Selah…pause and think about it

So in life and the church there are always a few things, sayings, and principles that stick with you.  Things that. I believe, if you can get deep down in your spirit, will be able to allow God to develop us more and take us into the purpose He has for us individually.

Here are few of those principles that have shaped my way of thinking and my life in general…perhaps it could do the same for you?!?!

1. “MAKING a commitment is easy, but fruitfulness is found in its KEEPING,”
2. “Are you living at the level of your PROBLEM, or the level of your ANSWER?”
3. “When you have PURPOSE in your heart…you’ll have PURPOSE in your mouth.  See Luke 6:45
4. Significance is not found in the advancement of self… but in your impact on others.
5. The best way to fulfill what’s in your HEART is to faithfully use what’s in your HAND.
6. Love God.  Love Life.  Love People (and I don’t think you can ever go wrong…)

Let’s begin to live our lives not for ourselves but to advance the cause of Christ and truly help others!  The greatest reward in life, for me, is to be apart of helping build what God Himself said He was building… THE CHURCH!

Much Love to theTURN,

Clay

"The Last Three Words From the Cross"

Last week (in the post "Seven Words from the Cross") we sought to gain an insider’s view of what was happening through the eyes of Jesus himself during the Passion. He spoke seven short but significant sentences from the cross, which together throw light on the cross. No one evangelist records them all. Matthew and Mark preserve only one (the cry of neglect), while of the remaining six, Luke records three and John three. The church has cherished these so-called seven words from the cross as disclosing the otherwise unknown thoughts of Jesus. Today, we will look at the final three statements from the Cross. Each of them hold the power to change our lives!

1. His Agony of Thirst

“Jesus said, ‘I am thirsty.’” – John 19:28

At the time of his crucifixion Jesus was offered wine to drink mixed with gall, but after tasting it, he refused to drink it (Matthew 27:34), perhaps because he was determined to be in full possession of his senses while suffering for us on the cross. Hours later, however, on emerging from the godforsaken darkness, and knowing that the end was near, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” In response the bystanders soaked a sponge in wine vinegar (the Roman soldiers’ common drink) and lifted it on a stalk of hyssop to Jesus’s lips.

This is the only word from the cross that expressed Jesus’s physical pain. He spoke it, the evangelist added it, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. Indeed, it had been prophesied twice in the Psalms. In Psalm 22:15 it is written, “My strength is dried up like a potsherd, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth,” while in Psalm 69:21 we read, “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.”

It would be a mistake to suppose, however, that a literal physical thirst exhausts the significance of Jesus’s fifth cry from the cross. His thirst, like the darkness, was also surely figurative. If the darkness of the sky symbolized the darkness in which our sins enveloped Jesus, and if the death of his body was to symbolize his spiritual death, then his thirst symbolized the torment of separation from God. Darkness, death, and thirst. What are these but what the Bible calls hell – outer darkness, the second death, and the lake of fire – all expressing the horror of exclusion from God? This is what our Savior suffered for us on the cross.

Thirst is an especially poignant symbol, because Jesus had earlier said, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink” (John 7:37). But he who satisfies our thirst himself now experiences on the cross a ghastly thirst. He longs, like the rich man in the parable, that Lazarus will dip the tip of his finger in water and cool his tongue. Thus Jesus thirsted on the cross that we might never thirst again.

“Never again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not beat upon them, nor any scorching heat.” – Revelation 7:16

2. His Shout of Triumph

“When he had received the drink, Jesus said, ‘It is finished.’” – John 19:30

In the first three words from the cross we saw Jesus as our example, and the fourth and fifth as our sin bearer. Now in the last two cries he appears as the conqueror, for they express the victory that he has won for us.

One could perhaps claim that the words of the sixth cry (“It is finished”) are the most momentous ever spoken. Already in anticipation Jesus had claimed that he had completed the work he had come into the world to do (17:4). So next he makes a public declaration of it. His cry is not the despairing groan of one who is dying in resignation and defeat. It is a shout, according to Matthew and Mark, uttered “in a loud voice” (Matthew 27:50), proclaiming a resounding victory.

