Yesterday we went to a friend’s home for our weekly community group meeting. The first thing I saw when I exited the car was these two trees dancing with joy.
Technically, I was experiencing Visual pareidolia. It’s a psychological phenomenon where your brain recognizes familiar patterns—especially faces—in random or vague stimuli. Humans are particularly wired to spot faces, so we tend to “find” them in things like clouds, tree bark, rocks, or even shadows.
It happens to me a lot. It’s just the way I am wired. Yet, you don’t need a lot of imagination to look at the picture and see two trees dancing with joy.
That image got me thinking about the state of the created world, both now and in the future. Right now, it is suffering and groaning.
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:22-23
That will change. The Lord will set everything right.
“For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress; instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle; and it shall make a name for the Lord, an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.”
That day is coming, for the Lord has promised it. Christians are the only people who have a true reason for hope. We ought to be giving thanks, singing, dancing, and praising God more.
He gives us fresh mercies every morning, and He will deliver on his promises.
I long for the days when the mountains break forth, and the trees clap their hands and dance. How about you?
In the interim, remember his blessing and promises and rejoice.
We have just come out of another atmospheric river, a powerful series of rainstorms. It has created powerful flood and near-flood conditions. It has washed out roads and caused mudslides and landslides. Just another typical spring in BC’s Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley.
It’s a powerful sight, and it’s often commented on. There is no doubt that it can be an awe inspiring sight to see, and it can also be incredibly destructive
I frequently hear people commenting about the “Power of Nature.” There is power there, but the power isn’t caused by “nature.” Nature has no power to do or cause anything outside the constraints set by God. There are rules that the natural world must abide by.
The power that created this “Nature” that many worship is none other than the God of the Bible, the Creator of Heaven and Earth. As its creator, he stands outside of time, space, and matter, but can intervene in any way that He sees fit, in any manner that does not violate His character. There is nothing and no one more powerful than Him.
Our world is a broken place and will continue to fall apart until the Lord redeems it at the culmination of time. The new heavens and new earth will be better than this one, even better than Eden.
Those who worship the created are blind.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of theworld, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.Romans 1:18-25
There is much to be admired and awed by in the natural world, but it ought to send us in search of the creator.
Open your eyes. What do you see? The fingerprints of God are on everything in the created universe.
When I awoke this morning, I was remembering a fishing trip long ago, with a friend and his dog. We were sitting out in the lake enjoying the sun and catching a few fish, when Tawny spotted a duck she wanted to visit and decided to step out of the boat.
The result was as inevitable as it was comic. The water wasn’t solid ground, and down she went. By the time we got her back in the boat, both Bruce and I were soaked and had nearly capsized a couple of times.
Whenever I remember that trip, my mind drifts to a familiar passage in the gospel. The one where Jesus walked on the sea, and Peter, too, decided to step out of the boat.
Immediately, he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them.
And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” and they cried out in fear.
But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.” And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”
He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”
Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14:22-23
I’m sure the other disciples ribbed him about that for years. We often talk about the foolishness of Peter panicking when he began to sink.
We forget one important point, Peter actually stepped out of the boat. He had faith, weak faith, but faith nonetheless, and acted on it. Jesus rescued him.
The other disciples didn’t even bother to try. They probably teased Peter for a long time, but I suspect that deep in their hearts, they wished they had been the ones who tried.
Faith that isn’t put to the test isn’t faith; it’s a wish, a vague hope. You’ve got to put into practice the things God has called us to do, exercise your spiritual gifts.
Perhaps you’ll find yourself in over your head, but trust God. Peter didn’t fail; he tried. The other disciples stayed in the boat and didn’t experience God’s rescuing hand.
It’s time, my dear friends. Step out of the boat, walk in the Spirit, and put your faith to the test.
I’ve mentioned before that the farm just up the hill from us is being developed into a subdivision. That has displaced many small animals and birds.
That includes brown rats. There is a misconception that brown rats carry bubonic plague, but the biggest carrier of the plague during the Dark Ages was humans, followed by black rats.
