Last Sunday night December 18 the church enjoyed a performance from the Songspinners the Colorado Springs Show Choir. Our "beloved" pastor and member Nancy Jenkins are a part of this choir and the church thoroughly enjoyed the show. We all enjoyed our pastor making a fool of himself for the fun and enjoyment of all, certainly a worthwhile pastoral activity! Thanks so much for these great people for putting so much work and energy into our church Christmas celebration. Merry Christmas to you all!

I had made an offer to the church last Sunday that if we sold 100 cookbooks between now and December 18, our Christmas fellowship, I would shave off my beard at the fellowship. Yesterday morning someone came forward with a razor, scissors, shaving cream and 100 $10 bills to purchase 100 cookbooks. So, off came the beard at church. The last photo was taken at home after I got a chance to more "properly" shave the beard off. Be careful what you ask for as a pastor, right? The Lord bless all who make our church a fun place to be .  (We're not the worst church you'll ever attend)

Blowing Into Fall

We recently completed our study of the Minor Prophets in our Sunday morning worship sermons. Our study began with the books of Joel and Micah and finished up in September with the book of Hosea. The study of the Minor Prophets revealed that God could simultaneously judge His people for their egregious sin and show them grace by promising the coming Messiah and the Millennial Kingdom. As God’s children we must see both sides of God’s character, judgment and mercy, and learn to live on His merciful side as much as we possibly can.

Our Sunday School lessons have been most fruitful as we have been studying other denominations, a study that I call “Dueling Denominations.” We have been concentrating on a simple overview, knowing that to study each denomination in detail would take years. We began with Catholicism and then studied Episcopalians, Lutherans and are currently studying Presbyterians. In order to understand the beliefs and practices of others a working knowledge of church history must also be studied, so we have been learning much as we have gone along in our study. We are certainly looking forward to the study of the Baptist church so that we can figure out what we’re actually doing (.....?)

 We will be finalizing our Christmas celebration schedule for this year. We have the opportunity to have a special fellowship this year and with the Songspinners performing with Nancy and Greg, but it will have to be another night other than December such as Friday night the 9th. We can then have our potluck fellowship on Sunday night the 18^th; be thinking about what we can do to celebrate the season.

Daylight Savings Time ends November 6^th this year
Christmas and New Years will be on a Sunday-we will have worship services those mornings at 10am with no Sunday school (unless there are any other ideas about the scheduling of those two Sundays)

Current Sunday School: Dueling Denominations
Presbyterians: Lesson #3
Exists today in America in two main groups, PCUSA (Presbyterian Church USA) and PCA (Presbyterian Churches in America)
Reformed Theology vs. Presbyterian Church theology
Major differences with Baptists: baptism, Lord’s Supper, church government, beliefs on predestination and freewill

Sunday October 16 Sermon
We will study the book of John section by section-not as a series-with topical sermons presented to break up the study; John was studied in 1990 and it’s time to update
John 8 – The Light of Jesus Still Shines
John 8:1-11                    Woman in Adultery/Pharisees in Hypocrisy
John 8:12-20                  Jesus the Light of the World

Pastor's Catch-up

Some meanderings while catching up on the summer of 2011 for Freedom BC:

We had a great Sunday August 14 with Missionary Ed Potter and his wife Abbie at the church. We also had the privilege of welcoming the Potter clan and the Rogers clan from Pueblo in our services. We had a great fellowship following the service. The presence of Ed and Abbie and the Pueblo folks was most appreciated by our Freedom folks. You guys are welcome back anytime, and make sure you bring the grandkids!

Greg and Ruth have had the joy of several trips this year: last December to Virginia Beach, VA to move Tim and Christa. We traveled back to Virginia Beach in April for the birth of our 4^th grandchild, Neva. We went to Bolivar, MO and Branson in July to visit Greg’s mom and Ruth’s mom and dad. Christa and Neva joined us along with Ruth’s sister Mary, with Shawn and Josh. Then August 1-12 we went to Ketchikan AK to see our daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren, Bethanne, Melody and Tate. It was wonderful to see everyone but we are glad to be home.

