Pastor_David's blog

Bravo, ESL workers! The team that runs our church's English as a Second Language program is doing a fantastic job. Last Sunday, at the ACC Memorial Day picnic, I counted at least seventeen people who were there either directly or indirectly because of ESL. This ministry is proving to be one of the most effective forms of outreach that our church has, as well as a great way to show our neighbors the love of Christ through our deeds. Keep up the good work, guys!

My family and I live in a rented house owned by a woman from Ireland. Next door to us is a laundromat owned by a Filipino and staffed by an Ecuadorian. Our neighbors on the other side moved here from Peru....

The recent natural disasters in Asia are heart-breaking. The cyclone in Myanmar has killed as many as 100,000 people and exposed as many as 1.5 million people to hunger and disease. The earthquake in China has left around 20,000 people dead. We are told that the death toll there may reach 50,000. Jesus told us that there would be “famines and earthquakes in various places.” (Matthew 24:7) But, we are not to respond to these crises with indifference. The Bible tells us that God wants his people to “to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter – when you see the naked, to clothe him...” (Isaiah 58:7) It asks, “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has not pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” (1 John 3:17) On Sunday, May 18, at both morning worship services, we will be collecting a special offering at ACC, dedicated entirely to relief efforts in China and Myanmar. Let’s give generously to help others in need.

In my last blog entry I talked about how a Christian’s experience of the Holy Spirit is meant to be very real. But what is that experience like? Here are some of the ways that the New Testament tells us the Spirit works in the lives of Christians (in no particular order) ...

Some Christian groups over-emphasize the experiential aspect of being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. I’ve heard of believers being told that if they have never spoken in tongues they don’t have the Spirit. This teaching is not supported by Scripture at all. In the New Testament, the gift of tongues was just one gift among many that the Holy Spirit imparted to believers. Like the other gifts, it was not given to everyone. (1 Cor. 12:7-11, 29-31)

In reaction to this error, however, some Christians have allowed their doctrinal pendulum to swing too far in the other direction. They speak of the Spirit’s presence in their lives as little more than an abstract theological concept that they infer only through logical deduction. “All Christians have the Spirit. I am a Christian. Therefore, logically, I must have the Spirit (whether I sense his presence or not.)” I think that this position is also a mistake....

Why is it so easy for Christians to forget the Holy Spirit?
I don’t mean that we forget the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Most of us are grounded enough in a Trinitarian belief system never to do that. We are all aware, at least on a cognitive level, that the Third Person of the Godhead exists.
But, nevertheless, we forget him....

For the last year or so, I have been doing my daily Bible reading in Spanish. Since I struggle with Spanish, this makes me read more slowly than I normally would. Sometimes that’s a good thing. Sometimes when you slow down, you notice things in Scripture that you haven’t seen before. Here is an example ...

When we ponder the Resurrection of Jesus Christ it is natural to think either about the past or about the future: the past, because Jesus rose 2,000 years ago; the future, because this event points to our coming resurrection from the dead.
But the Bible tells us that the resurrection of Christ has relevance for our present life, as well. In fact, if you are a believer in Jesus, Christ’s resurrection should have a direct impact on your experience today.

When I attended seminary in the late 1980’s, there were some highly publicized scandals in the news involving wealthy televangelists. It came to light that certain preachers had built huge personal fortunes by coaxing their listeners to give sacrificially to their cause. One summer between semesters, I got a job working construction. When the other workers learned that I was studying to be a minister, they never let me hear the end of it. Day after day I heard wisecracks about how wealthy I would be once I got those poor widows’ offerings rolling in....

I’m involved in two of our church’s Fellowship Groups on a regular basis. But I’m taking time this month and next to visit groups I don’t normally attend. What a blast! If you are not in a group, I’d encourage you to find one. If you are in a group, I’d encourage you to pop in on another group once in a while for a surprise visit. (Don’t bail out on the group you’re committed to. Just go hang out with some new people for a change.) It’s a lot of fun! You get to know new people and there’s usually some good food involved.

At one of the groups I visited this week, somebody shared something in the Bible study time that really gave me new insight into the goodness of Christ....