Elder’s Corner: Are you “in” or “out”?

For the last three weeks I have been building a “lean to” shed addition onto my machine shed. This was not very good planning on my part as the temperatures were in the teens several days. One particular day I was putting metal on the west side of the building. I had to take my gloves off to be able to pick up the screws to attach the metal. The wind chill was exactly that-- “cold”! All the while I could hear the furnace running inside the original building. 

I kept thinking how warm and toasty it would be if only I was inside. I started to think about church to take my mind off how freezing cold I was getting. Then God sent me the illustration. I willingly left the warmth of the building to put metal on the new building. I thought about my friends who used to come to church but have willingly left the warmth of the fellowship of other believers. I also thought about those friends who are on the outside looking in—those who weren't brought up in church, those who have never been introduced to Jesus. I know I couldn't wait to get back inside where it was warm when I was on the outside. 

As this New Year is almost here I hope my friends who left the warmth of God's fellowship will return and those who have never met the One who loved them enough to give the gift of His own Son at Christmas will join the warmth of fellowship on the “inside”. A New Year --a New Start that You Will Never Regret!

Alan

God Revealed #2: The Greatness of our God

"It is a subject so vast, that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity; so deep, that our pride is drowned in its infinity... But while the subject humbles the mind, it also expands it. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man, as a devout, earnest, continuing investigation, of the great subject of the Deity of Jesus Christ" (Charles Spurgeon, The New Park Street Pulpit, p. 1).  

Scripture plainly teaches that Jesus is one person with 2 natures: 100% God and 100% man (see http://eugenechristianchurch.blogspot.com/search/label/God%20Revealed). Jesus is called God by numerous individuals: Isaiah (Isa. 9:6), Paul (Tit. 2:13), Peter (1 Pet. 1:1), Thomas (John 20:28); and John (1 John 5:20). God the Father even called Jesus God (Heb. 1:8). “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col. 2:9).

Jesus Himself claimed to be God. In Biblical cultures for a person to be “a son of” makes Him “equal to.” In John 5:17b-18 Jesus says, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working. For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” (See also John 10:30-33)

As God, Jesus is all powerful. The wind and the waves obey Him (Matt. 6:26). He walks above the raging seas ((Matt. 14:22-33). Therefore, when the storms of life overcome us and we start to sink in the waters of despair, Jesus can lift us up and calm the storms (Matt. 14:31).

At times making a living can seem impossible. We look at all our bills and wonder how we could possibly survive with the little that we have. Yet Jesus, our all powerful God, took the little which a young boy had, blessed it and multiplied it to feed the multitude with extra to spare (Mark 6:33-44). God wants to provide for you, but will you give Him all that you have, allowing Him to bless and multiply it like He did with that young boy?

Jesus has the power of life and death in His hands. He caused the blind to see (John 9) and He enabled the mute to speak (Matt. 9:33). He enabled the crippled to walk (Mark 2). And He caused the dead to rise to life again (John 11). I don’t know what physical aliment you are currently suffering from, but our God, Jesus Christ is able to deliver you. On the other hand, maybe His deliverance  will be to give you the strength as you rely upon Him to see you through (Heb. 13:5; Jam. 1:2-4).

Jesus has the authority to do things which only God can do. It is foolish to believe that a man can forgive our sins. Mankind doesn’t have the authority. Yet Jesus does (Luke 5:20-24). And He wants to forgive us of ours. Regardless of what we may have done in the past, forgiveness is available. We don’t have to live with regret, guilt or shame any longer; Jesus offers you a new life (2 Cor. 5:17; Rev.  21:6). 

Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of life (John 1:3). It is amazing to consider that even when Jesus became a man in the form of a little baby, lying in a manger, He held the universe together in His hands. Thus, Jesus has the power to create anything and everything for us as Christians. With Him all things are possible (Luke 1:37).

