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Messages from Pastor Mark Borseth
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Pastor's Message, November 2018
“Curing Spiritual Amblyopia”
Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews.2He came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God.” 3Jesus answered him, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” 4Nicodemus said to him, “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” 5Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit.” John 3:1-5
Personal disclosure time. My name is Mark, and I have amblyopia. Now that you know such an intimate (random) detail of my life, what difference does it make, and why am I writing about it in my church newsletter?
Some of you are asking, ‘What is amblyopia?” Well, I am glad you asked. Here is one definition:
Amblyopia, commonly referred to as 'lazy eye,' is a common eye condition in young children, characterized by one eye not developing eyesight as it should. When a child has amblyopia, their brain will focus on one eye and ignore the lazy eye, due to an issue in the nerve connecting the affected eye to the brain, resulting in a lack of stimulation and thus, impaired development.
I didn’t have my amblyopia diagnosed until I was in my 40s. By then, it had taken its toll. In my case, the sight in my left eye is significantly worse than the sight in my right eye. What my brain decided to do is turn off the signal from my left eye and only use the signal from my right eye. Luckily, when I got glasses at age 45, my left eye was still correctable, and now my brain processes information from both eyes, allowing me to see better in 3-D!
That’s all well and good, but why write about this in a church newsletter? I’m glad you asked. This is why. I am convinced, after 21 years of ordained ministry, that most churches and most Christians in 21stCentury America have spiritual amblyopia. We see the visible, fleshly, human realm just fine, but our ability to see in the spiritual realm is so weak our brains don’t even process that information any more.
Nicodemus visits Jesus because he is starting to notice a difference between his religious, intellectual, moral way of seeing life and the spiritual, experiential, love-based view of life he sees in Jesus and his followers. Jesus tells him his problem is that he cannot see the kingdom of God, only his human teaching and religion. He needs to have his spiritual eyes opened to live life fully.
I waited way too long to start seeing physically out of both eyes. I have tried to be more intentional about learning to see life through both eyes – earthly and spiritual. I don’t want to look back as I finish my time in ministry and realize I was satisfied having my congregation see out of only one eye.
As Lutherans, we have great theology (intellectual understanding of God – like Nicodemus), great social ministry (human activity to serve God), and ritual (human activity to worship God). This means we have excellent eyesight out of one eye – the human, earthly eye. What we don’t have is excellent vision out of the other eye – the spiritual, supernatural eye. And, because we see so poorly out of that eye, our brains have stopped even looking to see anything spiritual or supernatural.
My goal between now and 2020 is to help us to see 20/20 out of both eyes and not just one. I don’t want us to see the world 2-dimensionally through human intellect and activity. I want us to see three-dimensionally by also seeing spiritually. That will take some strengthening of eye number two. Are you willing to do some treatment for your spiritual Amblyopia in the year ahead? I hope you answer is “Yes.”
Developing Christian Community
The fullness of the Christian life cannot be attained by attending a worship service each week or by individual study of the Bible or Christian materials. It can only be attained by being part of Christian community. It is in smaller settings that people can get to know your life story, hear your dreams and struggles, pray for you, help you hear God’s voice for yourself and pray for healing or help you discover and practice Spiritual gifts.
Are you part of some sort of Christian community? An accountability partner, a prayer group, a ministry group or small group at church, friends or neighbors with whom you gather regularly? If not, why not use the year ahead to intentionally be part of such Christian community?
Let Pastor Mark know if you would like to be part of Christian community. Pray about whether God is calling you to gather a community around you – at church, at work, at school, in your neighborhood. It doesn’t have to be at church with members of RLC. Wherever two or three are gathered in Jesus’ name, he is in their midst. And, when he is in your midst, something good happens!
Men’s Ministry
Our Men’s ministry is in need of a fresh start. How do you see yourself (if you are a man) connecting with other men, inside or outside the church? Pastor Mark will be looking for suggestions. If you have ideas, let him know.
Looking Ahead to Advent & Christmas
Mark you calendar to keep Advent Wednesday nights open. We will gather at 6:00 for dinner followed by a time of worship at 7:00. Advent Wednesdays are December 5, 12 & 19.
Christmas Weekend schedule is as follows:
Saturday, December 22 – 4:30 Worship
Sunday, December 23 – 10:00 Worship
Monday, December 24 – 5:00 & 7:00 Christmas Eve Candle-light services
Pastor's Message, October 2018
“Reason to Study History: Asking God to do it again in Our Day”
Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known Habakkuk 3:2
Much of my Sabbatical was to spend time visiting and studying places in history where God showed up in powerful ways. God didn’t stop showing up in lives and communities once the Bible was written. God continues to show up throughout history bringing renewal. The purpose of my Sabbatical was not to just learn what God did in history, but to use what he did in history as motivation to ask that he would do the same kinds of things today, in me, in the ministry of RLC.
