Pass the Flame

When my kids were little I used to love to listen to their giggles as we would wrestle and play. They would scrunch up into a tight little ball to protect their tummies and ribs from being tickled. I used to raise my left hand in the air and make waving motions and goofy gestures with it and all the while my right hand was down low moving in for the tickle attack. If they forgot that tactic from last time, they would reach out for my left hand to keep it from attacking and forget the danger coming from a different direction entirely.

Harold Camping’s end of the world prediction was just such a left-handed goofy gesture, distracting Christians from their true purpose. But fortunately, it has been Left Behind. Or has it? According to Jack Van Impe, the end of the Mayan calendar on December 31, 2012 might signal the end. But he has also mentioned 2021. And do you remember Hal Lindsey’s book The Late Great Planet Earth? Or Tim LaHaye and the Left Behind Series? Who can forget the year 2000 seeming a likely candidate, as did the year 1000 when it rolled around. And nearly every people group who has experienced the horror of war felt the end must be near. And in this country, a struggling economy qualifies! What, oh what are we to do?

Jesus tells a parable in Mark 13:34 about a man who goes away and leaves his servants in charge, each with his own task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Only one is told to watch, the others are to do their assigned tasks. And that guy at the door? Is it his job to watch for the master’s return so he can warn the crew to close FaceBook and put away the video games before the master comes in from the parking lot? No, his job is to watch for danger, to sound the alarm when a thief or a whole gang of thieves are lurking about.

Let’s look at this a different way.

The current population of the world is nearly 7 Billion.

Of these, how many do you think have heard the Gospel? And if we were to reach all of these people right now with the gospel, would our work be done? Would Christ then return? Is that our goal? To reach these 7 Billion people? Only these 7 Billion people?

Let’s try a different perspective. How many people from all time have actually lived on this planet? One estimate places that number at around 115 Billion. That means that approximately 108 Billion people have lived and died before this day.  How many of those people were reached for the Gospel? How many followed The Creator, God?

Today’s living are about 6% of the total so far. About 70,000 people die each day. Nearly a half million people are born each day. In about 100 years today’s living will be exchanged through births and deaths for about 18 Billion new humans… 18 Billion new souls. In 1000 years, the current living will equal only about 2% of the total number of people who will have ever existed on this planet.

2 Peter 3:9 says: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

Anyone? Everyone? Who are they? Are they just our current 7 billion? Or have we been looking at this through a microscope instead of a telescope?

Think of a timeline that stretches from 4000 years in the past to 40,000 years into the future. If Christ’s return is 40,000 years in the future, our spot on the timeline is much nearer the beginning than it is to the end, isn’t it? Think of it this way: That timeline is like a fuse. Those among the living are the lit part of the fuse, those who have died are the blackened, spent part of the fuse, those souls not yet born are waiting to be ignited. Who ignites them? Who ignited you?

Jesus said: “I am the light of the world.” In Matthew, we are instructed to shine our light, to put our lamp on a hill. Timothy is instructed by Paul to fan into flame the gift God has given him. The disciples on the road to Emmaeus said “how our hearts burned within us as we walked with Him, and the AWANA song says: “We are sparks for Jesus.”

When we talk about going out into all the world to preach the gospel, let’s remember which group has the greatest number of people who have not yet heard the Gospel…those not yet born.

Pay no more attention to the goofy gestures of the left hand.

Our task is ahead of us.

Burn brightly and pass the flame.

Guest Essay by Doug Phillips of Vision Forum

The Little Boy Down the Road:
Embracing a Father's First Priority

 Guest essay by Douglas Phillips of Vision Forum

I have a little boy who waits for his daddy at the end of the street. For several years, we lived at the end of a long Texas country road. Every evening when I was away from home on business, my little boy would ask permission of his mother to take his little black and brown dog and his daddy’s blackthorn walking stick to make the half-mile journey from the house to the picket fence which marked the beginning of the dirt driveway.

One day, I was delayed in my business. Some seemingly all-important grown-up concern distracted me. I forgot about the faithful little boy down the road who might be waiting for his daddy.

On my way home, the floodgates of heaven opened. For several minutes, the rain was so thick that I could not see ten feet in front of me. All I could think of was finishing my journey and getting out of the rain. Finally, the downpour began to abate. It was only a drizzle by the time my car turned the last corner and approached the final street between me and a warm home and nice meal.

But in less than a fraction of a second, my business priorities, my concerns, and my grown-up thoughts would fade and vanish.