Jesus claimed to be Yahweh/Jehovah. This is seen on several occasions when Jesus called Himself the “IAM” (John 4:26; 8:24, 58-59; 13:19; 18:4; Greek Matt. 14:27; Mark 6:50; Luke 24:39).

This is a clear reference to Yahweh/Jehovah in the Old Testament (Ex. 3:14). His intention of claiming this can easily be proven by the response of those who heard Him. “At this they picked up stones to kill Him” for claiming to be God (John 8:59).

The title Yahweh/Jehovah points to His eternal and unchanging nature (Mic. 5:2; Heb. 13:8). The world around us is constantly changing yet Jesus remains the same.

When your work seems to be shaky, unemployment lurks in the future, or you are having a difficult time providing for your family, God’s got your back. He will provide for those who trust in Him. He will grant you guidance to see in the dark. He offers you grace and truth to overcome your past. When you go through moments of delight or seasons of distress God remains the same. Even when the whole world seems to be crumbling around you, He will not crumble. Nothing can separate you from His love. He is still on His throne.

That is the greatness of our God, Jesus Christ. What better place to entrust our lives to than in the loving hands of Jesus!

More of Him, less of me,

     Matt

Matt's Matters: Resolutions

Every New Year millions of Americans make new resolutions about how their life is going to be different, somehow better than the year(s) before. Typical resolutions vary from improving one’s health, time management, financial situations or relationships.

New Year’s resolutions are good things. Resolutions tend to come as a result of remembering what has happened up till this time. Even if this past year was the worst year of our lives, all of us have things we can be thankful for.  I’m thankful for the people of Eugene. The warmth and hospitality of this community is unlike any other.

Resolutions come as we review what has happened over this past year, all of us can find areas which we would like to see improve.

A man spent over 3 hours enduring the long lines, rude clerks, and insane regulations at the Department of Motor Vehicles. After this he stopped at a toy store to pick up a gift for his son. The man brought his selection—a baseball bat—to the cash register. There the clerk asked, “Cash or charge?” “Cash,” the man snapped back. Then apologizing for his rudeness, he explained that he had spent the afternoon at the motor vehicle bureau. So the clerk then asked sweetly, “Shall I gift wrap the bat, or are you going back there?” :) Maybe this is an area where we could use a little improvement.

Resolutions require us to refocus our lives. When one refocuses their life they think about what is most important. Life is unpredictable. We don’t even know what will happen today, much less next week or next year. The truth is that no one can predict the future. Life is short. We need to resolve to make the most of the time which we have.

Many will make New Year’s resolutions only to give up within the first week.  For this reason many will avoid making resolutions in the first place.  However, the odds of one achieving something which they are actively working towards are higher than someone who never attempts to make the change. Therefore, I encourage you, instead of making a resolution, to make a bucket list. Think strongly about what you would like to accomplish in life. God promises us that if we delight ourselves in Him, He will give us the desires of our hearts (Psalm 37:4).

Over the next five weeks, we at Eugene Christian Church are going to be working with one another to make 2014 the best year ever. Thus, I want to encourage you to join us as we seek to make this New Year soar.

In His service,

        Matt 

Matt's Matters: Holiday Bliss

The holidays are a very special time of the year.  All throughout our society it seems like everyone is glowing. Stores are packed with happy shoppers, looking for great deals for their loved ones. Meanwhile, kids seem to be on cloud 9 as they eagerly await what’s lying underneath the Christmas tree.

Everyone is enjoying all of the wonderful holiday delights, especially all of the pies, cookies and candies. Additionally, people are rushing here and there to various family gatherings, holiday celebrations and sometimes even church programs. It is during this time of year that most of us are able to see those very special people whom for one reason or another we are not able to spend much time with during the rest of the year. O the bliss of the holidays!

Unfortunately for some of us, the holidays are not a time of bliss, rather they are a very difficult time as we remember and miss loved ones who have passed away, or those who honor us by serving our country and are not able to come home. Likewise this can be a very difficult time for people who have gone through a family crisis which has divided the family.  This is the case for myself as I recently found out about my parent’s divorce. My parents have been married for 42 years and decided to separate. Words cannot express the hurt which I am experiencing!