Still, even brown rats can be pests. Cute in their own way, and smart, but pests, nonetheless. I don’t mind them out in the wooded areas, but once they start visiting the yard, the rules change, and they have to go.
I don’t blame the rats for moving down the hill. After all, their home has been turned into a construction zone. I can empathize.
All believers are displaced people. We have been transferred out of the kingdom of this world into the Kingdom of God. As the old song (whose authorship is disputed) “This world is not my home, I’m just a-passing through,My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue;The angels beckon me from heaven’s open door,And I can’t feel at home in this world anymore.”
We are pilgrims, strangers in a hostile foreign land. That concept is threaded through Scripture but is particularly highlighted twice in Hebrews.“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.” Hebrews 11:13
“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” Hebrews 13:14
Displaced pilgrims waiting to go home. Citizens of another land, refugees. Yet, we are far from homeless. The Kingdom of God is manifested in this life; we just won’t experience it in full until we get to glory.
When times get hard, when discouragement comes, don’t despair. We’re not home yet.
Hang fast, my dear friends, home is just around the corner.
You don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar, have an advanced degree, or have a genius-level IQ to see our world is in rough shape. Everywhere you turn, things are in turmoil. We sometimes ask ourselves, “What lies ahead?”
It’s a fair question. Many of the problems seem insurmountable from a human perspective. What can we do about wars, crime, addictions, bad economies, corporate greed, governmental corruption, poverty, wholesale exploitation of ecosystems, and more?
To be honest, not a lot. That doesn’t mean we don’t do our part, but big problems are a part of living in a sin-filled, fallen world. What lies ahead for this world is more problems.
So, what keeps us from sliding into depression, despair, and utter hopelessness?
As believers, we know the character of God, and we know that He is sovereign over everything. We know that justice will eventually prevail in the hands of God. Most importantly, God declares,
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”Jeremiah 29:11
God is speaking to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, promising their eventual restoration — so it’s a corporate promise to a people in a hard season of waiting, not a guarantee of individual comfort. That said, the theological principle it reveals about God’s character — purposeful, good, forward-looking — has deep resonance for believers in every generation.
It doesn’t mean things will get magically better and all the problems will go away. It’s a promise from God for our future and hope.
What lies ahead? Hard times, conflict, and more. Yet, we have hope because we know God has it under control and that better things are in store for us.
When we see the world falling apart around us, hold fast to your faith, strive to live as Christ has commanded us, and rejoice in the promise of better things to come.
What’s your story? We all have one. In Christian circles we call it your testimony.
The Bible is a book made up of stories. They are all true, but stories of God and how he worked in His people. They tell of His steadfast love, incredible patience, and endless mercies. They tell what He requires of us and the consequences for our wrongdoing. His stories tell of His redemptive plan for us.
We are called to share our stories. It’s urged from many places in the Bible.
“Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.” Psalm 96:3
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9
“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage — with great patience and careful instruction.” 2 Timothy 4:2
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?” Romans 10:14
The problem is that we often think about our testimonies as being who we were before Jesus and the moment that changed. That’s part of the story, but it’s ongoing. Our story grows non stop because God is relentless in His love and mercy and his patience knows no bounds.
It’s time to dig out your five, ten, twenty, or more-year-old testimony and blow the dust off it. What did you see God doing of late?
That answered prayer. That unexpected kindness. The job offer or check that materialized out of the blue at just the right time. The marriage that was healed. Your peace over a decision. A friend’s life changed.
That’s all part of your story, your testimony. Those are things worth sharing.
When we do, it brings glory to God and encourages others. Only you can tell your story. Don’t keep it hidden.
We spotted this lovely little waterfall a week or so ago on a drive down a local area forest service road. What you can’t see is the bigger picture. It’s a tiny section on the lower part of a waterfall that probably drops 150 feet or more.
The area we traveled through has several reasonably large falls, and, because of the rain, dozens of beautiful seasonal falls of various sizes. I always find being near a set of falls relaxing, and seeing the water’s power reminds me of God’s power.