The Greek verb (tetelestai) is in the perfect tense, indicating an achievement with lasting results. It might be rendered, “It has been and remains forever accomplished.” For Christ has made what the Letter to the Hebrews calls “one single sacrifice for sins” (Hebrews 10:12) and what Cranmer in the Book of Common Prayer called “a full, perfect and sufficient sacrifice, oblation and satisfaction for the sins of the world.” In consequence, because Christ has finished the work of sin bearing, there is nothing left for us to do, or even to contribute.

And to demonstrate the satisfactory nature of what Christ has done, the veil of the temple was torn down “from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51) in order to show that the hand of God had done it. This curtain had hung for centuries between the outer and the inner sanctuaries as an emblem of the inaccessibility of God to sinners, for no one might penetrate beyond the veil into the presence of God except the high priest on the Day of Atonement. But now the veil was torn in half and discarded, for it was needed no longer. The worshipers in the temple courts, gathered that afternoon for the evening sacrifice, were dramatically informed of another and a better sacrifice by which they could draw near to God.

3. His Final Surrender

None of the evangelists says that Jesus “died.” They seem deliberant to avoid the word. They do not want to give the impression that in the end death claimed him and that he had to yield to its authority. Death did not claim him as its victim; he seized it as its victor.

Between them the evangelists use four different expressions, each of which places the initiative in the process of dying in Jesus’s own hands. Mark says he “breathed his last” (Mark 15:37), and Matthew that he “gave up his spirit” (Matthew 27:50), while Luke records his words, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). But John’s expression is the most striking, namely that “he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30). The verb is again paradidomi, which was used of Barabbas, the priests, Pilate, and the soldiers who “handed over” Jesus. But now John uses it of Jesus himself, handing over his spirit to the Father and his body to death. Notice that before he did this he “bowed his head.” It is not that he first died, and then his head fell forward onto his chest. It is the other way around. The bowing of the head was his final act of surrender to the will of his Father. So by word and deed (bowing the head and declaring that he was handing over his spirit), Jesus indicated that his death was his own voluntary act.

Jesus could have escaped death right up to the last minute. As he said in the garden, he could have summoned more than twelve legions of angels to rescue him. He could have come down from the cross, as his mockers challenged him to do. But he did not. Of his own free will and deliberate choice he gave himself up to death. It was he who determined the time, the place, and the manner of his departure.

The last two words from the cross (“finished” and “I commit my spirit”) proclaim Jesus as the conqueror of sin and death. We must come humbly to the cross, deserving nothing but judgment, pleading nothing but mercy, and Christ will deliver us from both the guilt of sin and the fear of death. (from John Stott)

Blogging Away,

pcraig

"Where is Your Heart?"

A few months ago, I started a new aspect to my personal devotional life. In addition to my daily Bible reading,  I started reading the corresponding chapter in the book of Proverbs to the day of the month. This has been a huge blessing in my life! You ought to try it...So since yesterday was April 27, I read Proverbs 27. And what stuck out to me?

"As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man." - Proverbs 27:19

What a statement! There is nothing new under the sun. One corrupt heart bears the same image as another, but a sanctified heart bears the image of the heavenly. We all begin life as corrupt individuals; we are all affected and infected by sin. But far too often our culture feels that the outer appearance is a true reflection of the inward man. This is inaccurate. Just as the water reflects the true appearance of the face of a man, so the heart reflects the true nature and character of the man.

So where is your heart?

The Bible says in 1 Samuel 16:7 that man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. So what the Lord sees, more than likely everyone else around you does not see at first. So ask those closest to you, who is it that I am portraying? Because in the end, your heart will not fool those around you; it will be displayed for all to see what you are really all about. The heart will reflect who the man and woman really are! Don't try to fool yourself. What is it that your heart lives for? What consumes your life? Are you living before God with a pure heart? Where is your heart?