Revival has happened in every area of the world in nearly every stream of the church over the past 2000 years. It has even happened in Lutheran churches (gasp!). Two of the main areas I studied were instances of revival breaking out among the Lutherans. Revival would break out with a group of refugees living on the estate of a German count in the early 1700’s, and it would occur in a Lutheran church. Revival would break out in Norway after a poor Norwegian farmer had an encounter with the Holy Spirit while in the early 1800’s.
My plan is to share with you some of what I have learned over several Sundays from September to November. This emphasis is not meant to just teach what God did in the past, but to make us hunger for God to do the same thing again today in our midst.
Part of each sermon will be to look at some of the ingredients present in individuals and communities experiencing revival. Not that we can make God bring revival to us, but we can align ourselves so we are ready to fully enter into it if and when it comes.
May we remember what God has done in the past, and may that awareness create a culture among ourselves where God has easy access to do the same in and through us today.
Sermon Series for September & October
Pastor Mark will be using different aspects of his travels and learnings from Sabbatical for sermon topics the next several weeks. The intent is to learn some information from what God has done in church history, and then use it to inspire us to be open and available for God to do the same kinds of things through us.
October 6-7 - “The Fruit of the Moravian Revival - John Wesley and the Methodist Church”
A young missionary named John Wesley will be drawn to the faith, love and joy of the Moravians, and by spending time with them, will be led into his own personal revival which will lead him and a new movement called Methodism to become a powerful force for God’s work in the world.
October 13-14 - “Christianity Invades Norway - St. Olav”
In the early 11th Century, God will use a Viking king to open the way for Christianity in Norway. Even though he will become a Saint in the church, he will never be clergy. He will die as a Viking king in battle. But he will have encounters with God which will lead the way for God to use him in powerful ways.
October 20-21 - “A Norwegian Farmer Encounters the Holy Spirit while out Plowing - Hans Nielsen Hauge
In the late 18th Century and early 19th Century, about the time Norway was starting to move toward declaring independence by writing a new Constitution (1814), a young farmer will have a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit while out plowing and will be used by God to transform the religious, economic and social climate of Norway.
October 27-28 - “From Acid Trips to Revival Among the Hippies - Ted & Liz Wise”
A young couple will have an experience of the Holy Spirit in San Francisco as the famous “Summer of Love” for the hippies is ready to happen. God will use this couple to spark a revival in the least expected place - 1967 among the Hippies in San Francisco.
November 3-4 - “Hippie Preacher Spreads Revival from the Bay Area to Southern Californian and Around the World - Lonnie Frisbee”
A young hippie will have an encounter with the Holy Spirit in a Canyon in Southern California which will cause him to share his faith in the streets of San Francisco. There, he will meet Ted and Liz Wise and become part of their team. He will go to Southern California where he will spark revival there and be part of the starting of two denominations - Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard.
The series will continue in November, but exact details have not been finalized yet. Stay tuned...
Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, Lord. Repeat them in our day, in our time make them known Habakkuk 3:2
Much of my Sabbatical was to spend time visiting and studying places in history where God showed up in powerful ways. God didn’t stop showing up in lives and communities once the Bible was written. God continues to show up throughout history bringing renewal. The purpose of my Sabbatical was not to just learn what God did in history, but to use what he did in history as motivation to ask that he would do the same kinds of things today, in me, in the ministry of RLC.
Revival has happened in every area of the world in nearly every stream of the church over the past 2000 years. It has even happened in Lutheran churches (gasp!). Two of the main areas I studied were instances of revival breaking out among the Lutherans. Revival would break out with a group of refugees living on the estate of a German count in the early 1700’s, and it would occur in a Lutheran church. Revival would break out in Norway after a poor Norwegian farmer had an encounter with the Holy Spirit while in the early 1800’s.
My plan is to share with you some of what I have learned over several Sundays from September to November. This emphasis is not meant to just teach what God did in the past, but to make us hunger for God to do the same thing again today in our midst.
Part of each sermon will be to look at some of the ingredients present in individuals and communities experiencing revival. Not that we can make God bring revival to us, but we can align ourselves so we are ready to fully enter into it if and when it comes.
May we remember what God has done in the past, and may that awareness create a culture among ourselves where God has easy access to do the same in and through us today.
