Rwanda Reflections Still Flowing

A month ago today we were wrapping up the Unity Conference in Kigali, Rwanda. I am still thinking about our time in Rwanda...all we saw, learned, experienced, etc. One of the things that made the trip special for me was being able to travel with one of my mentors, Dr. John Fuder (aka Doc). Doc was my urban ministry professor at Moody Grad School. I took more classes with him than with any other prof there. However, Doc's influence on my life exceeded well beyond the classroom. I travelled with Doc (and other students) to several CCDA conferences, enjoyed BBQ's at his house, and even occasional breakfasts with him after my Moody days were done.

Doc is a guy I truly look up to, and definitely want to emulate his commitment to the Lord, to his wife and family, and to ministry. So it was pretty crazy to teach at a conference with him! I really felt honored by that. Not only that, but it was good to just hang out together again with him and two of my former classmates. It felt like CCDA Africa!:)

I thought I would share some of Doc's reflections from our time in Rwanda...



Doc's May newsletter was also dedicated to the Rwanda trip. During the first part of this newsletter, he shared about our visits to the genocide memorials in Kigali. It was a sobering experience for all of us. It definitely set the tone for the remainder of our trip. Doc shared this, "Because I think we need to at least briefly feel the incredible weight of grief and guilt, carried even by Rwanda’s spiritual leaders, many of whom we had come to “teach” that week. These precious men and women, some coming from many hours away, gifted us with their gentleness, humility and vulnerability. For days we poured into them, from morning until night, and they gave right back to us. We shared exuberant and joyful worship and many hugs and tears as we taught hour after hour on unity, forgiveness and reconciliation."

A month later I am still so grateful for the opportunity we had to serve in Rwanda! Our experiences there "marked" me in good way.

May Praise & Prayer

This was supposed to go out last week, but we were feeling a bit out of it after our long flight home and significant time zone readjustment!:) We have so much to praise God for! Thanks for praying for us!

Praises (Praise God with us for...)
(1) We are so thankful for the Rwanda trip, and all God did in and through us during our time there! You can read more about our trip in our previous blog entries (and there will probably be more coming).

(2) Today was our final training session with the missionary from the Crescent Project. Curtis, Aaron, and I are so grateful for this answered prayer and needed training for us!

(3) On Easter Sunday, we celebrated with 8 baptisms immediately following our service! Each person represents a story of God's transforming grace. It was especially moving to have Aaron baptize his son Isaiah. Check out the video!




Prayer Requests (Please pray with us for...)
(1) Josie has been offered an 8 week day camp director position at the YMCA. She has a meeting tomorrow to discuss the details of this position and program tomorrow. Please pray for wisdom about potentially moving forward in this.

(2) Please continue to pray that we would be able to rent our condo in Branson and sell our condo in Chicago!

(3) We are having our first church membership class (we are calling it "ministry partnership" rather than membership) this coming Saturday, and then launching discipleship groups (small groups) the following week. Please pray for us as we begin to go deeper relationally and mobilize as a church!

(4) I am praying about serving in a sports ministry role (as a volunteer) at two youth organizations (Bay Area Rescue Mission & Richmond Police Activities League). This would be a great opportunity to build relationships with teens in Richmond. Please pray for direction for me, and that I would not overcommit myself (I tend to do this sometimes:)).

(5) We will be traveling to the midwest the first week of June. We will be at New Hope Fellowship in Paw Paw on Sunday June 3rd, Roseland Bible Church in Chicago on Wednesday June 6th, and Lawton EMC on Sunday June 10th. Please pray for me as I begin to prepare for this visit.

Thanks for your partnership in ministry! Let us know how we can be praying for you!

Do We Weep?

(Blessed & Doc Fuder with Josie and I)

During our time in Rwanda I was moved by the heart of my good brother, Blessed. Blessed is the director of Hallomai, and he is the one who worked to coordinate our trip there. After our second very full day at the Unity Conference in Kigali, he began to debrief the day with our group and encourage us by how God was using the conference to encourage pastors. He shared that several pastors had commented on how they had been blessed and encouraged by the sessions. He then went on to share and reiterate how great the need is for theological training for pastors in Rwanda and in many other African nations. He shared that he has been getting emails from other pastors in other places asking for training. He said, "the need is great," and then he began to weep. He was so burdened by the need to come alongside pastors and church leaders with training and encouragement that he was moved do deep tears. It is a moment from our trip that I will never forget. As he paused to cry, Doc Fuder placed his hand on Blessed's shoulder and said, "God bless you brother" (as only Doc Fuder can) and then led us in prayer for Blessed, for the efforts of Hallomai, and for the need to equip and empower church leaders in Africa.

It reminded me of the quote, "may our hearts break for the things that break the heart of God." Are we burdened by the great commission? Do we weep for the nations?

