Since Easter, we have been preaching Christianity 101. Christian basics that are always good to review and go deeper in. After Easter we looked at, “Who is Jesus?”, “Why Did Jesus die?” and last week, “How can I be sure of my faith?” or my relationship with God. Today we are looking at “Why and How should I read the bible?”
In Matthew 4:1-4, “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.” 4 Jesus answered, ‘It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’ “
Life is not just from bread or the food we eat. Life is more than a physical existence. We can probably all think of people who are physically alive but their life has no has no meaning or joy.
In the Message interpretation that verse is “It takes more than bread to stay alive. It takes a steady stream of words from God’s mouth.” Words are still coming from the mouth of God! Amazing. The verb used here is in the present and ongoing!

Why should we read the bible? Some would say the bible is popular. It is the top selling book of all time. But just because a book is popular doesn’t mean I want to read it.
The bible is precious. Many here have been in countries or know missionaries who have gone to countries where the bible was banned such as parts of the Middle East, China and Russia before. People would sneak in parts of bibles to share secretly with others at risk of being arrested.
In 2 Timothy we heard today, the apostle Paul writes his last letter to encourage Timothy, a timid and gifted pastor. If we go back earlier in the letter, Paul tells him do not be like those who love themselves, or money, or boast, or are arrogant, abusive or disobedient. Paul says look to my life as evidence of how to live. All believers will be persecuted.
How is Timothy to stay faithful and be instructed in this way if Paul is not there? In verse 14, Paul says continue in what you have learned, believed and been taught.

The bible teaches you:

• The way of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
• For showing mistakes, correction and training character.
• So that you may be equipped to do everything that is good

Paul talks about the scripture being God breathed. We tend to think of this in regards to the writing of scripture. And it was. But God is still breathing life.

*Scripture is inspired by God and inspires others.

God breathed life into the world in Genesis, into dry bones in Ezekiel, and continues to breath life into us now!

Why read the bible? We read the bible because it is Powerful. So many people are seeking spiritual life and supernatural. Through scripture we meet with supernatural powers of good.
When we read the bible, we see how God spoke in the past.

God reveals God’s character and Jesus, the incarnation.

We know God in relation to people and the world. Read stories of God and God’s people and creation.

God speaks today, through the bible God is:

• inviting us to follow and be in relationship with Jesus. The bible is a love letter to us.
• Establishing identity. Last few weeks we talked about Jesus and the I am’s. I am the bread of life, I am the way, the truth and the life. Last week we talked about Who I am in Christ because of who Jesus is. In Christ I am secure, loved, significant. Maybe some of those verses are becoming your favorites.
• Giving guidelines for life. Many of us don’t like a lot of rules but what would it be if we were out driving and there were no rules? There would be a lot of accidents as each person did what they wanted. Or many of you have children and grandchildren, what would happen if a sporting event had no rules? It would be really chaotic and not fun. Rules guide us.
• Teaches kingdom values and ways, showing us how to relate to others.
• Offering presence, God’s joy, peace and power in everyday challenges. You may have heard Bellen Castillo share how Ps 139:16 helped prepare and sustain her as she dealt with her son’s unexpected death. Last week Bella Marcelo spoke of Joshua 1:9 that gave her strength and courage as she became a widow. God’s presence in our lives today.
• Giving purpose direction for our lives beyond this material existence, food for souls.

The other week I told you how I like to watch the show “Clean House”. One thing I have learned from that is how people can end up collecting and holding onto cherished belongings that remind us of people and memories. But it becomes so cluttered that we do not even enjoy it anymore and the thing becomes a barrier. The thing points to much more and instead becomes a barrier. One man had a massive collection of shirts and Hawaiian shirts from his father but never saw them or enjoyed them.
What is a favorite bible verse? I encourage you to write it down. You might know the chapter and verse. You may just remember part of the words. We can look that up. Maybe one of “In Christ I am… from last week.

Many of you know that after college I was laid of a bunch of times. I felt awful, hopeless and terrible about myself. Everything I had been working toward seemed to be falling apart and the future seemed very scary. My favorite verse for that was Jeremiah 29:11. I held onto that verse to remind me who I am and it gave me power, hope, guided me. I met the holy in that verse. If I focus on what happened to me then, I can still feel overwhelmed. Instead I focus on how God met me in that verse.
Psalm 1:1-3 is the first prayer in the book of prayer in the bible. It sets the pace. It tells us not to follow others but delight in the law of Lord, meditating on it. That word is like cows chewing on their cud over and over. When you do this you will be like trees that are well watered, fruitful, not withering away in dry times but prospering.