There was my little boy. He was holding a rickety umbrella in one hand, a walking stick in the other, and was wearing the biggest and most beautiful smile ever to grace the face of a little boy.

As I stopped the car and opened the door, he ran into my arms and held me long and hard. He was wet and shivering, but he never mentioned the rain, nor the hour-long wait that I later discovered he had endured just to greet his father. He simply said, “Daddy, I missed you. I am so glad you are home.”

All afternoon he had been thinking of one thing: his daddy. He had lived for the time he could make the journey to the end of the road and for that one moment when he would run into my arms and tell me he loves me. Like the dog beside him, his devotion and faithfulness would not even be broken by a tardy father and a rainy day. His day and his world revolved around that one moment when he could say to himself, “I am with my daddy again.”

One day we moved to a wonderful new home provided by the Lord for a special season in our lives. The little boy down the road is a little bit less little. We no longer have a long country road. Now we have a giant tree. It is often beside that tree that my little boy waits for me now, sometimes with his regiment of brothers and sisters, now old enough to venture beyond the castle walls of our home.
The tree is adorned with climbing ropes, with occasional buckets hanging off the limbs, and with the many markings of boys who thrill and delight to climb and conquer the kingdoms of trees. In the evening time, we sometimes have what we call “tree time.” This is a special thirty minutes when Daddy and sons climb into the tree and just talk. It’s a time for stories, for imagination, and for just being boys in trees.
But I have never forgotten the rainy day and the little boy and his dog. Often, perhaps a thousand times, my mind has wandered back to that scene. Like all events in our lives, it happens once and must be savored and treasured.

I think it was this day that I grew to understand what it meant when Jesus said that true Christianity is having the faith of a child. The evidences of this faith are simple love, unfeigned loyalty, and the passion—the all-consuming passion—to be with the Father.

How thankful I am that our Heavenly Father will never be distracted, lose perspective, or switch priorities away from His beloved sons. He will not leave us waiting, nor will He need rain and storms to refocus His attention on us.

Oh God, help us to be more like You, to have the simple faith of our children, and to understand that, more than anything else, our children crave a relationship with us, even as You crave one with each of Your children.

Someday my little boy won’t be waiting at the end of the road. Someday he won’t ask me to climb “our” tree to hear Daddy stories. Someday the wonders of bugs and butterflies will be exchanged for the dreams of noble manhood. Someday we will discuss what it means to love a woman. On yet another more distant day, we will look at new life and discuss, not only as father and son, but as friends, the joys of raising children for the glory of God. Perhaps even someday, we will live to see our children’s children walk in the grace of the light of God.

All of this by God’s grace and mercy. But for now, my little boy still likes to climb trees, to snuggle in the great big chair, to hug, and to wrestle on the ground with his five-foot-eight father, who, for just a few more years, appears to be an insurmountable giant. What a gift! What a gift!

You may not have a little boy down the street, but perhaps you have a little girl looking out the window, or a baby in the crib, or a young man on the phone. Whatever gifts of life God has given you, and in whatever stages of their lives you find them now, remember that this season is a gift from God which lasts for but a moment and will then be gone forever. Have the faith of a child.

The message of life is relationships. Don’t leave the little boy down the road waiting for long.

Click here for the book by Doug Phillips that contains this essay and others.

The Healer

I've decided a church is like a hospital. A university hospital. Like Oregon Health Sciences University, or Texas Tech University Hospital, or UC Davis closer to our home. And I think the members and regular attenders of the church are like employees or staff in that hospital

Now, one of the worst interpretations of scripture ever foisted on a gullible public is the one from Isaiah about the Christ where it says "by his stripes we are healed." This scripture obviously refers to spiritual healing of the sin-rift between God and Man through the suffering death of Jesus as He paid our debt. By His sacrificial death (stripes) we are offered new life (healed). Metaphors are wonderful ways to communicate powerful truths, but foolish doctrines have been built on goofy literalistic interpretations of simple metaphors. So when I say that a church is like a hospital, try not to think about TV preachers with big hair who want you to send them your money by faith!

So we say, "Yay! We're saved from death! Now, what was I doing?" That's right, I was "reading" Playboy (or doing "research" on the internet), watching ESPN when home and recording everything for later when not home, ignoring my wife (or fighting with her), devoting extra hours at work to please my boss, kicking the little annoying rugrats out of my way when they try to get my attention, and drinking "moderately" on the weekends and after work with my friends. And, oh yeah, I go to church on Sunday.

