theTURN Luau

Be sure to join us tonight for theTURN Luau!  We will have tons of bbq, fruit kabobs, hula hoop contests, tropical drinks, and a bonfire!  We will start at 7:30 at the north campus......don't miss it!

See you soon,

pcraig

A Reservoir of Power

"You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

-Acts 1:8

I heard of a story a few years ago about a farmer in the pan-handle of Texas. This farmer and his wife had eked out a meager living in the dusty panhandle for 30 years when a man dressed in a three-piece suit and driving  a fancy car came to their door. He told the farmer that he had good reason to believe there was a  reservoir of oil underneath the farmer's property. If the farmer would allow the gentleman the right to drill, perhaps the farmer would become a wealthy man.

The farmer emphatically stated that he did not want anyone messing up his property and asked the gentleman to leave. The next year about the same time, the gentleman returned again with his nice clothes and another fancy car. The oilman pleaded with the farmer, and again the farmer said no.

This same experience went on for the next 8 years. During those 8 years the farmer and his wife really struggled to make ends meet. Nine years after the first visit from the oilman, the farmer came down with a disease that put him in the hospital. When the gentleman arrived to plead his case for oil, he spoke to the farmer's wife. Reluctantly she gave permission to drill.

Within a week, huge oil rigs began the process of drilling for oil. The first day nothing happened. The second day was filled with only disappointment and dust. But on the third day, right about noon, black bubbly liquid began to squirt up in the air. The oilman had found "black gold," and the farmer and his wife were instantly millionaires.

You have a reservoir of power in your life. If you are a believer, the Holy Spirit works in your life. You can tap into His power and live your life with resurrection power. The Holy Spirit will empower you to live a life on a greater level, but you have to tap into His power just as the farmer needed to drill for the oil. The Bible says to, "be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18) and to "live by the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16). People are searching for the power to change their lives when, in fact, the power is already dwelling within them in the form of God's Holy Spirit. Tap into His reservoir of power!

See you tonight for night three of "The Impressionist!"

pcraig

True Impression - Passion

I could not even possibly attempt to put all of my main points in a blog for tonight's message, but I just wanted to leave a few thoughts with you.

The passion which defines us, enables the gospel to be seen, and unites us with God's purpose, is a passion that must be ignited by the Holy Spirit. We are out to reach a generation who has a love for the world. The love of the world can't be removed simply by us demonstrating to them the world's worthlessness. As Thomas Chalmers, an 18th century Scottish preacher stated, "The only way to dispossess the heart of an old affection is by the expulsive power of a new affection." This is exactly where the fiery nature of passion kicks in.

During Desert Storm, Saddam Hussein lit many oil wells on fire. No amount of water could be used to put these fires out, nor did anything else work. These massive fires were eventually consumed by another fire created by dynamite. the dynamite literally licked up all the oxygen, suffocating and ultimately destroying the once-thriving fire. A greater fire overtook the lesser fire. 

The passion and love of the world can only be overcome by the supreme passion for the Lord Jesus Christ. The greater fire overtakes a lesser fire. John Wesley was once asked about the secret of his ministry. He responded, "I ask God to set me on fire and then I let people come watch me burn."

Let's get set on fire.

pcraig

"Buried Before Resurrection"

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin." - Romans 3:20

I have come to learn something in ministry: nothing keeps people away from Christ more than their inability  to see their need of Him or their unwillingness to admit it.  I have been teaching on the book of Romans frequently lately. It is this plain and unpopular principle that lies behind Romans 1:18-3:20. Paul demonstrates the universality of human sin and guilt by dividing the human race into several sections and by accusing them one by one. He shows that each group has failed to live up to the knowledge they have. Instead, they have deliberately suppressed and even contradicted it. Therefore they are guilty and without excuse. Nobody can plead ignorance.

First, Paul portrays depraved Gentile society in its idolatry, immorality, and antisocial behavior (1:18-32).

Secondly, Paul addresses critical moralizers (whether Gentiles or Jews), who profess high ethical standards and apply them to everybody else except themselves (2:1-16).

Thirdly, Paul turns to self-confident Jews, who boast of their knowledge of God's law but do not obey it (2:17-3:8).

Fourthly, Paul encompasses the whole human race and concludes that we are all guilty and without excuse before God (3:9-20).

This is the point to which the apostle has been relentlessly moving, namely that "every mouth may be silenced" and that the whole world "may be held accountable to God" (v.19).

How, then, should we respond to Paul's devastating exposure of human sin and guilt? Not, I think, by changing the subject and talking instead of the need for self-esteem, nor by blaming our behavior on our genes, our nurturing, or our culture, but by accepting the divine diagnosis of our condition and by accepting responsibility for it too. Only then shall we be ready for the great "but now" of Romans 3:21, in which Paul begins to explain how God has intervened through Christ and His cross for our salvation.

As I was talking to a fellow pastor this weekend, we can learn something from Paul's ministry. We must first bury people in sin before we can show them the way of resurrection through Christ. Do you think American preachers do a good job of first communicating our wretchedness before outlining the plan of salvation? I think we need to take another view of how Paul does so; in that, we shall see our need for drastic improvement.