Sermon Series for September & October
Pastor Mark will be using different aspects of his travels and learnings from Sabbatical for sermon topics the next several weeks. The intent is to learn some information from what God has done in church history, and then use it to inspire us to be open and available for God to do the same kinds of things through us.
October 6-7 - “The Fruit of the Moravian Revival - John Wesley and the Methodist Church”
A young missionary named John Wesley will be drawn to the faith, love and joy of the Moravians, and by spending time with them, will be led into his own personal revival which will lead him and a new movement called Methodism to become a powerful force for God’s work in the world.
October 13-14 - “Christianity Invades Norway - St. Olav”
In the early 11th Century, God will use a Viking king to open the way for Christianity in Norway. Even though he will become a Saint in the church, he will never be clergy. He will die as a Viking king in battle. But he will have encounters with God which will lead the way for God to use him in powerful ways.
October 20-21 - “A Norwegian Farmer Encounters the Holy Spirit while out Plowing - Hans Nielsen Hauge
In the late 18th Century and early 19th Century, about the time Norway was starting to move toward declaring independence by writing a new Constitution (1814), a young farmer will have a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit while out plowing and will be used by God to transform the religious, economic and social climate of Norway.
October 27-28 - “From Acid Trips to Revival Among the Hippies - Ted & Liz Wise”
A young couple will have an experience of the Holy Spirit in San Francisco as the famous “Summer of Love” for the hippies is ready to happen. God will use this couple to spark a revival in the least expected place - 1967 among the Hippies in San Francisco.
November 3-4 - “Hippie Preacher Spreads Revival from the Bay Area to Southern Californian and Around the World - Lonnie Frisbee”
A young hippie will have an encounter with the Holy Spirit in a Canyon in Southern California which will cause him to share his faith in the streets of San Francisco. There, he will meet Ted and Liz Wise and become part of their team. He will go to Southern California where he will spark revival there and be part of the starting of two denominations - Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard.
The series will continue in November, but exact details have not been finalized yet. Stay tuned...
Pastor's Message May-September:
There will be no monthly messages from June-September while Pastor Mark is on sabbatical.
Pastor's Message, May 2018
“Stay Awake”
5for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6
Sometimes we sleep through much of our lives when we don’t expect anything significant to happen. We don’t expect anything to be awake for until later, so we shut down and disconnect until that time. Big mistake.
Sometimes people disengage from church for the summer. There is no Sunday school, things are quiet, time to disengage until the fall. Big mistake. God may have something to say to you or teach you this summer which you would completely miss out on by going away for the summer.
Sometimes people decide to not go to church when the Pastor is on vacation. They assume that if the Pastor is gone, nothing significant will happen, so they disengage until the Pastor gets back. Big mistake. There may be a visiting Pastor or speaker who will speak what God wants you to hear in a way that you will never hear from your Pastor.
There is a double opportunity for you to make a big mistake this summer. It’s summer, nothing going on at church, so I will not come until the fall. Pastor Mark is on Sabbatical, nothing significant is going to happen, so why come to church? Two reasons to make a big mistake.
First, the church is not the Pastor. It is the community of people. Worship can be just as good, or better, when the community is empowered to be ministers and not just be ministered to.
Second, we will have guest preachers and speakers, and we want to provide excellent hospitality to them. There is nothing worse to preach at a church where nobody is excited you are there.
Third, there will be topics covered, faith perspectives shared and people visiting to be influenced by which may connect with you, your life, your faith, your issues better through the visitors than would ever happen with me doing my normal sermons.
Let’s use this summer to learn to be ministers and not just be ministered to. Let’s learn to be good hosts to those coming to minister to us. Let’s expect that God will be using the visiting preachers and speakers to impact our lives in amazing ways.
It’s summer. You could stay home and rest. Big mistake.
Pastor Mark is gone. You could take a break from church. Big mistake.
This summer is not the time to fall asleep in your faith and relationship with God. It’s time to be wide awake for whatever God has prepared for you and for the congregation of RLC.
Here are some of the people through whom God can and will bless you this summer if you stay awake and connected.
