Special Guest - Darin Land

 
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Dr. Darin Land. Darin serves and one of the primary leaders for Free Methodist World Mission in the Asia Area. We encourage you to check out the Asia area information page here.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week and listen to the discussion podcast.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle

Drawing the Crowd: A Conversation about Mission

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
— Acts 1:8

From the beginning of the Book of Acts, God called believers to action through his Holy Spirit. This call to action wasn't something new. Jesus himself modeled the priority of an active and going type of faith throughout his three years of ministry.

In his book, Future Church, Will Mancini writes, "Jesus was a man on a mission from God, but he did more than pursue the mission. Jesus recruited, trained, and sent apostles on a mission also, but his movement launched from a stronger base than those individuals. Rather, one of Jesus's greatest and most underappreciated accomplishments was to establish a culture of mission among his followers that perpetuated itself for generations."

As we talk about the idea of mission this week at CrossView, it is crucial to realize that an essential part of the Christian faith is that our faith is lived and directed outward to captivate the wonderings of people around us. The term "missional" has become a popular buzzword over the past few years, but the idea of being missional has existed since the days of Jesus. Being "missional" is simply part of what it means to be Christian. 

In an article on the meaning of "Missional" from the Missional Church Network (see link below), we read, "Scripture is replete with sending language that speaks to the missionary nature of a Triune God. God the Father sends the Son, and God the Father and the Son sends the Spirit, and God the Father and the Son and the Spirit sends the church. In the Gospel of John alone, nearly forty times we read about Jesus being sent – either from the evangelist or from Jesus' own lips. In the final climatic sending passage in John's Gospel, Jesus sees himself not only as one sent but also as one who is sending: "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you" (John 20:21)." 

The question that follows a proper understanding of what it means to be missional is, how do we do that in our context today? I want to acknowledge the difficulty many often feel in not wanting to be relationally awkward with others, especially in a time and place that is not extremely friendly to Christianity. I feel it too. 

For the reason just mentioned and many more, I am thankful for the way God has led CrossView to adopt the BLESS model. As we think about Reaching Out to other people, our goal is to develop long-term, meaningful relationships with the people around us, inviting them into their own process with Jesus. It's the context of a relationship that allows us to show and share authentic love and tell others about the love of Jesus. To give us some handles for how to do this, we are using the B.L.E.S.S. model.

We didn't come up with the B.L.E.S.S. model, but it's a straightforward and powerfully transformative approach that really, profoundly loves others and witness to what Jesus had done in our own lives. B.L.E.S.S. (obviously an acronym which is a super churchy thing to do, it's cheesy, we know, but we love it) stands for Begin with prayer, Listen with care, Eat Together, Serve with love, and share your story.

We've got some great resources to find out more about the BLESS model; feel free to look below at the resources, including the book, Bless: 5 Everyday Ways to Love Your Neighbor and Change the World - this is a quick read and incredibly helpful in understanding this approach.

Here's the point. This approach isn't as programmatic as it might seem at first grace. 

This approach is about intentionally building long-lasting loving relationships with others, caring deeply about who they are, what's going on in their life, inviting them to your house, and sharing your own story - at appropriate times - of how Jesus has made a difference in your life and inviting others into their own journey with Jesus beginning wherever that might make sense. 

As the sent, missionary people of God, the missional church understands its fundamental purpose as being rooted in God's mission to restore and heal all creation and to call people into a reconciled relationship with Himself. What better way than to do that through deeply meaningful and caring relationships. Give it a try!

The Free Methodist Way - God Given Revelation

“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.”
— Quote Source

This weeks devotion includes excerpts of Bishop Matt Whitehead’s article on God Given Revelation. You can read the entire article at the link found in the resources section below.

We live in a culture where we need to be clear about our commitment to fully align our lives and our movement on the unshakable foundation of God’s Word. We hold unwaveringly to the conviction that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. As with any foundation, it is necessary to the strength and stability of our movement. Without our strong foundation, we will crumble.

For that reason, I want to share with you reminders of our beliefs about the Word of God. I’ll also share thoughts about the very nature of God’s Word and why it is critical that we are unified — of one mind — in how we approach and interpret Scripture in our day.

Free Methodists take the Scriptures seriously. Our Book of Discipline makes this clear:

The Bible is God’s written Word, uniquely inspired by the Holy Spirit. It bears unerring witness to Jesus Christ, the living Word. As attested by the early church and subsequent councils, it is the trustworthy record of God’s revelation, completely truthful in all it affirms. It has been faithfully preserved and proves itself true in human experience. 

The Scriptures have come to us through human authors who wrote, as God moved them, in the languages and literary forms of their times. God continues, by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, to speak through this Word to each generation and culture. 

The Bible has authority over all human life. It teaches the truth about God, His creation, His people, His one and only Son and the destiny of humankind. It also teaches the way of salvation and the life of faith. Whatever is not found in the Bible nor can be proved by it is not to be required as an article of belief or as necessary to salvation. (¶108 of the 2019 Book of Discipline)

While these statements from our Book of Discipline clearly demonstrate our commitment to the authority of the Scriptures, we also must admit that biblical illiteracy is at epidemic proportions not only here in the U.S. but around the world. Thomas Schirrmacher, the newly elected secretary-general of the World Evangelical Alliance, made this sobering assessment in an interview with Leah Marie Ann Klett of The Christian Post: “The biggest crisis facing the evangelical, global church today is the growing lack of biblical literacy worldwide.”

According to the “State of the Bible 2020” report released by the American Bible Society and the Barna Group, U.S. adults who say they read the Bible daily dropped from 14% in 2019 to 9% in 2020.

Biblical illiteracy is a serious issue because anyone not grounded in the foundation of God’s Word begins to interpret societal issues, cultural trends, and even issues of church practice and discipline through views of the very culture and society with which the Bible often clashes. As Wesleyans, we believe that being grounded in God’s Word is essential for life in Christ and service in God’s kingdom.

I want to encourage you to embrace six vital truths about Scripture. As you read them, I also pray that you will see why it is equally vital that we renew our commitment to interpret culture through the lens of Scripture and not the other way around as we dwell in our true home — the Bible.

Scripture can be trusted: 

The Bible is not just a collection of human thoughts — it contains God’s higher thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:8–9). The Bible helps us know how to follow Him. If we trust God, then we know His Word “has our back.” It may conflict with our thoughts about things, but that is the beauty of it. The Bible is our guide for a holy life that reflects Jesus.

Scripture is our foundation:

Paul reminds Timothy that the Bible is our foundation. As I reminded us earlier, the purpose of a foundation is to provide support and stability for all that is built upon it. Paul tells us that our lives are “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit” (Ephesians 2:20–22).

Let’s revisit the issue of biblical illiteracy in light of the Bible as our foundation. To what degree is Scripture integrated into our lives? As Moses gave Israel the law from God, he clearly stated how important it was to allow His words to infiltrate their daily living:

“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates” (Deuteronomy 6:6–9).

Scripture disciplines us: 

One of the reasons why we must be people of God’s Word is that our thinking and reasoning can be very selfish and self-centered. We need the perspective of God’s Word to help us see the world clearly.

Is discipline pleasant? No, but as parents we understand that parental discipline leads to our children’s self-discipline. The goal of disciplining our children is that they would be able to monitor their own behavior. So it is with us. It is good that we mature and grow, but always remain tenderhearted toward the Word of God. If we lose the capacity to be convicted, we risk becoming numb to the Word.

Scripture corrects error: 

We who have come to Christ should know and understand how Scripture corrects error. Why? Because our faith journey usually begins with an encounter with God’s love that is so pure and holy that it reveals to us our own sin. The very idea that we need the saving grace of God in Jesus Christ is a clash of the power of holy love hitting sin head-on.

