Warehouse Blues

Imagine if you were set loose in a huge warehouse where wonderful riches and treasures were said to be hidden among the other goods stored there and you could keep any treasures you found. The only problem is that the huge warehouse is completely dark; pitch black.

You might begin your treasure hunt with enthusiasm; groping clumsily around for a while and maybe even come up with a planned systematic approach and have a little success. But you eventually become frustrated, especially when you realize that the really valuable treasures are very well hidden and the warehouse is very large and filled with many distracting contents and obstacles.

Finally, after getting sufficiently banged up from falling from high places and bumping into sharp objects, discouragement sets in. You eventually find one or two of the most common treasures, enough to get by, but you will not keep looking hard forever. Your heart grows tired and angry over time and you become resolved that you have done the best you can and quit. You hear stories about other people who have found treasure but secretly it is a mystery to you.

This is how most people approach life; by trying to get life’s treasures by groping in the dark. They eventually find a little something to keep them going but it never completely satisfies their heart. It always feels like there must be more to life but most people cannot really seem to find it.

The secret to the warehouse is to first seek the light switch. This is a completely different kind of hunt than going directly for the treasure but when you find the light switch you also find the treasure. The light switch is harder to find because you have to take your heart off of the treasure and put it on the light. In addition, you know that when you find the switch, the light will illuminate not only the treasures but everything else as well. The light creates responsibility.

When the light comes on you see yourself and the rest of the world, not the way you thought you looked but how you really look, dirty and needy. You now become responsible to keep the light on and you cannot pretend to be in the secretive darkness anymore. Yes, you do get access to the treasures you desired but they do not hold the same fascination anymore because the warehouse is such a mess and you are now in the light. Some people turn the light back off because they do not want the responsibility, others pretend to still be in the darkness and a few use the light to help others find the light switch.

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Matthew5:14-16

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:4-5

"That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world." John 1:9

"And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."John 3:19-21

When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, "Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?" She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more." Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." John 8:10-12

"As long as I am in the world, I am the light of theworld." John 9:5

"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness." John 12:46

Costly Mistakes

Twenty year old Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis reached down and grabbed her snowboard to add a little hot dog move as she flew off the final jump on the way to the finish line and a gold medal. Add a little showmanship for the people who had been sitting there in the cold. As it turned out, although she was far ahead of everyone, her simple hot dog move was just enough to throw her off balance and she fell upon landing. Before she could get back on track she was passed by another racer and finished in second instead of first place. "I was really, really excited," Jacobellis would say later. "I had fought so hard. I was definitely caught up in the moment. I forgot to race. I was having fun, and that's what snowboarding is. I made a mistake," she said. "Everyone knows that's not normally me."

Not only did Lindsay lose the gold medal but the news reporters seemed fixated on the mistake like piranhas after bloody meat. They didn’t care about the brilliant race she had conducted, the silver medal she had won or the series of victories she’d had before the final race—only the mistake. It seems cruel that such a little mistake could cost so much. But Lindsay has lost that moment in time forever. There are no ‘do-overs’ in the Olympics.

The same goes for life, there are no do-overs. The Bible teaches, “Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil” Ephesians 5:15-16. We all get to live this life once and three things are important to remember: 1. Life is very serious business, 2. Foolish mistakes can bring about terrible consequences, and 3. Big opportunities do not come along every day.

Lindsay will undoubtedly replay that moment a thousand times in her life and hopefully learn from it. In the Bible, Peter learned from his mistake of denying Jesus and became a great apostle. It is far worse, though, when we refuse the lessons to be learned through failures and mistakes and continue to repeat them over and over. This leads to bitterness and a defeated attitude. Judas made a terrible mistake and then regretted it, but it was too late, the mistake was done and he hated himself for it. Mistakes can really hurt.

The good news for us is that Jesus knows our hearts and desires us to repent and confess our sins when we fail. He is always willing to forgive and teach the one whose heart is correctable. God says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

But even better than learning from our mistakes is learning to obey God’s word so we do not have to make many really painful mistakes in the first place. “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it--he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:22-25

Sometimes life is like a snowboard race. It comes at us so fast that we just react and do not think about what we are doing. It is in these moments when our inner discipline in and commitment to God’s word must be the strongest. Consider these words from Proverbs:

16 How much better to get wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver.

17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.

18 Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.