Answered Prayer In Rwanda

(Josie and I with our host, Pastor Dennis)

Josie and I made it back to Richmond yesterday (Monday). We are still "getting our bearings" as we fight jet lag and readjust to the Pacific time zone. We are still reflecting on our time in Rwanda and all that God did during our time there. We are so thankful for the opportunity we had to be a part of a team from Hallomai and to connect with our Rwandan family!

Before we left, we prayed for a few things in particular. We prayed:
1) That God would use us to be an encouragement to the Church in Rwanda through both our teaching of the Word and our interaction with believers there.
2) That we would be able to build authentic relationships with believers there that would last beyond our 2 weeks there.
3) That we would go as learners - learning all that God would want to teach us there and learning from believers there.

(Josie and I with one of the pastors from the Pastors Family Fellowship, Pastor Dennis)

God answered all three of these prayer requests in abundance! By God's grace I believe He used both our teaching of the Word and our lives to encourage believers in Kigali (Rwanda's capital city) and the surrounding area. God also gave us meaningful relationships with our brothers and sisters in Rwanda, who we hope to continue to correspond with and Lord willing spend time with again. Finally, God taught us so much during our time there. He used our Rwandan family to encourage, challenge, and inspire us.

Thank you for your prayer support while we were gone. We definitely felt your prayers!

There will be more Rwanda reflections in the coming days. You can also check out my two previous posts, "For The Love Of The Game" and "Cross Out The I."

(Blessed, Louisa, Doc Fuder, Mike, and Cheryl)

For The Love Of The Game

During one of our breaks in between sessions at the Unity Conference I got this footage of some boys playing soccer (futbol) just outside of the church we were at. I tried to play a little bit, but my dress shoes and slacks really slowed me down:)

Cross Out The "I"

During the Unity Conference here in Kigali, Dr. Fuder spoke three times on the importance of unity within the body. During one of the sessions he spoke about the importance of selflessness in pursuing unity. He stated that selfishness can thwart and diminish efforts towards unity. He went on to tell a story about a missionary (several years ago) in the Congo. She had been serving there for a number of years, and was having a hard time adjusting to the culture and navigating the culture. Her pastor, who was Congolese, encouraged her to come on a weekend retreat with he and his wife and to only bring her Bible. He encouraged her to get alone over the course of this weekend, to truly seek the Lord, and to see how He would speak to her about "breaking through" in this area of struggle she was having. After a day or two the missionary woman came to her pastor discouraged and said, "I still don't have any answers." The pastor graciously looked at her and said, "Helen you must cross out the 'I'...there is too much Helen in your ministry and not enough Jesus. Cross out the I."

Doc shared that he has never forgotten that story. It has marked his life and ministry. He and his wife Nell try to pray that prayer each morning - "Lord help us to cross out the I today. Give us the grace and the strength to live selflessly in our service to You and of others." It is an expression of Luke 9:23, "And He said to them all, 'If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me."

During our time here in Kigali I have observed our host, Pastor Dennis, serve selflessly. He has selflessly served our team. He has selflessly served the Pastors Family Fellowship (a network of pastors). I watched him selflessly serve the group of widows who are genocide survivors. I really believe that he is "pastoring the city." He has a Kingdom mindset that is so attractive. He loves his local flock (the church he pastors), and he serves them. However, he also ministers throughout the city in order to build up "the Church." I have seen in him what Doc was talking about. By God's grace He is crossing out the I.

I don't think I will ever forget that simple phrase, "cross out the I." As we have served together as a team this week I have been reminded of it. Our team has been amazing. I have been humbled by my brothers and sisters selflessness and humility. I have been convicted of the selfishness in my heart. It's my desire to serve selflessly, but at the same time I love to be recognized for it. I have also felt pride and self righteousness well up in my heart when I think I "know better" than one of my teammates. I have even learned how to cloak my pride in humble sounding words and posturing. These examples have made me realize afresh that there's too much Dave in me and not enough Jesus (cross out the I).

This all pushes me to Jesus, the One who "though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God, a thing to be grasped, but made Himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled Himself bye becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:6-8)." I am grateful for the cross.

April Praise & Prayer

(As of today, April 3rd, we have been married 150 days!! We still can't believe it!)

Praises (We praise God for…)

1) Josie passed her state of California physical therapy exam! (Please pray for wisdom now as we potentially explore other/additional employment options.)

2) We (“the Clarks”) received all of the support we needed for our Rwanda trip!

3) The “Foundations In Christ” class I have been teaching is going well! I thoroughly enjoy teaching every Sunday and the interaction we have in the Bible!

4) We (the other pastors and I) have begun a training program with a missions organization (the Crescent Project) that is helping equip us to reach out to our Muslim neighbors here in Richmond.

5) Our parents, that is on the Clark side, are coming to visit this Easter weekend!


Prayer Requests (Please pray with us…)

1) That Josie and I would encourage each other in Christ and trust Him with our whole lives!

2) For deeper relationships with our neighbors!

3) For relationships to be developed with youth – more specifically I am praying about partnering/volunteering with another organization in the city so that I can coach this summer.

