It has been two months since the supply line in the ladies’ bathroom providentially disconnected and flooded a section of the new church building. I say “providentially” because I don’t believe anything happens apart from the hand of God. The biblical truth of God’s sovereignty teaches that God has both the authority and power over everything and absolutely nothing escapes His control. Job recognized this in light of his suffering: “Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?” (Job 12:9).

I don’t want to sound overly simplistic, but because of the limited space let me share a couple of thoughts. First, we need to make a distinction between what God causes to happen and what God allows to happen. I find it helpful to ask a couple of questions: “Could God have stopped the water line from breaking?” Answer: Yes! “Did God stop the water line from breaking?” Answer: No! So, in the sense that He could have prevented it but didn’t He was in control. In God’s providence the water line broke.

Also, we need to understand that everything happens for a reason (even evil). Paul sums this up for our benefit by saying: “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good…” (Romans 8:28). And from God’s benefit he wrote, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:36). Things happen by the sovereign and majestic design of God for our good and for His glory.

No, I can’t always answer the question, “Why did God cause or allow this to happen?” But if I take God out of the picture then I am left with sheer blind luck and happen chance, and I’m not willing to live in a world where God is not ultimately in control. A world where God is not in control would be chaotic. I believe God is large and in charge!

We are all ready to get this rebuild behind us, but I take comfort in the fact that God had a purpose behind it, and His purpose was to build our lives and to bless His name.

Grace & Peace,

Scott

One of the tragic eventsfrom Judges 11 I had to leave out Sunday morning (3-11-12) was the vow that Jephthah made. In a moment of emotional excitement he vowed to the LORD that “whoever [whatever] comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the LORD’s, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering” (Judges 11:31). Let’s start here…

Some have said that Jephthah had an animal sacrifice in mind because the word “whoever” could also be translated “whatever.” The problem is that the Israelites didn’t have cows and goats as pets that would stay inside the house, and can you imagine him willing to offer up the family cat or dog?

We must remember that Jephthah lived in a time when Israel’s priesthood was dysfunctional and corrupt. They had no true spiritual leadership. Spiritually they were used to what was going on with those who “owned” them at the time. For the last 18 years the Ammonites and the Philistines ran the show, and it was their usual practice make human sacrifices.

Another point of view is that Jephthah took advantage of the rules of vows found in their law (Leviticus 27) where a person could renegotiate a foolish vow. He could go to the Temple and offer money in exchange for his daughter’s life. She would be set apart for God’s service and remain unmarried and childless her entire life. This would explain Jephthah’s lament; he would die without an heir and the very inheritance of land he just got back from his half brothers would revert to the family that kicked him out in the first place.

Whatever conclusion we draw God has left just enough ambiguity to cause us to scratch our heads with this one. However I do believe we have a valuable lesson in this story. The vow was unnecessary and dumb because it brought great harm to Jephthah and his family. God didn’t demand a vow. His vow was one that revealed his lack of trust in God. God had already indicated victory by clothing Jephthah with His Spirit (v. 29).

It is a sad day when we foolishly make promises to God. We must stop and think before making a vow to a holy and righteous God, especially when God doesn’t demand it from us in the first place. When we find ourselves in an emotionally charge situation where we think we can tip the scales in our favor by promising God something that will cost us dearly, we need to stop and think and pray. God is not to be trifled with; He isn’t a merchant with whom we need to bargain. He is a majestic beyond our wildest dreams and desires to be treated as such.

Grace & Peace,

Scott

Gideon had seventy-one sons; we know about two of them from Judges 8–11. Abimelech is the ignoble son who murdered sixty-nine of his half brothers in an attempt to eliminate the competition. The youngest son of Gideon, Jotham, was the only half-brother to escape. In this post I want to look back on Abimelech and expand on something I said in passing on Sunday morning. In Judges 9:6 we read,

And all the leaders of Shechem came together, and all Beth-millo, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem.

Remember, this coronation came on the heels of Abimelech’s murderous rampage against sixty-nine of his half brothers. When he should have been tried as a butcher the people crowned him king. When we read something like this we say, “You’ve got to be kidding! What were they thinking? Can’t they see this guy is not fit to lead a dog team in the Iditarod let along the nation of Israel?” But it really shouldn’t surprise us because we see this taking place everyday.

