My Confidence

Individuals take confidence in many different things including money, jobs, relationships, and more. All of these things can and often do change. The money we make is not the same. The job we have changes. Some relationship begin while others end, some grow while others go stagnant.

King Hezekiah who reigned in Judah rebelled against the Assyrians. As a result, the king of Assyria sent his commander and other officials to Jerusalem to intimidate or attack Hezekiah.

Encamped against Jerusalem, one official called out to Hezekiah asking, "On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have the counsel and the might for war--but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me?"

Hezekiah was a bright spot in the line of kings. He chose obedience to God rather than rebellion. He did what pleased God rather than what incited His wrath. Like David the revered king of Israel, Hezekiah sought to live righteously, removing all place of idolatrous worship. As a result, God was with him and he was successful in his leadership.

What the official of the Assyrian army didn't know was that Hezekiah's confidence was not in the power of his army, the force of his weapons, or the support of his allies but in the might of the great and mighty God. And rightly so!

After many taunts and endless threats of the Assyrians, including their declaration that the God of Israel had told them to attack, Hezekiah's confidence proved true. In one night, the angel of the Lord put to death 185,000 in the Assyrian camp. The next morning when the people woke up they found all the dead bodies. Dead bodies were strewn everywhere.

The right place to put our confidence is never in the ability, logic, power, or devices of men. It is always to put our confidence in the might and power of God. Only He is able to what no man or army can do. What is impossible for us is completely possible for Him.

We could not rescue ourselves from our sin. But God was able. We could not make a sufficient sacrifice to pay the penalty for our sins. But God was able.

This week we celebrate Christ's final entry into Jerusalem to endure the cross that was set before Him by the will of God the Father. Through the cross, God would pay for every sin and punish every act of disobedience by putting His own Son to death. Three days later, that same Son came back to life by the same incredible power of God, giving life to all who believe and opening the door to heaven for all who follow Him.

Now we take confidence not in our flesh and blood but in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Like Hezekiah, we face an enemy and hardship in this world that we should look past in order to see the God in whom our confidence has been placed.

Where does your confidence stand today?

Love our City | Serve Our Community

Refuge Church Easter Celebration

Our mission at Refuge is simple. We desire to love God, love people, and love our world.

When we do we will actively engage in displaying and declaring the good news of Christ's kingdom so that those who are still far off from God can come to find their place in the family of God.

This Easter we will celebrate that good news of Christ's death and resurrection. As part of that celebration, the Refuge family is gathering and inviting others to gather for an Easter Egg Hunt and Fun Day on Saturday, April 19. This day is a simple and tangible way we want to love our city and serve our community.

I invite you to attend and serve. You can help provide pre-filled eggs for kids' age-graded hunts.  You can serve by being a parking attendant, assisting registration, volunteering at a game station. You can invite by extending an invitation to neighbors, friends, and coworkers. Especially consider those in your world who are disconnected from a church and those who do not yet have a personal relationship with God through Jesus.

For information on volunteering, providing eggs, or for any additional information, please contact Nanette Merritt at emtnanner@me.com.

Sunday, April 20 is Easter Sunday. It is still true that many individuals who do not attend church regularly will go somewhere on that Sunday. A simple invitation to Refuge may be all they need to join with us and hear about The Greatest Story Ever Told. Invite Cards available this Sunday at the Next Steps Table (but you don't need a card to invite).

The Air We Breathe

We owe an incredible debt of gratitude to Martin Luther whom God used in what we call the Reformation. Luther became convinced that Christ is the ultimate mediator between God and humanity rather than an earthly priest, pope, or king. 

He challenged people to see Christ's work as the only means of salvation, which could not be bought or sold. Luther desired to lead individuals into the intimate love-relationship with Jesus Christ for which we were made.

Every follower of Jesus, whether man or woman, should live in constant dependence on God through prayer. Not doing so is to in essence cut off one's oxygen supply. God wants relationship with us and communication (prayer) is essential to any relationship, even ours with God. Whether with my wife, kids, coworkers, neighbors, or friends, good and regular communication is essential to a good and regular relationship.