4) a – We own a condo in Branson, Missouri (where Josie lived before we got married). Please keep praying with us that we would find a renter soon! We have had some solid leads, but nothing has panned out thus far.
b – We also own a condo in Chicago. It is now listed for sale! My renter/brother, CW, will be moving out soon. Please pray for its sale!

5) We depart for Rwanda on Sunday April 15th. Please pray for safety as we travel. In addition, please pray for our preparation. Josie is working on a conference workshop, and I am working on messages for the conference. Pray with us for an impactful trip!

We appreciate you guys! Please let us know how we can be praying for you! You can email us at pastordave@lhnchurch.org or ja92777@gmail.com

Sovereignly Situated

We (the other pastors and I) have begun a 6 week training program through a ministry called the "Crescent Project." The Crescent Project's mission statement is to "inspire, equip and serve the Church to reach Muslims with the Gospel of Christ for the Glory of God. It is our vision to see a day when fear is replaced with love and millions of Christians are actively sharing the truth of Christ with millions of Muslims for the glory of God. We do this through prayer, training, local outreach, and short-term trips." We are excited about the things we are learning, and feel burdened to build relationships and share the love of Christ with the men and women who attend the mosque, which is located at the other end of the street our church is located on.

As we began this training I was reminded of a message shared by a missionary in Chicago that connected God's sovereignty in bringing "the nations" to the US with the incredible opportunity we have as the church here to have "beautiful feet" in our own cities and neighborhoods. This message became vivid to me once again last week. Let me explain...

On Wednesday mornings we go to Richmond HS to prayer walk there before the school day starts. We have made it a routine to drop in on a Christian teacher there to pray with him and seek to be an encouragement to him. Last Wednesday we shared with him about this new training that we are undergoing at the church (Crescent Project). He shared that there are new students at the high school who are from Muslim families and who recently moved here from a country in the middle east. I did some research on that particular nation in my "Operation World" book. It is 99% Muslim and is closed (and even hostile) to the Gospel! The amazing thing is that God, in His Sovereignty, moved families from a "closed" country in the middle east to Richmond, CA! It is not illegal for us to share our faith here. It is not illegal for us to offer Bibles to our neighbors here. So God has given us an incredible opportunity to reach out to our new neighbors!


Do you see the connection between Acts 17 and Romans 10?

Acts 17:26 "And He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward Him and find Him..."

Romans 10:14 "How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?"

The great thing is that this doesn't just apply to those whom God has brought here from around the world. God has sovereignly placed us all in unique families, work environments, neighborhoods, and cities. He has given us all opportunities to have beautiful feet. The question is a simple, yet challenging one: do we love our neighbors? More specifically, do we love them enough to share Christ with them?

The Gospel For Every Day Life

We have been preaching our way through a series here at LHNC called "The Gospel For Everyday Life." Aaron kicked the series off with "The Gospel Past" taking a look at what the Gospel did. Specifically he focused the sermonic spotlight on justification (we have been made right with God/declared righteous) and adoption (we have been adopted as sons and daughters of God through Christ). The following Sunday Curtis preached "The Gospel Present" message. He reminded us that we now have the power of the Holy Spirit, power over sin, and hope. Finally this past Sunday, I preached "The Gospel Future," emphasizing the "glorious inheritance" that the Gospel has secured for us (eternal life, glorified bodies, new home & new city) and how it compels us to live with eternal perspective. This series has been really good for me! I have been continually marinating on it over the last few weeks. Let me give you one example...

I recently had a conversation with a man who faithfully comes to our Saturday morning service. I am just getting to know him. I was asking a few questions about his life, and I asked him how we could be praying for him. He shared that we could pray that he would find permanent housing. He went on to explain that he has been homeless for 9 years, and that he goes from shelter to shelter in Richmond, Oakland, and San Francisco. He added that it is especially difficult for him to secure any type of housing, because he has a record as a sex offender.

I am going to be honest, when I heard "sex offender" it made my insides churn (I hope it did not show on my face). However, I was quickly reminded of the Gospel in my mind. If the man I was speaking to is a believer in Christ now, then God doesn't view him as a sex offender now, but instead he has been "declared righteous (justified)" by the work of the Cross. He is now a child of God, loved by the Heavenly Father. Not only that, but he would now have the power of the Holy Spirit which gives him power over the sin that once mastered him. Finally, he has a glorious inheritance to look forward to if he knows Christ.

In addition, it is the Gospel that compels us as a church to actively show mercy to this man. You see we have been shown incredible mercy at the Cross, therefore we extend that same mercy to others. Not only that, we need to welcome him into our church. The Gospel compels us to "welcome him (see Romans 15:7)" as a neighbor and potentially as a brother in the Lord. Finally, it is the Gospel that stirs us to contend for justice on his behalf in his search for housing.

Finally, my internal reaction to "sex offender" reminded me of my own depravity. Although he and I have different stories, I too have done things I'm ashamed of, things I wish I hadn't done. If some of my thoughts were projected onto a screen, I would be embarrassed. I too am capable of wicked acts...BUT GOD.