The church updated the kitchen to include cabinets and a sink so we now have a more normal fellowship area. We also recently painted the interior of the church so our little storefront is actually quite comfortable and aesthetically pleasing to worship in. We thank Johnie and Jackie Jackson for obtaining the used cabinets and Johnie for installing them.

I have been preaching through the Minor Prophets recently, a sermon series that the folks will tell their grandchildren about, and mightily bored they’ll be! It is good to be reminded of the great prophetic messages that God gave to His people through these shorter books (hence the name “Minor” only in volume, not content). The prophecies and events mentioned in the Minor Prophets are forerunners of our future. We have studied Joel, Micah, Habakkuk and Zephaniah so far and will conclude with Haggai, Hosea and Nahum. (We have previously studied Obadiah, Jonah, Zechariah and Malachi.) The common theme through these books is that even though the Lord brought judgment against His people because of their disobedience, He also brought restoration and blessing. He will do the same for us: even though the future may have some dark days of judgment ahead, the Lord will bring restoration and renewal. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing.

At that time will I bring you again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before your eyes, saith the LORD. Zephaniah 3:17, 20 (KJV)

Father's Day Lesson 2011

Teach Your Children A Divine Imperative
Deuteronomy 6:4-7
·          The fundamental truths of life are to be handed down to our children
·          Speak to the children what is in your heart, not just academic knowledge, “shall be in thine heart, and you shall teach them diligently”
·          More than doctrine (teach that also, this is a propositional statement), but your life with Christ: tell them what you’ve been through, what you’ve felt with Christ, the personal times you’ve had with Jesus
 Proverbs 22:6
·          A general principle, not a warranty
·          But one thing is sure: if you don’t train them up in the right way, they will not have anything to depart from and thus no good foundation from which to base their decisions
·          Do not minimize the old adage that when the pressure is on we “run home to momma;” that is, we revert to what we were taught by our parents
 Proverbs 17:6
·          “Children’s children” are grandchildren, the crown of old men and women: it is a blessing to know our children’s children
·          “The glory of children are their fathers” is that children take pride in their parents, even when they wear the wrong clothes and embarrass them; this pride is from teaching them the truth, not in being fashionable
·          Adolescence does not count: this starts about the time they hit 22 yrs old (LOL)
 Psalm 127:3-5
·          Children are a blessing from God: there are joys that can only be known through children
·          It’s not a right, for not all can have children; there are many other blessings out there
·          But it is a blessing of its own flavor, and is to be appreciated for the blessing it is
·          Raising children and experiencing children is a divine gift; and there’s nothing wrong with a lot of them
 1 Samuel 1 (26-28)
·          Hannah was barren but offered to the Lord her child if He would grant her prayer
·          He did and she did; she knew that children were not her possession, but the Lord’s
·          Honor the Lord through the children, not with the children; they are a part of your life with Christ, not your exclusive possession
 Ephesians 6:1-4
·          A Spirit-controlled life (5:18) has an impact on the family relationship
·          Children obey their parents because this is pleasing in the Lord’s sight
·          The Lord blesses this with prosperity and longevity: it is a general rule that those who honor the God-given leadership of their parents avoid a lot of the pitfalls that come on those who do not, pitfalls which result in bad decisions
·          Fathers are the spiritual leaders of the family but must not exasperate their children with inconsistency, tyrannical demands, or petty favoritism
 Proverbs 10:1
·          Wisdom is the thing, and words of wisdom can bring wisdom to our children and our joy
·          Children can send us to the heights of euphoria and the depths of despair
·          There are no guarantees, only guidelines: with hope and prayer
 Joel 1:3
·          Hand down the truth from generation to generation: let the children know and hear your words
·          They will hand it down; the greatest legacy is not in what you leave them, but what you show them
 Mark 10:13-14
·          The spirit of a child is the spirit of Christ’s kingdom: humble, trusting, loving
·          And of the sin nature, which cannot be dismissed: demanding, selfish, rebellious
·          The teachings of Christ’s kingdom are designed to deal with the ravages of the sin nature
·          So let the children come: it is a divine imperative
You will be known by what is handed down to you and what you’ll do with it
You’ll make your own way with what you were given, in freedom and responsibility, but “that life” is handed down by the parents to the children
“That life” was not always easy and not perfectly lived (some crying involved), but you know they loved you
So, teach your children well; it does have an impact; maybe not immediately visible, but like the pull of gravity we will remember and base our lives on those handed-down values