19 Better to be of a humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the LORD, happy is he.

21 The wise in heart will be called prudent, And sweetness of the lips increases learning.

22 Understanding is a wellspring of life to him who has it. But the correction of fools is folly.

23 The heart of the wise teaches his mouth, And adds learning to his lips.

24 Pleasant words are like a honeycomb, Sweetness to the soul and health to the bones.

25 There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

Proverbs 16:16-25 (NKJV)

Coloring Inside the Lines

“Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.” Psalms 19:7-10

Suppose I were to give an unsupervised toddler a box of crayons and a blank sheet of paper. He/she will scribble pointlessly. On the other hand, if I give that same child a coloring book and offer some guidance on how to color inside the lines, coordination begins to develop and a sense of satisfaction is experienced. In time, the child learns how to create variations of beauty within the preset boundaries. In fact we learn as children that the prettiest pictures are the ones colored perfectly within the lines.

That is how God’s commandments work. God has established preset laws or boundaries for us to live within. We create beauty within those boundaries and thus color our lives many different ways. When we break God’s commandments, the result is ugly, like scribbling outside the lines. When our lives take on the form and function of God’s commandments, they become beautiful diverse expressions of love and life!

Sometimes a child will draw a wild scribble, one at a time, on an entire stack of blank papers, frequently with the same crayon. You can see that there is no sense of accomplishment or satisfaction other than to put a mark on as many papers as possible. Our lives are like that when we do not live within the righteous boundaries of God’s coloring book, the Bible. In fact, outside of God's Word, life is uncoordinated and ugly. We just mark each day with the same mark as the day before; no real lines to guide us, only what is right in our own eyes. Just a scribble. No unifying form, function, purpose or identity. We are all hoping to color a beautiful picture but really do not know how.

CMCC member Chris DiBenedetto made a good point. He said that before knowing Jesus, he used to feel confused about life. He described himself as a person going into a movie theater halfway through the show. He did not really get the ‘plot’ of life because there were some very essential details of the story missing.

This nicely illustrates a main benefit of us worshiping God together and committing ourselves to Jesus Christ. The Word of God clearly shows us the lines; our identity, purpose, responsibility and future. In God’s Word, we learn the ‘plot.’ We also discover that our family unit is a very important part of God’s team and we have been called by God to fulfill His plans and color a unique and wonderful picture. This is an incredible privilege!

Consider these coloring book lines from the book of Galatians:

When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Here there is no conflict with the law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. If we are living now by the Holy Spirit, let us follow the Holy Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or irritate one another, or be jealous of one another. Galatians 5:16-26 (NLT)

Christmas Update

My son, Paul, arrived home this week. He has been in Baghdad, Iraq for the past 15 months as a soldier in the US Army and this Sunday after service we are having a church luncheon to celebrate Paul’s safe return. Please come!

Don’t forget Candlelight service on Christmas Eve at 6:00 pm. This is my favorite time of the year. The short service will include Scripture reading, Christmas Carol singing and I’ll share a special Christmas message. This is our way of keeping Jesus as the reason for the season.

Isaiah 9:6-7
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Merry Christmas,
Pastor Bob Engelhardt

The Sovereignty of God

I just finished updating and editing a book entitled ‘The Sovereignty of God’ by Arthur W. Pink, originally published in 1918. The book is a convincing presentation of the Calvinist doctrine of divine election and predestination and was written by a man who, although he did not have much public acclaim in his lifetime, has since his death in 1952 become a main source of inspiration to students of expository preaching and reformed theology. The Sovereignty of God is being published by Bridge-Logos and will be out in January.

In thinking of Christmas I was reminded of Arthur Pink’s salvation experience and life. Born in Nottingham, England in 1886, the oldest of three children to devout Christian parents, Arthur entered life at the height of the Industrial Revolution, one year before Queen Victoria celebrated her fiftieth year on the throne of the United Kingdom. This latter Victorian era was a period of significant social, economic, scientific and technological progress for England and Christian faith and morality were the predominant, though in retrospect, too comfortable, cultural influences. As a result, many counter-Christian trends and alternative influences in intellectual and spiritual thought can be either originally traced back to, or gained powerful momentum during the Victorian era.

In this physically prosperous but intellectually discontent environment, all three of the Pink children, in spite of the outstanding character, dedication and example of their parents, apparently walked away from their Christian upbringing. Arthur ended up, at a young age, embracing Theosophy, which is described as a cult that “holds that all religions are attempts by the "Spiritual Hierarchy" to help humanity in evolving to greater perfection, and that each religion therefore has a portion of the truth.” It was an influential movement of that era, headed in England by Annie Blessant who, like Arthur, also embraced Theosophy in retaliation against her own Christian background.