So how should I read the bible?

• Make a ¬¬¬¬time and place to read that fits your life. Maybe you are a morning person with a cup of coffee and in your favorite chair. Or if you dash out of the house in the mornings, maybe at night before you go to bed. Or maybe a little time over lunch. Find the time for you.
• Ask God’s Spirit to speak to you. Such as: Speak Lord, your servant is listening. From 1Samuel 3. Or God, would you speak to me through your scripture? God is breathing life. Be open to him.
• What does it say?
• What does it mean in its setting and context? I know many of you have study bibles with notes, study guides or commentaries are available online. See me if you need help finding one.
• How does this relate to my current situation? The bible is not just for the past but it connects to our lives today.
• What is God calling me to do, be or change? How will you respond to God’s leading?

I heard a quote the other day that says many of us own a Bible, but do we let the bible own us? Do we allow the bible to shape our character, identity, and how we see the world and respond to it with God’s heart and mind?

I listed some favorite scriptures in the sermon notes to hold on to and be held by. I invited people to post on our Facebook page their favorite verses. So far we have Galatians 6:9 do not weary in doing good, Romans 12:17 do not repay evil for evil and Jeremiah 29:11.

Why read the bible? To be open to God, be shaped, molded, for life that streams from the word of God.

Let me close with this prayer from Ephesians 3 : I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18 may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, 21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

For youth, college, young adults, and everyone else who loves cool, hip music!

For more info on The Nehemiah Band: www.thenehemiahband.com

28 We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
31 What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? 32He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else? 33Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34Who is to condemn? It is Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us. 35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written,
‘For your sake we are being killed all day long;
 we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’ 
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

GOD MAKES BEAUTIFUL THINGS

We just read today from a very familiar passage, Romans chapter 8, where we heard these words: We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Sounds nice, doesn’t it? It’s one of those standard Christian verses that make it to many top ten lists. The top ten most quoted verses. The top ten pastoral responses when there’s nothing else to say. The top ten scripture passages to make it into decorative Christian wall art or a Hallmark card. All things work together for good…

Well, according to the Apostle Paul, these words are more than just mere Christian-ese or some spiritual cliché. They are really at the heart of answering a lot of our “why” questions. For the past few weeks, Pastor Ann has been leading us in a discussion of some of the hard and tough questions that we face in life. Why do good people suffer? Why do my prayers seem to go unanswered? Why is God’s will so difficult to find? Now, if you have been with us through this series, you will have come to learn to your dismay, that there are really no easy clear-cut answers to these questions. In fact, if anything, often times we find ourselves left with more questions than answers. And frankly, the reality and presence of these questions are really hard to deal with.

Well, some of you will know that I was on a retreat this past weekend down in Santa Cruz with a bunch of our young adults – a retreat called, Deeper Calling. And actually I was wrestling with some questions of my own. Like why did it have to rain on the one weekend we plan to have this retreat? It was wet. It was messy. And it poured off and on throughout the retreat, until of course, the retreat ended. Then the sun came out. Why? Or why were the bathroom stalls so small? No kidding, the bathroom stalls at the retreat center made airplane lavatories look like luxurious restrooms. They were really, really small. I think some of us were actually afraid to go in, thinking that maybe we would not be able to come out. Why? And why was there only one shower for a cabin that holds twenty-five people? I know we are supposed to be about community, but this was kind of pushing it. Why?

Okay, I admit my questions may be a bit superficial, but I raise them to show you something I learned at this retreat – something that addresses the very questions that we have been wrestling with in this series. And what I learned is really what the Apostle Paul is proclaiming in his letter to the Romans. All things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. Or put another way:
God makes beautiful things, God makes beautiful things out of the dust.
God makes beautiful things, God makes beautiful things out of us.