Memorial Day Thoughts

Although this is a few days after Memorial Day, we should honor those who have given all to protect our freedoms.
John 15:12-14
This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
Those who have laid down their lives to protect the freedom of their countrymen paid the ultimate price. Freedom comes with a price: the responsibility to obtain it and then maintain it. This requires vigilance, courage, sacrifice, and honor. Recognizing heroes gives us hope.
·          You don’t have to be a believer to be a hero, to love something else more than self
·          Even those who are not saved give tribute to the values of vigilance, courage, sacrifice and honor
·          Why? Because it is instinctive to give self to something bigger; we are all created in the image of God, and this instinct comes to us from God
·          We know these things instinctively (“we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”) because God has placed them in us, regardless of the problem of sin
·          We all long for a better life, a better home, a better country, and a better world; this too is instinctive
·          God has provided these things upon our faith in His Son, who truly loved us more than self and was the ultimate hero that should be remembered/memorialized
·          Christ is the ultimate example of the selfless hero: all other heroes (whom we honor on Memorial Day) are following His example
·          This does not save them personally, but observing their sacrifice is another revelation of the love of God to mankind
 
Jud 17:6            In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
Jud 21:25          In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
1Ki 15:5             Because David did that which was right in the eyes of the LORD, and turned not aside from anything that he commanded him all the days of his life, save only in the matter of Uriah the Hittite.
·          These Scriptures contrast those that did only what was in their self-interests and a leader that did what was right in the eyes of the Lord (and even he was not perfect as noted)
·          It is a necessity for social order that our leaders see themselves subject to a higher calling and not just personal pleasure
·          This is how freedom is won and maintained
 
Why bother to sacrifice since we’re going to heaven anyway?
·          It is difficult for people to understand why Christians should engage in social and civic responsibilities when:
·          This world is not our final home
·          We are longing and striving for heaven
·          There is a “sweet by and by”
·          The atheist doesn’t have to explain why there is suffering, but they do have to explain why there is any good at all.
·          It is the existence of heaven that requires dealing with conditions here on earth, conditions that we will try to improve by defending truth and justice
 
So why are we involved?
·          For freedom – men are only truly free when free from sin; no political body can change the soul; and we are only free from sin when have the guarantee of heaven
·          For accomplishment – to work is honorable, to sacrifice divine; before we enter the presence of God, we first have His presence enter us in this sin-cursed world to transform our lives
·          For our fellow man – to lead them to faith as we have been led, out of a sense of gratitude of the blessings we have received with the desire to share this with others: “greater love hath no man than this”
·          Heaven is the search for satisfaction (Heb. 11:13-16)
·          Even though dissatisfaction can be a result of sin, it can also be the inherent longing for a “better life” because of the heaven-shaped vacuum in our souls
·          We know we are not complete, so this dissatisfaction is a necessary pain in order to endure this life

We were built for heaven

·          Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:7-9, made for man)
·          The tree of life for the healing of nations; we were born to long for this place (Rev. 22:1-2)
·          The better country, the shining city on a hill, the Promised Land: the song of our soul
·          Life is a journey, not a destination
Being a hero, honoring heroes, and making this world a better place with truth and justice, are a part of the journey (I Peter 2:13-17

"I'm sick of my sin"