Romans 15:7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Romans 5:8 But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died or us.

March Praise & Prayer

Here is our March praises and prayer requests via video! We had fun putting this together (we apologize in advance for any corniness that comes through:))!



Please let us know how we can be praying for you! You can email us at pastordave@lhnchurch.org or ja92777@gmail.com.

As we shared in the video, our updated goal for the Rwanda trip is $3,800! To hear more about our Rwanda trip, click here.

Finally, if you would like to listen to our weekly sermons click here or subscribe to our podcast "Living Hope Neighborhood Church" on I-Tunes.

Rwanda Trip

Here is a bit of background information about our upcoming Rwanda trip...



If you are interested in supporting us on this trip, please email me at pastordave@lhnchurch.org and I will give you the details!

Everyone Has A Story

One of my favorite times of the week here at Living Hope Neighborhood Church is Saturday morning. Every Saturday morning we have a worship service at 8:45am, and then we serve breakfast at 9:30am. We make it clear to those who come, that both parts of Saturday morning are optional. In other words, you don't have to attend the service in order to be served breakfast (and vice versa). Interestingly, most of the men and women come to the service faithfully, and then stay for breakfast. Only a small handful choose to only come for the breakfast.

We have a small group of men and women who faithfully serve in the kitchen each week preparing the food for the morning breakfast. Most of them get to the church every Saturday at 6:30am! Some of them come in on Friday to cut potatoes. The faithfulness of these men and women is amazing. At 7am the kitchen staff and the pastors gather for prayer, committing both the service and the breakfast to the Lord. People begin coming as early as 7am to come and get a cup of coffee and to just relax, read the paper, and catch up with people.

As a pastoral staff, we intentionally arrive at 7am, so that we can visit with people before the service starts at 8:45am. Over half (not sure what the exact percentage would be) of the men and women who come on Saturday mornings are homeless. (However, even in stating that we have to be careful not to assume that someone is homeless based on appearance.) From my first Saturday morning at the church back in September to now, I have built some great relationships.

One of the ways we can easily sin in the area of partiality (James 2), is by "lumping everyone together." This happens way too often when it comes to the homeless and/or those who are struggling financially. We make sweeping statements like "they should get a job," "they are probably hooked on drugs," "they choose to be homeless," or "they are just lazy." These types of statements, and the hearts from which they flow, are way too common within the church, even amongst ministries that "target" the least of these. A common critique of rescue mission chapel services is that the preachers speak down at people, and communicate as if everyone has the same story, habits, background, etc. It too often becomes a one size fits all, "get it together people" type of message.

In the 6 months or so that I have been here, and in my outreach experiences with folks on the street in Chicago, I have learned that everyone has a unique story. The question is, do we have the time and the Gospel-fueled compassion to intentionally build relationships and listen to people's stories. I have met several men who find themselves homeless and living at the mission, yet contending for their children and doing all they can to be a father and a provider in the midst of a difficult season in their lives. I have met computer programmers and bankers who life dealt a tough hand, and who are battling to maintain hope. I have met a man who openly shared with me that he battles an addiction to crack, yet whom loves the Word of God and has told me that the Spirit brought tears to his eyes as we sang, "I believer You're my healer."

Ministry can be messy. It is messy because our lives are messy (all of our lives!). Yet if we are truly to be the Church that Christ died to purchase, then we must enter in to peoples pain, struggles, and messes. We do so not as "rescuers" but rather as those who have been rescued. As the Church, we share a common phrase, "but God." I once was this and was headed in this direction...but God!

When we preach on Saturday mornings (and on Sunday mornings), we make it our aim to preach the Gospel every sermon. We try to be intentional to not make the Gospel the "tag on" at the end of the sermon, but rather the very lifeblood of the sermon. It is the Gospel message that non-believers need to hear. It is the Gospel message that believers need to hear. It is the Gospel message that compels us to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God. It is the Gospel that transforms us from being "partial judgers of men" into a people of compassion, empowered and burdened to love our neighbors and to listen to their stories.

Moved By Mercy - Part 1

There is a church in Oakland that has recently been transformed by stepping outside of their comfort zone and extending mercy to others. The following video highlights what this church did, in collaboration with World Impact. It all started with a handful of eye doctors in this local church, who felt compelled to use their unique vocational gifts for the glory of God, and the good of others.



One of the key members from this church who helped coordinate the eye clinics told me that prior to the eye clinic their church was a typical commuter church. They would drive in for service, but they weren't necessarily doing life together and growing as disciples on mission together. He told me that God used the eye clinic ministry to take their church deeper into community with one another, and mobilized them to be a more missional church in their city context.

This coming July, this church is partnering with our church to do a similar eye clinic for men, women, and families in Richmond. We have begun planning and praying for this needed ministry. We are excited to see what God is going to do!

On a side note, I love what Paul Chan says about "meaningful sacrifice." He states that as followers of Christ we have a longing within us to make sacrifices - because of our connectedness to Christ (paraphrase). He adds, "we know that when we do sacrifice, it's the closest we have to living through Christ. It's the greatest testimony we have to an unbelieving world." That's good stuff!