Blogging like a mad man,

pcraig

Authentic Freedom

The New Testament portrays Jesus Christ as the supreme liberator and the Christian life as a life of freedom. Jesus himself had said to some believing Jews, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8:31-32). But what is Christian freedom? It begins with emancipation from the awful bondage of having to win our salvation by obedience to the law. It includes freedom from guilt and a guilty conscience, the unutterable joy of forgiveness, acceptance and access to God, and the whole experience of mercy without merit. But Christian freedom is not freedom from all restrictions and restraints.

First, it is not freedom to indulge our fallen, self-centered nature. "You, my brothers, were called to be free," Paul wrote. "But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature" (Gal. 5:13). So our freedom in Christ is not to be used as a pretext for self-indulgence. For if we live in the Spirit, we will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature (v.16).

Secondly, Christian freedom is not freedom to exploit our neighbor. Rather, "serve one another in love" (v. 13). There is a powerful paradox here. So far from having liberty to ignore, neglect, or abuse our neighbors, we are commanded to love them and through love to serve them. So from one point of view Christian freedom is a form of slavery - not slavery to our selfish nature but to our neighbor. We are free in relation to God but slaves in relation to each other.

Thirdly, Christian freedom is not freedom to disregard the law, for "the entire law is summed up in a single command: 'Love your neighbor as yourself' " (v. 14). The apostle does not say that if we love our neighbor, we can dispense with the law but that we fulfill it.

Authentic freedom is not freedom to indulge our fallen nature but to control it, not freedom to exploit our neighbors but to serve them, and not freedom to disregard the law but to fulfill it.

See you tonight - week one of "The Impressionist!"

pcraig

"Wisdom: More Than..."

"Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding; for her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold. She is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her. Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her."

- Proverbs 3:13-18

Wow! What a passage of Scripture; for what purpose or goal do men spend their energies and strength? Everyone spouts off his answers in rapid order: money, houses, land, goods, power - and the more people have the more they want.  Life today becomes a never-ending vicious cycle in the search for more and more, and the difficult pursuit brings no ultimate satisfaction.

The wise man, the Bible says, having learned something of life's goals, exclaims, "Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding" (3:13). As I have been studying the book of Proverbs, I see that using wise discrimination in making right choices is the basis for all happiness. Proverbs emphasizes that biblical wisdom is not just intellectualism; but it consists of the total context of moral and spiritual knowledge based on the Word of God. Jesus emphasized the same truth, but in a little different way, when He said, "Seek first His kingdom and his righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). A statement like this includes the wisdom of the Word that leads us to God and then on to godly living.

The proverb sharply contrasts the happiness of biblical wisdom with the coin of this world. The sons of men put a high price on silver and gold (3:14). People have died for those precious metals, and nations have sacrificed their honor over them. Rubies are also considered precious (3:15), but the advantage of having these costly possessions is a poor contrast to wisdom. What a person may desire of such costly items will never come close to what God can offer (3:15). Praise God for that!

Here is the key point I am trying to make: wisdom is of the greatest value. It is "more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold: (3:14) and is "more precious than rubies" (3:15). Nothing in this world can compare. Do you believe that? But tragically, we have an upside-down world where people lay down their money and even their lives for precious gems and gold but have little interest in God or His wisdom.

Where can a person find the formula for a meaningful and complete life? Note Proverbs 3:16-18:

Generally "long life" (3:16a)

Genuine "riches and honor" (3:16b)

"Pleasant ways" on the road of life (3:17a) where a person finds "peace" and is free from inner worries (3:17b)

"Paths of peace" where a godly person lives in harmony with his neighbors (3:17b)

The "tree of life" (3:18a)

Sounds like I will be asking of the Lord: "Lord, grant me your wisdom!"

See you Thursday night!

pcraig

"The Impressionist" - May Series

What Impression are you making?

An impressionist: a performer who mimics the way well-known people speak and behave. Our culture is full of impressionists. In fact, all of us are making impressions every day; our lives impact those around us. Jesus has called us to be impressionists of Him. Join us at theTURN all month long to discover how we can be impactful in every sphere of life. What impression are you making?

May will prove to be a great month as we talk about how to exert positive influence on the culture around us. Join us May 7, 14, 21 and what better way to "cap it off" than with a "Luau" on May 28!

theTURN Luau

May 28^th at 7:30pm

Join us for tons of BBQ, volleyball, bonfires, limbo, hula hoop contests and more! 

Don't miss a night!

pcraig

theTURN Bowling

Last night was a blast! Thanks to all who came out with us for a night of bowling...attendance was great - 121 college and 20-somethings!  I must apologize to you for wearing you out with my whopping score of 144! Actually, I think I saw Robert Stella bowl a 200 - dude was straight up serious. Glad I was not on his lane....

Thanks again. We will see you all next week for "The Impressionist!"

Be sure to invite everyone you know.

-pcraig