But it doesn’t stop there. The Scriptures are the foundation to correct error in the church. From cover to cover — the Old (First) Testament and New (Second) Testament, the Bible calls us out of error and into alignment with God’s truth.

The correction of Scripture is not just for individuals, it is for the body of Christ — the church. The Bible shows how God speaks to both individuals about their sin and to the whole community of His people about their collective sin. Because of this, we reject the notion that truth is relative and personal. Free Methodists embrace common truths that are essential to our lives as disciples of Jesus.

Scripture points us to Jesus: 

Jesus is the central figure in Scripture. He is in the work of creation and will return again. Jesus is the Word made flesh and reflects the fulfillment of everything said in the law and prophets. Biblical illiteracy equates to improper assertions and beliefs about who Jesus is, what He said, what He meant by what He said, and how His commands are to frame our lives as we seek to mirror Him in all our ways.

Scripture is our true home: 

When thinking of Scripture as our true home we need to think of “home” in broader terms than just the location where we live. Home is a place that gives us shelter and support. It gives us a sense of identity and purpose. It provides a place to come back to when we are feeling lost and alone. It is where we find others who are struggling along with us to experience unconditional love, grace, and mercy.

The Bible provides for us a home that can never be shaken, never be lost, and will never lead us astray.

The Free Methodist Way - Cross Cultural Collaboration

“He [Jesus] fearlessly, graciously overcame the barriers that divide people into in-groups and out-groups.”
— Bishop Linda Adams

This weeks devotion includes excerpts of Bishop Linda Adam’s article on Cross Cultural Collaboration. You can read the entire article at the link found in the resources section below.

For many Free Methodists in the U.S., cross-cultural exposure has first been experienced on short-term international mission trips. Tens of thousands have gone on Volunteers in Service Abroad (VISA) trips to visit and serve in another part of the world. Almost always, VISA teams return home reporting eye-opening and humbling experiences: “The people we met had so little but were so generous!” “The children were poor but so happy!” “The church’s high-energy worship went on for three hours and nobody got tired!”

Lasting impressions have often been formed around memories of passionate faith, sacrificial hospitality, family solidarity and delicious, exotic food. The beauty of another culture was on full display, and the VISA team eventually realized, “We went to help, but actually we found out we were there for God to open our eyes to ourselves and our world. We learned far more than we taught.” And that is, in fact, one reason to send teams. People gain from the experience of “Crossing Cultures 101.”

But of course, only the most basic lessons can be learned in a week or two. And sometimes appearances deceive, and we are so blind to the impact of our own presence and culture that our learning is flawed. How can we get beyond first impressions and host/guest politeness and begin to understand at a deeper level? How can we gain a worldview shaped by intercultural intelligence rather than surface realities?

That’s where collaboration comes in. We need each other. When our brothers and sisters around the world become our real partners, we take a learning posture with them. When they recognize in us a desire to be true co-laborers, they can speak the hard truth and ask the hard questions and learn from us as well. We all move beyond judging based on outward appearances to appreciating something closer to what God sees, the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Humility can lead to true knowledge, which enhances love and respect and empowers our shared mission.

Free Methodist World Missions now works in 98 countries. We also celebrate the existence of 19 general conferences, each governed by its own Book of Discipline, bishops, and boards. We embrace the way of intercultural engagement, moving beyond old mindsets toward profound cross-cultural collaboration. The church in many countries sends missionaries to reach other tribes and language groups in their own country, as well as to evangelize and raise up leaders and churches in other nations. In the U.S., we welcome Christian leaders who immigrate here, recognizing their unique ability to organize new churches filled with immigrants from their region of the world. In all these cases, we acknowledge our own limited vantage point and recognize how God has designed the body of Christ to cooperate for the greater good.

Similar efforts are beginning in the church here in our racialized American society, but the process involves hard work and gets pretty messy. I asked an African American pastor friend how she sees our reality. She replied, “It has been my experience that most people within the church are open to having a multiracial church but not a multicultural one. This happens because we are open to allowing others to come and share our experience, but we are not so eager to allow others to come and change our experiences. Others are allowed to become one of us, but we do not always allow them to remain true to themselves. What’s missing is deep (and often painful) conversation to build meaningful relationships. We need to explore different perspectives on history, culture, the gospel, and politics. That takes a lot of time and energy. There is no way around this. There are fewer people willing to sign up for that type of collaboration!”

Made for Oneness

Collaboration is essential to being human. Why? Because even God is not solitary but exists in a perfect community of three-in-one. Being made in God’s image — as we all are, completely, equally — means we are made for relationships of love and mutuality. God’s design is for shalom, “a peaceable interrelatedness that actively seeks the wellbeing of others” (Free Methodist World Missions’ “Theology of Mission”).

God wants all people to experience this shalom. Tragically, the earliest chapters of Genesis show terrible division resulting from the fall of the human race, beginning with enmity between the man and the woman, then between their sons Cain and Abel, ultimately involving all human society. The rest of the story of the Bible reveals God’s long game to reverse the curse and recreate shalom. Along the way, God invites people to co-labor with Him in this epochal redemptive work of repairing the breach, creating oneness among all peoples under the lordship of Christ.

As Jesus’ disciples watched, He challenged them to open their eyes and see the fruitful harvest among the Samaritans. The work of convincing them that God’s mission extends to all people groups had just begun. Kingdom collaboration took a baby step forward. Jesus had collected a diverse band of disciples — Jewish men whose politics and livelihoods would never have blended into a community of oneness without Him. As they followed and learned, He not only invited them to see these Samaritans as candidates for His movement; He showed mercy to a Roman centurion, an enforcer of the hated oppressor. He surprisingly welcomed women to travel with them and provide financial support. He touched lepers and accepted a woman with a less-than-pristine reputation’s offer to wash His feet. He ate in the homes of tax collectors and sinners. He fearlessly, graciously overcame the barriers that divide people into in-groups and out-groups.

Whenever we experience supernatural oneness that transcends natural human divisions, we discover that we are part of the answer to Jesus’ fervent prayer. Right before His arrest, crucifixion and resurrection, He prayed:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me — so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:20–23).

The Free Methodist Way - Love Driven Justice

“Biblical, Love-Driven Justice is the conjoining of evangelism and compassionate action. They are not mutually exclusive. As God moves toward us in compassion and mercy, we are transformed by His love and then find ourselves driven toward those on the margins of society.”
— Bishop Matt Whitehead

This weeks devotion includes excerpts of Bishop Matt Whitehead’s article on Love Driven Justice. You can read the entire article at the link found in the resources section below.

God’s call to go where people are hurting and marginalized is at the heart of Love-Driven Justice, the second value of The Free Methodist Way: “Love is the way we demonstrate God’s heart for justice by valuing the image of God in all men, women, and children, acting with compassion toward the oppressed, resisting oppression in all its forms, and stewarding Creation.”

Some suggest that evangelism is the work of the church and social action is an agenda of the world. This separatist belief has dismembered our mission by falsely convincing many of us that we are justifiably excused from much of what Christ came to do: bring His good news into the human condition through bold proclamation and compassionate action. Jesus did this and today sends His disciples out to do the same.

We must also be aware of a significant challenge as we think about our call to Love-Driven Justice: mistakenly believing that social justice is the gospel. Social justice focuses on “justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society,” according to the Oxford English Dictionary. When we believe this to be the gospel, it becomes equally separatist and excuses us from evangelism, believing that social justice alone is the key to freedom for all. A holistic kingdom vision is rooted in right relationships with God, which flow into experiencing and promoting right relationships among people and in society.