The truth of the matter is that all of us live in a divided family. Adam and Eve enjoyed the most intimate presence with the Father that anyone has ever enjoyed. They lived in a sinless world not plagued with the hardships which sin would cause. Yet when they sinned it brought separation in the family.

For roughly 4,000 years mankind has struggled as a result of this separation. However, when this separation first occurred, God promised mankind that eventually One would come to overcome the effects of sin and thus make it possible for the family to once again be reunited. This One has come and His name is Jesus, whose birth we celebrate this time of year. 

Jesus’ birth is the most incredible miracle in human history; that God would become a man. God did not have to do it, but He did it because He loves us and He wants all to be able to be reunited with Him as a result of what Jesus did on the cross. This is the gift which God has for us. We must simply receive this gift as Scripture teaches (see http://eugenechristianchurch.blogspot.com/2013/10/how-to-understand-bible-101-lesson-4b.html).

Furthermore, receiving what Jesus did for us is not the end of the story. As we look back and remember what God has done by sending us His Son, we are encouraged to look forward to what He will do in the future. When Jesus returns, His family (those who have chosen to receive Him) will be reunited to a state even better than when the family was separated. This is the bliss which we as Christians are reminded to look to this time of year. It is true holiday bliss!

Please join us on Sunday mornings as learn of this Child who changed the world forever!

Merry Christmas,

            Matt 

God Revealed #1: The Greatest Miracle Ever

           “Imagine for a moment becoming a baby again: giving up language and muscle coordination, and the ability to eat solid food and control your bladder. God as a fetus! Or imagine yourself becoming a sea slug – that analogy is probably closer. On that day in Bethlehem, the Maker of All that is took form as helpless, dependent newborn” (Philip Yancey, Disappointment with God, p. 113).

Scripture plainly teaches that Jesus is one person with 2 natures: 100% God and 100% man. 

100% God	100% Man
He is the Creator and was not created (John 1:3; Col. 1:16)	His body had a beginning (Luke 2:7)
“Only-begotten” (John 3:16) does not mean that Jesus had a beginning; rather Jesus is God’s unique Son because only Jesus is fully God and eternally the Father’s Son (John 1:1-3; 14-18; see also Heb. 11:17)
“Firstborn of all creation” (Col. 1:15) cannot mean that Christ was created, because Paul says that ALL of creation was made in and for Christ. He existed before all creation and holds it together (Col. 1:16-17). The “firstborn” traditionally was the main heir (Gen. 25:5-6; 27:35-36; Deut. 21:15-17). In context Paul is saying that Christ, as God’s Son, is the main heir of all creation (Col. 1:12-14).
He is coequal with God the Father (John 5:18; 10:30-33)	He was in subjection to the Father (Matt. 26:39; Phil. 2:5-11)
He is all-powerful (Matt. 8:26-27; 14:19; John 2:1-11, 19; 10:17-18; Heb. 7:16; 1 Tim. 6:16)	He had physical limitations (Matt. 4:2; 8:24; Luke 4:2; 22:44; John 4:6, 7; 19:28-42)
He is all knowing (Mark 2:8; John 2:25; 6:64; 16:30; 21:17)	He grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52; John 16:30; Heb. 5:8)
He is present everywhere at all times (Matt. 8:13; 18:20; 28:20; John 1:48-51; Eph. 1:23)	He could only be in one place at a time (John 16:7)
He is worshiped (Matt. 2:2, 11; 14:33; 21:9; 28:9)	He worshiped the Father (John 17)
He is worshiped by angels (Heb. 1:6)	He received less honor than the angels during His 33 years here on earth (Heb. 2:7-9; see also Phil. 2:5-11)
He is prayed to (Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 1:1-2)	He prayed to the Father (John 17:1)
He was called God (Matt. 1:23; John 1:1-5; 20:28; Tit. 2:13; Heb. 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1; 1 John 5:20)	He was called man (Mark 15:39; John 19:5)
He was called Son of God (Matt. 17:5; 27:54; Mark 1:1)	He was called Son of Man (John 9:35-37)
He claimed to be God (John 5:18) He claimed to be Yahweh/Jehovah (Ex. 3:14; John 4:26; 8:24, 58-59; 13:19; 18:4; Greek Matt. 14:27; Mark 6:50; Luke 24:39)	He claimed to be man (Matt. 8:20; 9:6)
He is sinless (1 Peter 2:22; Heb. 4:15)	He took upon Himself the sins of the world (John 1:28; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 2:2; see also Mark 1:4; Matt. 3:15)
He cannot be tempted (James 1:13)	He was tempted, yet personally sinless (Matt. 4:1; Heb. 4:15)
He is eternal/immortal (Heb. 7:16; Rev. 1:17-18)	He died (Rom. 5:8)
The fullness of deity dwells in Him (Col. 2:9)	He has a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:39)

