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ANDY FUQUA
Thoughts about the Bible, theology, Christianity, and life from apastor.
SERMONS — ANDY FUQUA I am blessed to pastor LakeView Evangelical Free Church in Stoughton, WI. I preach there most Sundays. Here's a list of sermon series fromLakeView.
BIO — ANDY FUQUA
My Bio. I am a native of Missouri, where the rivers run, and I love to fish, camp, canoe, hike, pretty much anything outdoors. Born into a Christian home, I received the Lord at a young age but didn’t really “own” my faith until I was 19, when I decided to stop borrowing my parents’ faith and make it mine.WHAT’S MY JOB?
My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad. My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right. Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs23:15-18 ESV)
YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED When I was in college, I had to make a difficult decision. I have always loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping. I had decided I would pursue a career as a wildlife biologist, working for a state DNRor the USFWS.
MY SOUL THIRSTS FOR GOD Psalm 42:1–5 (NIV) 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I re JUST AS MY MOTHER DID I sat down with a cup of coffee, my Bible, and my journal, and I opened the Logos Bible app on my phone to see where my reading plan would take me. I’ve been following the reading plan in The Book of Common Prayer (1928) Daily Office Lectionary since January. The Psalm for the morning of May 10, 2020, was Psalm 116.LIFE OR DEATH?
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6, NIV)ANDY FUQUA
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:2, NIV) GREAT BIBLE APPS FOR YOUR PHONE OR TABLET (REPOST) When Apple unveiled the iPhone in 2007, it was equally as revolutionary as Gutenberg's press, and with this new technology has come a new way to access God's Word, Bible apps. Now your Bible can always be with you, just a tap and a swipe away.ANDY FUQUA
Thoughts about the Bible, theology, Christianity, and life from apastor.
SERMONS — ANDY FUQUA I am blessed to pastor LakeView Evangelical Free Church in Stoughton, WI. I preach there most Sundays. Here's a list of sermon series fromLakeView.
BIO — ANDY FUQUA
My Bio. I am a native of Missouri, where the rivers run, and I love to fish, camp, canoe, hike, pretty much anything outdoors. Born into a Christian home, I received the Lord at a young age but didn’t really “own” my faith until I was 19, when I decided to stop borrowing my parents’ faith and make it mine.WHAT’S MY JOB?
My son, if your heart is wise, my heart too will be glad. My inmost being will exult when your lips speak what is right. Let not your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of the Lord all the day. Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off. (Proverbs23:15-18 ESV)
YOU WON’T BE DISAPPOINTED When I was in college, I had to make a difficult decision. I have always loved the outdoors, hunting, fishing, camping. I had decided I would pursue a career as a wildlife biologist, working for a state DNRor the USFWS.
MY SOUL THIRSTS FOR GOD Psalm 42:1–5 (NIV) 1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while people say to me all day long, “Where is your God?” 4 These things I re JUST AS MY MOTHER DID I sat down with a cup of coffee, my Bible, and my journal, and I opened the Logos Bible app on my phone to see where my reading plan would take me. I’ve been following the reading plan in The Book of Common Prayer (1928) Daily Office Lectionary since January. The Psalm for the morning of May 10, 2020, was Psalm 116.LIFE OR DEATH?
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6, NIV)ANDY FUQUA
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” (Psalm 91:2, NIV) GREAT BIBLE APPS FOR YOUR PHONE OR TABLET (REPOST) When Apple unveiled the iPhone in 2007, it was equally as revolutionary as Gutenberg's press, and with this new technology has come a new way to access God's Word, Bible apps. Now your Bible can always be with you, just a tap and a swipe away. SUFFERING, KINGDOM, AND PATIENT ENDURANCE A couple of years ago at a conference, I went to a breakout session for senior pastors of multi-staff churches. Being new to the EFCA, I thought this would be a good opportunity to meet some other pastors serving in similar roles.LIFE OR DEATH?