Go...Goodbye...Growth (Pains)

As many of you know this fall brought a whirlwind of changes into my life. At the end of August I got engaged and I moved from Chicago to Richmond, CA. On September 1st, I began a new job as one of the pastors at Living Hope Neighborhood Church. At the end of September I helped my then fiance' move her stuff from Branson, MO to Richmond. On Saturday November 5th I got married to Josie! Then on Sunday November 6th we flew back to Richmond together to begin our new life and ministry together. It is safe to say that the end of 2011 flew by, and left my head spinning:)

In recent weeks I feel as if the weight of all of the changes has caught up with me. This morning I watched a video of a new song by J'son called "Goodbye" that strongly resonated with me and how I have been feeling. In J'son's case he relocated from St. Louis, MO to Iowa. I don't know all of the details of his transition there, but I know from the song he believes that God purposefully moved him there, away from all that he has known and loved. I think my situation is different from his, yet what he shares about "being in a fruitful place" and "growing pains" is exactly what I'm feeling.

In the song he says something like this, "leaving the city I love, leaving the people I love, but I gotta follow the God I love (paraphrase)." Then he adds, "saying goodbye to everything you know, cause you feel the Spirit telling you go." Chicago is the place that I "grew up" in ministry. During my ten years there I learned so much about God, myself, race & culture, living in community, the Church, etc. I came to love the city, it's pace, its joys, and its struggles. I also came to love the families whom I was serving in youth ministry. I love the young men and women whom I have watched grow up, and am so proud of them and of what God is doing in their lives. I built strong friendships with my co-laborers (both at Sunshine, at Christ Bible Church, and at other ministries), and feel like I have a huge extended family there. And yet with all of that being said (being in a place I love and at a ministry I love), I began to feel like the Lord was moving me. I say those words with caution (as I know they can be overused and abused - ie "the Lord told me..."), but I genuinely feel His hand has been on this move and transition process.

God now has me in a different region of the country, in a smaller city, in a very diverse community, and on staff at a small church (with big dreams). I feel like God is stretching me in every area of my life.

At Home: I love being married. The fact that I am married to Josie is evidence of God's grace. I am so thankful. Yet, with all of that being said I am learning what it means to be a husband. Marriage is holding a mirror up to my selfishness. This is a great thing for my growth, but a painful thing at the same time. I am learning what it means to be the spiritual leader of my home. Every day, I'm trying to better learn my wife - how the Lord has wired her, what makes her tick, and what ticks her off:) God is growing me through my marriage.

At Church: I still can't believe I'm a pastor, and all the responsibility that it entails. I am in over my head. I am blessed with a great team to learn from and to learn with. I am also blessed with a loving church community. However, at the same time I feel like my "ministry identity" has been stripped away and at times I feel like I'm not sure who I am, or how I quite fit in here. At Sunshine, I was the "youth outreach director." I'm not much into titles, but what I am learning about myself is that I did have a "ministry identity" that I had grown into and become comfortable in. Now God has stripped that away, and is stretching me to find my identity in Him and through community here, as we flesh out the Great Commission together.

In The Neighborhood: In Chicago I lived in a neighborhood that was predominately African-American. The part of the neighborhood in which I lived and worked was predominately low-income families. I loved it there, and learned much from my neighbors there. I now live in a neighborhood that is very diverse, both ethnically and economically. It has a completely different feel. Although racial and class segregation is not as felt here, people live very separate lives even though they live next door to each other. I am recognizing that I liked "being known" by people in Chicago. No one knows me here, and I am challenged to learn afresh how to best build relationships and bridges amongst my neighbors. For example, the family who lives next door to us are Muslims. There is a mosque at the end of our street. I am praying that I can build relationships and share Jesus with them, but to be honest it is a daunting challenge that I know the Lord has placed on my heart. God is using the newness of my surroundings to grow me.

So here I am (and here we are). I'm learning. I'm being stretched. It is uncomfortable. I miss people. I miss the more familiar. Yet I am trusting that God has been sovereignly leading this process, and He is shaping and molding me through it. God has blessed me (& Josie) with new community to do life with and new mentors and teachers. As J'son said, "I'm in a fruitful place." My prayer continues to be, Lord teach me what You would have me to learn.

"Cause I know your aim, to glorify Your holy Name, as we go through these growing pains" Amen.

Fruit of the Spirit: GOODNESS

This past Saturday morning I continued our Fruit of the Spirit series, preaching on the fruit of "Goodness." Below are my main sermon notes...

Goodness
Galatians 5:22-23

Question: What is goodness?