These were the words that we sang over and over again at this retreat in Santa Cruz. It kind of became our theme song, if you will. And I totally saw these words unfold over the course of the weekend and become reality. And it blew me away. What we started with was certainly not what we ended with. I mean, can you imagine what it felt like for us to fight through the rain and traffic to get to the retreat only to find that we had to cram into cabins sharing one shower with a bunch of strangers and feeling a little tentative about using what one of the pastors called “the toilet of no return”? Not great. Not great at all. But again, this is what we started with. Not much more than what seemed like a pile of dust. More on this a little later.

What does God do with a situation like this? How does God work in the midst of despair and hopelessness? And more importantly, where is God when people suffer, when prayers aren’t answered and the will of God is so hard to find?

ADAM’S ANSWERS
In the fourth and final chapter of his book entitled, Why?, Rev. Adam Hamilton summarizes and drives home the ideas that he had been hinting at throughout the first three chapters of his book – ideas that help us to answer these questions at hand. This is what he says:
“I will suggest that God walks with us, that God works through us, that God takes the evil and suffering that occur in life and forces them to serve us, and that God ultimately will deliver us.”

In other words, what Adam Hamilton seems to be saying is this: life may be full of unexplainable suffering, and there may be times when God even seems silent, and we may find ourselves wrestling with doubt and racking our brains to figure out the will of God, but the truth remains, we are not alone in this struggle. We are not alone in these questions. And there may be situations we find ourselves in where it seems like we’re caught between a rock and a hard place, or where we feel like all hope is lost and we have exhausted all of our resources, but the truth is that God is still at work. He’s not finished with us yet. God is making beautiful things, God is making beautiful things out of the dust.

This is what I witnessed first hand at this retreat that I attended in Santa Cruz. And in particular, I observed three things that helped me to put a lot of our “why” questions into perspective. The first is this: Everyone is broken in some way. Everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are or how old you are, what kind of job you have or don’t have, whether you’re single or married or divorced or on Match.com, whether you’re a man or a woman, or longtime church member or atheist. Everyone’s broken.

This is so important to acknowledge, I think, because so often when we are in the midst of some sort of suffering or pain, we think we are the only one. And when we ask the questions of why, it becomes a very lonely experience. You all know what I am talking about. Well, at the retreat, we talked about our Deeper Calling and the need to go deeper with ourselves. We talked about what it means to go deep below the waterline to see and get in touch with the things that often times remain hidden and largely submerged, not unlike an iceberg. And it was noted that we hide these parts of ourselves because we fear rejection, or judgment, or simply because we think we are “the only one”.

But by the grace of God and with the Spirit’s moving in our midst, one by one, each of us started to share what was deep below. Pains, hurts, doubts. And it was truly moving to listen to the various stories that demonstrated that we are all broken. And I want to note that it wasn’t one of those types of sharing where we were like competing against each other to see who’s more broken. It wasn’t what I like to refer to as the “Olympics of Pain”… you know just one massive pity party. No, it was truly an authentic and deep type of sharing, and it showed us that we are all struggling and that we are all broken.

Which brings me to the second thing I observed at this retreat: brokenness doesn’t mean uselessness. You see, what I clearly saw at the retreat was that God uses one person’s story to heal another person’s pain. It was amazing to witness that as people started to open up and share from the deepest parts of their lives and deepest parts of their brokenness, other people started to resonate and connect with what was shared. And I don’t think that any person had any idea of how deeply impactful their sharing would be to another person’s heart. No one set out to share thinking that somehow God would take their words and use them to mend the brokenness of someone else. And yet, that’s exactly what happened. One young adult had shared about his five years of being an atheist and how now God had brought him back. That testimony touched another young adult’s heart that confirmed his own call back to the church after being away for a while, and actually you are going to hear from him in a few minutes. And believe it or not, this person’s testimony that you’re going to hear very soon deeply touched and inspired one of the pastors at the retreat. That pastor, of course, was me.

And there are many more testimonies like this. Testimonies from people who attended a retreat for the first time. Testimonies from people who have attended many retreats before but went deeper for the first time. Testimony after testimony, I witnessed God using people’s stories to heal other people’s pains.

A lot of times when we are going through our pain and suffering we don’t think that the pain or suffering will ever be something useful in our lives or something that will be useful for anything for that matter. But as Adam Hamilton says, God takes the evil and suffering that occur in life and forces them to serve us. I love this thought. When we suffer, that is not the end. When we experience pain, that is not the end. God is going to use it and redeem it. And as we heard Paul saying today in Romans 8:28, God will work all things together for the good. This is so true.