Justice is a pervasive biblical theme that is often paired with righteousness. The Old Testament prophets cry out on behalf of a just and righteous God who demands justice and righteousness in His people. The Hebrew word for justice, mishpat, has in its root the concepts of fairness and equity for all, particularly the disadvantaged. So, when judges exercise justice, they don’t take bribes or treat the rich better than they treat the poor. The Hebrew word for righteousness, tzadeqah, means living in a right relationship, treating everyone with fairness, generosity, and equity. In his book “Generous Justice,” Tim Keller calls tzadeqah (righteousness) “primary justice.” It is “behavior, that if it was prevalent in the world, would render rectifying justice (mishpat) unnecessary, because everyone would be living in right relationship to everyone else.”

Christine Erickson, the director of the OneLess ministry for children at risk, notes, “In contrast to social justice, which focuses on a temporal view of addressing injustices in society, biblical justice starts with the eternal in mind. It starts by seeing people as God sees them — recognizing that we are all created in the image of God. And it is incumbent upon Christ-followers to pursue physical and spiritual freedom for the oppressed so others can also become what God created them to be. If we have experienced freedom, how can we not pursue freedom on behalf of others?”

Biblical, Love-Driven Justice is the conjoining of evangelism and compassionate action. They are not mutually exclusive. As God moves toward us in compassion and mercy, we are transformed by His love and then find ourselves driven toward those on the margins of society. Jesus got up-close-and-personal with the marginalized, and there He demonstrated His grace, love, and mercy. In His going, Jesus preached the good news to all. He surprised many with His inclusion of the outcast, equitable treatment of the lowest and least, welcoming strangers, and embracing the “unclean.” To love from a distance is not in keeping with the character of Jesus. Love-Driven Justice is centered in Christlikeness and His clear example in the Scriptures. For us, His disciples, the implication is clear: we should mirror Christ’s method and message in our world today.

The Free Methodist Way - Christ Compelled Multiplication

“Jesus invested deeply in the lives of a few in order to maximize His impact on their lives and train them to do the same for others. In doing so, He was choosing to trust the process of multiplication to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.”
— Bishop Keith Cowart

This weeks devotion includes excerpts of Bishop Keith Cowart’s article on Christ Compelled Multiplication. You can read the entire article at the link found in the resources section below.

Just before He ascended into heaven, Jesus spoke these last words to those who had been following Him for three years, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19–20). Of all the things Jesus might have said on that momentous occasion, He chose to commission His disciples to take the message and life He had given them and give it to others throughout the world.

Have you ever considered the fact that Jesus could have reached the world any way He desired? He could have spent a thousand years personally taking His message to every nation on earth. He could have waited for the digital age in order to get His message out overnight. Instead, He chose to embark on a three-year ministry journey during which He devoted the vast majority of His time and energy to 12 individuals. Jesus invested deeply in the lives of a few in order to maximize His impact on their lives and train them to do the same for others. In doing so, He was choosing to trust the process of multiplication to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

In practical terms, we believe this multiplication principle should impact our movement at every level: “the found seeking the lost, disciples making disciples, leaders developing leaders, churches planting churches, and movements birthing movements.” But we must confess that of all the values in The Free Methodist Way, this one is the most aspirational.

A Call to Repentance

Historians remind us that every true awakening in the church begins with repentance. Of what might we need to repent as a ministry family when it comes to living out our mission to make disciples through multiplication? On one level, we should ask in what ways we have participated in the drift of the church at large in the West:

Have we neglected our missional imperative to be witnesses of Jesus Christ in the world, choosing instead to embrace the notion that the church exists primarily to provide services for the faithful?

  • Have we been more consumed with preserving Christian culture in our nation than reaching the lost?

  • Have we lost confidence in the power of the gospel to transform society through transformed lives, choosing instead to put our hope in political influence and power?

On a more personal level, it would be good to ask ourselves as Free Methodists:

  • Do any vestiges of legalism remain that cause us to be more focused on what we are against than what we are for?

  • Do we view the world as a dark place to be avoided rather than a mission field to be invaded?

  • Is there any spiritual pride that leads us to assume that our smallness is somehow an indication of our spiritual superiority?

  • Has our historical resistance to the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit robbed us of our primary means of becoming a movement that transcends human initiative and resources?

It takes courage to ask ourselves such challenging questions, but if we are truly honest in our responses, God can deliver us from the malaise of missional drift, breathe new life into our ministry family, and make us a movement once again that will have significant impact on our nation for the kingdom of God.

For most of my years in the Free Methodist Church, I have heard various leaders declare that we must become a movement again or die a slow death. Such things cannot be orchestrated by mere human will but tend to happen when God’s people reach a point of desperation that compels a return to the essentials of what it means to follow Jesus.

I believe that starts with returning to our first love for Jesus and His kingdom. I say this with great personal conviction, deeply aware of my own need on this point.

I have often wondered what it would look like if we had as much passion for Jesus and His kingdom as we do for our views on the issues that have dominated our world over the past 12 months (COVID restrictions, racial tensions, partisan politics). What would happen in our churches and through our ministry family if we all got on our knees, asked God to forgive us for being distracted by non-essential issues, and totally devoted ourselves to knowing Jesus Christ and making Him known throughout the world? What is keeping us from doing exactly that?

The Jesus Way

Jesus shows us the way in Matthew 9:35–10:1. This is one of those critical moments when Jesus trained His disciples by modeling what He wanted them to do, and then compelled them to do it themselves. It is also one of those things He had in mind when He said to be “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20).

Take a moment to reflect on these brief insights from that passage and prayerfully consider how God would have you respond:

  • He saw. Jesus did not isolate Himself from the world but put Himself in places that allowed Him to see people. How am I intentionally and strategically finding ways to rub shoulders with those who do not yet know Jesus?

  • He cared. Jesus’ response reveals what He saw when He looked at people. He responded with gut-wrenching compassion because He saw their deepest needs (lost, helpless, harassed) rather than their outward status (sinners, rebels, enemies). When I look at people, do I see them as a Republican or Democrat, a liberal or conservative, a mask-wearer or mask-shunner, a friend or enemy … or do I see persons who desperately need to know Jesus and the life-transforming power of the gospel?

  • He prayed. Jesus prayed that God would raise up workers for the harvest field. We should note that He immediately followed this prayer by sending out those who were already with Him. When we pray this prayer, we should never assume the answer is that God will raise up someone else. He is praying that more will come to know Him so more can be sent, but He clearly wants us in the harvest field. In what ways have I rationalized my own unwillingness to enter the harvest field?

  • He gave authority. Both here and in the Great Commission, Jesus very intentionally gave His disciples authority before He sent them out. He understood they would face significant challenges. More importantly, He knew they did not personally have the means to bring life to others. Jesus simply asked them to represent Him, to be agents through which He would do what only He can do. What fears have prevented me from embracing Jesus’ call to represent Him in my own mission field? Do I believe He is with me and will give me everything I need to do it effectively?

Can you imagine how our movement would multiply if every Free Methodist followed Jesus’ example?

The Free Methodist Way - Life-Giving Holiness

“The Free Methodist Way begins with Life-Giving Holiness because to our forebears, a radical transformation of heart and mind resulting in fully loving God and neighbor was considered the birthright of the child of God.”
— Bishop Linda Adams

What is the Free Methodist Way? This introduction is the first in a series of six videos that speak about the five values that shape our identity.

This weeks devotion includes excerpts of Bishop Linda Adams article on Life-Giving Holiness. You can read the entire article at the link found in the resources section below.

Life Giving Holiness - Bishop Linda Adams:

After a communion service at New Hope Church in Rochester, New York, a spunky 6-year-old girl made a beeline for the kitchen. As the leftover communion cups were being emptied, she asked to drink some of the juice. Given the go-ahead, she exclaimed, “I need all the holiness I can get!”