So what should happen when a man like this who imagines he is "saved from death" goes to church? The healing should begin through the careful operations of the hospital. When this man arrives in the emergency room after skidding on a Budweiser oil slick in his 5 liter Chick Magnet, rolling off into Sharp Rock Canyon, he is rescued by a paramedic, but his life is still in danger. The paramedic could be a good Christian friend willing to speak up with his Jaws of Life! And even if he makes it through to "stable" from "critical" he has a long way to go to be "healed." And unlike a real hospital where patients get well enough to be discharged back to their former lives, our healing as people is not complete until we are well enough to enter training in this hospital called the church with the intent to go on staff!

It is easy to understand that hospitals would run poorly if they had no janitors, builders, maintenance workers, instructors, nurses, and doctors. Administrators and accountants help hospitals run smoothly. Warehouse operators make sure that supplies are there when needed. Doctors look deeply into the ailments of the patient and make recommendations that in themselves cause great pain. Others tend to the immediate physical needs of the patients... emptying bedpans or helping them to the toilet, cleaning up the accidents, tenderly and professionally washing the stains of injury.

In Christianity, we are the hands and feet of The Healer. When we are healed, we enter training to serve at the call of The Healer. We get out of the bed. We stop expecting hospital food to be delivered to us on time after creating our order from a menu. We take our funny gown off where our behind is always in danger of embarrassing exposure, and we put our work clothes on (Ephesians 6:10).  We stop thinking about ourselves and our own comfort and needs. Romans 12 sums up what is required, especially the first verse where we are encouraged to "offer our bodies as living sacrifices." Lace up your sensible shoes and make yourself available to a merciful God.

Anyone who has read the gospels has noticed a strong pattern of distaste in the mouth of Christ for the Pharisees, teachers of the law, and temple priests. Why? Because they did not offer their bodies as living sacrifices to God. They enjoyed their leisure. They enjoyed their power and position. They enjoyed the beauty of their buildings in the place of the purpose of those buildings. Jesus gave them a job to do, the job of bringing healing to the people. But they ate their fancy food, drank their expensive wine, accepted the respect of the populace, and then wrote law until their fingers cramped up to justify their own existence. They were distracted from their true purpose.

Jesus tried several versions of the parable where people are given a job to do and the master leaves them to do it. The point is always the same. Do what you are supposed to do. Don't be distracted by procedure, tradition,  pleasure, or even pain.

Imagine a hospital where the healed become the healers. It should look like our church.

Good Friday 2010

My portion tonight is on the subject of Perseverance. The text is from verse 23 which continues from verse 22 by stating “IF you continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel…

As you read your 1200 page love letter from God, you will find many verses about perseverance and here are four brief examples:

· Watch your life and doctrine closely, persevere in them…

· You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God you will receive what was promised.

· Perseverance must finish its work…

· Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial…

What is perseverance?

· Perseverance relates to the continual and patient dependence upon God.

· It is an evidence of reconciliation with God.

· It is an evidence of belonging to Christ.

· It is a characteristic of the Saints, as was evidenced by their Super Bowl win this year!

Perseverance is manifested or made plain in:

· Seeking God

· Waiting upon God

· Prayer

· Well-doing

· Continuing in the faith

· Holding fast hope

It is maintained through:

· The power of God

· The power of Christ

· The intercession of Christ

· The fear of God

· And Faith







But what does Perseverance LOOK like?



In the interest of brevity, we will be looking through a camera viewfinder as it were and not a picture window. If I was to give you the camera, you may choose to point it at a different object than I have chosen for the purpose of example tonight. Beginning at a global level and working our way down to a personal level, here are five targets:

1. On our planet, we have war. In World War II, there was an evil man, bent on evil. The failure to act quickly and decisively in the face of injustice had world-wide consequences. When men of character led countries with character, the evil was broken but with a horrible aftermath. In world affairs Perseverance acts early. Perseverance stays behind at the end to bring physical and spiritual healing. Perseverance administers justice against evil and does not listen to the voices that are loud simply because they are loud. In his biography of Winston Churchill, William Manchester states “If anyone is able to rally England to this moment it is going to have to be someone who is ruthless to the good; willing to match Hitler’s ferocity for evil with an even greater ferocity for freedom. Perseverance is ferocious! Perseverance in world affairs? The verse says…"continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."