The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. (Romans 8:6, NIV) THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. (Matthew4:19-20 ESV)
PREVENT A FIRE
“The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell,” (James 3:6 NIV). TEACH US TO NUMBER OUR DAYS "Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom" (Psalm 90:10, 12, NIV). THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH "The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to mankind" (Psalm 115:16, NIV). REMOVE THE HIGH PLACES "Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him. The high places, however, were not removed; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense there" (2 Kings 12:2-3 NIV). THE CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN "Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. GREAT BIBLE APPS FOR YOUR PHONE OR TABLET (REPOST) When Apple unveiled the iPhone in 2007, it was equally as revolutionary as Gutenberg's press, and with this new technology has come a new way to access God's Word, Bible apps. Now your Bible can always be with you, just a tap and a swipe away.ASSET OR LIABILITY?
“But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.” (Philippians 3:7, NIV) Last week my car died as I was driving to take my boys fishing. Needless to say, I wasn't in a great mood the rest of the afternoon, even though a friend came in just a few minutes to jump me and geSkip to content
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ANDY FUQUA
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ABOUT ME
I’m a husband, a dad, and a pastor who enjoys my family, fishing, roasting coffee, and learning… read more .Search for:
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March 9, 2020March 9, 2020by Andy
DAILY REPENTANCE
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* Gospel of Luke ,
Prayer , Repentance
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> “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” (Luke 18:13, NIV> )
------------------------- Back in September 2019, I preached a sermon on prayer at our church’s Dunk & Roast service at Lake Waubesa Bible Camp. In the message, I talked about simple, short prayers that have changed my life. * “Help my unbelief.” (Mark 9:24)
* “Speak, for Your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3:10)
* “Give me wisdom.” (James 1:5)
* “Not my will but Yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)
* “Establish the work of my hands.” (Psalm 90:17)
Recently, I was reading in Luke 18 and came across the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. Both men were in the temple praying. The Pharisee thanked God that he was not a depraved wretch like the tax collector. But, the tax collector wouldn’t even look up to the heavens. Instead, he beat his breast and prayed, “God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Jesus then said the tax collector, not the Pharisee, was the one who was justified by God. Reading that parable reminded me again of the importance of repentance. Many Christians believe that repentance is something they do when they pray the sinner’s prayer and ask Jesus into their hearts, but they don’t realize that we all need to keep on repenting every day throughout our walk with Jesus. The word _repent_ literally means “turn around.” To repent is to turn around from your old way of life and walk after (or follow) Jesus. That begins with a decision often verbalized in something like the sinner’s prayer. But at various times during our Christian life, we find that we’ve turned back to our old way of life, away from Jesus. We’re looking over our shoulder. Sometimes we even take a few steps back in that direction! We need to choose to turn around (repent) and follow Jesus all overagain.
Now, put your heart at rest and know that even when we take steps back, we haven’t “lost our salvation.” You weren’t saved by living a good moral life, and won’t be “unsaved” by failing to live a good moral life. Salvation is and always will be by grace through faith in Jesus. Nevertheless, unconfessed and unrepented sin does have negative (even devastating) consequences, and the best practice is to confess sin as soon as possible and choose to turn awayfrom it.
Jesus’ story in Luke 18 prompted me to add a sixth prayer to mylist:
“God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Pray it often, get your sin-garbage out and deal with it, and walk in freedom (see 1 John 1:9 , one of my favorite verses). That’s my prayer for the week! March 2, 2020March 1, 2020by Andy
THAT WHICH WE HOLD MOST DEAR* Blog
* 1 Samuel , Faith
, Sacrifice
, Trust
* Leave a comment
> “… then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his > life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” (1 Samuel> 1:11b, NIV )
------------------------- In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah wanted a son more than anything. She had struggled with infertility, and that had caused her not only to doubt her self-worth but also to be the object of scorn from her husband’s other wife, Peninnah (in those days it was common for men to have multiple wives, even though God’s clear instruction was that marriage was one man and one woman committed for one lifetime). Her prayer in 1 Samuel 1:11 is well known and highly regarded since it was an honest prayer from a heart in deep anguish. And God’s answer was “Yes.” He gave her a son, Samuel, who would become one of the greatest prophets inIsrael’s history.