May 26-27 Clown Service Led by our Youth – Let’s come support and be blessed by our Youth
June 2-3 Pastor Bob Berger with Food for the Poor
June 9-10 Pastor Ethan Hulme from Thrivent Financial
June 16-17 Bishop Mike Girlinghouse
June 23-24 Vaden Schmidt – sharing his faith story of seeking to be musician in Nashville
June 30-July 1 Saturday – Pastor Greg Tolle from First United Methodist will be with us
Sunday – We will connect with the Closing Worship at the National Youth Gathering
July 7-8 Deacon Sue Way who does prison ministry
July 14-15 Saturday – Pastor George Samkutty from Shalom Church (ministers in Africa and India)
Sunday – State Representative J.P. Jordan will share how he connects faith and work
July 21-22 Still to be decided
July 28-29 Saturday – Pastor Ron Rasmussen from CCY
Sunday – Lance Lang (speaker on addictions)
August 4-5 Saturday – Pastor Ray Rhoton from Bethel Community (longtime missionary in Central America)
Sunday – Focus on Teachers and Education – our very own Andrea Wildman and Sarah Belleau will be sharing
how their faith affects what they do as teachers
August 11-12 Chaplain Kathryn Saunders from the VA Medical Center
August 18-19 Pastor Don Marshall and friends from Oaks Indian Mission
August 25-26 Asst. to the Bishop Liz Albertson
September 1-2 Tom Jones, director of Oklahoma City Rescue Mission
Don’t stay home this summer. Come and be blessed greatly…and bring friends to be blessed with you!
5for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. 6So then, let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6
Sometimes we sleep through much of our lives when we don’t expect anything significant to happen. We don’t expect anything to be awake for until later, so we shut down and disconnect until that time. Big mistake.
Sometimes people disengage from church for the summer. There is no Sunday school, things are quiet, time to disengage until the fall. Big mistake. God may have something to say to you or teach you this summer which you would completely miss out on by going away for the summer.
Sometimes people decide to not go to church when the Pastor is on vacation. They assume that if the Pastor is gone, nothing significant will happen, so they disengage until the Pastor gets back. Big mistake. There may be a visiting Pastor or speaker who will speak what God wants you to hear in a way that you will never hear from your Pastor.
There is a double opportunity for you to make a big mistake this summer. It’s summer, nothing going on at church, so I will not come until the fall. Pastor Mark is on Sabbatical, nothing significant is going to happen, so why come to church? Two reasons to make a big mistake.
First, the church is not the Pastor. It is the community of people. Worship can be just as good, or better, when the community is empowered to be ministers and not just be ministered to.
Second, we will have guest preachers and speakers, and we want to provide excellent hospitality to them. There is nothing worse to preach at a church where nobody is excited you are there.
Third, there will be topics covered, faith perspectives shared and people visiting to be influenced by which may connect with you, your life, your faith, your issues better through the visitors than would ever happen with me doing my normal sermons.
Let’s use this summer to learn to be ministers and not just be ministered to. Let’s learn to be good hosts to those coming to minister to us. Let’s expect that God will be using the visiting preachers and speakers to impact our lives in amazing ways.
It’s summer. You could stay home and rest. Big mistake.
Pastor Mark is gone. You could take a break from church. Big mistake.
This summer is not the time to fall asleep in your faith and relationship with God. It’s time to be wide awake for whatever God has prepared for you and for the congregation of RLC.
Here are some of the people through whom God can and will bless you this summer if you stay awake and connected.
May 26-27 Clown Service Led by our Youth – Let’s come support and be blessed by our Youth
June 2-3 Pastor Bob Berger with Food for the Poor
June 9-10 Pastor Ethan Hulme from Thrivent Financial
June 16-17 Bishop Mike Girlinghouse
June 23-24 Vaden Schmidt – sharing his faith story of seeking to be musician in Nashville
June 30-July 1 Saturday – Pastor Greg Tolle from First United Methodist will be with us
Sunday – We will connect with the Closing Worship at the National Youth Gathering
July 7-8 Deacon Sue Way who does prison ministry
July 14-15 Saturday – Pastor George Samkutty from Shalom Church (ministers in Africa and India)
Sunday – State Representative J.P. Jordan will share how he connects faith and work
July 21-22 Still to be decided
July 28-29 Saturday – Pastor Ron Rasmussen from CCY
Sunday – Lance Lang (speaker on addictions)
August 4-5 Saturday – Pastor Ray Rhoton from Bethel Community (longtime missionary in Central America)
Sunday – Focus on Teachers and Education – our very own Andrea Wildman and Sarah Belleau will be sharing
how their faith affects what they do as teachers
August 11-12 Chaplain Kathryn Saunders from the VA Medical Center
August 18-19 Pastor Don Marshall and friends from Oaks Indian Mission
August 25-26 Asst. to the Bishop Liz Albertson
September 1-2 Tom Jones, director of Oklahoma City Rescue Mission
Don’t stay home this summer. Come and be blessed greatly…and bring friends to be blessed with you!