Just as the image today shows a complete waterfall, but misses the big picture, so it is with our lives. We often live as if we are the center of the universe and if everything that happens is about us.
In truth, while every one of us is loved by God, we are just one of billions of people alive today, and God only knows how many have come before us and will come after. The thought that we are one of many shouldn’t cause us to despair.
God created each and every one of us in his own image. Every single one of us is uniquely crafted and gifted by God. Each of us has a divine purpose to fulfill in bringing about God’s kingdom. Knowing that should bring us joy.
The person we are today isn’t who we were in the past, and it’s not who we will be in the future. I’m not the man I was 10 or 20 years ago, nor will I be the same in 10 or 20 years from now.
The big picture of who we are in God’s economy is something we can’t yet see. I hope it will be revealed in glory, but even if it isn’t, we will be able to rejoice in our fellowship with Him, and in the wonder that He chose to love us and adopt us as his children.
We get a fresh start when we become believers
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.” I John 5:1
… since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; …1 Peter 1 ESV
The Lord will finish the work He started in us. The final big picture will be something more amazing than we can ever imagine, and as believers, we will get to see it.
This weekend, our local assembly is celebrating its fortieth anniversary. That’s both a huge milestone and a stepping stone for our little church.
Statistically, over 80% of new church plants last less than five years, so this one has done very well. Depending on which source you look at, churches that make it past the first 5 years last somewhere between 75 and 100+ years. There’s lots of time to go yet.
Like most congregations, this one has ebbed and waned over the years. It’s presently undergoing significant change, with a much larger multicultural makeup reflecting our community as a whole. That’s a good thing.
I’ve often spoken of the need for unity in the church, and an area that doesn’t often get touched on are cultural differences between what differing communities think of as “church.” I’m excited to see what we will look like at our 45th and 50thanniversaries,
Will the music change? The service format? What about the ministries we are involved in? It’s likely. The question is by how much. Will we even recognize the church?
Will you move as the Spirit leads, or will we fight change it tooth and nail because it isn’t the way we think church should be done? Probably some combination of both.
We can forget that it is never “our church”. The church in all its forms belongs to God. His pleasure is to use the church (both as the body of believers and the organizations therein) to fulfill His goal, of seeing all who will be saved come to Him, and as a training ground for believers to be shaped into His image.
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rockI will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.Matthew 16:18
And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.Ephesians 1:22-23
He is preparing His bride (the church) to present to the Father and will shape her as He wills.
That’s great news for us. We don’t have to fret about change. We are free to simply follow the Lord as He leads and walk by faith.
I don’t know what the next 40 years hold for Immanuel: growth, decline, or even demise. I do know I needed worry. I can celebrate what God has done, is doing, and will do.
The church is full of program junkies. We seem to have a fascination for the “latest and greatest” from our best-selling Christian leaders or speakers. It comes from our heartfelt desire to see people come to Christ and the church grow. That’s a healthy desire.
Oftentimes, there is solid meat in the product or program, but we tend to throw out the good things we have going for us and jump on the latest bandwagon without a second thought.
I’m not going to name them, because some of them really work in certain situations. Yet, if you have been a believer for any length of time, you could probably name several of these fad programs without thinking too hard about it.
The problem comes when we adopt these tools as “the” solution for the church’s problems. Then they become idols instead of tools.
Do not be afraid to try a new program or product, but weigh it out against what God is calling you to do and be. We are not called to be identical. Perhaps, it did work well at ”my old church”, but that isn’t a guarantee it will work at your new church.
Just because First National Reformed Bapticostal down the road is running “How to Grow Your Church in Ten Easy Steps With No Effort” does not mean you have to do so. It may or may not work for First National Reformed Bapticostal, but remember that you are not First National Reformed Bapticostal.
The fact that your favorite televangelist is saying that his new book, “Jesus … Know Him As Only I Do,” is a “must read” does not mean your Christian walk will be incomplete without it.