As 100% man, Jesus was just like you and me. He experienced that same sort of things which we do physically. He grew tired; and He slept. “After He fasted 40 days and 40 nights, He then became hungry” (Matt. 4:2); boy, I can’t imagine why ☺. If Jesus was only 100% God then these things would not be, for God does not grow tired nor need anything to sustain Him (Isa. 40:28). Therefore, when we are weak or experience physical limitations, we can know that Jesus has been there too; He understands what we are going through.

Jesus had to grow physically, intellectually, socially and spiritually, just like we do (Luke 2:40, 52). He learned obedience (Heb. 5:8); He did this in just the same way you and I do, through life experiences. Therefore, when we struggle to understand things or are going through difficult times learning various lessons, we can know that Jesus has been there too; He understands what we are going through.

Jesus endured the same sort of temptations we do. Satan tempted Jesus with desires of the flesh: an improper longing for tastes, touches, smells and hearing (Matt. 4:3-4). Satan tempted Him with improper thinking (Matt. 4:5-7). And Satan tempted Him with improper materialism/power (Matt. 4:8-10). All of the commandments find their origin in one of these 3 improper desires.

Thus, Jesus was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). Likewise, Jesus can help us overcome temptation (1 Cor. 10:13). “Take courage in this; greater is He who is in you as a Christian than the one who is tempting you” (1 John 4:4).

And Jesus experienced the exact same sort of emotions we do. He marveled about the faith of a Roman centurion (Matt. 8:10). He felt compassion for people who were sick, had diseases and distressed (Matt. 9:35-36). Jesus even wept and mourned deeply at the death of one of His friends (John 11:33-35). Jesus has walked a mile in our shoes emotionally. He cares about us. And He wants us to know that He loves us and is with us through our hurts.

Why would Jesus do all of this? One word: love (John 3:16). Jesus came to earth as a man to give us help in whatever situation we find ourselves in (John 10:10). He came to destroy the works of the devil (Gen. 3:15; Heb. 2:14). He came to liberate us from death (John 11:25-26; 1 Cor. 15:54-58). And He came to make us holy through the forgiveness of sins (Luke 19:10; 2 Cor. 5:21).

Theologian Wayne Grudem said, "It is by far the most amazing miracle of the entire Bible—far more amazing than the resurrection and more amazing even than the creation of the universe. The fact that the infinite, omnipotent, eternal Son of God could become man and join Himself to a human nature forever, so that infinite God became one person with finite man, will remain for eternity the most profound miracle and the most profound mystery in all the universe” (Systematic Theology: p. 563).