Pastor's Message, April 2018
“Impact of the Cross: Sending rather than Gathering”
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:21-22
The cross did not create an implosion sucking everyone out of the world to God. The cross created an explosion propelling people filled with the Spirit of God into the world.
For much of my life, I thought the whole point of the cross was to suck me out of this sinful world to be with God. I still believe the end result will be that I am with God and see him face to face. But, in the meantime, I see the cross as being much more about sending me out to carry the presence of God into the world than about being taken out of the world to be with God.
Jesus’ first post-resurrection appearance to the disciples as a group included a commissioning, a sending, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” He was not taking them out of the world, he was sending them in. But he was not sending them out on their own strength to talk about God, he was sending them filled with the Holy Spirit to carry the presence of God. He breathed the Holy Spirit upon them and spoke of a day that was coming soon when the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon them.
What was the main topic of conversation Jesus had with his disciples after his resurrection and before his ascension? The Bible says his topic was the Kingdom of God, how they would be filled with the power of God to be sent out from Jerusalem into Judea and then to Samaria and finally to the ends of the earth, carrying to love and power of God.
Yes, I like the idea of an implosion sucking me into the presence of God when I die. But, until that time, I am happy to be one of the ones propelled into the world by the explosion created by the cross and resurrection of Jesus. And I know he will not propel me into the world on my own. He has poured out and will continue to pour out the Holy Spirit upon me and in me so I can impact the world with more than just me. He has sent me to carry the love, power and presence of God with me.
For E-100 info, please look under Bible Studies.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:21-22
The cross did not create an implosion sucking everyone out of the world to God. The cross created an explosion propelling people filled with the Spirit of God into the world.
For much of my life, I thought the whole point of the cross was to suck me out of this sinful world to be with God. I still believe the end result will be that I am with God and see him face to face. But, in the meantime, I see the cross as being much more about sending me out to carry the presence of God into the world than about being taken out of the world to be with God.
Jesus’ first post-resurrection appearance to the disciples as a group included a commissioning, a sending, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” He was not taking them out of the world, he was sending them in. But he was not sending them out on their own strength to talk about God, he was sending them filled with the Holy Spirit to carry the presence of God. He breathed the Holy Spirit upon them and spoke of a day that was coming soon when the Holy Spirit would be poured out upon them.
What was the main topic of conversation Jesus had with his disciples after his resurrection and before his ascension? The Bible says his topic was the Kingdom of God, how they would be filled with the power of God to be sent out from Jerusalem into Judea and then to Samaria and finally to the ends of the earth, carrying to love and power of God.
Yes, I like the idea of an implosion sucking me into the presence of God when I die. But, until that time, I am happy to be one of the ones propelled into the world by the explosion created by the cross and resurrection of Jesus. And I know he will not propel me into the world on my own. He has poured out and will continue to pour out the Holy Spirit upon me and in me so I can impact the world with more than just me. He has sent me to carry the love, power and presence of God with me.
For E-100 info, please look under Bible Studies.
Pastor's Message, March 2018
“Repenting All the Way into the Kingdom”
"The time has come," Jesus said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mark 1:15
What does it mean to repent? What most Christians understand to be repentance isn’t wrong, it’s just an incomplete understanding of what repentance is.
Most of us have it narrowed down to the admission that we are sinful and that we need to change our lives and stop sinning. This is true, but the repentance Jesus invites us into is so much bigger than this.
The Greek word translated as “repentance” is the word “metanoia.” What it literally means is to change one’s mind to see things differently and therefore live differently. Admitting we are sinful is one of the main ways we are invited to see things differently and think differently. If we keep pretending there is nothing wrong, we are in trouble, and we need to repent into admitting the truth of our sin.
So, if I have repented my wrong beliefs which I had when I pretended I was not a sinner, and I now openly admit I am a sinner, am I done repenting?
No, not unless you have no other ways you think or see the world which are incorrect or lacking. The way we see our sin is just one area we need to change the way we think and process reality. Jesus invites us into a complete reset of our minds, of the way we see and interact with reality. What other ways does he invite you to repent once you have repented of your sins?
The way you see God – Do you see God as a frightening judge, as distant and uncaring? Then you are seeing God in a way that does not match reality. You need to repent and invite Jesus to show you the way God really is. You need to invite him to help you see a loving Father rather than an angry judge.
The way you see yourself – Do you see yourself as primarily a hopeless, unlovable sinner? Then you are seeing yourself in a way that does not match reality. You need to repent and invite Jesus to help you see yourself the way God sees you. You need to invite him to help you see yourself as a child of God, a friend of God and not as a worthless servant.