And this brings me to the last observation that I want to share. Ultimately, we find God in the journey and not only in the destination. When we experience suffering and pain, we need to know that God is right there with us. When we are lifting up and sometimes even crying out our “why” questions, we need to be reminded that God is not absent from our lives. And certainly, our real life testimonies will speak of not feeling God at all times and in all places. And certainly, in the midst of our pain and brokenness, many times we feel as God does not hear our prayers. And we find ourselves waiting for a different time, a new day, an alternate scenario or a destination, if you will, where “there you will find God” and “there you will experience God.” But the truth is that God is available in the here and now. It’s not something we have to move towards and travel great distances to experience. All we need to do is open our heart and invite God into the journey. Our journeys may not change. Our pain might not go away, but God will become real and we will experience the one truth that always remains: God’s love will prevail.

I’m always amazed when I think of those words that were found carved into the wall of Nazi concentration camp cell:
“I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. I believe in love even when I feel it not. I believe in God even when God is silent.”

In many ways, this is our proclamation. This is our testimony. In the midst of all of our pain, all of our suffering, all of our brokenness, all of our feeling like dust, God is still here with us in the journey, and that God is making beautiful things out of dust. This is real, friends, and to show us how real this is, I want to invite the person that I mentioned a couple minutes ago. Some of you will know him, and after today, many of you will want to know him. So, Arvin, would you come up and share your testimony with us now? Let’s welcome Arvin with a warm applause.

[Arvin speaks]

DEEPER CALLING, DEEPER CONVICTION, DEEPER COUNTING

Thank you so much, Arvin. Our God is great, amen?! What Arvin shared is indeed a testimony of the way that God works in our lives. If we are willing to go deep and keep our hearts open, God’s love will prevail.

I love what Adam Hamilton writes at the close of his book, Why? This is what he says:
I have come to appreciate how Frederick Buechner captures this when he said, “Resurrection means the worst thing is never the last thing.” The words of theologian Jurgen Moltmann have also resonated with me as he described the meaning of the resurrection of Christ in this way: “Since earliest times Easter hymns have celebrated victory of life by laughing at death, by mocking at hell, and by making the lords of this world absurd.” (Adam Hamilton goes on to say) Every year I end my Easter sermon at Church of the Resurrection in the same way. After twenty years the people anticipate it. I note that people ask me, “Do you really believe this story about the resurrection? Do you really believe that Easter means the worst thing is never the last thing? Do you really believe that good will triumph over evil and God’s plan will ultimately prevail?” And my answer is always the same, “I not only believe it, I am counting on it.”

Friends, this is exactly what we need to do. In hearing the deeper calling of our God, we need to experience a deeper conviction, and in experiencing a deeper conviction, we need to practice deeper counting. We need to count on God and the truth that God’s love will prevail.

And so, I am going to invite you to do simply two things today to apply this whole series to your life and to your faith. One, if you are in the midst of some sort of struggle or pain or brokenness, don’t ever give up hope. God makes beautiful things. God makes beautiful things out of the dust. The worst thing is never the last thing, amen? We can count on that.

Two, shift your focus from “why” to “who”. I know that those “why” questions are important, and I know that we need to be honest in raising them. But don’t dwell on them, because what is more important is not “why” is this happening, but “who” is with you as its happening. And today, Paul says, God is with you. God is always with you.

35Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36As it is written,
‘For your sake we are being killed all day long;
 we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.’ 
37No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In the light of this amazing love of God, let’s continue to open to God’s leading to share and bless one another. God is indeed making beautiful things out of us. Amen? Let’s pray.

You know when I sit and when I rise.

You discern my going out and my lying down;

You are familiar with all my ways.

Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O Lord.”

Psalm 139:1-4

Children will discover God is WILD about them July 25 – 29, 2011 during PandaMania, Saint Paul’s Vacation Bible School (VBS).  We start at 9:00am and end at 11:30am.