Her novel idea that a few ounces of grape juice would boost her holiness may not be much more of a misunderstanding than some adults’ ideas. Expressing her need in the language of holiness makes her seem like an old-fashioned Free Methodist, since we don’t often use the term anymore.

The doctrine of entire sanctification was a hill the first Free Methodists were willing to die on. Benjamin Titus (B.T.) Roberts, our principal founder, embodied John Wesley’s desire to recover New Testament Christianity, summarized by the mandate to “raise up a holy people.” Free Methodists determined to be holy. Like John and Charles Wesley, from whose theology and hymns they gained much of their inspiration, early Free Methodists were sometimes misunderstood, mocked and maligned for their insistence that God both expects and empowers an all-encompassing holiness in the life of the believer.

The Free Methodist Way begins with Life-Giving Holiness because to our forebears, a radical transformation of heart and mind resulting in fully loving God and neighbor was considered the birthright of the child of God. For us as a movement to abandon holiness as a defining value would be as foolish as Esau throwing away his birthright for a bowl of stew (see Genesis 25:19–34). God wants 21st century Free Methodists to believe in and experience the Holy Spirit’s presence that makes us more like Jesus from the inside out. To be made holy brings freedom and life. This is our message!

The Letter Kills

At the outset, we need to admit that those of us who have been in this denominational family for many years have at times seen a pursuit of holiness that was not life-giving. If we picture the Highway of Holiness winding through varied terrain with generations of Free Methodists traveling along it, describing it and teaching others about it, we’ll notice some veering off into the Ditch ofLegalism. (Other movements have steered off-course into the opposite ditch of either License or Liberalism, but that hasn’t been our error.)

One of the problems with a rules-based approach is that rules and prohibitions multiply. As with the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, principled motivations get lost in the proliferation of laws. As an example from our past, I enjoy reading historical accounts of 19th century female preachers. One pioneering evangelist’s personal account told tales of courageous witness in taverns and brothels resulting in dramatic conversions, but then delved into her agony over the rule against decorative collars and buttons on women’s blouses. She so longed to be holy, to surrender fully to the Lord, to consecrate her whole self to God’s work — but she struggled mightily with guilt over wishing she didn’t have to alter her blouses to make them plain!

Eventually, we incorporated a balancing scriptural truth. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant — not of the letter but of the Spirit, for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). Jesus’ sacrificial death and resurrection brought salvation by grace through faith, as Paul proclaimed in Ephesians 2:8–9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”

Grace for the Whole Journey

Wesleyan theology has been called an optimistic theology. Why? Because we believe in the possibilities of grace to radically change human hearts and lives this side of the grave. God has designed and provided for every step of the transforming journey, as the Holy Spirit interacts with people of free will, graciously leading us along the path until we see God face to face.

We affirm John Wesley’s Ordo Salutis, or Way of Salvation. Wesley taught that God first works in all people through Prevenient Grace, preparing hearts to open to God. God’s Convicting Grace makes us aware of our sin and willing to accept God’s remedy. Justifying Grace puts us into saving relationship with God through faith in the finished work of Christ; we are converted and assured that we are God’s beloved child. John Wesley said of the next phase in the outworking of God’s grace, Sanctifying Grace, “It is perhaps for this reason that God has raised up the Methodists.” God not only desires to make us holy but accomplishes holiness in us as we respond; the evidence of this holiness is pervasive love. Finally, through Glorifying Grace, at the moment of death God transforms us into immortality, and we are taken up into the life of God.

Summer Psalms 2021 - Week 7 - Psalm 139

“In the midst of chaos and upheaval, I learned an immensely valuable lesson: God can handle my mess.”
— Pastor Ryan Beagle
 
 

This week’s devotion is written by special guest Pastor Ryan Beagle who most recently served for thirteen years as the Lead Pastor at Hillcrest Church in Mount Vernon, Washington.

 
 

Here is a quick quiz for you:

Which one of these does biblical prayer accuse God of?

  1. The Lord has rejected his altar and abandoned his sanctuary

  2. The Lord has abandoned his people over to the enemy

  3. The Lord refuses to speak to those who speak for him.

  4. The Lord is like a bear waiting, or a lion hiding, who dragged me from the path, mangled me, and left me without help.

Trick question: the answer is all of them!

Have YOU ever prayed: God you have dragged me from the path, mangled me, and left me alone? My guess is probably not. Can we say that to God? The Bible does! (Lamentations 3:10-11- Look it up!) Here’s what I love about Psalm 139. It insists that we can’t hide anything from God. As the Psalm so poetically demonstrates, nothing is beyond the knowledge of God:

1 You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.

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

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?

The Psalms are dear to me because of their presence in the most trying moments of my life. On July 4th 2015 I found myself clutching the bathroom wall as the world spun around me. I was rushed to the hospital, where eventually it was determined I had suffered two strokes in the “Manhattan Island” of brain real estate. How do you pray when everything you had hoped about your life is in doubt, you can’t see, you can’t walk, you hiccup every five seconds, and you can’t remember more than three numbers in a row?

Through those days and my early recovery, I leaned on praying the Psalms. In the midst of chaos and upheaval, I learned an immensely valuable lesson: God can handle my mess. All the mess. I don’t need to tidy up before I come to the Lord. Wearing your Sunday best can be an honoring practice- but there is no need to dress up our prayer for Jesus. The Psalms taught me to pray more honestly, more boldly, and gave me a vocabulary for prayer I did not have. 

As Psalm 139 assures us, God knows everything about us. Even the parts that aren’t ready for public consumption. The doubts, fears, sins, and vanities. The shames, the suffering, the injustices. Here’s what we discover in the Psalms, all of life, the good, the bad, the ugly- is fair game for conversation with God.

When we bring our honest selves to prayer, instead of cleaning ourselves up a bit and guarding our speech, the Psalms teach us that any prayer is an act of faith. By trusting God with our true selves we demonstrate faith that Jesus is Lord over all of life. 

Therefore, let us be like the Psalmist who does not fear God’s knowledge or hold back their inmost thoughts. Rather, the Psalmist concludes the prayer with an invitation for God’s intimate personal knowledge to become part of their relationship- and thus fertile ground for God’s transforming work:

23 Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.

24 See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.

Summer Psalms - Week 6 - Psalm 84

“All this, even though it seems daunting, can be joy-filled and sustaining because of the loving grace of our God. Read Psalm 84 as we find a Psalmist who has been with God and doesn’t want to leave! ”
— Pastor Kyle

For our devotion today, I'd like to take you to Romans 12. I know, I know, we are in a message series on the book of Psalms, specifically looking at Psalm 84 this week. However, Psalm 84 is all about worshiping God, so I'd like to help deepen our understanding of worship as best I can. In Romans 12:1-2, we find two words often translated as "worship" in the New Testament. 

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1-2 - NLT)"

Let's start with the word most often translated as "worship." It comes from the phrase proskyneo. What does that word sound like to you? It's where we get our English word, prostrate! The term most often translated "worshp" in the New Testament means to prostrate, fall down, kneel, bow low, give reverence, and bow down to kiss. So, as followers of Jesus, we could be rightly known as the falling down ones. 

This is already helpful in that it begins to reframe for us what we are doing in worship. Worship doesn't start with what we get from it but what we surrender to God. But there are two types of 'falling down' worship in the bible.

First, in God's presence, we are obedient in surrender to God. That is, we choose to fall down because He is the only one who is worthy of our surrendered self. He is our maker, our God, and King, and we are his people. 

We choose to surrender our lives to God, and he gives us grace, mercy, forgiveness, and freedom. Obediently falling down is the first part of our act of worship. We see this throughout scripture in places like Isaiah 6 or Revelation 4. 