Don’t be surprised when unscrupulous, villainous, dishonorable people with little or no character rise to the top. Even those who have terrible character will rise and become those who rule because people don’t get it. Just because somebody is a success doesn’t mean they will be a good leader. Too often the leaders in our clubs, communities, countries and even churches are chosen because they have all the “right stuff.” We look at the campaigns they’ve lead or the crowds they’ve drawn or the money they’ve brought in. Have we stopped to think of the character they possess? The real test of whether someone should lead is not simply the external achievements, but the internal character. Just like “might never makes right” so popularity shouldn’t blind us into thinking a person will make a good leader. What is important is what these people do behind closed doors when they think nobody is watching them.

I want us all to remember this whenever we are choosing someone to lead us. Peal back the layers of their so-called successes and put their real self under our microscopes. We all need to ask one crucial question: “Does this person have the character, integrity to be a leader?” I just thought I’d throw that out for what its worth.

Grace & Peace,

Scott

Some "firsts" we never forget…first kiss, first movie, first airplane ride, first time jumping off the diving board, first time driving, first time getting pulled over by the police. And now we have a first at Calvary Church that I hope we will never forget – our first baptism in the new building! It was awesome to get to baptize Lane Gregory on Sunday. I’m not sure who was more excited: Lane, his parents (Shane & Tracy), his sister (Taylor), or me. We all had our reasons and for me it was the thrill of being out in the open, right in the middle of people, baptizing a brother who was being obedient. I’ve baptized a few people in my ministry, but I would say this was the “most fun” I’ve had. I think the reason for that feeling was because it felt more like what they would have done in the early church; people were close and there was a feeling of intimacy. I didn’t have to run to a room, change clothes, and get into the tank all during a couple of stanzas of Just As I Am; I simply had to throw off the coat and plunge the boy under the water! Pretty cool, huh?

Baptism is something very important. It is an act that a believer shouldn’t do because of pressure or guilt. Baptism is a picture of our relationship with Jesus Christ, and until a believer understands that picture they shouldn’t get baptized. Baptism is a visual expression of our identification with a Savior. In baptism we are illustrating the beautiful truth of what Christ endured to save us: He willingly and obediently died (coming to the waters of baptism willingly), He was buried (going under the water), and He rose gloriously (coming up out of the water). Every person baptized at Calvary is a reminder to everyone present that his or her salvation came at a price and that price was the life of Jesus. It is also a reminder that Jesus didn’t stay in the grave but rose victoriously.

One final thought. Baptism is also an indication that a church is obedient to the Great Commission. If we are reaching people then Jesus said two things would take place. First we will be baptizing, and second we will be teaching people the Word of God and how to obey that Word (cf. Matthew 28:19-20). Disciples are baptized and disciples are taught.

Grace & Peace,

Scott

The rebuilding has begun! Yes, we are pretty excited around here. On the other hand, we will have to put up with the inconveniences of tripping over workers, being temporarily ousted from our offices and classrooms (again!), coughing through the cloud of drywall dust, gagging on the fumes of paint and carpet glue, and waiting on everything to get finished. I guess we could call this a time of inconvenient excitement! I’ve been told that once it is all done it will be like it never happened. Although that may be true, it will never change the fact that the new car has been metaphorically dinged. You see, six months from now when somebody new comes to Calvary they probably won’t notice that we’ve had a flood; they will never realize that all of the flooring on the right side of the building was replaced; neither will they be able to tell that on a Monday morning in January we walked into a mess. That is the beautiful nature of rebuilding and that beautiful nature is true of us spiritually. Let me explain…

Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth that “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). In Christ we are brand new! This doesn’t mean that we don’t have a past, it means that God is giving us a future. Through the gospel we get an opportunity at a fresh start; the cross is the beginning of a process whereby God rebuilds our lives. He takes what has been marred by sin and restores it. The restoration doesn’t happen overnight, it is a long, lifetime process we call sanctification.

Paul goes on to explain this lifetime process as “the old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” Just like our brand new building that has been “dinged”, we have been “dinged” with sin, only the consequences are much more devastating and the stakes much higher. In the end will people know and see the effects of sin in our lives? To a certain degree the answer is “Yes,” some of the devastation of sinning leaves marks that cannot be erased, but that doesn’t mean we don’t stand on solid ground if we stand at the foot of the cross and let it center our lives.

So, as you see the restoration of the building take place let it be a reminder that God is in the process of restoring your life as well.

Grace & Peace,

Scott