You ever heard the expression, “I’ve got good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?” Usually I respond with “give me the bad news.” My logic behind this is that I want the bad news first, so that the good news is highlighted. Hearing the bad news first magnifies the “Goodness” of the good news! So as we talk about goodness this morning…I have bad news and good news…and I’m going to start with the bad news…

Titus 3:3-7
a)Our condition before OR without Christ

Titus 3:3 = For we ourselves were once (OR apart from Christ we are...)
Foolish = unwise (without wisdom), unintelligible
Disobedient = unable to persuade, noncompliant
Led astray = to be deceived, to be led aside from the right way
Slaves to various passions and pleasures = owned by; to give one’s self up to; in total bondage, unable to free yourself
Passing our days in malice and envy = wasting our lives, passing our time in
Malice = ill will, wickedness, and a desire to injure
Envy = a grudging regard for the advantages that others seem to enjoy; a sorrow that others have that we don’t
Hated by others = hated, detestable
and hating one another = to pursue with hatred, to detest
=you are hated by others and you hate back (you hate yourself)

b)Our salvation through Christ

Titus 3:4 = But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared
Goodness is “love in action” – Warren Wiersbe

I. God’s goodness for us
The Cross screams the goodness of God. The Cross is truly God’s love in action. We need to remind ourselves daily of the Cross. We need to have a “day to day interaction with Calvary.”

Why? Because the Cross reminds us that God is for us. The Cross screams that God is good and God is for us.

Otherwise we might doubt the fact that God is good…all the time, and all the time…God is good!
Let’s think about this. I am newly married. I love my wife. Let’s just say that she started noticing some health issues and goes to the doctor to get things checked out. Let’s imagine that the doctor tells us that it might be cancer and that further testing is needed. We go in for the tests and then have to wait several days for the results. Let’s say that when we go in for the results the doctor says that she is cancer free. When we find out that she is cancer free, we might exclaim, “God is good!”
However, what if we find out that she has cancer? Would we still exclaim that “God is good?”
God is good all the time. And all the time God is good right?

That means that God’s goodness does not depend on life circumstances, but rather God’s goodness is based upon who He is…God’s character.
God’s goodness is based on who He is. His greatest demonstration of His goodness is at the Cross = God’s love in action.

II. God’s goodness through us

(1)We speak of His goodness

Psalm 145:7; Isaiah 63:7

“As endless as God’s blessings are,
So should my praises be
For all His daily goodnesses
That flow unceasingly!” —Adams

(2)We show His goodness

the fruit of the Spirit are the “beautiful graces of the Spirit”

We have come to know and experience God’s goodness in Saving us, and His gracious Holy Spirit in us that gives us the ability to extend His goodness to others!

God’s goodness has changed our eternal destiny, given us a radical new identity in Christ, and His Holy Spirit now lives in us, therefore we are now able to have the desire to extend God’s goodness to others.

Goodness = God’s love in action
Through Christ we have the opportunity to put on display the “beautiful graces of the Spirit”

Good works or deeds = fruit – acts of Christian love that inevitably accompany a genuine faith

Titus 2:14 = who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession who are zealous for good works

Are we zealous to show acts of Christian love?

Question: Do our neighbors know that we love them? Have we shown them goodness, God’s love in action? The people that we long to see transformed must know that we care deeply for them.

God is good—make sure the people in your world know what He has done in your life.

What Church People Ought To Be About

This past week was Moody's annual Founder's Week. I have been able to listen to two powerful messages from the week (you can find all of them on youtube). One of them was given by Pastor Erwin Lutzer. He referenced a poem that one of my mentors, Dr. John Fuder, shared with Moody Church. It is a poem by George MacLeod, and we need to hear his words today as the American church. Here is what it says,

“I simply argue that the Cross must be raised again

at the center of the marketplace

as well as the steeple of the church.

I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified

in a cathedral between two candles,

but on a Cross between two thieves,

on a town garbage heap,

at the crossroads of politics,

so cosmopolitan that they had to write His title

in Hebrew, in Greek, and Latin

and at the kind of place

where cynics talk smut, thieves curse, and soldiers gamble,

Because that is where He died and that is what He died about

and that is where Christ men ought to be

and what church people ought to be about.”

Erwin Lutzer added, "What an awesome reminder that we are not just called to love one another, but it seems to me that throughout church history whenever a church got serious with God, it got serious with its community; it got serious with evangelism through works of service and it began to make a difference."

Amen

The Gospel At Work - James 2:14-26

This past Sunday I preached the rest of James chapter two, verses fourteen through twenty-six. You can listen to the message here. Here are the key sermon notes.

QUESTION (James 2:14)
In other words, “Is faith without works real, saving faith? What if someone’s faith is all talk? Is that genuine, saving faith?”

EXAMPLE (James 2:15-16)
It is…Lip service but no love, Words with not witness, Talk with no transformation

1 John 3:16-18 = By this we know love, that He laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

“We live sacrificially, not because we feel guilty, but because we have been loved greatly...those who have received mercy extend mercy. Grace in our hearts overflows in goodness from our hands…” -David Platt

ANSWER (James 2:17)
Dead in the Greek means = DEAD
Works or deeds = fruit – acts of Christian love that inevitably accompany a genuine faith

Here is an example of “Dead” faith…
“I was hungry and you formed a humanities club and discussed my hunger. I was imprisoned and you crept off quietly to your chapel in the cellar and prayed for my release. I was naked, and in your mind you debated the morality of my appearance. I was sick and you knelt and thanked God for your health. I was homeless and you preached to me the spiritual shelter of the love of God. I was lonely, and you left me alone to pray for me. You seem so holy, so close to God, but I’m still very hungry and lonely and cold.” - taken from “Signs of Life” by David Jeremiah

Real faith produces real fruit!