More of Him, less of me,

     Matt

Elder's Corner: Meditation

Many followers of Christ today read and pray while looking for answers in the Bible, and pray for wisdom and direction.  The Biblical passages that use the phrase "Christian meditation" are few. Both words "meditate" and "meditation" are found about 18 times in the Old Testament. There are basically 2 Hebrew words which are translated "meditate." The first Hebrew word (hagah), given the various contexts, can mean "ponder, imagine, meditate, mourn, speak, study, talk, utter, etc." (Josh. 1:8; Ps. 1:2; 5:1; 49:3; 63:6; 77:12) The second Hebrew word (siyach) can mean "to ponder, to converse with oneself, and hence aloud; to utter or commune, complain, declare, meditate, muse, pray, speak, talk with (God in prayer, etc.) or it could be with another believer or group of believers--speaking one's thoughts about a passage of Scripture or words to a hymn, etc. (Gen. 24:63; Ps. 104:34; 119:15, 23, 48, 97, 99; 148; 143:5). A familiar verse in Psalm 19:14 states, "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation (hagah) of my heart, be acceptable in Your sight..." He asks that his words and thoughts be equal. Words of the mouth are a sham if they are not backed up by meditation of the heart.

A passage in the New Testament gives an even greater meaning as to application of this word "meditate (meditation)." The Greek word used (meletao) means "to take care of" or "resolve in your mind" to do these things. "Meditate upon these things (the preceding verses): give yourself wholly to them" (1 Tim. 4:15). Paul clarifies the words "save yourself...and others" in verse 16. "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you." Taking heed unto the Word of God (doctrine), you will not be "giving heed...to doctrines of devils" (verse 1). This seems to be the contextual meaning of "save yourself." The hearers also will be saved from "giving heed to seducing spirits."

As you can see, then, true Christian meditation is an active thought (thinking, resolving) process whereby one gives himself to study of the Word, praying over it, asking God to give you understanding by the Spirit, putting it into practice in daily life, and allowing it (Scripture) to become the rule for life and practice as you go about your daily activities. This causes spiritual growth and maturing in the things of God as taught you by His Holy Spirit indwelling you as a believer.

May your Christian meditation bless you with love and peace of mind.

            Enrique

I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist Part #5: Overwhelmed with Thankfulness

“Only a rookie who knows nothing about science would say science takes away from faith. If you really study science, it will bring you closer to God” (James Tour, Nanoscientist). The more a person studies the existence of life on earth and possibility (or impossibility) of life on other planets, the more one realizes how fragile life is.

The Anthropic Principle states that the universe was perfectly created to sustain life. If the percentage of oxygen on earth was slightly higher fires would spontaneously erupt; slightly lower, we’d suffocate. If the gravitational force were changed by 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000001% (37 zeros) the sun would not exist, and neither would we. If the earth’s tilt was slightly different or if the distance to the sun was altered, life would not be possible.

 Astrophysicist Dr. Hugh Ross cited 122 characteristics about our universe that are finely-tuned to allow life to exist; if any one of these were altered ever so slightly, life would not exist. The odds of this happening on any one planet are one in 10138 that’s one chance in one with 138 zeros following it (Hugh Ross, Why I Believe in Divine Creation, p. 138-141).

Based on these few statistics, the probability of life randomly occurring, or this universe spontaneously forming in such a precise manner is impossible! Our universe has a highly complex design! The Anthropic Principle points to the existence of God, the Master Designer.

Clearly it takes more faith to believe in atheism, the Big Bang theory and evolution than it does to believe in the existence of a Designer who carefully laid out the universe so life could exist!

Why did God want to create life in the first place? Let me ask you this, why do you want to have children? I know that for my wife and me, it’s because we want to love them. God is the same way. He has so much love He wants to share it. So He chose to create this world, life, and us humans who are made in His likeness. In fact, you could say that we are His masterpiece (Eph. 2:10).

What’s more, God did not hide, but, He made Himself evident to us not only through His Word, but also through Creation (Rom. 1:20). He wanted His love for us evident to all (Psalm 103:11), which is why He sent His Son to the Cross (John 3:16-17).

Therefore, our only natural response should be to give thanks to the LORD for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds (Psalm 107:15; Rom. 1:21). I hope He is one of the blessings you name as you gather together this Thanksgiving.

In His service,

            Matt