"Is there anything like the Word of God when the open book finds open hearts? The prayerful study of the Word is an act of devotion wherein the transforming power of grace is often exercised, changing us into the image of Him of whom the Word is a mirror."  - Spurgeon

Looking forward to this Thursday night!

pcraig

Worship – the catalyst to the cause.

Open our eyes

To see the things that make Your heart cry

To be the church that You would desire

Your light to be seen

Break down our pride

And all the walls we've built up inside

Our earthly crowns and all our desires

We lay at Your feet

 

Let hope rise

And darkness tremble

In Your holy light

That every eye will see

Jesus our God

Great and mighty to be praised

 

-       “With Everything” by Joel Houston

 

The above is a couple verses of a song written by a friend of mine…pretty powerful when you really stop to think about what thousands of people around the world are saying when they sing out the lyrics to this song in a moment of worship to our God!

It’s a prayer to our God asking Him to allow our hearts to break for the same things that His heart breaks for.  It’s a prayer to our God saying we want to be the church He desires, the light of the world…not unseen, but so bright it can’t be hidden.

Lyrics can be so powerful and create such an awesome feeling when backed up by great music and melody lines in a corporate worship atmosphere…but the question to be asked here is…can those same lyrics be powerful enough to create a movement in and of ourselves when the music is off and we’re surrounded by the silence of our daily lives?

Can we actually “break down our pride and all the walls we’ve built up inside” in order to allow God to rise to the top in our lives and accomplish everything He wants to?

I truly hope so…

I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again…when we truly worship God…TRULY in SPRIT and in TRUTH…I believe that our hearts’ are connecting with the heart of God.  This is what makes worship “intimate” with God.  Therefore, you cant connect with God’s heart in worship and walk away the same…your heart has to be broken for what breaks his.

His heart is broken for lost and hurting people…those who are outcast and destitute.

Worship should impassion us and stir us up to reach those people…our lost friends and broken families…our hurting co-workers and the destitute people we pass in the parking lots everyday.

So…when you really think about it…worship is one of the most vital things we do as a community of believers!!!!  It literally is meant to stir up the cause of Christ in us… to fulfill the greatest commission that Jesus put in front of us…to take the lost, and make them disciples.

Hope to see everyone at theTURN this coming up Thursday night for a bit of a hang out as we go bowling!  Should be pretty intense to say the least!

Here are some pics from theTURN worship over the past couple weeks…in case you missed it on the night…check ‘em out!

Officially blogged,

Clayton Baird - theTURN worship leader

"Seven Words from the Cross"

I think it is fascinating for us to study this topic. We are going to seek to gain an insider’s view of what was happening through the eyes of Jesus himself during the Passion. He spoke seven short but significant sentences from the cross, which together throw light on the cross. No one evangelist records them all. Matthew and Mark preserve only one (the cry of neglect), while of the remaining six, Luke records three and John three. The church has cherished these so-called seven words from the cross as disclosing the otherwise unknown thoughts of Jesus. None of them were uttered in bitterness or complaint. As we will see, each is an expression either of his great love for us, or of his dreadful work of sin bearing, or of his final triumph and victory. Get ready to be changed forever!

1. His Prayer for His Executioners

“Jesus said, ‘Father , forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’” – Luke 23:34

The first three words from the cross portray Jesus the example. They express the love he showed to others. “Do not weep for me,” he had said earlier (v.28). Nor did he weep for himself. He did not dwell in self-pity on his pain or loneliness nor on the gross injustice that was being done to him. Indeed, he had no thought for himself, only for others. Unbelievable! He had nothing left now to give away; even his clothes had been taken from him. But he was still able to give people his love. The cross is the epitome of his self-giving – as he showed his concern for the men who crucified him, the mother who bore him, and the sorrowful thief who was dying at his side.

