Beware of the "dark side" luke...

Renewing your mind part 2
The Force IS with you...

These words ring through every boys thoughts after he watches the star wars trilogy. Beware of the dark side Luke. It's there to tempt you to dress in black and wear a cape and a helmet. Don't get too close the allure of evil will draw you into it's web.

Well, unfortunately, many of us grew up with the same theologies. While we weren't groomed in the art of wielding a murderous laser beam, and fight off storm troopers. We were told that we were to stay as far away from what was perceived as evil as possible. We heard many times that a little leaven spoils the whole lump. We must abstain from every appearance of evil, or it will drag us in. After all that sin we were being protected from is so much fun there is an unstoppable tractor beam attached and the temptation will be too much to bare, and we will fall prey to the enemy. If we associate, or heaven forbid we strike up a conversation with someone labeled as evil. Our eternal soul is at stake...

OK, enough of the facetious banter. While it sounds incredibly fear based, and absolutely counterproductive way of living if we feel that helping the lost find salvation is a major mandate for a "Christian", this is in fact how many of us matured in what we called the Gospel, or "Good News". So this brings me to my experience today...

My second job was small. Just added a touch pad for an existing customer. This job would only take 45 minutes on any given day, but little did I know I was meeting Jack (name changed for anonymity). Jack was a soft spoken man, very kind natured with peculiar jewelry choice. I noticed right away that he was donning a pentagram around his neck. My religious hairs began to stand up on the back of my neck. That childhood flight response to evil was creeping in. Then I noticed an even more defined pentagram in his closet. Continuing my conversation with Jack, and chitchatting about our jobs and such, I completed the install. I asked if I may do my paperwork in his office, which he graciously allowed me. As I was completing my phone calls I noticed that the walls in his office were decorated with goat heads (yes actual goat masks) and a large wall hanging of what seemed to be a Gothic rendition of a goat man on a throne, which I typically thought was a satanic symbolism. On other walls I saw a picture of Anton Szandor LaVey (founder of the church of Satan) as well as a manifesto of his, framed beneath. I realized that I was in the presence of someone who didn't share my views on the holy trinity, or Christ in me the hope of Glory..This was someone clearly having different views on deity. Along with all of the satanic paraphernalia, books and other objects were some plaques with certificates of appreciation from the Freemason society, as well as two holy Bibles on the bookshelf. The latter sparked a somewhat conflicting question in my mind. One which couldn't be ignored. How does a man so bent on the "dark side" have God's word in his literary collection? So, I said "please, don't take any offence to this question, but....." . I went on to explain why my curiosity was peaked. I asked how freemasonry played into his belief system. He explained that he had researched religion his whole life and found the only one that fit, satanism. Yes, I was in the presence of a full on acting satanist, and he was willing to carry on a dissertation of sorts with me in regards to what I believe, and who I am. As well as answering every question I had. I shared with him that I was a pastor, and why I felt my God, and His Son, were the reason I live. He had many hard questions for me as well, and I thank the Spirit for guiding me in my answers. Amazingly enough, as I stood there talking to Jack for the better part of an hour I felt no fear. I was filled with such a confidence in my God, that the fear of a little demon jumping on me never entered my mind. Praise God. At one point in the conversation I let Jack know that I hated organized religion as much as he did, I thought his jaw was going to hit the ground. He stammered a little, regained his composure and continued to tell me how there is no longer a need to believe in higher powers or deities. That man is there own god, and that we had evolved through the need for a reigning god. While much of what he told me was heresy, and I was saddened by his coldness about anything spiritual, I felt he was being completely candid and honest. His views on the spirit world shocked me. I always assumed that satanists were worshipers of their god Satan. He informed me that they don't view Satan as a being, but rather as a mindset. That the only thing they really worship is self. Each individual worships their own life. I asked about the sinister side of the satanic that we hear about. His claim was that true satanism is about yourself, not sacrificing things to Lucifer, and any ritual that they would do would be to remove negative energies from themselves. Definitely, not what I expected.

