomas Edison as the recipient Congressional Gold Medal – the highest honor the US can bestow upon a private citizen.

Rosa Parks became known as the mother of the civil rights movement.

So, why didn’t she give up her seat that day on the bus?

She was worn out.

“People always say that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired,” wrote Parks in her autobiography, “but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically… No, the only tired I was, was tired of giving in.”

Rosa Parks was worn out and exhausted. Sick and tired of just giving in.

When you get tired enough, you’ll stop giving in.

When enough is enough, you will find the determination to stand.

That determination will change your life… and maybe the world.

The devil loves to keep us sedated enough, that we just go with the flow. We give in, over and over again.

We are conditioned, just like the other three people who gave up their seat, to give in. We are programmed to give in.

We don’t want to. We would prefer not to.

But, it’s what we do.

Until we allow ourselves to get tired of it.

If a Christian ever gets tired of giving in, the world will stop and take notice.

And, who knows? You might just make a difference in more lives than your own.

David shunned Saul’s armor.

He ignored Saul’s sword.

He turned down the spear.

He walked out onto the battlefield against the enemy’s champion, and his weapon of choice was a sling.

Now, I know Malcolm Gladwell has tried to convince everyone that Goliath was a blind, near crippled soldier who tripped because David’s rock got caught in his armor. (A stupid, unfounded lie just to sell more books)

The truth is, the sling had little chance of winning against a champion with a sword as tall as David, and a shield that probably weighed twice as much as he did soaking wet.

David stops at a brook, and picks out five smooth stones.

Why five?

The Lesson Behind David’s 5 Smooth Stones

Was it a lack of faith?

Did he think that he might miss, and need another chance?

The truth is, David without God could have slung 200 stones and still not have much of a chance to defeat Goliath.

So, why five?

I’m not sure we’ll know that answer until we speak to him face-to-face. But, in my imagination, David wasn’t sure what was going to happen. He wasn’t planning on the first stone being the only one he needed.

David didn’t know how God was going to deliver the giant into his hands.

I doubt David had much faith in the sling he was carrying, or the stones he picked up. He was going on blind faith, and just making use of what he had with him.

There’s story after story like this in the Bible. Like, Moses standing beside a fiery, talking bush, proceeds to list all the reasons he shouldn’t go before Pharaoh. Every excuse had to do with his abilities.

When God responds, somewhat angrily, he asks Moses, “what’s in your hand?”

It was a staff. A glorified stick.

If you were going to make demands of a haughty, world-dominating king, you might want a little more than a stick as your weapon of choice.

But, to God, that stick was more than enough to cancel out all of Moses’ excuses.

That first stone was enough for David, too.

I don’t think it was a lack of faith that caused David to pick up five stones. I think it was calculated.

He was going to march against Goliath, not to just “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord.” He was going to march and do whatever he could do, and leave the rest up to God.

Five stones might be all the time he would have in a perfect fight against such a warrior.

What can we learn from this?

How many times have we approached God for a miracle, but only had one try inside of us?

We go into prayer knowing that if we don’t get what we want the first time, we will just quit and accept the consequences of no miracle.

How many of us enter into a battle, convinced that if it’s “God’s will,” we don’t have to do anything? We’ll just stand by and watch, and if that doesn’t work, it wasn’t “God’s will.”

One of my favorite quotes, and I’m not sure who said it originally, is:

“Faith can move mountains. But, don’t be surprised when God hands you a shovel.”

The point is, David fully expected God to somehow deliver that giant into his hands. But, he didn’t know how. So, he was going to do what he could do and trust God with what he could not do.

We need to stop praying for miracles, and waiting for them to happen. We must put works with our faith, because faith without them is dead.

If we have to go before Pharaoh, we need to bring our staff along and be ready to throw it down.

If we have to fight a Giant, we need to bring enough ammo to make it a good fight.

If we need financial blessing, we need to pray that God provides, then go to work with the blessings he’s already given us.

If we need better health, we need to pray, and pitch in some exercising and eating habits to match.

If you are tired of struggling with a sin or a shortcoming, you need to pray to God for help. And, then behave and act like you’ve already won that battle.

Pray, and then get your weapons ready and go to the battlefield intending to fight.

Arm yourself with 4,000 prayers. Yes, it might get answered on the first one, but even if it doesn’t, you’re still in the fight. And, that second one, might be the one that brings the giant down.

And, finally, when you’ve done all you can do – not when you’re ready to give up, but when you’ve truly no power to change anything – that’s when you can watch God to incredible miracles.

The difference is how you enter the battle.

Are you a one-and-done believer?

Or, are you prepared to give it your best effort, over and over again if necessary?

If you’re in the mood to fight some battles, come to church. We’ll fight them together.