As I prayerfully reflected on this story over a cup of coffee with the Lord, it occurred to me that several times in the past few weeks God has reminded me that He always asks us to give to Him the thing we hold most dear. He refuses to share first place in our hearts with anything or anyone. At some point in your journey with Christ (probably at several points, actually) you will have to choose between Jesus and the thing you love most. This might be a career path, a hobby, a lifelong dream, your spouse, or your children. For Hannah, it was her son–the one thing she wanted most in the whole world. When he was weaned, she took him to the tabernacle and left him there to be raised by the priests and serve the Lord his whole life. I have faced this decision at multiple points in my life. Many years ago I had to decide whether I would pursue a career in wildlife biology or if I would give up that dream to serve as a worship pastor. Years later, I again had to choose whether I would continue leading the congregation in musical worship (which I loved) or whether I would follow God’s call to be a lead pastor. There have been several other times (not all career-related) when I stood at the crossroads, and God asked for that which I held most dear. Two things I have learned. First, when you give God what you love most, what you are really giving Him is your heart. And, when you give Him your heart, He gives it back to you more full than you could ever have imagined. Do you trust Him with your heart? Second, it is most difficult to trust God with the things we love the most. As a dad, I often find it an intense struggle to trust God with my boys. As a husband, I face a similar struggle entrusting Corinne to God’s care. But the reality is that God loves my wife and my boys even more than I do, and He is able to take even better care of them than I can. What is the thing you hold most dear? Whether it’s a friend, an aging parent, a career, or an item on your bucket list, do you trust God enough to give it to His care? What if He doesn’t give it back? Do you trust that He knows best? God has been pressing this into my heart in various ways for a few months. My prayer for this week is that you will find the strength to entrust to God that which you hold most dear. February 24, 2020February 16, 2020by Andy
DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEART* Blog
* Confession , Hebrews, Pain
, Sin
, Suffering
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> So, as the Holy Spirit says: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not > harden your hearts…” (Hebrews 3:7-8a, NIV> )
------------------------- In Hebrews 3:7-8 , the author warns against the hardening of the heart. Looking at the context of the passage, we see that “hardening your heart” means “having a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God” (v. 12). As I was meditating on these verses, I felt like the Lord prompted me with a question to ponder: _Why do we harden our hearts?_ It occurred to me that there are two things that harden our hearts (there are probably more than two, but I only thought of two during my quiet time). Sometimes our hearts are hardened by sin, and sometimes they are hardened by hurt. At times, we are like the ancient Israelites referred to in Hebrews 3, we harden our hearts in rebellion against God. We know what his Word says, but we go our own way. We get stubborn and ignore the voice of the Holy Spirit, choosing instead to do what we want (or, sometimes more often, _not_ do what he’s asking us to do). When we sin, we harden our hearts and can grieve the Holy Spirit. Other times, our hearts are hardened by hurt. Emotional pain has caused “scar tissue” to build up in our souls, hardening our hearts. In this condition, we can get angry with God and sometimes turn away from him. When a person endures emotional pain for years or even decades, it can cause their heart to be as hard as stone, especially toward the Lord. We just hurt too much to allow ourselves to _feel_ anything real–especially when it comes to God. At the risk of oversimplifying, I’ll say that the way forward, whether your heart is hardened by sin or by hurt, is the same: confession. Confess your sin to the Lord and he will soften your heart through forgiveness. Confess your hurt to the Lord and he will break through calluses built up around your heart. Speaking your sin and your hurt aloud to the Lord brings freedom and allows God the space in your life to crack your heart of stone. Hiding our sin or bottling up our hurt only leads to bondage, bitterness, and a hard heart. My prayer for the week is that the Lord will prompt you with something you need to confess out loud to him, and in so doing, your heart will be softened just a little. February 10, 2020February 10, 2020by Andy
THE THINGS OF EARTH GROW STRANGELY DIM* Blog
* Materialism , Matthew, Treasure
, Values
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> “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a > man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all > he had and bought that field.” (Matthew 13:44> )
------------------------- _The following post was written by Josh Raley, Next Steps Associate Pastor at LakeView Church._ ------------------------- I love this parable spoken by Jesus. It’s simple and easy to understand, yet profound. The image of buried treasure is a familiar one. Story after story from my childhood involved buried treasure and some sort of treasure map. If my three-year-old son is any indication, the lore of buried treasure is alive and well. Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like buried treasure. It’s this supremely valuable thing that is right under our noses, hidden in plain sight. If we just know where to look, all the riches of God’s kingdom are ours! Like the man in the parable, we need only exchange everything we own in this life for it. Simple, right? The principle certainly is simple. The kingdom is real treasure, our stuff is not. Exchange the one of lesser value for the one of greater value. The deal is certainly a win for us, like a man who buys a field with buried treasure hidden in it! So why then do we often find it so difficult to let go of our possessions and comfort to attain it? Unfortunately, if I’m honest, my reason is that I’m often too nearsighted to ascribe to the kingdom of God its true value. I too-highly value stuff and money and comfort. I’m too satisfied with instant gratification to look out on the horizon to see what truly matters. Meanwhile, I downplay the value of God’s kingdom. As C.S. Lewis said, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.” My prayer today is that we would not be too easily pleased. I pray we would each acquire a palate that is tuned to enjoy the things of God and cannot abide the things of this world that would get in the way. And I pray that the Spirit of God would so move in our hearts that the things of this world would grow dim in the light of what God offers tous in His Son.