Arthur apparently rose through the ranks of the cult quickly, becoming a speaker at meetings and was considered something of a rising star. Interestingly, one of the attractive aspects of Theosophy to him was their involvement in Spiritism, the experience of occult paranormal phenomena, which in turn, ostensibly validated their core beliefs. In fact, the main appeal of the cult was through séances, the appeal of secret knowledge and the power of magical healing and clairvoyance. Fortunately, his foray into Theosophy ended abruptly in 1908, when he was just 22 years old.

Through Arthur’s tuning away from Christianity, his parents prayers and unwavering commitment to their faith, never faltered. Upon returning home from a Theosophy meeting one evening, on his way to his bedroom, Arthur was given the scripture by his father: “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs14:12). Arthur could not shake the conviction of this scripture and after three days of wrestling with God emerged from his room gloriously converted. Oddly, by his own admission, he had previously had no inner longing or sense of emptiness that had brought him to this point of surrender, but rather it was a sudden event. In fact, he seems to have remained through his life convinced that what many Spiritists experience is not trickery but demons impersonating the departed.

His life changed dramatically from that point, publicly leaving Theosophy and embracing Jesus Christ as his Lord. He studied the Word of God with a voracious hunger and immediately felt the call to the ministry. Pink biographer, Iain H. Murray, describes best Arthur’s life of study after his conversion: “For two years after this spiritual crisis Pink continued in his daily work but in his bedroom it was now his Bible that was ever open. Ten chapters of Scripture were read daily, plus one particular portion to which he would give particular study, ‘ten minutes or more’, through seven days. In addition, he would take one special verse each day for meditation, carrying it with him on a slip of paper to which he would turn in spare moments, ‘asking God to open to me its spiritual meaning and to write it on my heart’. Recommending the practice to others, he was to say, ‘The writer memorized the whole epistle of Ephesians on the street-car, a verse at a time.’ On days when he was free of business he could spend up to ten hours in his new delight with the Bible.”

Arthur’s ambitious pursuit of God and insatiable study of scripture brought him across the Atlantic to a very brief stint as a student at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and on to his first pastorate in Silverton, Colorado by August, 1910. This lasted two years and over the ensuing years he pastored churches in such diverse places as California, Kentucky and South Carolina and ministered as an itinerant Bible teacher. In 1916 he married Vera E. Russell, who was from Kentucky. From 1925 to 1928 he served in Australia, including as pastor of two congregations from 1926 to1928, when he returned to England and to the United States the following year.

In 1922 he started a monthly magazine entitled ‘Studies in Scriptures’ concerned solely with the exposition of Scripture, which circulated among English-speaking Christians worldwide. This is wheremost of his works first appeared though only to a relatively small circulation list of around 1,000. His writings pointed the readership back to an understanding of the gospel that had rarely been heard since the days of C. H. Spurgeon. At the time his magazine seemed as inconsequential as its author, but subsequently Arthur Pink's writings became a major element in the recovery of expository preaching and biblical living. In 1934 Pink returned to England, and within a few years turned his Christian service to writing books and pamphlets.

Pink was virtually unknown and certainly unappreciated in his day. His own independent Bible study convinced him that much of modern evangelism was defective. When Puritan and Reformed books were generally disregarded by the Church was a whole, he preached the majority of their principles with untiring zeal. The progressive spiritual decline of his own nation (Britain) was to him the inevitable consequence of the prevalence of a "gospel" that could neither wound (with conviction of sin) nor heal (via regeneration).

Familiar with the whole range of revelation, Mr. Pink was rarely sidetracked from the great themes of Scripture: grace, justification, and sanctification. Our generation owes him a great debt for the enduring light he has shed, by God's grace, on the Truth of the Holy Bible.
A. W. Pink died in Stornoway, Scotland on July 15, 1952.

After Pink's death, his works were republished by the Banner of Truth Trust and reached a much wider audience as a result. As Iain Murray observes of Pink,"the widespread circulation of his writings after his death made him one of the most influential evangelical authors in the second half of the twentieth century." His writing sparked a revival of expository preaching and focused readers' hearts on biblical living.

References:
-Iain H. Murray, The Life of Arthur W. Pink, 2004edition-The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, andEcclesiastical Literature by Rev. John McClintock andJames Strong. -Wikipedia

I encourage anyone praying for a loved to find the Lord this Christmas to take courage from A.W. Pink’s father and keep praying! God is able to save even the most lost soul and make him/her a hero of the faith. Do not give up; take heart; know the He is an awesome and mighty God and no person or circumstance can hold back His mighty hand.

Look for "The Sovereignty of God' by A.W. Pink and revised by 'yours truly' to be available next month.http://www.bridgelogos.com/products/sovereigntyofgod.htm

Over $1Million of Faith-Work Served!