2. In our United States, we are not very united. We fight about ideologies, methods, power, and of course, “change.” We see those in power using words as though they were riding a unicycle on a tightrope while juggling torches, but their actions facilitate the destruction of the innocent. Child sacrifice is legal (we sanitize the practice and call it abortion). Gay marriage is being discussed with legitimacy. Policies are created to subdue the speech of those who are not in power. Perseverance says: Jail me if you must, but I will not be silent! You may call a pre-born child whatever you wish in order to destroy it but I will not be deceived by your fine-sounding words! Perseverance says: Let me explain to you why marriage between one man and one woman is the God-ordained building block of good society. Let me graciously and carefully draw homosexual men and women to what is True! Let me protect you from disease and destruction! Let me love you into the Kingdom of Jesus Christ! But if you fight against truth, I will not silently allow you to engage my children and neighbors with lies that could destroy them! Perseverance in the United States? The verse says: "continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."

3. Our state of California has voted that an embryo would be a great place to find stem cells for research. The promise of money to be made, the international fame that could come from leading in this arena, these are the motivations sold to the people in our state to create an environment where this research could flourish. Lost in the noise is the reality that an embryo is fully and distinctly human. It is just small. And vulnerable. California is also home of the infamous 9th Circuit Court. And who could overlook the presence of Hollywood. Such wise and beautiful people! Perseverance looks at the odds and is not dismayed! Perseverance says: I will not give up even if I lose every battle I fight until the day I die. Perseverance educates and engages California culture to fight for the side of good. Perseverance does not decide whether or not to vote based on the chances of success. Perseverance in California? The verse says: “continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel!”

4. Our Families are in pain. Our Children are being actively seduced by this Godless culture. Our entertainment and communication devices are broken windows exposing us to the cold night. Our entertainments promise gorgeous images of sexual freedom without consequence. The real consequence of this sexual freedom has led to a state of epidemic disease where 1 in 4 High School kids will have a sexually transmitted disease by the time they graduate. Hooking-up on College campuses, that loveless and emotionless engaging in physical union with anyone at any time, is common and expected. Perseverance says: You will never take me, and you will not take my children without a fight. I will prepare them with truth and training. I will speak and listen. I will pray to my God for wisdom and for protection. What I do not know, I will learn and study and equip myself for the fight. I will not laugh and wink at a dirty movie on Saturday night and sit in church with my pretty outfit and matching bible on Sunday. I will help my kids fight the culture – to engage the culture – to win over those being destroyed by the lies of the culture. Perseverance in our families? The verse says: “continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel!”

5. And finally we come to marriage, that beautiful picture of our risen Christ and us, his church. Is it really true that Christian couples divorce at about the same rate as non-Christian couples? Is it true that it is better to divorce than to subject children to constant bickering in the home? Is it true that the children of divorce are perfectly resilient? Perseverance says – I will honor the commitment I made to you when I said “until death do us part.” It says I will love you even when you are unlovable. When opportunities to choose pornography, or secret conversations, or private lunches with attractive associates arise, perseverance says NO. I choose you. I chose you before God and witnesses and I choose you now. I choose to protect my thoughts. I choose to protect my eyes. I choose to engage you in conversation, in life and in love. Marriage was chosen by God to be a picture illustrating his relationship with us. Through marriage, we begin to understand what it truly means to be in relationship with God. Perseverance in marriage? The verse says: “continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.”



Colossians closes with these words to Archippus: “see to it that you complete the work you have received in the Lord”

What work has God asked ME to complete? What is the work YOU have received in the Lord? Persevere in it! If you persevere, we can have strong marriages, well adjusted and wise children, able to effect the culture in our state, invested in the return to a biblical worldview in our country, allowing for a powerful national tool, useable in the hands of Almighty God in our world.


"...continue in your faith established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel."

Kohler toilets and the destruction of marriage

So maybe you saw the Kohler commercial during the Minnesota/Green Bay game Sunday?

Such a romantic opening! A handsome young guy leaves his city condo to go to work just as the plumber arrives at his neighbor's house. But what a plumber! No un-tucked shirt with a beer-gut here, no sir! This plumber is a young, pretty brunette with all the tools... One of her tools is the blouse with the somewhat feminine shape to it. Another pair of tools are the eyes she uses to glance at the young man as she carries the rest of her tools up the steps. Wow! How to get her to fix MY plumbing he thinks. I know, I'll clog my toilet and give her a call! First I'll flush this...whoops,no. Then I'll flush that... rats, still no. How about a houseplant... no... towel... no... tea-lite candles...no... Ahhhh! She's gonna get away!!! OK... a whole bag of dog food might work???