– Pastor Josh
------------------------- February 3, 2020February 3, 2020by Andy
FAITH IN GOD’S POWER* Blog
* 1 Corinthians ,
Confession , Humility, Pride
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> I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling. My message > and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a > demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not > rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. (1 Corinthians 2:3-5> )
------------------------- I wish I could say that I came to LakeView Church to be Lead Pastor with the same humility as the Apostle Paul–to intentionally come in weakness and purposely not speak with wise and persuasive words so that God would be magnified rather than me. However, I confess that I have a desire to be clever in the pulpit, and I enjoy the spotlight more than I let on. I have to wrestle with my own pride every week. Dr. Green, one of my professors at Moody, said to our class once, “When you are pastors, don’t pray any prayers of false humility, like ‘God, please make me invisible, so that people see and hear only you.’ Be honest! You don’t really want to be invisible. Don’t try to hide your pride, acknowledge it. Confess your sin and lay it at the feet of Jesus. Always be aware of your hidden motives, and do your best to bring them to light in Christ. Then, you’ll be able, with God’s help, to work around your pride.” I think that’s exactly what the Apostle Paul did when he went to preach the gospel to the Corinthians. Pride is such a sneaky sin! It often disguises itself as humility or concern for others, or even concern for God’s kingdom, when in reality it is concerned for ourselves. For example, sometimes we want our kids to turn out well not only for their own good but also so that others will think we’re great parents. Sometimes we want our company or department or team to succeed not only for a successful business but also so that others will recognize that we are great employees. Sometimes we want our Life Group to hear whatever insightful thing we have to say not only because it will help someone else (which it often will) but also because we want others to remember that we had an insightful word. Rarely (if ever) are our motives 100% pure! Rather than hide it, confess it. When we bring our pride into the light, it’s much easier to see and avoid. Parent well, work hard, and share your insight at Life Group. If God can somehow use my vain ambition to result in praise and glory to him, that’s a victory! My prayer for the week is that you’ll be prompted by the Holy Spirit of an area of pride in your life that needs to be dragged out into the light and offered up to God. January 27, 2020January 27, 2020by Andy
WHY DO WE READ THE BIBLE?* Blog
* Bible , Devotional, God's Presence
, Hebrews
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> For the word of God is alive and active… (Hebrews 4:12a, NIV> )
------------------------- Ever wonder why God gave us the Bible? Many never ask, but understanding why we have the Bible will change how we read it. Two purposes immediately come to mind: _information_ and _transformation_. God reveals who he is in the Bible. It’s possible to know that God exists simply by looking at Creation. But without Scripture, we cannot know who God is. Information about who God is, who we are, what’s broken in our world, and what God has done to redeem us is found in the pages of your Bible. It has answers to the deepest questions humans have asked for thousands of years. The Bible also serves as a catalyst for transforming our lives. Through the Word, God the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to see the world and experience reality in a new way. As we see truth in Scripture and respond to it, it changes us through the renewing of our minds (cf.Romans 12:1-2 ).