The second type of falling down happens because when we enter God's presence, we experience Him to be holy, wholly other, and infinitely powerful. At that moment, you recognize you can in no way compare to the creator God, so you get on your face (bow down) as fast as you are able. We see this in scripture as well; for example, Isaiah 6 (again) or Acts 26 in Paul's retelling of his conversion.  

We are beginning to get an understanding of biblical worship. First, we understand worship to be a series of proskyneos of "surrenders" or "falling down." We fall down out of surrender, and we fall down in awe of the powerful presence of God. 

The second word used as "worship" that we find in Romans 12:1-2 we read as 'living sacrifice:'  

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1-2 - NLT)"

The word here is Logike Latreia. Logike is where we get our word for logic. It's about patterns and forms of activity. Logike is a levitical word - it references the OT temple structure and ordered lives of Levites in the temple. 

Remember, the Levites were essentially the pastors in the Old Testament who were in charge of sacrifices and regular worship for God's people. If you read about the Levites in places like Numbers 18, you realize everything about their lives was ordered and given over to God. 

Don't miss this; it is powerful in understanding worship. The word Logike was the word that described how all the details of life for the Levites; what they did, what they said, what they wore, their daily responsibilities - every single detail - was given over to God in worship. 

Let's make this connection here - Romans 12 is calling us to a deep practice of worship. The proper way for those who follow Jesus includes both types of proskyneo and asks us to Logike, that is, to order our lives for the worship of God. 

Alright, Pastor Kyle, this is a little intense. Yes, it is! Our understanding of what it means to worship God leaps forward in these few incredible verses. Firstly, we fall down in surrender and obedience, AND we fall down because we come into the presence of a holy God. Secondly, our lives are ordered so that all things in our living follow the way of Jesus.

I love this robust biblical understanding of worship. All this, even though it seems daunting, can be joy-filled and sustaining because of the loving grace of our God. Read Psalm 84 as we find a Psalmist who has been with God and doesn't want to leave! 

"How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, indeed it faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God. (Psalm 84:1-2)."

Summer Psalms - Week 5 - Psalm 97

“As Psalm 97 is an enthronement Psalm proclaiming the complete and supreme rule of God over all other things, we have to ask ourselves a few questions.”
— Pastor Kyle

"The LORD is King!" What a way to start a Psalm. There is no ambiguity as to who the author of this Psalm thinks has ultimate authority. The clarity of this Psalm is helpful for its readers, even current readers, as questions of who or what will define our lives abound. In fact, Psalm 97 is one of seven psalms in the book of Psalms that is classified as an enthronement psalm. Pretty cool, huh?!

It's no secret that the past few years have been some of the most divisive in our country in recent memory. One outcome of that divisiveness (which includes multiple cultural and political issues) has been a slipping away from the enthronement of Jesus to an entrenching of our preferred cultural or political positions. Here is where Psalm 97 can be helpful.

"The LORD is King." That's how we read it in our English translations of the Bible. However, we miss a bit of the meaning if we don't look at the context of its original language. "The LORD is King" is actually a powerful proclamation stating that the LORD reigns supreme; the LORD is ultimately in charge of all things. Psalm 97 makes this very clear for its readers as we see that the ruling of the LORD stands in contrast to the lowliness of other gods who "bow down" before the LORD who is "exalted" far above them (verse 7 and 9). If I were preaching this point, I might pause here and ask, "Amen?" wanting to emphasize the reality of this truth. 

Describing and praising the way that the LORD rules is the particular concern of Psalm 97. The question I'll ask is, does the Lord rule in your heart and mind, even above cultural or political concerns? And if so, how is the enthronement of the LORD displayed in your life? Professor Diane Jacobson writes, "The LORD's way of ruling cuts through the clouds and the darkness as the LORD sits enthroned over the earth and in the hearts of his people. This is good news for God's people. They know the true God, and how the LORD rules. And they know as well that this good news comes with a set of expectations. To be faithful to this Lord partly means that they worship the Lord alone, forsaking idols and other worthless gods."

As Psalm 97 is an enthronement Psalm proclaiming the complete and supreme rule of God over all other things, we have to ask a few questions, "what is enthroned in my life?" "What is enthroned in my thinking?" "What is enthroned in my actions?" These might be more difficult questions to answer in the heated cultural and political arguments of our day. If God is the one enthroned in your heart, mind, and life, how do you reflect his righteousness and justice, two things highlighted in Psalm 97? How are you showing love and concern for others as we follow the way of Jesus?

While these days are not easy, I'm thankful for scripture and Psalms like Psalm 97, which call us to faithfulness even if it means we have to do the hard work of stepping back and reflecting on our patterns of thinking and living. 

Psalm 97:11-12: "Light shines on the godly, and joy on those whose hearts are right. May all who are godly rejoice in the Lord and praise his holy name!"

Summer Psalms 2021 - Week 4 - Psalm 23

“The peace of Psalm 23 is not rooted in outward circumstances or our passing emotions. The first verse of the psalm begins with an emphatic emphasis on the Lord. He alone is the source of all comfort and peace.”
— Timothy Tennent

Dallas Willard, in his book Life Without Lack, starts his introduction with a bang. He writes,

"The words of the Twenty-Third Psalm are among those things that people profess to believe. Many can recite the Twenty-Third Psalm from memory, including people who don't believe much of anything about God. Some have learned the psalm purely as poetic literature. But far too few have experienced in their own lives the vivid reality described by the psalmist. Unfortunately, "The Lord is my Shepherd" is a sentiment carved on tombstones more often than a reality written in lives."

Is Jesus really, truly your shepherd? I hope so. This is the beautiful grace-filled invitation of God to become one of his family provided for by the all-encompassing power of the one who created you - the shepherd of God's people. The tricky part, Willard writes, is "knowing you are now in the care of someone else, not in charge, that you've taken your kingdom and surrendered it to the kingdom of God, that you are living the with-God life." How are you doing with the ordering of your heart and mind toward the way of God. It's difficult. Oh, but it is so worth it.

One of the most significant elements of Psalm 23, the central aspect that makes this psalm so compelling, is God's ongoing presence in the life of his people. As each person attempts to live the "with-God" life, each person must fix their eyes solely on Jesus, even in the problematic "valleys of the shadow of death" one might encounter. There is so much hope found in the realization that no matter what you go through, you have a shepherd that will be right beside you every step of the way.  

How have you fixed your hope on God in these difficult days? What activities or actions keep your heart and mind grounded in the grace offered to you through God's presence. We are currently living through a season where anger, depression, anxiety, and desperation are increasing. These things run deep in ordinary human life and can cause us to lash out and provoke one another. Willard writes, "This fury and dispair flow from...hopelessness." But Psalm 23 offers us a different perspective:

The LORD is my shepherd; 

I shall not want. . .

I will fear no evil; 

For You are with me. 

Psalm 23:1,4

There is every reason for hope if we stop looking primarily at ourselves and instead look at God; recognizing he is with us makes all the difference. Willard again writes,

"The gospel that Jesus himself proclaimed, manifested, and taught was about more than his death for the forgiveness of our sins, as important as that is. It was about the kingdom of God—God's immediate availability, his "with-us-ness" that makes a life without lack possible. There is so much more to our relationship with God than just his dealing with our guilt and sin. Once we have been forgiven, we are meant to live in the fullness of the life that Jesus came to give us (John 10:10)."

Stretch yourself this week. In prayer, identify one circumstance, attitude, relationship, etc., that you've been holding tightly. Perhaps you've been trying to maintain control, or you are afraid of some pain or heartbreak; take one thing that feels difficult and out of your control and hold that open-handed, open-hearted to God. Use Psalm 23 as a prayer prompt and guide as you process with God: 

The LORD is my shepherd; 

I shall not want. . .

I will fear no evil; 

For You are with me. 