His first word was his prayer for the forgiveness of his executioners. Think how remarkable this was. His physical and emotional sufferings had already been almost intolerable. But now he had been stripped and laid on his back, and the rough hands of the soldiers had wielded their hammers clumsily. Surely now he will think of himself? Surely now he will complain against God like Job, or plead with God to avenge him, or exhibit a little self-pity? But no, he thinks only of others. He may well have cried out in pain, but his first word is a prayer for his enemies. The two criminals beside him curse and swear. But not Jesus. He practices what he has preached in the Sermon on the Mount: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27-28).

For whom,then, was he praying? No doubt especially for the Jewish leaders who had rejected their Messiah. In answer to Jesus’ prayer, they were granted a forty-year reprieve, during which many thousands repented and believed in Jesus. Only in AD 70 did the judgment of God fall on the nation, when Jerusalem was taken and its temple destroyed.

2. His Salvation of a Criminal

“Jesus answered him, ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’” – Luke 23:43

All four evangelists tell us that three crosses were erected at Golgotha (“the place called the Skull” [v.33]) that fateful morning. They make it plain that Jesus was on the middle cross, while two robbers were crucified on either side of him. At first both thieves joined in the chorus of hate to which Jesus was now subjected (Matthew 27:44). Only one continued, however, hurling insults at Jesus and challenging him to save himself and them. But the second thief rebuked him saying, “Don’t you fear God…since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly,..But this man has done nothing wrong” (Luke 23:40-41). Then, turning to Jesus, the repentant robber said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (v.42).

This ascription of kingship to Jesus is remarkable. No doubt the broken thief had heard the priests mocking Jesus’ claim to be the king of Israel, and he had probably read the inscription over his head, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” He had also seen Jesus’ quiet, kingly dignity. At all events, he had come to believe that Jesus was a king. He had also heard Jesus’ prayer for the forgiveness of his executioners, and forgiveness is what he knew he needed, since he confessed that he was being punished justly.

To his cry to be remembered by Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (v.43). There were no counter-charges brought against the criminal. He was not reproached because he waited to repent at the eleventh hour. No doubt was cast on the genuineness of his repentance. Jesus simply gave this sorrowful believer the assurance he longed for. He promised him not only entry into paradise, involving the joy of Christ’s presence, but an immediate entry that very day. And he assured him of these things with his, “I tell you the truth,” the last time he used this familiar formula. I imagine that, during the long hours of pain that followed, the forgiven thief kept his heart and mind on the sure and saving promise of Jesus.

3. His Acclamation of His Mother

Perhaps Jesus closed his eyes as he bore the brunt of the first onslaught of pain. Perhaps as it subsided a bit he opened them again. At all events, as he looked down from the cross, he saw a little group of faithful women and the apostle John (“the disciple whom he loved” [v.26]). And then he saw his mother. She was, of course, very precious to him from a human point of view. True, she had not always understood him, and once or twice he had had to speak to her firmly when she stood in the way of his doing his Father’s will. Nevertheless, she was his mother. He had been conceived in her womb by the supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit. She had given birth to him, laid him in a manger, and cared for him during his childhood. It would have been she who taught him the biblical stories of the patriarchs, kings, and prophets, and the plan and purpose of God. She had also set him a radiant example of godliness.

Now we read that “near the cross of Jesus stood his mother” (v.25). It is hard to imagine the depth of her grief as she watched him suffer. Simeon’s prohecy was being fulfilled that a sword would pierce her own soul (Luke 2:35). Jesus thinks not of his pain but of hers. He is determined to spare her the anguish of seeing him die. So he avails himself of a right that scholars tell us a crucified man had, even from the cross, namely to make a testamentary disposition. Using the terminology of family law, he put her under John’s protection and care and put John under hers. Immediately John took her away to his Jerusalem home.