Additionally, theologians have for centuries written about a third purpose of Scripture: _communion with God_. Unfortunately, this third principle has fallen somewhat out of vogue in modern, American, Protestant evangelical Christianity. But when Hebrews 4:12 says that “the word of God is alive and active,” at least part of what it means is that God _still speaks_ through his Word, which means that he is _really present_ with us (not just metaphorically so) when we open our Bibles. In our brand of Christianity, it is often thought that devotional Bible reading is second-class to more sophisticated and intellectual forms of Bible _study_. But I would argue that communion with God in his Word (aka devotional Bible reading) is every bit as important to a Christian’s spiritual development. There’s nothing like being in the personal presence of God! I very much resonate with John Jefferson Davis in his book _Meditation and Communion With God_. He says, “ we graze and ruminate on the text in a very leisurely and contemplative manner, having no real agenda other than to be in Christ’s presence and _to enjoy_ being in Christ’s presence… The wonderful thing about meditating on Scripture is that it is based on the truth that being in the presence of the God who loves us can be the believer’s highest joy and most pleasurable and fulfilling experience. Meditating on the Scriptures by faith, in the Spirit, in a slow and mindful way, is _instrinsically_ and not merely _instrumentally_ worthwhile” (p.127).
My prayer is that you will enjoy being in the real presence of the Lord as you open his Word this week. January 20, 2020January 20, 2020by Andy
A LISTENING HEART
* Blog
* 1 Kings , Hearing God, Holy Spirit
, Wisdom
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> Give to your servant a listening heart… (1 Kings 3:9a, LEB> )
------------------------- One night God came to King Solomon in a dream and said, “Ask what I should give you.” Can you imagine God himself standing before you and telling you to ask for anything?!? What would you ask for? It’s commonly thought that Solomon asked for wisdom, but that wasn’t actually his request. He asked God for “a listening heart.” I find that very interesting! If God were to give me anything I asked for, the best thing I could have would be a listening heart tuned in to his voice (although that wasn’t the first thing on my list, if I’m honest). If I am listening to God, I will have wisdom at home, at work, in friendships, in financial management, and the list goes on. Maybe that’s why Solomon also said, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs9:10, NIV ).
As I was reflecting on Solomon’s prayer, the Lord brought a thought to my mind, _I’ve already answered this prayer for you_. In fact, he’s already answered this prayer for every Christian. When we surrendered our lives to the Lord, his Holy Spirit took up residence in our hearts. We all have something greater than even Solomon had–continuous direct access to God! I understand it’s not perfect, yet. The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13 that in our present reality we only know in part, and what we see is like the reflection of a distorted mirror. Sometimes we think we’re hearing from God when we aren’t, or (probably more often) we don’t recognize his voice when he speaks. It’s easy to misinterpret what he says because our spiritual senses are still hindered by the presence of sin. That’s why we always need to submit what we think we’ve heard to the authority of Scripture. And, just because we _can_ hear God speak doesn’t mean we _automatically know how_. We must train ourselves to listen, exercise our spirits the way we exercise our bodies when we’re getting ready for a 5K. How much of our time in prayer is spent listening? Do we pick up our Bibles most often to get information or to spend time with the Lord? Do we believe that Jesus is _really present_ with us when weopen his Word?
My prayer for the week is that God will give all of us a listeningheart.