There is nothing wrong with new things or new methods. We need to always be checking that we are relevant (without ever compromising the truth) and be willing to adapt. Use them (or any other program or tool) as they fit, but do not confuse them with what the old snake oil salesmen cry, “Good for what ails you, and if nothing ails you, it is good for that too.”
It is simplistic in a way, but the key to success does not rest in methodology. It rests in being obedient to God’s call for you and the congregation you are affiliated with. Churches grow and reach people by loving them, accepting them (but not compromising on their sin), and pointing them to Jesus Christ as the answer to their problems.
Please understand, I’m not against programs or books. They can be great, they just aren’t the perfect solution for your church
The Bible does not lay out a formal program, but it does lay out some principles.
Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Maybe, just maybe if we did those two things well, we could fulfill our mandate as a church.
Perhaps King Solomon was on to something when he said
The words of the wise are like goads, their collected sayings like firmly embedded nails—given by one shepherd. Be warned, my son, of anything in addition to them. Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body. Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.Ecclesiastes 12:11-14
Use the tools that God makes available, but with wisdom and discretion. Try the Jesus plan first and foremost “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment and love your neighbor as yourself.”
Until next time, may your life be filled with the love of Christ.
My social media has been abuzz with a “newly found” gospel and claims that will revolutionize the church. It’s not the first time these things have gone around in circles.
What is this new gospel? It’s the gospel of Judas. Will it truly revolutionize the church? Let’s examine that claim.
Despite the claims of some, this “gospel” is not news to the church. One of the early church fathers, Irenaeus, spoke of it around 180 AD. So, what did he have to say about it?
“They declare that Judas the traitor was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and that he alone, knowing the truth as no others did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal; by him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were thus thrown into confusion. They produce a fictitious history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas.”
This so-called gospel was already known to be fictitious 1800 years ago. It was the work of one of the groups of heretics known collectively as “Gnostics” from the Greek gnosis or to know.
Gnosticism was an early religious movement that taught salvation comes through secret, hidden knowledge (gnosis) rather than faith or grace. Gnostics believed the material world was not created by the true, highest God, but by a lesser, flawed divine being called the Demiurge — often identified with the God of the Old Testament. Human souls were seen as divine sparks of light trapped in corrupt physical bodies, longing to return to the true spiritual realm above. Salvation, in this view, meant awakening to one’s divine inner nature and escaping the material world entirely.
The early Church firmly rejected Gnosticism because it contradicts core biblical truth — that God created the physical world and called it “very good” (Genesis 1:31), that Jesus came in real flesh (1 John 4:2), and that salvation is by grace through faith in Christ alone, not hidden knowledge (Ephesians 2:8-9).
This pseudo-gospel was written by someone holding a faith that, from its inception, held differing beliefs from those of Christians. It is not Scripture, any more than many of the other false gospels that pop up periodically, such as the Gospel of Thomas, The Secret Book of James, The Gospel of Mary and many others. It was written by a false prophet.
There is nothing “new” about these gospels. From the earliest days of the church, they have been recognized as non-Christian, heretical works at best, total fiction at the worst.
The church will not be shaken to its core by this revelation. No doubt there will be some scholars who jump on the bandwagon and embrace it, but many of the same scholars already deny the authority of Scripture, many of Jesus’ teachings, and even the resurrection. They are Christian in name only.
We need never worry about these attempts to “change” or discredit the faith. They are nothing new. Scripture warned us that these things would happen.
And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.Matthew 24:11-14
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed.2 Peter 2:1-2
God is not surprised by the “sudden revelation” of this “newly discovered” book. His Word is not suddenly void because of the uncovering of an old heretical document. He remains God. He remains in control of all things. His Word is still the measure of truth.
If the gospel of Judas does not match up with the inspired Word of God, then it is the gospel of Judas that is wrong.
The Word is truth and that will bring attacks to try and discredit it, but God remains sovereign.
Until next time, rejoice that we have God’s inspired Word available to measure the counterfeit against.