Once Luther wrote, "To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing." He believed this and lived this often spending hours in prayer. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy, urging him to lead the church in prayer. In 1 Timothy 2, Paul wrote that God's people should be lift up in prayer all people, including those in authority of them, whether believer or not. But I love even more that Paul wrote in verse 8 of that chapter to men specifically. He wrote, "I desire then that in every place the men should pray, liftingholy hands without anger or quarreling…"

The truth of the matter is that there are far more things for which I can pray in a day than I have the time.  Yet this should only drive me to pray more passionately and regularly.

And there is far more things for which I have to do in a day that I often see prayer as the impediment to accomplish those things. Yet again, praying focuses my priorities and connects me with the divine power from above for these things. Or as Thomas Brooks says, "You can do more than pray after you've prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed."

What stands before you today for which you need to first stand before God in prayer?

Reprehensible

We say individuals are sinners, but we expect them to be perfect. We find it easier to point out another person's flaws than to praise another person's faith and obedience.

While studying I came cross this quote by John Calvin: "In every saint there is always to be found something reprehensible. Nevertheless although faith may be imperfect and incomplete it does not cease to be approved by God."

My nature and bent is to see the reprehensible in another person, even another follower of Jesus, and cast them away. We focus so much on their shortcomings we fail to praise the work of God in them.

Among those who have fallen prey to the enticement of sin and disobedience have been David and Samson. David committed adultery with a woman and then had her husband killed to conceal the child conceived in sin. Samson ignored the commands of God, rebelled against the authority of his parents, and married a woman who did not worship and honor God.  

As John Calvin notes, these things are reprehensible. Yet though their faith be imperfect and incomplete, their faith does not cease to be approved by God. In Hebrews 11, these two men are commended not for their sin or reprehensible acts, but for their faith.

The weak need compassion. The doubters need grace. When in another person's life we see the reprehensible, the question is how would the gospel say we are to respond. 

Jesus has properly warned us all that before we get so worked up about the speck in the eye of another person, may we first see that reprehensible log sticking out of our own eye. When that other person is a follower of Jesus, may we not throw away a brother or sister by whose faith in Christ has made them approved to God.

Take a Daniel moment:

1.  Praise God for mercy and grace that has forgiven our reprehensible acts.

2.  Pray for grace and mercy and strength to follow God in displaying and declaring the good news.

3.  Repent of your own reprehensible acts and pray for others struggling with their own.

Secrets

As a kid I loved hearing stories of the Old Testament guys who accomplished unimaginable feats.  David killed a lion and bear with his bare hands. But it was Samson who had muscles bulging from his eyelids. He would have been the Olympic Gold Medalist in just about every competition of strength. And as is the case with most guys like this, the women swooned or drooled over him. He is the kind of man most boys and men envy and aspire to be like.

A closer inspection of Samson's life reveals significant flaws, however. He had an appetite for women of rival nations that threatened the allegiance of his own heart to God. He lacked respect and submission to the authority of his parents, demanding they go get a wife for him from among them. He projects an "above-the-law" lifestyle by disregarding the commands of God.

Most significant, though, was that Samson appears to have lived a life of secrecy. From before his conception, Samson's father and mother were instructed by God to set him apart according to a vow called the Nazarite vow. He was never to cut his hair. No strong drink or wine was he to taste. He was also never to touch a corpse, whether animal or human.

Samson traveled to a place called Timnah and while on the way he killed a lion with his bare hands. Some time later as he passed that way, he noticed bees had created a hive in the carcass and he went over and scooped out some honey to eat for himself. Samson broke the vow he was to live by. But instead of confessing the secret action, he hid it from others, including his father and mother.

Scripture says he says his parents again that he gave them some of the honey for them to eat as well. "But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey from the lion's carcass."  