Looking back over the first three words from the cross, we are amazed at the unselfishness of Jesus. He had no thought for himself. In spite of the pain and shame he was experiencing, he prayed for the forgiveness of his enemies, he promised paradise to a repentant thief, and he provided for his bereaved mother. This is love, and Scripture says to us, “Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us” (Eph. 5:2)

4. His Cry of Neglect

“From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice,…”My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” – Matthew 27:45-46

If the first three words from the cross portray Jesus as our example, the fourth (and later the fifth) portray him as our sin bearer. The crucifixion took place at about 9 a.m. (“the third hour”), when the sun was at the meridian, an inexplicable darkness moved over the countryside. It cannot have been a natural eclipse of the sun, because the Feast of the Passover took place at full moon. No, it was a supernatural phenomenon, perhaps intended by God to symbolize the horror of great darkness into which the soul of Jesus now plunged. It lasted three hours, during which no word escaped the lips of the suffering Savior. He bore our sins in silence.

Then suddenly, at about 3 p.m. (“the ninth hour”), Jesus broke the silence and spoke the remaining four words from the cross in rapid succession, beginning with “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” This terrible cry is recorded by Matthew and Mark alone, and in the original Aramaic – “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachtani?” The onlookers who said, “He’s calling Elijah” (v.47) were almost certainly joking; no Jews could have been so ignorant of Aramaic as to make that foolish blunder.

Everybody agrees that Jesus was quoting from Psalm 22:1. But why did he quote it and declare himself forsaken? Logically there can only be two explanations. Either Jesus was mistaken and not forsaken or he was telling the truth and was forsaken. For myself I reject the first explanation. To me it is inconceivable that Jesus, in the moment of his greatest surrender, could have been mistaken and that his sense of godforsakenness was imaginary. The alternative explanation is simple and straightforward. Jesus was not mistaken. The stiuation on the cross was of God forsaken by God – and the estrangement was due to our sins and their just reward. And Jesus expressed this terrible experience of godforsakenness by quoting the only Scripture that foretold it and that he had perfectly fulfilled. (adapted from John Stott)

The last three words from the Cross will come later this week!

-pcraig

God's Vision for His Church

From the whole week we spent with John Stott - below is what he simplifies as the vision of the Church.

1. God’s Vision for His Church

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” – Acts 2:42

What is God’s vision for his church? Luke tells us. Having described what happened on the Day of Pentecost, and having supplied an explanation of it through Peter’s Christ-centered sermon, Luke goes on to show us the effects of Pentecost by giving us a beautiful little cameo of the Spirit-filled church in Jerusalem. Of course, the church did not begin that day. It is incorrect to call the day of Pentecost the birthday of the church. For the church as the people of God goes back to at least four thousand years to Abraham. What happened at Pentecost was that the remnant of God’s people became the Spirit-filled body of Christ.

What then are the distinguishing marks of a living church? To answer this question we have to go back to the beginning and take a fresh look at the first Christian church in Jerusalem. At the same time, it is essential that we are realistic. We have a tendency to romanticize the early church. We look at it through tinted spectacles. We speak of it in whispers, as if it had no faults. Then we miss the rivalries, the hypocrises, the immoralities, and the heresies that troubled the early church as they trouble the church today.

Nevertheless, one thing is certain. The early church, for all its excesses and failures, had been deeply and radically stirred by the Holy Spirit.

So we come back to our question: What did that first-century church look like? What evidences did it give of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit? If we can answer these questions, we will be well on the way to discovering the marks of a living church in the twenty-first century.

2. Study

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” – Acts 2:42

Luke focuses on four marks of the Jerusalem church. The first is very surprising; we would probably not have chosen it. It is that a living church is a learning church. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.” This is the very first thing Luke tells us. The Holy Spirit, we might say, opened a school in Jerusalem that day. The schoolteachers were the apostles, whom Jesus had appointed and trained. And there were three thousand pupils in the kindergarten. It was a truly remarkable situation.

We note that those new Spirit-filled converts were not enjoying a mystical experience that led them to neglect their intellect, despise theology, or stop thinking. On the contrary, they concentrated on receiving instruction. I do not hesitate to say that anti-intellecualism and the fullness of the Spirit are mutually incompatible. For who is the Spirit? Jesus called him “the Spirit of truth,” so that wherever he is at work, truth matters.