Psalm 23:1,4

Summer Psalms 2021 - Week 3 - Psalm 40

“And although I wouldn’t ever send a cordial invitation to pain to come for another visit, I am grateful for the many ways it eventually ushered me into deeper intimacy with our Lord.”
— Eric E. Peterson

Psalm 40 seems a bit backward to me. It starts as a bright reflection on what the Lord has already done and ends in verse 17, saying (I'm using the Passion Translation here), "Lord, in my place of weakness and need, I ask again: Will you come and help me? I know I'm always in your thoughts. You are my true Savior and hero, so don't delay to deliver me now, for you are my God." This is not the normal progression of most Psalms. Most Psalms (this is not true for all Pslsms) start with the author's need and end with a celebration of God's intervention.

Psalm 40 is excellent for many reasons, but one of the most important is that we see an emotional and spiritual reality with which we can relate. Have you ever felt confident in one moment but needing help and support in the next? I have, and so has David, the author of this Psalm.

In Psalm 40, we see a picture of what looks like significant struggle, suffering, and pain. Look at verse 12, "Evil surrounds me; problems greater than I can solve come one after another. Without you, I know I can't make it. My sins are so many! I'm so ashamed to lift my face to you. For my guilt grabs me and stings my soul until I am weakened and spent." Life is hard, and this Psalm acknowledges that reality. It's a reality we've all experienced and maybe that you are experiencing right now. But there is hope.

No matter what you are currently facing or how you are dealing with the harsh realities of everyday life, I would encourage you not to forget how Pslam 40 begins. In fact, the first four verses are the focus of our weekly teaching this week (you can see it above). Right off the bat, Psalm 40 is a prayer that has already been answered.

The first few verses are like the glimmer of hope amid the darkness that continues to shine no matter how bad it gets, "I waited and waited and waited some more, patiently, knowing God would come through for me. Then, at last, he bent down and listened to my cry. He stooped down to lift me out of danger from the desolate pit I was in, out of the muddy mess I had fallen into. Now he's lifted me up into a firm, secure place and steadied me while I walk along his ascending path." These first verses ring through the rest of the Psalm to remind us all of the hope found in God even in what feels like growing the difficulty of life. It's like when you repeat to yourself over and over, "I can make it, I can make it, I can make it."

In a powerful reflection by Eric Peterson (the son of Euguene Peterson), which you can find linked below, he writes, "Jesus didn't come to deliver us from our humanity and its accompanying heartaches, but to join us in it all (the good, the bad, the beautiful and the ugly) and to use it as the raw material to redeem our lives." Isn't that good news!

We come to the end of this Psalm again, but this time with the hope of the first verses ringing in our heart and mind - verse 17 - "Lord, in my place of weakness and need, I ask again: Will you come and help me?" The answer - verses 1 & 2 - "I waited and waited and waited some more, patiently, knowing God would come through for me. Then, at last, he bent down and listened to my cry. He stooped down to lift me out of danger from the desolate pit I was in, out of the muddy mess I had fallen into. Now he's lifted me up into a firm, secure place and steadied me while I walk along his ascending path."

Praise the Lord.

Summer Psalms 2021 - Week 2 - Psalm 32

“Discipleship is much more than sin management. It is moving from being captivated by the gravity of sin to being captivated by the gravity of holy love. ”
— Dr. Timothy Tennent

This week’s devotion is an excerpt from a study on the Psalms by Dr. Sandra Richter called “Epic of Eden - Psalms.” I suggested this as a resource for further learning in last week’s devotion. I wanted to give you a taste of this wonderful study and encourage you to get the book as well as the steaming videos that go along with it. Dr. Richter is a fantastic teacher, and this resource will help you learn more and gain significant insight from this treasured book in the scripture!

Real People, Real Places, Real Faith - by Sandra Richter

“One of the things to keep in mind as we begin our journey into the book of Psalms is that these psalms were written by real people, in real places, struggling with real faith. The superscript of Psalm 32 tells us that our psalm for this lesson is a psalm “of David” (ledawid). The Hebrew is made up of a preposition (le) attached to the name “David,” thus the literal translation is “belonging to David". But the exact meaning of the phrase is unclear. Is this "authored by David," "dedicated to David," or "belonging to the Davidic collection”? We don't know. But what we do know is that seventy-three songs are attributed to David in this way. Seventy-three. What this tells us is that David was a man of worship. A man who loved his God and was not at all shy to say so. In the Psalms we hear David's petitions, his confessions, and his celebration of God's faithfulness. As a result, we are result, we are privileged to pray with him, and we are challenged to be like him—a people who cry out to God in our brokenness and our joy.

When I began putting this curriculum on paper, I posted an inquiry to my facebook page: “What is your favorite psalm, and why?” A friend and colleague from my days at Wheaton College named Psalm 32 as “her” psalm and posted this in response:

After living a life far from God during most of my 20s, when i became a mother in my 30s I found my way back to the church and Jesus. Life was good now, right? Not quite. In my 40s I finally had to come face-to-face with the sin of those early years. The shame I had carried for so long was just more than I could bear. God was so good to me in places where I could process through that. Where I could fully experience God’s love for me, something I had never been able to imagine.

It began in a women’s Bible study when my leader asked us to close our eyes and imagine what it would be like when we first met God in heaven. The tears came quickly. I couldn't even imagine lookin up on his goodness. I saw myself turning away, not even able to lay my eyes upon him.

After some really hard work, a lot of time in the Scripture, and some providential sermons, I knew I wanted to confess my sin out loud. That tangible act felt really important. As part of that confession, I read Psalm 32. Those words around God’s forgiveness were a balm to my soul.

Dee Pierce 2020 - Wheaton College

Let me challenge you, right now, to do what Dee did. It is true that when we keep silent about our sin—shove it down, box it up, and bury it—our sin eats away at our souls like a cancer. But it is also true that if we are faithful to confess our sins, he is faithful to forgive. Indeed, as the book of Galatians tells us, “It is for freedom that Christ set us free” (Gal 5:1). So, let’s be free. Read this psalm again, out loud, and with each line respond:

Verses 1-2: It is true, how “blessed is the one whose transgressions are forgiven”!

Verses 3-4: I will no longer be silent.

Verse 5: Confess your sin and be assured that He forgives.

Verse 6-7: I don’t care what the rest of the world knows or think they know, “you are

my hiding place.”

Verse 8: Create in me a clean heart, oh God, change me, conform me to the image

of the Son (Rom 8:29)

Verse 9: I will not be a stubborn mule, an untrainable beast.

Verses 10-11: This is my inheritance, and I will not allow anything or anyone to rob me of

it! I will be glad in the Lord, I will shout for joy that I am forgiven and free!

If you are comfortable, share this moment with a friend you trust. Let this be the day when the power of darkness is shattered and the hope of a new day dawns.”

Summer Psalms 2021 - Week 1 - Psalm 8

“The Psalms have a unique place in the Bible because [whereas] most of Scripture speaks to us, the Psalms speak for us.”
— Athanasius

Have you ever read the bible and thought to yourself, "You can't say that to God?!" I have. I like it when I find in scripture human spirituality that closely matches my own experience. That's one of the reasons that the book of Pslams is essential in the bible. Not only is it an excellent repository of prayers, laments, praises, and more, but it authentically expresses a wide range of human interactions with God. Reading through the various interactions with God can help teach us that it's okay to come to God as we are and to tell God how it's going without having to worry about using the "right words."