I'm excited to announce that we have just passed over the one million dollar mark in value of food distributed through the Family Table CAP program in the past four years. Thank you, Jesus! This really marks an important point in time for this outreach. There are so many people involved in a success like this so I want to acknowledge some of the key players in this miracle of God.

First of all, without the precious Holy Spirit we would never have been in position to see this as an opportunity from Heaven. Thank you Holy Spirit.

Dr. Larry Keefauver, who in his apostolic anointing and wisdom, recommended that we start this kind of program and connected us with Harvest Time International in Orlando. Thanks Dr. Larry.

Pastor John Murphy of Harvest Time International, Orlando, FL, who freely opened his ministry to us, trained our start-up team, provided our very first truckload of food and helped us many times since. Thanks Pastor John.

The CMCC family of believers who responded with an initial offering to finance the start-up of the CAP program. You guys are the best! Without your sacrifice, CMCC could not have grown from a veritable house-church in 1991 to a major ministry epicenter, smack in the middle of town, feeding the poor, teaching children, preaching the Gospel and blazing the light of God’s love. Thank you all.

Our original CAP start-up team; Nick and Kathy Malaxos and Mike and Chris Tuch, who all took a week off from work to drive to Orlando with me for training at Harvest Time International. This group of committed Christian neighbor-lovers set up the original store and tended the program for the first full year of operation. Without Nick, Kathy, Mike and Chris there would be no CAP today. Much gratitude to these faithful friends of Jesus.

Mr. Terry Henderson, who, when he saw our functioning CAP program, provided funding and leather furniture donations to sell, to get us to the next level. Thank you for everything Terry and Ruth. You are well loved!

Randy and Letty Johnson and Tracy Larokko, who diligently worked the phones for months and months, at first with no results, to break through and create the vital business connections necessary to receive the food to stock our shelves. Thank you, I really appreciate all your hard work.

Our food suppliers. Thanks to the many stores, wholesalers and manufacturers who have entrusted product to care for needy people in our region. Hannaford, Price Chopper, C&S, K-Mart, Wal-Mart, LaBella Pasta, Mountainside Creamery, Kraft, and A&P come to mind as well as many other fine organizations who have kindly befriended us.

Thanks to the dozens and dozens of workers from our church and the greater community who have given so many hours of labor and contributed in so many ways. If I begin naming names, I will surely offend some hard working saint by forgetting to acknowledge you, so please forgive me if I do not. The Lord knows those who are His (2 Timothy 2:19).

Local businesses like Hubbell Brothers, the Cheese Barrel and many others, who have been consistent supporters of the CAP program through goods, services and financial donations. Thank you all so much.

Stephanie Seminara, whose excellent leadership and incredible hard work brought the program from mom and pop status to the current region-wide resource. Proverbs 19:17 “He who has pity on the poor lends tothe LORD, And He will pay back what he has given.” Thanks Stephanie!

Finally, thanks to the more than 600 families, totaling over 1500 individuals who are currently members of the Family Table Community Assistance Program. It is an honor to serve you.

The Family Table CAP is, in my mind, the perfect expression of James 2:14-20: What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled, "but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

The Family Table: Over one million dollars of faith-work served!

The Traditions of Christmas

The power of a tradition is that it memorializes something considered important or sacred and is a way that ancestors communicate with their descendants. For example, old European and earlier American society gave us many of our most wonderful Christmas traditions. These are the familiar images of baby Jesus in a manger, the three wise men, Mary and Joseph, shepherds, and angels. They also include Christmas trees, church services, traditional carols, giving gifts, good will, the story of Scrooge and even the playful metaphor of Santa Claus. These are all traditions our ancestors initiated and handed down so that future generations might know of their love for their world’s most valuable treasure: Jesus Christ.

Although modernity has largely moved away from the religious heart and soul of the holiday, Christmas traditions were specifically designed to stir goodwill and love among people because the one celebrated is an expression of good will and love from God. What a great idea, to rejoice at God’s gift to the world by transforming an entire home, village, town or city with colorful lights, garland and the sounds of heartwarming songs in a common expression of Christmas joy. It is sad to me that our society has moved so far away from the original meaning of these holiday traditions as it has from many other aspects of our Christian heritage.

The good news is God is never far away, regardless of how far people have drifted. The great hope for our generation is, as always, in the tireless, timeless work of bringing the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ back into the center of human life. Our ancestors knew this and memorialized it in our Christmas traditions. Therefore this year as we begin to turn our hearts towards Christmas, I encourage the faithful to keep Christmas as Christmas; a day when we remember and celebrate God’s gift of His own Son, Jesus Christ, to the world. In the words of the immortal Linus, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Photo above courtesy Dean Malaxos.