January 13, 2020January 13, 2020by Andy
STAND FIRM OR NOT AT ALL* Blog
* Apologetics , CultureWars , Faith
, Isaiah
, Relationship
, Trust
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> If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. > (Isaiah 7:9, NIV ) ------------------------- Have you ever heard the old saying, “If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything”? Well, in Isaiah 7:9 , the Lord told the Israelites something very similar: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” We live in a time and place in which standing firm in your faith in Jesus is becoming less and less popular. If you believe the Bible is true and Jesus is the hope of the world, you are labeled as intolerant, narrow-minded, and actually immoral (I, personally, find it a bit ironic that the group of people who claim there is no such thing as objective morality is the very same group telling Christians we are immoral because we stand firm in our faith–but that’s a topic for another post). My guess is that most of you (if you’re at all like me) read a verse like Isaiah 7:9 and think about not compromising on all the truths of Christianity–especially the moral truths taught in Scripture that have become highly politicized and divisive in our “tolerant” society. And, yes, it is good to remember that we must stand firm in the truths and doctrines of our faith–not compromising God’s Word or our commitment to it. If the Bible is true, then it is true whether or not it’s politically correct, whether or not it’s popular, and whether or not I like it. If the Bible is true, then it’s true. Period. We can’t change what is true simply because it doesn’t suit us. We can reject it, rebel against it, turn away from it, or try to convince ourselves otherwise, but that doesn’t change what is true. Ultimately, Christianity is not about believing what is palatable and makes us feel good about ourselves. Christianity is about discovering and living by what is _true_, even if it’s hard truth (in that way, Christianity is more committed to truth and reality than our “enlightened” and “scientific” society). But that’s not actually the point I wanted to make in this post (even though it’s a message we all need to hear from time to time). When I read Isaiah 7:9 , the Lord brought to my mind that _faith_ = _trust_. Faith is not necessarily believing a set of true propositions or a list of doctrinal statements. This is especially the case in the context of Isaiah 7. When the Israelites were facing the threat of powerful neighboring kings who wanted to invade them, God wasn’t telling them, “Don’t worry about these stronger nations that want to declare war and destroy you. Stand firm in propositional truths and doctrinal statements, and you’ll be fine.” God’s word of encouragement to his people was, “Keep calm. Don’t be afraid. Don’t lose heart. Trust Me. Don’t try to take things into your own hands. Don’t panic and do something stupid. I’ve got this. If you don’t stand firm in your trust in Me, you won’t stand at all.” God’s point was to trust _Him_. I believe every Christian should grow in their knowledge and understanding of Scripture and theology. We should know what we believe and why we believe it. We should grow in our ability to answer questions, explain our beliefs, and defend our Christianity (see 1 Peter 3:15 ). But, we must love God with our hearts as well as our minds. In the day of trouble when our hearts quail, when darkness seems to overtake us and we can’t see a way out, God has not left us only arguments and propositions to cling to. He has given us Himself. And it is His Holy Spirit within us Who is the sign and the seal on our hearts, marking us as children of God. It is His presence and the relationship we have with Him that gives us the strength to defend our faith, to hold fast to the truth of God’s Word in a world that is quickly turning against it. If we don’t stand firm _in Him_, in our _trust_ in Him, in our _relationship_ with Him through His Holy Spirit in us, then we won’t stand at all–no matter how logical our arguments are. My prayer for the week is that God will be more than a proposition or concept to you, and your relationship with Him will be added to your understanding of his Word. January 6, 2020January 6, 2020by Andy
JUMPSTART THE NEW YEAR* Blog
* Devotional , Quiet Time, Resources
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January is a time for New Year’s resolutions, and one of the most popular resolutions Christians will make is to spend more time with God this year. Here are a few ideas for jumpstarting your quiet time. CHANGE THINGS UP. Variety is the spice of life, and sometimes trying different ways to connect with God can make a big difference. Go for a walk while listening to an audio Bible or a sermon. If you’ve been in the habit of reading the Bible by itself, try switching gears to watching or listening to sermons or reading a book. WATCH A VIDEO SERIES ON RIGHTNOW MEDIA. I’m not marketing for RNM! There are a variety of places online with video-based teaching you can access. However, I’m recommending RightNow Media because (1) I know their content is biblical and evangelical, and (2) if you’re part of the LakeView Church family, you can get access to RNM at no cost to you (and there’s a TON of great content on there for you, your kids, everyone!). If you don’t have access to RNM and would like to get it, just send Tara Wheeler (our LV Kids Director & Office Assistant) an email: tara@lakevc.org. READ A DEVOTIONAL. _My Utmost for His Highest_ by Oswald Chambers is my all-time favorite devotional book. I also like _Through the Bible Through the Year_ by John Stott.
TRY A SELF-GUIDED BIBLE STUDY. One of the best I’ve found is thisseries by NavPress
.
These are self-guided inductive Bible studies that help you dig deeperinto God’s Word.
USE A GOOD STUDY BIBLE. I most often recommend the Life ApplicationStudy Bible
.
You can get it in several popular English translations, like the NIV, NLT, NKJV, and HCSB. My personal favorite study Bible is the NET Bible. It’s an
excellent translation, and the footnotes are, quite simply, amazing in their scope and quality. READ A COMMENTARY WITH YOUR BIBLE. Commentaries are great for those wishing to go still deeper than self-guided study and the footnotes of a study Bible. They’re not usually considered light reading, but for those wanting to get geeky with God’s Word, they contain a wealth of knowledge and insight. One of my favorite devotional commentary series is the BE Series Commentary by Warren Wiersbe.