For the next several weeks at CrossView, we will focus our teaching on the book of Pslams; we are calling it our Summer Psalms Series. I read a quote this past week from a well-known early church father named Athanasius about the Psalms. He writes, "The Psalms have a unique place in the Bible because [whereas] most of Scripture speaks to us, the Psalms speak for us." As we begin these next weeks looking at a few of the Psalms, my encouragement for you is to allow the words of the Psalms to sink into your soul. Let the Psalmists put words to your frustration, your joy, or even your despair. Draw strength from their faith, find hope in their confidence, and maybe even let the Psalmists pray for you. As Dr. Sandra Richter writes, "[We need to] learn again that the Lord of heaven and earth has never ceased and will never cease to hear the cries of his people." So, one way the Psalms are important is in how they express authentic human interaction with God. Another vital aspect to the Pslams, historically speaking, is that this book has been, and is today, a primary means of the worship of God. 

One of the best ways to think of the book of Psalms is as a hymn book of ancient Israel. The book of Psalms was gathered together as a book of praise for a purpose. Let's think for a moment about what a hymn book is, mainly because most churches today don't regularly use a hymnbook any longer. A hymnal is a collection of material, into one single text, of everything that a congregation needs to worship as a congregation. This material is then organized so that individuals and communities can easily use it for its intended purpose. The book of Pslams operates the same way. 

Let me give you a few examples of how this works using songs and language we might know today. There are certain songs we play at certain times of the year. For example, the song "O Little Town of Bethlehem" is played during what time of year? The Avent and Christmas Season. When you hear that song, if you weren't already paying attention, you'd instantly know what time of year it is. 

Here is another example. If you hear the words, "Dearly Beloved, we're gathered together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of ...(I don't think I need to go on), we immediately recognize this language as belonging to a wedding ceremony! 

The Psalms work similarly for the people of Isreal. Not only do the Pslams express their authentic interactions with God, but the ancient community of faith used the Psalms to anchor and orient various seasons, practices, and moments of their life toward God. The fantastic thing is, we can still do this in our community of faith today. When you hold the book of Pslams in your hand, you are holding the book that facilitated Israel's worship for over a thousand years; that's amazing.

This Sunday, as we start our sermon series on the Pslams, my encouragement to you is to dive into this beautiful book. Read along and even explore on your own. Be inspired. Let God speak to you, and the Psalms speak for you. Let the words you read anchor and orient your life toward the creator of all things and our Lord and Savior. This week we start with Psalm 8 - it's a powerful Psalm, and it's only nine verses long! Have fun. 

Special Guest - Area Director Eric Spangler

 
Guest Speaker.png
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Asia Area Director Eric Spangler. Pastor Eric is a significant leader in our denominational family. We encourage you to check out the Asia area information page here.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week and listen to the discussion podcast.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle

Special Guest - Pastor Mark Morrison

 
 

Every so often, we will have a guest speaker at CrossView Church. We are so grateful for the gifted women and men that serve the Lord through teaching the word. This week we hear from Pastor Mark Morrison the director of Shepherd Ministries - we encourage you to take a look at his ministry page here.

Usually, when we have a guest speaker, we will not have a weekly devotion. We encourage you to watch the message again at some point throughout the week and listen to the discussion podcast.

Blessings on you and your week.

Pastor Kyle

Free to be Me - Galatians Week 5

“The Spirit-led life offers such freedom to live headlong into the values of God, to create ripples and flow in his river.”
— Carolyn Moore

I spend a lot of time with middle schoolers these days. As a parent to a young teenager, I clock quite a few hours driving carpool, chaperoning hangouts, and hearing about the latest TikTok challenges. Many things have changed since I was this age (back in the olden days, when “tick-tock” was just the sound made by an analog clock), but one aspect of adolescence has held constant throughout the generations: a deep desire to fit in.

In a challenging and important developmental stage, young teenagers may sometimes feel that their highest priority is fitting in with peers – especially those peers who seem to have life all figured out. Social rules, frequently unspoken, dictate individual choices – fashion, activities, music, movies, etc. As a young teenager, the placement of the part in your hair or the length of the cuff on your jeans can make or break your own sense of being “in” or “out”.

This is a normal part of adolescent development, but it is just that: adolescent. In healthy human development, we continue to grow and learn to appreciate our individual personalities, passions, and gifts. We recognize that the many unspoken “rules” of adolescence serve not to include but to exclude, and that releasing our grip on these rules allows us to flourish and grow into the persons we were meant to be.

The same is true of our faith. An immature faith leans heavily on religious rules, frequently unspoken, in an attempt to fit in with others or to earn the right to be with God. The Galatian Christians found themselves struggling with this kind of adolescent behavior. The issue of the day was circumcision, a practice that was mandated by the Jewish religious law. The clear teaching of the Church was that Jesus had fulfilled the Law, freeing us from its rules and regulations, including the mandate of circumcision.

That’s not to say that the Law was bad. On the contrary, the Law was originally given to the people of God as a means of grace, a way for them to remain in relationship with God even though sin kept them from the perfect communion that God had designed and created. But when Jesus came and fulfilled the requirements of the Law on our behalf, he freed us once and for all from the Law’s heavy burden.

Yet despite that freedom, there were some in the early Church who insisted that the religious practice of circumcision was still necessary. Why? Paul notes two reasons. In Galatians 6:12, he wrote, “Whoever wants to look good by human standards will try to get you to be circumcised.” In other words, some Christians were insisting upon circumcision because they believed that doing so would garner the admiration of others. It was a way to make themselves appear more devout.

The other reason is even more dangerous. In Galatians 5:4, Paul says, “You people who are trying to be made righteous by the Law have been estranged from Christ. You have fallen away from grace!” Paul was addressing those Christians who had heard the good news of Jesus, who knew that their righteousness was found in Jesus alone, and yet who still clung to the belief that their righteousness was dependent upon their own actions.

Can we see ourselves in either of these adolescent ways of thinking? Do we think that we will somehow impress others if we make a show of our “holiness”? Do we judge others by their adherence to unnecessary religious rules? Or, even more seriously, do we think that we can somehow earn God’s love and approval by what we do or what we don’t do?

The truth is so much better than either of these immature beliefs. The truth is that Jesus has set us free from the Law and that we are no longer bound by the rules that held us in perpetual adolescence. He has removed the weight of the Law from our shoulders and has given us the gift of his Spirit – a holy presence to guide us in all wisdom. 

And here’s the real beauty: when we are guided by the Holy Spirit, we find ourselves free to live as we were originally created – as image-bearers of God, unique in our expressions of worship and love. Religious rules create rigid uniformity, a black-and-white, monotone system of behavior that is devoid of love. In contrast, the Holy Spirit creates a rich and vibrant community of image-bearers, refracting the brilliant light of God into a million colors of hope and love.

In Ephesians 3:16-19, Paul wrote, “I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.”

The immensity of God’s love cannot be contained within the rigid boundaries of the Law. It is only through the Holy Spirit that we can be rooted in his love, and in that way we will be filled with life and power, free to be completely who we were meant to be.

Wow, What an Inheritance! - Galatians Week 4

“What will guide the new Christians if not the time-tested law of Moses? That is the question of the hour for Galatians.”
— Melissa Moore

Change is hard, and the unknown is frightening. I think we all know and have experienced the difficulty of change in one way or another. Indeed, we've all faced the fear of the unknown and unfamiliar over the past year and a half. Global pandemic aside, most people thrive on some type of routine in their life. Is that true of you?

Let me give you an example from my own life. Our family has a few routines when it comes to the meals we eat each week. Ever since our kids were young, we've had pizza every Friday evening. I know many families do this, but we call it Pizza Movie Night. We order a pizza and let the kids choose a family movie for us all to watch. This routine has become a can't miss event for our family. If my wife or I try to change Friday's meal or activities, we will have a revolt on our hands!

If change is hard when it comes to eating pizza and watching a movie on Friday evening, imagine how difficult it must have been for Jewish and Gentile Christians to map out a new way of life after believing in Jesus. In her devotional book on Galatians, Melissa Moore writes, "What will guide the new Gentile Christians' ethics (and way of life) if not the revered, time-tested Law of Moses? This was the question of the hour for our Galatians. And Paul's answer was (wait for it) -- the Holy Spirit." 