So as I sit here thinking of my days events. Thinking about divine appointments, and the fact I believe in no chance encounters. I have to wonder, was my time in his home effective? Did I change the atmosphere in that demonic home? It wouldn't have been too long ago that I would have finished what I was doing and got out of dodge. See God is renewing my mind. Satan no longer frightens me, because my Pappa sent His Son to stomp out the devil and defeat him. My God is bigger than Jack's god. Today I had an opportunity to witness to a full fledged satanist, and I was happy to oblige. Bringing the love of Jesus to Jack and showing him that his search for answers wasn't over. He may proclaim satanism as the end of his search, but the Spirit left an imprint in every room I tread. Now, Jack didn't accept Jesus today. But I believe Jack met a lover of Jehovah that looked different than others he's encountered. Because I'm not backing down from you devil, you go to hell and stay there. We carry the love of Christ, He's in us, let's act like it. The same principle of a little leaven affects the whole lump can apply to us as well. A little light makes a lot of darkness flee...

Jack I pray that our time together was fruitful. May God water the seed that was planted in you and your family today. I pray for your salvation, and a multitude of spiritual, Godly fruit to spring forth from you..

Be Blessed.....

The American Blessing

 

Renewing your mind part 1
Speak life, dig the gold

God has been putting our wonderful country in the forefront of my mind this week. No matter what is going on around me, this seems to be the theme of my thought life

1. We do live in the most amazing country in the world. We have been blessed with so much, and we have so much to bless others with.
2. How, and why, does this seem to be reality?
3. Since sowing and reaping is in effect today (Gal 6:7,10). How does this play into how we have what we do in this western culture?

We live in the most amazing country. If you heard, or read, what many in the Christian community have said,  or are saying about our government and those who are in power now. It may give question to that fact. So many fail to see that the bible does instruct us to pray for our leaders (1 Timothy 2:1-3). I know some say it's only in there once, and you build a doctrine around it. I believe it's a theme of love that is expressed throughout the Gospel. Honor those in authority, and show love to all. We definitely need to love. That is in fact the greatest commandment. So how then is making debasing statements about our government in anyway speaking life to the current situation. After all life, and death are in our tongue. I have even been in conversation with someone claiming the fullness of God, yet declaring the current leader of the free world as beyond God's reach, and the church needs to stop praying for him. Do what? Since when is that our call to make? So let's start by renewing our minds to Kingdom thinking. Let's look at how heaven sees the United states..

The United States of America was founded, and created, on the backs of adventurous men and women. Men and women willing to stand up and speak out against injustice. We have "taking chances" bread into our DNA. Faith (believing in the unseen) is at the very core of what makes America great. Hence, the phrase "the American dream". Everyone has a deep desire to be free, to live with the liberty to do as we were created to do...To create...So birthed an experiment, that birthed a nation. So this set into motion a society that wasn't satisfied sitting back and watching others in the world being mistreated, or in need. So we have become a blessed nation. A nation that individuals from other countries idealize. While spending time abroad I think an overwhelming majority of people want to come to the United States. The land of the free, the home of the brave. This is what I want to celebrate, this is what I want to focus on. We are a great and blessed nation. Sure we have our problems. Sure we have those in power that we don't always agree with. However, they have been placed there by the majority. So practically speaking, America gets who they (the majority) want. So I find little to complain about when it comes to this beautiful land I call home.

So this brings me to why. Why does America seem to be so blessed. Why do we have one of the lowest tax in comparison to the rest of the civilized world, and yet have the most freedom? The answer lies in our willingness to give. America has, for most of it's existence, been the primary sending agent of missions abroad. We have an amazing freedom here in America, and we have such a wealth of resources that sending missionaries to other countries is like second nature. Our adventurous spirit, coupled with the commission Jesus gave us to heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, and cleans the leper, gives us a revival explosion waiting to happen. We, as a nation, have a desire to bring what we have to those less fortunate. So as I mentioned earlier, the laws of sowing and reaping are in effect today. America has a connection with the bride of Christ abroad, because we have been sowing into the Kingdom of God in other countries. This country is reaping benefits and blessings, because of the faithful pioneers that pressed out beyond to take the Gospel abroad. We have a unity with the "body" no matter what soil it's on, because we've stepped out and took a chance for the Kingdom.