The basis for this VBS theme is Psalm 139:- 4 above.  We’ll encourage your child  to remember that:

1.    God made her/him through the story of creation in Genesis 1.

2.    God listens to her/him using the example of when Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal. (1 Kings 18:16-39)

3.    God watches over her/him by citing how Jonah attempted to escape from God. (Jonah 1-3)

4.    God loves you, no matter what, by sharing the story of how Jesus died and came back to life. (Luke 23:1-24:12)

5.    God gives good gifts by teaching how God gave Hannah a baby. (1 Samuel1:1-2:11).

We invite your children, preschool through 6th Grade, and their friends to join us for VBS!

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* We’re in Santiago City. Much better than Manila. Less crowded. We’re gathering supplies before w head up for our final mission day in the rice terraces of banaue. We’re reaching out to the tribal people. We were instructed that they speak very good English, but few speak Tagolag. We also have to be careful about offending them. We’ll have to taste any food they offer us. . . We’ll see how this goes with my tummy.

* We’re having space problems. Buying rice up in Banaue is very expensive. Didn’t realize that rice is imported in that area. Even though it’s the rice terraces, they don’t produce enough rice for consumption. We may rent a truck to help carry rice up to this area. I have offered to ride on top to stay cool.

* Yesterday, there was a brownout all day and then the water shut off. It was a long day. . . I have gotten used to pouring cold water on myself for showers. That’s one thing good about the warm weather.

* Kind of stunned at the pay for different folks around here – most of all, the pastors. Many only make US$50/month. Yikes. You need at least one year of college to work at the shopping mall. You need a college degree to work at Jollibee. Life is tough here, for the college educated as well as those without a college education.

* On a lighter note, we visited the seminary to pick up a missionary who’s joining us for the mission trip to Banaue. I have to say that the beautiful, single, American nurse, Monika Bautista, drew quite a bit of attention from the students, but Pastor Anne and I were like a steel curtain around her . . . . The mission leader’s daughter, single and a doctor here, has joined us. Monika is relieved.

* I cannot believe how dogs, chickens, cows, water buffalo’s get along with each others. . .

Anyhow, time to go. ..

prayers for a successful mission in Banaue!

Lance

I have left the blogging to Lance and Monika since as you have now heard our internet access is spotty. I am usually too tired to jump in.

For some reason I thought mission would be more physically demanding and I would lose weight but we seem to eat large meals and snacks between that are close in size to the meals. One day we had food on the table for breakfast as our appetizer and then cooked food came in addition as our real breakfast! I am better at pacing myself now. We are enjoying the fruit in the provinces and picking up things at the stands on the side of the road. There is always another local treat to have.

As Monika said, we have more been a presence than needed for doing things. Maybe it is an American attitude and it is very humbling. We pray that God will use our presence to encourage and inspire people to know the love of God- that people would come so far to extend care.
We have had many conversations about how people end up in squatters areas, what kinds of work they do, how much they can make, and what life is like.
Though unemployment is a challenge in the US, it will be hard for me to see it the same when people need 1 year of college to work as clerks at the mall and nurses have to volunteer and pay for their training before getting a job.
Last Sunday I was privileged to preach at Kamuning UMC in their English service, former church of Pastor Dave and many others. I am really humbled to hear how many UMC sponsor Mission pastors who start churches in poor areas. They sponsor a woman who has started and leads 2 churches in 5 years. We have a lot to learn about being in mission.
We have also been talking about what does ministry to the poor look like in the US? The economic differences feel wider here and more visible. We went to an SM mall (huge malls here and not the hugest of them all) and could not imagine the people from the slums being here. Things can cost closer to American prices.
It is nice being in the province with cleaner air and less traffic. Manila traffic was definitely making us crazy. Not just the wild driving (have not seen an accident yet though seems like they should be) but also the quantity of traffic (taking so long to get anywhere).
It has been hot and humid and cool to the locals. Feeling damp often. glad we came now and not when it is hot!

Monika mentioned our conversation with Pastor Paul about how important our presence is. We also see it as education about the Philippines and the poor so that we might advocate and support and extend the love of Jesus to them. We are surely making disciples and being made into disciples.
When talking about our presence, he reminded us that one young man came to a mission and said that he received a toy when he was a child. because of that care and experience of others, he became a doctor to care for people. Never know what God’s spirit will do. It sure is not us!
I think too of Jesus coming so far from heaven to be with us and the difference that his physical and spiritual presence makes to us. Humbled. Use us O Lord.

Blessings, Anne

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