This week in our Sunday morning teaching time, we focus on the "inheritance" of faith that comes with believing in Jesus. That inheritance is the gift of the Holy Spirit - and what a gift that is. We receive the Holy Spirit from God upon hearing the good news of Jesus and responding in faith. The Holy Spirit, a member of the Trinity, fully God, "fills" our heart and mind, guides us in life, and empowers us to live in this new life of faith. 

A primary role of the Holy Spirit is to continue to reveal the truth of scripture, the person of Jesus, and help us understand and embody the love required of us toward others and God himself. Wow, what an inheritance - what a gift!  

The founder of the Methodist movement, John Wesley, is well known for describing what it felt like to experience a moment with the Holy Spirit. While hearing the introduction to a commentary on the book of Romans read aloud, Wesley wrote, "while he [the reader] was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that He had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."  The gift we receive after responding to Jesus is the very spirit of God. Can I let you in on a secret? That's a much better way to live than trying to keep the letter of the law.

Back to Galatians. The Jewish people had only known life in and through the law of Moses (which had extended to include 613 commands). Paul came along and made sure the new believers were very clear about what they had received. They had received the spirit of God, who would now be their guide, help them understand truth, and would empower them rather than condemn them. The juxtaposition between the law and the spirit of God is powerful. To use the same juxtaposition but with a different metaphor, the law leads to condemnation and death, while the spirit of God leads to fruit-filled thriving and life. 

In fact, Paul uses the metaphor of fruit in one of the most well-known passages in Galatians. Galatians 5:22-23 says, "But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!"

I hope we hear Paul's message. As members of God's family through faith, we get an inheritance - the gift of the Holy Spirit who, rather than bring condemnation (as was common living under the law), He brings life and fruitfulness. This was indeed a new way to live and unsettled the familiar routine of following the law. Change is hard, and as this new family of faith found out, the unknown can be frightening. But, one thing is made abundantly clear in scripture even from the very beginning, God can be trusted, and his Spirit gives us a new rhythm, a renewed life, and an abundance of grace. Praise the Lord!

"Made Right?" What Does That Mean

“Jesus is the central aspect of humanity’s change in relationship with God.”
— Pastor Kyle

Relationships are tricky. I don't think it's an overstatement to say that every person alive has had to deal with at least one relationship that was, well, complicated! It stands to reason that if our human relationships are complex, then our relationship with God will also be tricky, and scripture bears this out. 

How to have a relationship with God is a question of significant concern for many of the New Testament books (actually for the Old Testament too - relationship problems between God and humanity start in the first chapters of Genesis). The Jewish people thought they had it figured out, and for a while, they did. Then Jesus came along and changed everything by redefining how humanity was to relate to God. This was excellent news, even if it didn't seem like it to the Jewish authorities. 

The message of the Gospel, the message of primary concern for Jesus, was that everyone could be in a relationship with God - everyone! The old walls of inclusion and exclusion didn't exist any longer because the actions Jesus took applied to every man, woman, and child who ever lived. The outcome of Jesus' sacrificial death and resurrection meant that each person believing in Jesus could be "made new" or "made right" by dying to their old self, the self that constantly rejected God and was dirtied by all that rejection. That person is then re-born with Jesus through faith, and because of Jesus' resurrection, those who have faith are new without the stain of the previous way of life or thinking. Pretty great, right?! Then we are gifted the spirit of God to help us in this new way of life. 

Jesus is the central aspect of humanity's change in relationship with God. Meaning humanity doesn't have to strive to overcome the disconnection with God through some effort or special knowledge; we don't have to ascend to the heavens by enlightenment or the emptying of ourselves so that we can perceive the dive. One of the most beautiful aspects of the Christian faith is that God sought us. He came for you; he came for me; he came for all creation. He let us hear his voice, see his face, and experience his love. He came to show us that he loves us and wanted to fix things, to give us all hope and invite us into a deeply meaningful relationship. 

Galatians 3:26-29 says, "For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God's promise to Abraham belongs to you."

Yes, relationships are tricky, but the good news of the Bible - the entire story of the Bible - is that God wants to be in a relationship and that he made a way for that to happen. The question we have to wrestle with is one of response. I hope relationship with Jesus is something you will consider. You were made for this relationship - it's how you were designed. His invitation is an open one, my advice - don't wait! 

Romans 7:4,6: "So, my dear brothers and sisters, this is the point: You died to the power of the law when you died with Christ. And now you are united with the one who was raised from the dead. As a result, we can produce a harvest of good deeds for God...But now we have been released from the law, for we died to it and are no longer captive to its power. Now we can serve God, not in the old way of obeying the letter of the law, but in the new way of living in the Spirit."

It's a fight! Peter vs. Paul in Galatians - Abundant Grace Week 2

“The outcome of the conflict between Peter and Paul is that the message of Jesus won the day.”
— Pastor Kyle

I love the way Scripture can speak today and bring clarity to situations and circumstances we face daily. This week we are looking at what first seems to be a knock-down-drag-out conflict between two heavyweights in the early church - Peter and Paul. 

We find this conflict in Galatians 2, and it feels like a fly-on-the-wall moment, "when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn't eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter's hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy (Galatians 2:12-13)." That's why Paul writes, "When Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong (Galatians 2:11)." Have you recently disagreed with someone about anything?! Wink. Wink.

As I mentioned earlier, this is where I love how Scripture can speak into our present circumstances. We're coming out of one of the most divisive seasons in recent memory. All I need to do is write the word "masks," and, no matter what you think, for some of you (probably many of you), it's sure to make your blood boil. What's more, masks (in my opinion) don't carry the same weight of importance as topics such as race, justice, and the political divide we've been dealing with throughout the past year. In many ways, the conflict between Peter and Paul mirrors our cultural divide and highlights different approaches to the same topic. 

In our Sunday message, the main point we highlight is the difference between fear running amuck in our spiritual life verse having confidence in Jesus and letting that confidence give us the courage to live out our faith as Jesus would like. For this devotion, we'd like to highlight that the outcome of the conflict between Peter and Paul is that the message of Jesus won the day. Now, we don't have a record of Peter's response to Paul's challenge, but we know that both Peter and Paul went on to preach and teach that salvation was for all people through faith in Jesus. In other words, the message of Jesus won the day. 

At times we need to be willing to reflect and ask sincerely, is what I think about this topic or this issue reflective of the way of Jesus - and if it's not, I need to be willing to change what I believe. It's easy to get caught up in the cultural heat of the moment, but we are sons and daughters of God, members of the kingdom of heaven. Our allegiance is to the way of Jesus first. We have surrendered our minds, hearts, lives to the one who gave up all the rights and privileges of heaven - out of love - to make a way for us to be renewed. What excellent news. We, who call ourselves by the name of Jesus, need to live the same way.  

One commentator I read this week wrote, "we need people in our lives with enough nerve to say to us (at times), 'you can't do that.' Neither Paul nor the circumcision party nor Peter nor the gentiles won the fight that day. Christ won, and because Christ won, the church won. The biggest win of our lives is sometimes on the other side of a lost fight." Wow. That is both true and hard to hear. 

As a spiritual formation practice this week, take some time to reflect on your thoughts, words, and deeds over the past year. If you need a reminder, talk to a close friend or family member, maybe take a look at your social media posts. Do your best to gain some perspective by asking, "How did I represent Jesus in a divisive season?" Take some notes, and make it all a matter of prayer with Jesus. I'm thankful for Paul's courage and the clarity of focus he had on what's important - the message of Jesus, and it's an invitation to all people everywhere to join the family of God.