The way you see your neighbor – Do you see your neighbor for what is wrong with them and why they are not worthy of your love? Then you are seeing them in a way that does not match the way God wants you to see them. You need to repent and invite Jesus to help you see them through eyes of love, value and grace.
The way you see the Christian life – Do you see the Christian life as being one of performance, guilt, stress and just a necessary evil to be tolerated until you get to the real life which will only come when you die and go to heaven? Then you are seeing the Christian life in very skewed way and need to repent and invite Jesus to help you see a life worth living now where you are not tolerating the present to pass the time until real life begins later but where you are experiencing the presence, power and activity of God each day making life truly worth living today.
This Lent, may you not limit your repentance to just changing the way you relate to you sin. Repent the rest of the way until you see the truth about God, yourself, your neighbors and the Christian life.
"The time has come," Jesus said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!" Mark 1:15
What does it mean to repent? What most Christians understand to be repentance isn’t wrong, it’s just an incomplete understanding of what repentance is.
Most of us have it narrowed down to the admission that we are sinful and that we need to change our lives and stop sinning. This is true, but the repentance Jesus invites us into is so much bigger than this.
The Greek word translated as “repentance” is the word “metanoia.” What it literally means is to change one’s mind to see things differently and therefore live differently. Admitting we are sinful is one of the main ways we are invited to see things differently and think differently. If we keep pretending there is nothing wrong, we are in trouble, and we need to repent into admitting the truth of our sin.
So, if I have repented my wrong beliefs which I had when I pretended I was not a sinner, and I now openly admit I am a sinner, am I done repenting?
No, not unless you have no other ways you think or see the world which are incorrect or lacking. The way we see our sin is just one area we need to change the way we think and process reality. Jesus invites us into a complete reset of our minds, of the way we see and interact with reality. What other ways does he invite you to repent once you have repented of your sins?
The way you see God – Do you see God as a frightening judge, as distant and uncaring? Then you are seeing God in a way that does not match reality. You need to repent and invite Jesus to show you the way God really is. You need to invite him to help you see a loving Father rather than an angry judge.
The way you see yourself – Do you see yourself as primarily a hopeless, unlovable sinner? Then you are seeing yourself in a way that does not match reality. You need to repent and invite Jesus to help you see yourself the way God sees you. You need to invite him to help you see yourself as a child of God, a friend of God and not as a worthless servant.
The way you see your neighbor – Do you see your neighbor for what is wrong with them and why they are not worthy of your love? Then you are seeing them in a way that does not match the way God wants you to see them. You need to repent and invite Jesus to help you see them through eyes of love, value and grace.
The way you see the Christian life – Do you see the Christian life as being one of performance, guilt, stress and just a necessary evil to be tolerated until you get to the real life which will only come when you die and go to heaven? Then you are seeing the Christian life in very skewed way and need to repent and invite Jesus to help you see a life worth living now where you are not tolerating the present to pass the time until real life begins later but where you are experiencing the presence, power and activity of God each day making life truly worth living today.
This Lent, may you not limit your repentance to just changing the way you relate to you sin. Repent the rest of the way until you see the truth about God, yourself, your neighbors and the Christian life.
Pastor's Message, Feb 2018
"Why Are There So Many Stories about People in the Bible?"
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
Why is the Bible filled with all of these stories about people? Wouldn’t it be much more efficient to just list all of the things we are supposed to know about God and all of the things we need to do to be good Christians and leave it at that?
Not only is the Bible filled with people, but many of the people are flawed, have character issues, make mistakes, lack confidence, chicken out or fail. If there are stories of people, shouldn’t they all just be of people who do everything right to illustrate the list of things we are supposed to believe and do?
As we go through the Bible using our E100 readings, I think the answer to my above questions is getting clearer.
By reading about Abraham and Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Deborah, Ruth and David, I am invited to look at my own relationship with God and what my purpose for life might me. If all I had was a list of things to believe or things to do, my focus would be on myself and my progress at earning my way to my desired destination. Since I am invited into the stories of so many imperfect people and their walk with God, my focus is drawn to my relationship with God now and the way my life affects others and glorifies God today.
I don’t want to devalue the intellectual truths or the rules for proper behavior, but I also don’t want to be limited by having them be the only religious nourishment I take in each day. I need a dose of Noah, a dash of Esther, and dollop of Paul, and a double helping of Jonah to be fully nourished in my faith.