NO DICHOTOMY (James 2:18)
Saving faith is shown through works. There is no separation between the two.

“Faith is the source of our salvation, but good works are the way we express the reality of our salvation.” David Jeremiah

Jesus said in Matthew 7:16-17 = You will recognize them by their fruit.

It’s not just words…when someone truly embraces the Gospel, there is movement! It’s not just lip service. It’s not just checking the box on a doctrinal statement. It’s not “oh sure, yeah I believe that.” Real faith leads to real Gospel driven compassion and love lived out in community!

QUESTION (James 2:20)

BIBLICAL EVIDENCE (James 2:21-25)

(1) What is justification?
being declared righteous by God through faith, on the basis of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice
to be made right with God, to be in right standing with God through faith, ON THE BASIS of Jesus sacrifice for your sins

(2) Paul
The primary way in which Paul uses the word “justify” with this definition in mind. Consider these passages written by Paul.

Romans 3:21-24; Romans 4:1-3; Galatians 3:6-8
Paul was quoting from Genesis 15:6 which says, "And He believed the LORD, and He counted it to him as righteousness."

(3) James
He uses the word “justify” to emphasize the way in which works demonstrate that someone has truly been justified. In other words, James sees the good works that a person does as evident of true justification by faith as having taken place. So James doesn’t look at Genesis 15:6, but rather looks many years down the road at Genesis 22:9-12 where Abraham was ready to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice in obedience to God.

(4) James & Paul TOGETHER
Together James and Paul give the full dimension of faith.
Paul wrote about INNER saving faith from God’s perspective (the vertical).
James wrote about OUTWARD saving faith from man’s perspective (the horizontal).

(5) Rahab
Why would Rahab risk her life to hide the Israelite spies??
Consider Joshua 2:9-11
She was saved because of her faith in the true and living God AND she saved others because of her faith! In other words, her actions to save others were proof of her saving faith!

In Conclusion…

1) We are not saved by works
Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5-7

2)We are saved to works
Ephesians 2:10; Titus 3:8

His grace compels us to good works
His mercy compels us to show mercy
His love compels us to love others

3)His Grace → Good Works → His Glory
“The world around us can’t see our inner faith, but it can see the good works that flow from our faith.” - David Jeremiah

Matthew 5:16 = In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

“Good works are the result, not the cause, of God’s being 100 percent for us. If He were not for us because of faith alone, owing to Christ alone, we would be hopelessly unable to do good works, because our works would not magnify His grace but our resolve.” - John Piper

February Praise & Prayer

Praises (We praise God…)
1)For His faithfulness – new lessons being learned, new relationships, provisions, and grace!

2)That we have the opportunity to travel with a team to Rwanda in mid April! More info on this upcoming trip coming soon!

3)Community – Both Josie and I had great community (people doing life with us) in Chicago and Branson. Although, we greatly miss our friends there, God has blessed us with great family here!

4)I have begun volunteering each week at Richmond High School and the Boys and Girls Club doing tutoring and mentoring!

5)Our church has begun to implement the ministries of Safe Families and Youshare! Both of these ministries will give us opportunities to better love and serve our church body and community.

6)For a great start to our sermon series in the book of James (Sunday mornings) and the Fruit of the Spirit (Saturday mornings)!

Prayer Requests (Please pray with us…)
1)That our faith in Christ and our love for Him would continue to grow! Please pray that we would truly trust Him in all areas of our lives.

2) a - Josie will be taking a physical therapy test in about a week. She needs to pass this test in order to maintain her state license. Please pray for her as she continues to prepare for it, and that she would do well.
b – She is also looking for a part time job to help make ends meet for us. She has an interview with the YMCA tomorrow (Thursday)! Please pray both for work opportunities and for wisdom.

3) a – We own a condo in Branson, Missouri (where Josie lived before we got married). Please pray with us that we would find a renter soon!
b – We also own a condo in Chicago. Currently, my good brother CW is living there as he attends Moody and works at Sunshine. However, this will be ending in June. Therefore, we need to make some decisions about this condo – short sale, renter, sell, etc. Please pray for wisdom for us.

4) Josie and I are going to begin directing the “game time” at our monthly “Kid’s Fun Night” here at the church. In addition to that, we will be meeting with an AWANA missionary this week about launching a club here in the fall. We are also praying about starting a youth day camp or VBS style program this summer to gain momentum towards the fall. Please pray for wisdom and vision as we move forward with this.