Let’s talk about this thing called total depravity. The sin of mankind is clearly evident in all that we see before us. But how far does this go? There is a lot of good being done in this world, so how do we reconcile the idea of “total” depravity with the incontrovertible fact that good is happening on a daily basis worldwide?
This idea is especially relevant in a discussion on personal freedom. Are we free to choose the path of our lives? Is freedom just an illusion/delusion on our part? Some believe this, both in the scientific naturalist position and in the Christian determinist position. Are we just prisoners to our genetic make-up, driven only by chemistry and biology, every choice having been predetermined by the whims of our parents and their parents before them? Are we pawns on the chess board of God, being moved from square to square by a sovereign hand from on high, without any say as to where we are moved?
The following points are not meant to be a thoroughly exhaustive theological discussion, only “food for thought” on the subject. Two things are sure: man has freedom of choice, and God is sovereign and not surprised by anything we do.
Essentially total depravity is the impossibility of man to save himself by good works because man is incapable of choosing good in his own power. That’s the way I define it.

• All men are born in sin and are sinners by nature
• All persons are born lost and in need of salvation
• Good works cannot save
• People cannot choose good without the power of God working with and in that person
• No person has ever accepted Christ as His Savior without the call of God (the Holy Spirit)
• The Holy Spirit calls all men to be saved
• When a person “accepts” Christ as His Savior, that person is choosing Christ and God’s plan of salvation by faith and repentance, and receives forgiveness of sin by God
• Choosing Christ is not a good work; the work is done by God; all a person does is surrender to God’s plan of salvation by their individual/personal faith and repentance
• It is good to choose Christ/God’s plan of salvation, but not a good work
• Therefore all humankind can choose to do good by accepting Christ as their Savior
• Total depravity does not mean that mankind cannot choose to do some good things, only that mankind cannot save itself without the work of God
• All people on the earth do occasional good; American citizens vote for candidates and issues that are in agreement with the Scripture and are “good” from time to time (actually this form of “good” has been done quite frequently in American history). This is why we seek to persuade our fellow man to choose Christ first, but also to make wise choices as citizens in who and/or what they vote for when each election comes along; this is a good thing (but no substitute for choosing to trust Christ as Savior)
• Indeed, as evangelical Christians we are working very hard to convince lost people to choose to do good in our communities, states and nations by being charitable and moral; we are constantly asking lost people to “do the right thing” and “choose life;” as well we ought to
• Therefore we do believe that lost people can do some good and make good choices, therefore total depravity does not mean (to most of us) that mankind can do no good at all at anytime; in other words, total depravity is not absolute, or the world would have ceased to exist a long time ago because of their total evil. The world is not totally evil; it is totally fallen and needs a Savior
• The ability of a lost person to choose to do occasional good does not save them; only faith in Christ and repentance of sin saves the individual person
• There is no such thing as universal salvation; salvation is an individual choice
• One of the great conversation blockers among Christians is their ability to talk past each other without understanding the meaning of the terms they are using. Christians have been notorious for using common theological phrases and words but then pouring different meanings into those words, thus two believers can be using the same words but meaning different things and therefore they don’t understand each other; they may as well be speaking in tongues (without an interpreter) when they do this
• For those who believe that people do not have freedom of choice to choose good, and never choose good, I submit that this is theoretical only and that no one lives this way. No matter how strong the person believes in the sovereign grace of God and that mankind has no freewill at all, no one truly lives this way. We all choose what we do first thing in the morning, where we’re going out to eat after church, where we take our car to be serviced, where we invest our 401k’s, etc. etc. Life is full of choices, both moral and non-moral, and no matter how many arguments one makes about there being no freedom of choice, the reality is that we are all choosing every day and therefore we can choose to accept Christ as our Savior or not
• Freedom of choice is the moral reality of all mankind, lost and saved, and therefore even a lost person can choose to do good. Now, “why” a lost person chooses to do good can be for a variety of reasons, either selfish or altruistic, but the fact that good was chosen, we are in agreement that it is a good thing
• It is far better to choose to do something good even if it is for selfish reasons; the individual person may not get a reward for it, but the people in his life are the better for it
• Of course, what we want is for people to choose to do good because they have a change in nature and are following the leadership of the Holy Spirit that indwells them in their new nature in Christ; one can make the argument that the only “true” good that exists is good that comes from the regenerate believer in the power of the Holy Spirit within. I believe that; but at the least we are still asking lost people to choose to do good in their lives and therefore this must be taken into account in our understanding of “total depravity.”