Well, it might have worked and we could have imagined the wonderful introduction, friendship, and lasting relationship that developed between these two eligible young people. Yes, just think about their small group at church when people ask how they met. "I had to flush a whole bag of dog food down my toilet to get it to clog just so I could meet this gorgeous plumber that would someday be my wife," he says as he winks at her and smiles at the rest of the group. She says, "I learned the plumbing trade from my daddy since my mama died when I was little. Daddy didn't want us kids raised by strangers, so he would take my brother and I along whenever he had service calls to do." "I'll never forget the look my future husband gave me when I held up the Puppy Chow bag and just laughed so hard I had to, well let's just say I am glad the Kohler was still operating normally!"

But, No.

Instead, we get the young man's wife catching him flushing the dog food.

Proverbs speaks often about the seductress with her wayward eyes and words. Do you realize how well your TV fits that description?

Don't be the foolish young boy who is lead away by the seductress. He had no idea that what he was about to participate in would cost him his life.

Men, your life is in the balance as well. While you enjoy the game, don't be led away by the lies. Keep your brain engaged. Stay disciplined in your study and meditation of God's Word. Maintain discipline with your eyes and thoughts! Be aware that God is always present. Enjoy the wife of your youth, refreshed by the Living Water. Flush the stained water of evil.

Why "The Big Dig?"

Most of you are aware by now that Cornerstone is bringing "The Big Dig" to Yuba City. I am sure that many of you would like a better idea of what it is and why we are bringing it, so let me try to catch you up.
First, as a dad with two kids in college and one graduated and newly married, I have spent much time thinking about the minds of my kids. What is college but an opportunity to grow the mind dramatically and intensively in knowledge? But what are they going to learn?
Unfortunately, way too many kids have gone off to college with a shallow faith, unaware and unprepared for the overwhelming attacks on Christianity that they will surely face. It is not a friendly world, and weak Christians are eaten alive every day.
When Stephanie (our oldest) was in High School, we recognized the dangers she would soon be facing... miles from home, accountability at a minimum, and spiritual maturity that was... what? Was it real? Was it faked? Was she going to examine her faith for real for the first time, and in an environment that was hostile? Was her faith about to be shaken by an arrogant and powerful man with lots of initials after his name? Would she realize that there really are strong and powerful arguments to defend her faith that would devastate the humanistic arguments espoused by most modern college professors?
As part of our efforts to prepare her and other teens, Juli and I taught Cornerstone's High School students in a class we labeled "Discerning Deception." We typically prepared material from Chuck Colson and others that was centered around defending the Christian Worldview. The point of these classes was simply to demonstrate that the Christian worldview is supremely defensible. We wanted the sons and daughters of Cornerstone to be "prepared to give an answer for the hope that lies within." We certainly did not want to be responsible through ignorance or apathy for the destruction of these minds.
Those of you who have been privileged to participate in The Truth Project can see the point I am making very clearly. One way to look at The Big Dig is to see it as a Truth Project in a day. The speakers have one thing in mind: Prepare teens to successfully defend their faith in a culture that is powerfully hostile to all they have been taught in church.
This one day seminar is a live event in Colorado Springs and is being broadcast via satelite over the entire country. Rather than miss out on something so valuable due to the cost of airfare and lodging to Colorado, our church has chosen to provide this content by committing to a relationship with CCN, a christian media company that delivers content in multiple ways, including satelite. While this event is not cheap, it is made affordable by the inclusion of participants coming from other churches in the area. Our plan was to pull a very powerful tool within the reach of our teens at Cornerstone. Our hope is that our parents will see the value of this tool and sign their kids up for this unique event.
This event is intended for "teens, parents of teens, and youth leaders." It is on August 8th and the cost is $25 including lunch. If you would like to sign up or volunteer, please contact the church office as soon as possible.
Will their Faith Fizzle?

Prints in the Sand

The following is a parody of the "Footprints in the Sand" poem that you can find as a wall hanging for sale in any good Bible Book store.
Submitted by Dieter Rex, this one is better... :)

One night I had a wondrous dream,
one set of footprints there was seen,
The footprints of my precious Lord,
but mine were not along the shore.

But then some stranger prints appeared,
I asked the Lord, "What happened here?"
Those prints are large and round and neat,
"But Lord, they are too big for feet?"

"My child," He said in somber tone,
"For miles I carried you alone."
"I challenged you to walk in faith,
but you refused and made me wait."

"You disobeyed, you would not grow,
the walk of faith, you would not know.
So I got tired, I got fed up,
and there I dropped you on your butt."

"Because in life, there comes a time,
when one must fight, and one must climb,
when one must rise and take a stand,
or leave their butt-prints in the sand."

Author Unknown