The secret lives that so many are living today are destroying homes, families, communities, churches, and nations. The lie is that secret sin only harms the one who commits and knows it. That is not true. When my relationship with God is not right, my relationship with others cannot be right. God may still work through me and around me, but he is not able to fully do what He desires to do and He is certainly not pleased with a life of ungodliness, especially that we seek to cover.

The Bible teaches that a man or woman who seeks to cover his or her sin will not prosper. Jesus' followers should know this better than the world. Judas commit an atrocious act against the Son of God and tried to hide it. In the end, he lost the money he sought and forfeited the eternal life he could have gained. While others may not have known of his sin, God always did. Jesus exposed him at the Last Supper table.

God already knows what secrets you and I are trying to keep. In fact, the secrets we keep of how we have lived and failed, often create great anxiety and stress for us. We constantly ask the question, "What if someone finds out?" Then we are consumed with what individuals will say or how they will respond. So instead of walking out of the dark place of brokenness, confessing our faults to one another    and Christ to receive healing, we sink further into the dark dungeon. There we stay with windows boarded up and dreading any ray of light that may pierce into the darkness.

Don't you want to be free from your past? Don't you want to let go what keeps you in fear and makes your heart anxious? Don't you want to be known, not for what you pretend to be, but for who you are as a broken vessel God is restoring by the gospel? Don't you want the community of God's people to be able to come alongside of you to encourage and walk with you? What secret are you keeping? 

David kept secret his affair with Bathsheba for about a year. When God sent Nathan to confront David and bring the truth to light, David came to understand a powerful truth of God. He wrote, "You desire truth in the inward parts" (Psalm 51). 

Take a Daniel moment:

1.  Thank God for His patience with us in our multiple failures.

2.  Ask God to flood your inward parts with light that you may see what you have hidden and what you are unaware that you've hidden.

3.  Pray for God to give you courage to share with a trusted friend and follower of Jesus the brokenness you've experienced and the secret you've kept in order to be healed.

4.  Request that God give you grace and love as others may share their brokenness with you. May we respond like our Heavenly Father to love and embrace them rather than the older brother hates and rejects sinners and broken people in need of a Savior (Luke 15).

Three Tents

Yesterday was a different day! Our worship time at Refuge Church looked very different. While that may not always be the case and may not be common, I pray what is not rare is the power of God's presence like we experienced yesterday.

In Matthew 17 Jesus took Peter, James and John upon the mountain where Jesus was transfigured before their eyes. His face was brilliant like the sun and His clothes glowed with the glory of God. Then, they saw Elijah and Moses appear and speak with Jesus. At this Peter offered to make three tents or dwelling places for Jesus, Elijah, and Moses to dwell. In short, what Peter saw was so powerful he just didn't want to ever leave. 

I felt some of that yesterday. I didn't want to leave. I want it to be common for God's presence to be almost tangible and uncommon when it is not. I want to expect when we gather to see Him at work in great ways and not expect He might show up on occasion. I don't want to live in yesterday, but I want the presence of God from yesterday to be here today…and tomorrow…and the day after that.

Take a Daniel moment:

1.  Praise God for what He did yesterday at Refuge and in our hearts.

2.  Ask God to make His presence known just as great if not greater in your life today.

3.  Pray for God to show you where He is at work around you.

4.  Confess your struggles, every one of them, to Him and ask for His strength and grace.

5.  Lift Refuge to Him and ask for Him to do even greater things.

6.  Surrender control. That was a common theme from a number of us yesterday. Let God work.

Defining Love

How many times have you entered a conversation in which another person asks you to define love? Those conversations are always fun and quite interesting as individuals take their turns give their definition.

Today will be spent talking a lot about love and the ones we love. Gifts will be exchanged with individuals among just about every age and generation. Yet the world knows little of what love is and how true love demonstrates itself. 

The great fear is that this may be also true of me and many within the church today. We define and think of love as some mystical experience that comes upon us without us having any warning or responsibility. We describe love as a feeling. While our love for one another will be accompanied with feelings, our love is a decision to act toward one another for his or her good and as Jesus Christ has acted toward us.