From the Garden to the Grave

We are concluding our study of the gospel of Matthew, now in the 26th chapter. In Jesus’ path from the Garden to the grave, the trials of Jesus lead to a few observations:

Disavowing of responsibility a legalistic trait

Judas realized the consequences of his actions at some point of time in the night (not being present at the Sanhedrin trials as he was paid to do). The conspirators that paid Judas flippantly responded that he did what he did and he was not their problem. They disavowed any responsibility, typical of mindless, detached bureaucrats, who actually wreak havoc by their obsession with protecting their precious territory. They were the truly guilty ones and yet declared themselves to be absolved of responsibility; in other words, typical legalists.
Judas’ return of the money created a problem for the leaders; even though they had no conscience in putting Jesus to death, they could not be seen using “blood money” for the temple’s purpose. Legalists can “strain out a gnat and swallow a camel;” that is, take great pains to uphold some minor moral point while committing major immorality, such as “thou shalt not murder.”

Political astuteness of the conspirators

Behind the scenes Pilate felt that Jesus had been brought to him out of “envy.” Jesus had gained a large following and the leaders were indeed jealous, pure and simple.
Pilate’s idea of attempting to release Jesus through the annual prisoner release had been anticipated by the religious leaders. They had planted in the crowd a sufficient number of people to guarantee that Jesus would be the one put to death, not Barabbas (vs. 20). Is anyone else surprised by the fact that they were so astute as to outmaneuver a Roman governor? Pilate did not get where he got by being a political novice, so how could he have let them back him into a corner?

Mob Rule

Pilate then asked the crowd what he should do “with Jesus who is called Christ?” Matthew records that they “all” said, “Let Him be crucified.” Hundreds, perhaps thousands, called out with one voice over and over again, “crucify Him.” The heart of darkness of mankind is revealed in one moment of history and in one word; the disjointed voices of evil that had opposed God through the ages were finally unified. Anyone in the crowd that supported Jesus could not be heard. When Pilate asked the crowd why Jesus should have been crucified when He had done nothing equal to the punishment they were demanding, the crowd just got louder.

Large numbers of people demonstrating in unity does not necessarily mean the right thing is being done: “mob rule” is often used as a way of manipulating those in authority. Sometimes strong leaders are needed to stand up to the wishes of the mob; obviously Pilate was not a strong leader. The ability to manipulate a crowd is as old as the crucifixion of Jesus; large demonstrations do not necessarily indicate the right thing is being done.

On “Sheep and Goats”

This week’s worship sermon is on the final section of Matthew 25: the judgment of the “sheep and goats” at the end of the Tribulation Period.

Summary of sermon series on the Gospel of Matthew:

Jesus condemned the religious leaders of perverting the meaning of the Law and that He had come to correct their errors by teaching the Law as God intended it to be
He would fulfill the entirety of the Law’s requirements and set the nation free to know God individually
Humility was the supreme attitude that all needed in order to correct their errors and set the nation back on the course God had chosen them to follow
Jesus offered His Kingdom and taught in parables what principles of His kingdom were the most important, principles that were the opposite of what the religious leaders had been teaching them for 400 years

Summary Matthew 24-25

The disciples ask Jesus about His comments on the destruction of the Temple: what will be the sign of Your coming, and when will the end of the world happen? He told them in Matthew 24-25 what the signs were, and as far as the timing of His return He told them you’re not going to be told.
Chapter 25 contains three parables/lessons on being ready:
Parable of the bridesmaids/lamps (v. 1-13), be ready at a moment’s notice
Parable of the talents (v. 14-30), in His time should not be wasted but growth and progress returned