Notice also that those believers did not suppose that, because they had received the Holy Spirit, he was the only teacher they needed and they could get rid of human teachers. No, they sat at the apostles’ feet. They were eager to learn all they could. They knew that Jesus had appointed them teachers. So they submitted to the apostles’ authority, which was authenticated by miracles. For if verse 42 tells us of the apostles’ teaching, verse 43 tells us that the apostles did many signs and wonders. Similarly, some years later Paul referred to his miracles as “the things that mark an apostle” (2 Cor. 12:12).

How is it possible, then, for us to devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching and submit to their authority? For we have to insist that there are no apostles in the church today. To be sure, there are bishops, pioneer missionaries, and other church leaders, and we might perhaps call their ministries apostolic. But there are no apostles who have an authority comparable to that of the apostles Peter, John, and Paul. So the only way we can submit to the apostles’ authority is to submit to their teaching in the New Testament, for it is there that it has come down to us in its definitive form. Loyalty to the apostles’ teaching is the first mark of an authentic church.

Somehwere along the way we separated our minds from the Christian faith. This is not so in the early church. To be a true church meant the church was a studying church. They devoted themselves to learning the truth. Is it possible to suppose that spiritual hunger for knowledge comes as a result of truly being saved? If so, what does it say about someone if they do not desire to learn about Christ and his teachings?

To be Spirit-baptized means one has an interest in studying the Word. They have to use their mind to commit to being a disciple, or student, of Jesus Christ. Do you think the majority of churches exhibit this first mark of a true church?

3. Fellowship

“If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowhip with one another.” – 1 John 1:7

If the first mark of a living church is study, the second is fellowship, and we want to now focus on this topic. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship” (Acts 2:42). This is the well-known Greek word koinonia, which expresses our common Chrisitan life, what we share as Christian believers. It bears witness to two complementary truths, namely what we share in and what we share out.

Firstly, koinonia expresses what we share in together, especially the grace of God. “Our fellowship,” wrote the apostle John, “is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:13), and the apostle Paul added, “the fellowship of the Holy Spirit” (2 Cor. 13:14). So authentic fellowship is trinitarian fellowship, our common participation in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Many factors separate us – ethnicity, nationality, culture, gender, and age – but we are united in having the same heavenly Father, the same Savior and Lord, and the same indwelling Spirit. It is our common share in him and in his grace that makes us one.

Secondly, koinonia expresses what we share out together. Koinonia is the word Paul used to refer to the collection he was organizing among the Greek churches for the benefit of the poverty-stricken churches in Judea. And the adjective koinonikos means “generous.”

It is on this aspect of the word that Luke concentrates:

“All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” – Acts 2:44-45

These are very disturbing verses. We tend to jump over them rather quickly in order to avoid their challenge. We will face them in a moment.

4. Sharing

“All the believers were together and had everything in common (koinonia).” – Acts 2:44

A few miles east of Jerusalem at that time the Essene leaders of the Qumran community were committed to the common ownership of property, and the members of the monastic community handed over all their money and possessions when they were initiated.

Certainly Jesus does call some to voluntary poverty, like the rich young ruler, Saint Francis of Assissi and his followers, and Mother Teresa and her sisters, maybe to witness to the truth that a human life does not consist in the abundance of our possessions. But not all Jesus’s followers are called to this. The prohibition of private property is a Marxist, not a Christian, doctrine. Besides, even in Jerusalem the selling and giving were voluntary, for we read in verse 46 that they “broke bread in their homes.” In their homes? But I thought they all had sold their homes and their furniture! Apparently not. And the sin of Ananias and Sapphira recorded in Acts 5 was not that they kept back part of their property but that they kept part while pretending to give it all. Their sin was not greed but deceit. The apostle Peter was clear in his words to Ananias” “Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal?” (Acts 5:4). In other words, all Christians have to make a conscientious decision before God how we use our possessions.