I've heard affluent people say that "if so-and-so is elected I'm moving to so-and-so country". The comedy in this is that only if you have the ways and means to live in the upper class in the said countries, would you ever give up what you have here. Middle class America's have far more then their peers in developing nations. So rather than. So I am committed to keeping my perspective of where we as a country are in comparison to the rest of the world. Instead of speaking death over our leaders, let's love them out of power. Or better yet, pray to empower them to be the leader Heaven knows they are. Let's model the King of Kings direction of changing our atmosphere. To speak life, and to combat death, we can bring the Kingdom of Heaven right here and now. So let's renew our mind to seek the gold in everyone we meet, especially our elected officials, and leave the dirt digging to those who are of the world. Remember we are in the world, but not of the world..

Be blessed.

A deluge, a transfusion, and the Father's love...

When you lay there in the solitude of your bed, and reflect on the day's events. Only then do you realize the significance of each detail that composed your "life" that day. The lessons learned, the people we impacted, or those that impacted us. Just like grade school, you don't appreciate it in the moment, but come to realize without it you'd be pretty ignorant. As I lay awake rolling life through my head, and thanking Pappa that He once again blessed me in so many ways, I realized I had just witnessed a four hour example of the Father's love.
Jadon, my oldest, opened the front door. "holy cow", he explained, "it's raining so hard it sounds like the hose is on". laughing it off, we told him to open the door wider so we could hear it. Well the fact was is it sounded like this, because one of our main sprinkler valves, right next to the house, had broke sending copious amounts of water into the air and flooding our entryway. This was not a welcome site. We had just nestled in to watch a good shoot em up flick that was just getting good and tense, but this seemed like something a little more important so I reluctantly went about repairing it. I found the problem, shut off the water to the house, and did what every red blooded, macho husband, and self respecting father would do. I called my dad. Yea, that's what we do, because in situations like this he always knows what to do. To which, like so many times before, he volunteers to leave his comfortable ez-chair and come to my rescue. My son, who by the way loathes grade school, asked me why I called gram pa. I proudly said, "because gram pa knows everything, he's the smartest man in the world".  So within an hour, with my fathers sacrifice, my deluge was all but dried up, and I was back on my couch enjoying my movie. As the plot unfolds in the movie, the underdog gets the upper hand,  and the hero saves the day. Saving the day, in this case, was giving a back room blood transfusion to his estranged daughter. While giving the transfusion it becomes evident that he will not live if he continues. The choice must be made to stay hooked up, giving life to his severely wounded daughter, or save himself and unplug. He chooses the road to legacy. He chooses to give life to someone he barely knew because he was here father. At that cinematic moment my daughter, Kendra, pipes up and asks "would you do that for me?"  My answer was a resounding YES. Without thinking my answer came from deep within. Knowing that that's what father's do. The life of those we give life becomes far more important then our own.
So the revelation that came to me 60 min later while horizontally posed on my pillow-top, was this. As easy as my answer came, so it is with our amazing heavenly Father. He gives us the the metaphoric picture of father and child relationship so that we can grasp how much His heart burns for us. As easy as it was for me, it's that much easier for Pappa God. As willing as my father was, and always has been, to jump at any need and rush to my rescue. How much more willing would Father be to drop everything to meet your greatest need. After all His love was so great that He sent his only son to die for the billions who would be his children. So when the word says "He will meet all my needs" it ain't lying. Each one of us got a transfusion of eternal blood, when Jesus decided we were worth His legacy. He decided we were worth dying for. That night in my bed I felt honored to have been interrupted, muddied, and inconvenienced. It was in those hours I caught a glimpse of what is meant by "the Father's Love"

Be Blessed..