Father, I want more than the intellectual beliefs of Paul and the behavior of David. I want the relationship Paul and David had with you. I want to know you and not just about you. I want my greatest concern to be whether I am experiencing your presence and filled with your Holy Spirit. Yes, I want to believe the right things and behave the right way, but, more than those things, I want you. AMEN
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 3 Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
Why is the Bible filled with all of these stories about people? Wouldn’t it be much more efficient to just list all of the things we are supposed to know about God and all of the things we need to do to be good Christians and leave it at that?
Not only is the Bible filled with people, but many of the people are flawed, have character issues, make mistakes, lack confidence, chicken out or fail. If there are stories of people, shouldn’t they all just be of people who do everything right to illustrate the list of things we are supposed to believe and do?
As we go through the Bible using our E100 readings, I think the answer to my above questions is getting clearer.
- Christianity is about relationship with God, not just belief about God or behavior to please God.
- Therefore, the message of the Bible is shared through stories of people in relationship with God and not just a list of truths to believe or rules to follow.
By reading about Abraham and Sarah, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Deborah, Ruth and David, I am invited to look at my own relationship with God and what my purpose for life might me. If all I had was a list of things to believe or things to do, my focus would be on myself and my progress at earning my way to my desired destination. Since I am invited into the stories of so many imperfect people and their walk with God, my focus is drawn to my relationship with God now and the way my life affects others and glorifies God today.
I don’t want to devalue the intellectual truths or the rules for proper behavior, but I also don’t want to be limited by having them be the only religious nourishment I take in each day. I need a dose of Noah, a dash of Esther, and dollop of Paul, and a double helping of Jonah to be fully nourished in my faith.
Father, I want more than the intellectual beliefs of Paul and the behavior of David. I want the relationship Paul and David had with you. I want to know you and not just about you. I want my greatest concern to be whether I am experiencing your presence and filled with your Holy Spirit. Yes, I want to believe the right things and behave the right way, but, more than those things, I want you. AMEN
Pastor's Message, Jan 2018
“Seeing Church as a Movement and Not a Religious Institution”
[Jesus said] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:18
The church was never meant to be an institution built by people. It was meant to be a movement of people who know Jesus and are filled with and led by the Holy Spirit.
In 2018 my focus for ministry will be changing the paradigm from institution to movement. The focus will not be on maintaining an institution people go to each week which does religious activities, but on developing a community of people who carry the presence, heart and power of God into the world wherever they go.
My Sabbatical this coming summer will include learning about three movements in the church which have brought new vitality to the church by transforming people to be the church and not just go to church.
I will look at the Moravian Movement which began in Germany in the early 1700s. This group of Bohemians who had moved to Germany to escape religious persecution would experience what would be called the Moravian Pentecost on August 13, 1727. This group would pioneer small group ministry, would send as many missionaries out as the rest of the Protestants in Europe combined, and would have a prayer meeting going 24/7 for 100 years. They would change the church and the world.
I will look at the Haugean Movement in Norway in the early 1800s. Hans Nielsen Hauge will have an encounter with God while out plowing in the field which will transform his life. He will bring revival to a dry church in Norway as he walks nearly 10000 miles around Norway preaching and doing revival meetings (even though it was illegal for him to preach since he was not ordained). Despite being imprisoned, he would bring religious and community transformation to a nation which was just becoming independent in 1814.
I will look at the Jesus Movement in the United States and spreading around the world in the 1960s-1970s. A whole generation was writing off the church to go explore drugs and free love in the late 1960s. It would be the last place you would expect revival to break out, but one of the greatest revivals of recent times began among the Hippies in the United States. That revival would transform a generation and would change Christian worship and music from that time on.
I don’t want to spend the rest of my ministry trying to maintain an institution. I want to be part of a movement of God breaking in here and now. I want dry churches brought to life as people experience the presence and power of God. I want areas of society in which a church revival would seem most impossible to become the centers of God’s activity in the world.
I want to stop trying to build the church and be part of what Jesus will be doing to build his church. That will look less like and institution and more like a movement.
[Jesus said] I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:18
The church was never meant to be an institution built by people. It was meant to be a movement of people who know Jesus and are filled with and led by the Holy Spirit.
In 2018 my focus for ministry will be changing the paradigm from institution to movement. The focus will not be on maintaining an institution people go to each week which does religious activities, but on developing a community of people who carry the presence, heart and power of God into the world wherever they go.
My Sabbatical this coming summer will include learning about three movements in the church which have brought new vitality to the church by transforming people to be the church and not just go to church.