Nevertheless, we must not avoid the challenge of this passage. Those early Christians loved one another, which is hardly surprising, since the first fruit of the Spirit is love. In particular, they cared for their impoverished brothers and sisters, so they shared with them their goods. This principle of voluntary Christian sharing is surely a permanent one. Those of us who live in affluent circumstances must simplify our economic lifestyle, not because we imagine that this would solve the macroeconomic problems of the world, but out of solidarity with the poor.

So a Spirit-filled church is a generous church. Generosity has always been a characteristic of the people of God. Our God is a generous God; his people must be generous too.

-pcraig

Who Says to be Humble?

"Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life." - Proverbs 22:4

God does. In fact, the fear of the Lord and humility is the beginning of all knowledge. Fools despise wisdom and knowledge.

It is God's desire that we all grow in spiritual knowledge and understanding. But there is a catch....the knowledge of God is only found at the peak of humility, which is our food by which we grow in love to the truth. We can only find revelation from God in His Word at the humble places in our lives.

Remember, Jesus' life began in a borrowed stable and ended in a borrowed tomb. What makes humility so desirable is the marvelous thing it does to us; it creates in us a capacity for the closest possible intimacy with God. This was a thought from Monica Baldwin. This is the kind of intimacy I want with the Lord.

So how do we humble ourselves? By meditating on Christ's humility, we shall see how far we are from being humble.

Here at theTURN, let's humble ourselves to gain only the knowledge and wisdom that God can grant. Humility will bring true life.

- pcraig

"How is Your Fruit?" - Thursday, April 9

So tonight is going to be awesome for sure! I am so excited about what God is doing here at theTURN. The past few weeks have been great, and we have had a blast while doing it.

Tonight I am preaching from John 15. It is Jesus' deathbed conversation. By morning, He will be stretched out on a cross bearing my sin and yours. It is neat to share tonight from this passage because Jesus was actually sharing this message with His disciples on this same night almost 2,000 years ago. The Passover was about to begin and Jesus was standing in the vineyard teaching them these timeless truths. Tonight we will look at those truths. He was essentially asking His disciples......

"So how is your fruit?" (title of my message tonight)

Jesus tells in John 15 that there are three different types of branches; ones that bear no fruit, others that bear some fruit, and still others that bear bountiful amounts of fruit. We are all one type of branch. The barren branch is in John 15:2. Jesus tends to the barren branches by intervening with discipline. Our lives are sometimes barren due to sin that is choking out the branches. God will intervene in discipline.

The next type of branch is the "some fruit" branch. Still nothing to write home about here; Jesus intervenes on this branch to cause it to bear much fruit! This branch is not about sin but about self. The Gardener comes in to prune us of ourselves. We are growing rampantly but not producing much fruit. God's purpose here is to cut away immature commitments and lesser priorities from our lives to make room for even greater fruit for His glory. Pruning changes your life from a basket almost full to a basket overflowing.

Finally, the third branch yields a basket full of fruit. This is what the Father wants. God asks us to let go of the things that keep us from His Kingdom purposes and our ultimate good. This branch abides, or remains, in Him. It is not so much about activity anymore, but it is about spending time with Him. The third branch has to remember that all of its success in the beginning came from being close to the Vine, Jesus. Take Paul for example; by the end of his life he was now a man who had been pruned until there was nothing left of his self-life. Paul no loner had to order his priorities. He had only one.

"But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." - Philippians 3:13-14

So How is Your Fruit?

"8 Hot Nights"

So over the past four weeks, theTURN has been hosting "8 Hot Nights." It has been a blast so far! This Thursday night will be night five of the series, and we are expecting it to only get better each week. This series is taking us right into the start of summer...we will be doing a series in May called "The Impressionist."  Come join us in the month of April to be a part of our hotness on Thursday nights. Here are some pics of this past week's gathering.

This Thursday night, April 9, we will continue with the series and have an awesome time to hang out after the service. This week will be filled with awesome music, Starbucks coffee, free food, pool tables, and more! You don't want to miss it! See you there!