Hobbits, Shires, and Spiritual apathy..

Last evening I spent almost 3 hrs of my time watching the adventures of Bilbo Baggins unfold, in the new release "The Hobbit". Absolutely loved the movie, and of course, saw so many great parallels and truths we experience here in our reality. So I have decided to write a few down as I embark on my own new adventure for 2013, Blogging.

The adventure begins when a quite content and comfortable hobbit, Bilbo, is approached by a wizard to go on an adventure. The wizard, Gandalf, is looking for the last member to join in a quest. He approaches Bilbo because he sees destiny in him, that Bilbo himself does not yet see. Hmm, sounds somewhat familiar. Bilbo's immediate response is to stay as far away from "adventure" as possible. Adventure means mess, uncomfortable, and does not fit into his plan. He is most content staying in his "hole", sitting on his porch and smoking his pipe.

Without the hobbit descriptors, and references to mythical beings, this sounds like the present state of many. I myself was in this same place. The thought of stepping out of my comfort zone spiritually sounded very messy, uncomfortable, and really didn't fit into my plan of world domination. (according to the American dream). I spent majority of my life feeling that any form of disruption, or untidiness was not from God. After all..

1 Cor. 14:40 But all things should be done with regard to decency and propriety and in an orderly fashion.

  So like Bilbo, I felt any shaking or discomfort was to be guarded against. To actually put myself into a position that was uncertain would mean certain peril.

So through the antics of some very unruly dwarf house guests Bilbo realizes that it's time to step out. To leave the comfortable, and seek a greater destiny. He steps out very ill equipped. One of the other members of the rabble clan referred to him as a grocer, rather than a warrior. He wasn't a battle hardened veteran, he most likely didn't have a scar. However, he had been chosen. Sometimes we look at our lack of qualification as an excuse not to venture into the unknown. We look at what we haven't accomplished as an indicator of what we are capable of. If we judge ourselves on these merits we are destined to mediocrity, and lack. We will not fulfill God's plan for us, or ever even catch a gimps of that plan. Gandalf saw the gold in Bilbo. He saw a destiny greater than Bilbo could personally see. I have been fortunate enough to have a few Gandolfs in my life. Those who see what God has destined me for. They have pushed me out of the nest as sorts and, though scary, allowed me to find my wings.

Bilbo finds that as he stretches his wings, as his experience catches up with his destined path, his qualifications become more apparent. Along the way he collects the tools, the knowledge, and the courage to become what he was born to become. Yes, he spends many fear bound moments on this road, but the further he ventures the more he becomes. God doesn't call the qualified, He qualifies the called. While this sounds cliche, it's truth. Look at the band of misfits and uneducated people Jesus surrounded Himself with. He chose fisherman, tax collectors, and prostitutes to bring the truth to people much more qualified to teach, preach, and proselytize. Peter, James, and John would have been considered by most as simple. No worth on the public stage. Yet God had created them to be foundational, and in Peter's case, the Rock the church was to be built on. Had they decided to stay with their boat, and fish for a living, where would we be today?

Apathy, and comfort is running ramped in all facets of life. God has created each of us for a destiny, an adventure. He hasn't called any of us to become stagnant. We should never expect arrival. Seek to reach a summit and then sit and reap the spoils of our labor. He has an adventure for you. A journey that will bring you to the man, woman, or hobbit you were created to be. Don't be afraid to step into the uncomfortable, because you lack the tools, knowledge, or experience. In Kingdom culture those things are placed in your path as you step out in faith. Bilbo asked Gandalf if he could guarantee he would return safely form this adventure, and the answer was no. Faith is stepping out and believing that God has your back, and will give you exactly what you need when you need it. He'll supply the elven blade at the very moment you must slay your orc...

be blessed

Nevin Hershberger