5)We (Josie and I) are beginning to work on support raising, planning, and preparing for our Rwanda trip (April 15th – April 29th) in collaboration with Hallomai International (the same ministry I went to Nigeria with). Please pray for direction for us, and that we would trust God to provide for this trip. We will have a newsletter coming soon! (Also, praise God as one of our plane tickets for this trip has been provided for!)

6)I will be preaching this coming Sunday (2/5) and the following two Saturdays (2/11 & 2/18). Please pray that the LORD would direct those messages, and that He would be lifted high as I preach. (If you would like to listen to our sermons click here.)

We are so grateful for your prayers, encouragement, and support! Please let us know how we can be praying for you! You can email us at pastordave@lhnchurch.org or ja92777@gmail.com

The Gospel At Work: James 2:1-13

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to preach the 4th message of a nine week series we are doing, preaching through the book of James. Our series is entitled "The Gospel At Work." I preached from James 2:1-13. Below are the key sermon notes. You can listen to the sermon online here.

What is partiality?
“to be biased”
“to accept/judge according to face” and refers to favoritism on the basis of status
“It means that you base your treatment of someone – or your attitude toward someone – on something that should not be the basis of how you treat him.” - Piper


I. Consider…“our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory”

1)No partiality in living His life

Hebrews 1:3 = He (Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God

Romans 2:11 = For God shows no partiality.

Jesus lived in a cultural context that was known for division, prejudice, and partiality and yet His life was radically counter-cultural in how He embraced all people regardless of their background and/or social status. During his life and ministry Jesus honored, accepted, and loved those who were despised and looked down upon. Consider how Jesus treated children, lepers, tax collectors, women, and Samaritans. Jesus didn't allow class divisions, racism, and "the way things are" to effect how He interacted with people.

2)No partiality in giving His life

Revelation 5:9 = And they (the four living creatures and the 24 elders falling down before the Lamb in worship) sang a new song saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation”

There are 16,789 people groups! Jesus died for all of them!

Justification by faith alone puts all of us on a level ground of utter dependence.

Ephesians 2:8-9 = For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ leaves no room for pride or arrogance. It’s all His grace!


II. The Gospel frees us from partiality!

Ephesians 2:13-14 = But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in His flesh the dividing wall of hostility.

Galatians 3:26 = For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith…v. 28 = There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all ONE in Christ Jesus.

The Gospel demands a drastic new paradigm in how we approach relationships.

“Before we fell in love with Jesus, we were seated at the head of our own tables. For some, prior to Jesus, they may have lived naturally segregated lives, where the maxim ‘birds of a feather flock together’ was true of them. But now, having entered the marriage covenant with Christ, they are seated at the multi-ethnic, multi-socioecnomic dinner tables of the church, where Christ is the new head. Now they are told to do life with one another, to serve one another, and encourage one another. The covenant of salvation demands a radical re-patterning of relationships.” - Bryan Loritts

Why would a church show partiality to the rich?
Image
Status
It makes us look good!

Think Biblically:
God created the poor in His image
God sent His son to die for the poor
The poor who trust in Christ for their salvation are “heirs of the Kingdom”
In dishonoring the poor man…you are dishonoring God!

Level Ground of Utter Dependence: The Gospel makes the wealthy poor, because they can no longer depend on their wealth. The Gospel makes the poor rich because they become fellow heirs of the Kingdom (this should radically effect how we view one another!).

In the “World” this is what is happening…
Oppression, exploitation, social polarization, and an unjust legal/court system (this was the context of James)

Consider James 1:21-27
The Hope of Salvation (James 1:21)COMPELS us to practice "Pure Religion" = outward practice or service to God (James 1:27)
Pure Religion is marked by two things:
(1) “to visit orphans and widows in their affliction” – Justice/Compassion for the vulnerable
AND
(2) “keep oneself unstained from the world” - Holiness (to be distinct from the world)
1
By showing partiality to the rich, something that was happening in the world…they were violating the very 2 things, James said were the marks of true religion, or rather the marks of a truly transformed heart: compassion for those who are vulnerable and holiness from the ways of the world!

1)The Law can’t save you…you have to uphold ALL of it!

-Favortism and discrimination are violations of the kingdom law of love

2)The Gospel frees us to live under the law of liberty

Law of liberty – True freedom is freedom to obey God and do what pleases Him. That law of Christ provides freedom from sin through the Gospel.

Grace doesn’t produce lawlessness, it produces love!

3)In light of the Gospel, we are compelled to SPEAK and ACT as recipients, partakers, and givers of His Mercy!

Grace = when God gives us something that we don’t deserve
Mercy = when God withholds from us that which we do deserve

"Christian love means treating others the way God has treated me." Warren Wiersbe

The Gospel transforms us from "judges with evil thoughts" to loving givers of mercy!

Wedding Day Highlight Montage "WDHM"

This is a wedding video "highlight montage" put together by our videographer. His work is amazing! Thought we would share it with everyone! If you want to know "our story" read here.



I still can't believe it! God is so faithful and so gracious!