The Separation of the Lost and Saved at the End of the Tribulation Period

Now in v. 31-46, He tells them that when He returns there will be a separation of the “sheep and goats.” The “sheep” were those who treated “the least of these My brethren” with compassion and assistance; the “goats” were those who did not offer His brethren help and assistance in their hour of need.
“If you did it not to the least of these, you did it not to Me” - The ones He described as His brethren were the ones who became believers in the Tribulation Period and were being persecuted and hunted by the Antichrist, having to go into hiding and being forbidden by the Antichrist to buy food (if anyone in the Tribulation will be able afford food).
The only way for the Tribulation Period believers to survive will be from the kindness of others. Jesus told the “sheep” that when they offered assistance to these it was the same as offering it to Him personally. Jesus will judge those who do not assist with eternal damnation as an indication of their lost condition.
When the “goats” asked Jesus when they had the opportunity to offer assistance directly to Jesus (implying that if they had known it was Jesus they would have offered it) He told them that in not helping the Tribulation Period believers they were not offering help to Him.
There is a popular belief today on this passage that “the least of these” are all the poor, destitute, oppressed and homeless of this world, and that we are to help them because we see Jesus in them. When you see a poor person, you are not seeing Jesus; you’re seeing a poor person. There are many other passages that tell us to be charitable to those in need: to our fellow Christians, to our enemies, and even to strangers. We do not need to misinterpret this passage in order to induce guilt on the part of prosperous American Christians so that promoters of social-gospel ministries can be well-funded. We know that guilt is profitable, so the temptation to twist this passage is too much for them to resist, it appears.
We are all to do our part to help those in need with love and generosity; but also with careful, reasoned stewardship. We do not hoard the Lord’s resources that we have been given to manage, nor do we waste them. Help the poor, but use your head.

How cold can it get?

This global warming is killing me! It’s cold in Colorado Springs; we’re going through temperatures that have not been above 0 in the past 2 days. This cold spell started the evening of January 31 and continues today. I think we are above zero now and may even be above freezing tomorrow. It has been good to be able to ride out the cold spell at home without having to drag myself out to work every day.

Speaking of dragging myself to work, I worked for a large insurance company as a customer service representative for 21 years, recently retiring right after my 55th birthday (August 29); my last day was September 3rd, 2010. Since then I have devoted more time to the church as well as making up for some traveling that had been put off for many years because of the scheduling requirements of the job. For many years the job was steadily 40 hours a week, but in the past few years the job was 50-60 hours a week by necessity, so the church had essentially become a very part-time thing for me. I would throw together the Sunday studies and services on evenings and Saturdays as able. The church was very patient and understanding through that time. The pitfalls and perils of the bi-vocational pastor will be discussed more in future blogs, as the spiritual challenges faced by the “bi-vo” pastor are special and merit exploration.

Since I have retired I have had more time to dedicate to my pastoral duties, so I want to make the most of this time to get some things done on our building and catch up on my Bible studies. I am working on reediting my notes from the book of Daniel (presented in 2007 I think), and working on a new study guide for the last half of Exodus, the book of Leviticus and the book of Numbers. I have not taught on those books and want to be ready if there is the opportunity to teach on those little-studied books in the future.

I have been suffering through the ravages of a cold the past 3 weeks; the past two Sunday sermons I have labeled “Laryngitic Lessons.” We are currently studying Matthew 24-25 in church as part of our expository study on the book of Matthew which began in February of 2010. The Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24-25 gives the opportunity to present the events of the Tribulation Period prior to the Lord’s Second Advent. Of special mention by the Lord in this address was the need for all of us to be ready for His return. To study prophecy for the purpose of determining the timing of His coming is futile; to study prophecy in order to more intimately know the Lord is imperative. When we accepted Christ as our personal Savior we received eternal life. Since eternity involves the future, to have information regarding the future is related to our relationship with Him. The events that close this world and “life as we know it” are a part of knowing Him personally and therefore an important part of our Christian life. If the study of prophecy does not make us more holy in our daily Christian life, then we are not studying it properly. We study prophecy for today, not just to know the future.
Pastor Greg Chandler