Another commentary series I really like, although it’s a little more technical than the BE series, is The Bible Speaks Todayseries.
READ A CHRISTIAN BOOK. There are a lot of good books out there (and a lot of bad ones). I like books that are studies of the Bible, kind of like a sermon series in written form. _The Meaning of Marriage_,
_The Prodigal God
_,
and _Jesus the King
_
all by Tim Keller are three of my favorites. There are also topically-oriented books, but finding good ones that go deeper than a mud puddle can be difficult. The Gospel Coalition has a recommendedbooks page ,
and you can trust that they’re not going to recommend fluff. Over time you’ll find authors you know are good, like Francis Chan, Jennie Allen, David Platt, Dallas Willard, and Larry Osborne. Another kind of book that often gets overlooked by people who aren’t pastors is the theological book. These aren’t necessarily “how-to” books on Christian living or in-depth biblical studies. Rather, they tackle theological topics and are often quite interesting. A few of my favorites include _Reclaiming Surrendered Ground: Protecting Your Family from Spiritual Attacks_ by Jim Logan,
_Hearing God_ by Dallas Willard,
and _Kingdom Triangle_ by J. P. Moreland.
Of course, there are many more books and other ideas out there for revamping (or starting) your quiet time. My prayer for the week is that you’ll find a rhythm with God that works to bring you consistently closer to him this year. December 30, 2019December 30, 2019by Andy
LITTLE COMES BEFORE MUCH* Blog
* Matthew , Parables, Stewardship
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> “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You > have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of > many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’” > (Matthew 25:21, NIV ) ------------------------- The Parable of the Talents is a well-known story Jesus told in Matthew 25. A master goes on a trip and gives different amounts of money (talents or “bags of gold”) to three different servants. The servant who receives the most money invests it for his master and doubles it, as does the next servant, who receives a little less than the first servant. The third servant receives the least amount of money, and we see why the master didn’t entrust much to this third man. Rather than investing his master’s money to increase it, he buries it in the ground for safekeeping until his master returns. He gives the master his money back with no loss, but also no return on investment, much to the master’s disappointment. The servants who invested their master’s money and doubled it are commended and given more, while the third servant loses his position and is thrown out of the master’s household. This story has been used to teach many good principles. For example, all the things we have–money, job, house, cars, even family–aren’t actually ours. They belong to God. How would we live differently if we didn’t think of ourselves as the owners of anything, but rather as financial managers, managing someone else’smoney and assets?
That’s a good principle, but what I wanted to point out in this post is another truth that has been a guideline for me throughout much of my life. _Little comes before much. _You have to be faithful in the small things before you are given more. In a day when everyone gets a trophy, it seems like people are losing touch with this important principle. We want to jump right in at the top of the career ladder, rather than starting at the bottom and working our way up (as if sitting in a college classroom has entitled us to skip the “grunt” work). We want our first step to be into a leadership role, bypassing the behind-the-scenes servant’s work. When I was a worship pastor, I saw this all the time. People wanted to join the worship team and immediately be given a solo or lead part without first putting in the time singing backup. They wanted to step up and lead the congregation in singing but didn’t want to show up to church when they weren’t scheduled to be on stage. They wanted to play on Sunday, but not practice on Thursday night. I’m sure every workplace and career field has similar examples. But Jesus says in the Kingdom of God, that’s not how it works. You have to follow before you can lead. You have to serve before you can rule. If you can’t be faithful with $100, you won’t be faithful with $10,000. Be content and faithful with whatever role, influence, financial resources, or position God has given to you–no matter how small or insignificant you think they are. Use them for his glory and the good of others, and he will increase your oversight. First, faithful with little. Then, faithful with much. It may seem like common sense, but I’ve found it’s so common that we often don’t have the sense to live by it. My prayer for the week is that we will each take a moment to thank God for where we are and what he’s given us. And that he will show us how we can be faithful this week with whatever he’s entrusted to us, whether little or much.POSTS NAVIGATION
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