I will look at the Moravian Movement which began in Germany in the early 1700s. This group of Bohemians who had moved to Germany to escape religious persecution would experience what would be called the Moravian Pentecost on August 13, 1727. This group would pioneer small group ministry, would send as many missionaries out as the rest of the Protestants in Europe combined, and would have a prayer meeting going 24/7 for 100 years. They would change the church and the world.
I will look at the Haugean Movement in Norway in the early 1800s. Hans Nielsen Hauge will have an encounter with God while out plowing in the field which will transform his life. He will bring revival to a dry church in Norway as he walks nearly 10000 miles around Norway preaching and doing revival meetings (even though it was illegal for him to preach since he was not ordained). Despite being imprisoned, he would bring religious and community transformation to a nation which was just becoming independent in 1814.
I will look at the Jesus Movement in the United States and spreading around the world in the 1960s-1970s. A whole generation was writing off the church to go explore drugs and free love in the late 1960s. It would be the last place you would expect revival to break out, but one of the greatest revivals of recent times began among the Hippies in the United States. That revival would transform a generation and would change Christian worship and music from that time on.
I don’t want to spend the rest of my ministry trying to maintain an institution. I want to be part of a movement of God breaking in here and now. I want dry churches brought to life as people experience the presence and power of God. I want areas of society in which a church revival would seem most impossible to become the centers of God’s activity in the world.
I want to stop trying to build the church and be part of what Jesus will be doing to build his church. That will look less like and institution and more like a movement.
Pastor's Message, Dec 2017
“The Bible: An Invitation to Relationship”
[Jesus said to the church leaders]39“You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. 40Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
John 5:39-40
This month, our congregation begins a journey through the Bible called E100 (the Essential 100) where we will read 100 sections of scripture starting with Genesis and going through Revelation. We will read 5 times each week for 20 weeks to reach our total of 100 readings. By participating, you will not read every word of the Bible, but will get a good flavor of the Bible from beginning to end.
So, why do we read the Bible? Some would say it is a manual for life. They would say that you read it to get rules and guidelines for living. I agree to some extent with that perspective, but would suggest that the main purpose for the Bible is not rules for living but to invite us into a relationship with the Author.
Jesus says to the church professionals of his day that they are missing out on the whole point of the Bible. He says that their focus is to study it as a textbook for living and as a rule book, but that is causing them to miss them main purpose for the Bible. So, what is that main purpose? To meet Jesus, and through him, to be invited relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit so that we can come to know God by experience and not just intellectually.
We will learn lots of guidelines for living and rules for proper behavior, but our primary focus will be to come into a life-changing relationship with God. My prayer is that everyone in the congregation will have a greater awareness of and experience of God’s presence when we are done than when we begin.
The goal is not just to learn that God loves, but to experience that love. Not so much to be told to do good things for our neighbor as to be given God’s heart and eyes and become people who love our neighbors because that is who we are.
Are you ready to wade into the Bible? Are you ready to grow deeper in your relationship with and experience of God? Join the E100 challenge!
More info about the E100 Challenge is under our Bible Study section.
[Jesus said to the church leaders]39“You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. 40Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.
John 5:39-40
This month, our congregation begins a journey through the Bible called E100 (the Essential 100) where we will read 100 sections of scripture starting with Genesis and going through Revelation. We will read 5 times each week for 20 weeks to reach our total of 100 readings. By participating, you will not read every word of the Bible, but will get a good flavor of the Bible from beginning to end.
So, why do we read the Bible? Some would say it is a manual for life. They would say that you read it to get rules and guidelines for living. I agree to some extent with that perspective, but would suggest that the main purpose for the Bible is not rules for living but to invite us into a relationship with the Author.
Jesus says to the church professionals of his day that they are missing out on the whole point of the Bible. He says that their focus is to study it as a textbook for living and as a rule book, but that is causing them to miss them main purpose for the Bible. So, what is that main purpose? To meet Jesus, and through him, to be invited relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit so that we can come to know God by experience and not just intellectually.
We will learn lots of guidelines for living and rules for proper behavior, but our primary focus will be to come into a life-changing relationship with God. My prayer is that everyone in the congregation will have a greater awareness of and experience of God’s presence when we are done than when we begin.
The goal is not just to learn that God loves, but to experience that love. Not so much to be told to do good things for our neighbor as to be given God’s heart and eyes and become people who love our neighbors because that is who we are.
Are you ready to wade into the Bible? Are you ready to grow deeper in your relationship with and experience of God? Join the E100 challenge!
More info about the E100 Challenge is under our Bible Study section.
We publish the last six months of Pastor Mark's messages here. For older messages, please refer to the newsletters.