Jesus said His new commandment was that we love one another as He has loved us. Paul's famous chapter on love in 1 Corinthians 13 perhaps describes Christ's love for us in a most illustrative way. He writes:

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

Christ's love is patient and kind, otherwise He would have erased us from history at the first act of rebellion. Instead, He has showed kindness to us. When Jesus came to earth, His love was demonstrated in humility and humbly He went to the cross. There was no boasting or arrogance. When in the garden He prayed, He did not insist on His own way, but rather He surrendered Himself anew to the will of the Father. And this all because of love for the world. 

His love for us did not rejoice in our rebellion and wrongdoing. Instead, He came to declare the truth to us so that the truth would make us free.  His love is stronger than all forces of evil and evil acts of humanity. It bears, believes, hopes, and endures all things. His love never ends.

The cross expresses the unimaginable love of God through Jesus Christ. This is the love He expects of His followers. And I have failed miserably.  The tragedy beyond my own disobedience and sin is that the world fails to see God's love displayed every time I fail to live out His love.

More important than us defining love is that love define us.

Jesus said by our love the whole world would know that we are His disciples. The love of Jesus should define everything about our lives. It doesn't mean we don't stand firm or speak truth. It just means it defines how we do so.

When I begin to love as Christ has loved, the world will know I am a follower of Jesus Christ. This may not always mean the world will come to follow Jesus, but it will be a compelling testimony that, for some, will lead them into the Kingdom of Christ.

Take a Daniel moment:

1. Praise God for the unconditional, unimaginable love He has shown toward us.
2. Ask God to teach you what it means to love all others as He has loved you.
3. Pray that our love for one another would compel sinners to follow Jesus.
4. Specifically pray for those you have difficulty loving. It is a great first step to God changing your heart.

How Do I Connect and Belong

An individual at Refuge Church recently sent the link to a blog post by a fellow pastor and church planter. One thing that God continually reminds me of amidst the differences in ministry settings is that some things never change.  

People want to connect and belong with other individuals. We want to be loved and accepted. However, we often hear and say that we just don't feel connected or feel like we belong. I found Nathan Rouse's words pinpoint accurate and a great reminder.

A common phrase that pastors hear when a family leaves their church is “We just don’t feel connected.” I’ve heard it countless times. When a family makes this statement to me I always ask the following four questions. The answer inevitably is almost always no to each. Here they are: 

1. Are you serving in an area regularly? I’m not talking about passing out bulletins once a month as a greeter. I’m talking about substantially serving in a ministry within the church. There’s something about serving alongside one another that allows you to get to know one another and feel connected. 

2. Are you part of a small group? Most churches have small groups or Bible studies that you can be a part of. This is crucial for families to move from being anonymous in the church to being known and knowing others. These small group settings offer the opportunity to get real about life and to have an intimate connection with a group of people in your church. 

3. Are you spending time with some of your church family outside of Sunday worship service? This could a be over coffee, lunch or even a family cook out. If you’re not investing in building friendships you’ll have none. Nor can we wait to be invited. About 8 years ago my wife and I moved to a new church and we knew no one. For three weeks no one talked to us. It was brutal. But, after the third week I finally walked up to another couple and introduced ourselves and said, “Would you guys like to go have lunch?” Our relationships exploded after that. Stop waiting for the invite, be the inviter! 

4. Are you attending church more than twice a month? This is another issue that keeps people from feeling part of their church. If you’re gone half or more of the month of course you’re going to feel disconnected. The more often you’re in worship with your church family the more you’re going to feel connected to the vision and mission of the church. This will also give you more opportunities to grow in relationship. 

Most people that feel disconnected think that going somewhere else will solve the problem. It doesn’t. They end up feeling the same way in the next church because they’re behavior is the same. If your church is anything like mine it provides a ton of avenues to get connected. It just means you have to make the investment to get the relational pay off you’re looking for. I promise you if you do each of these four keys you will feel connected in your church family. Now, go be the friend you’re looking for