God’s Desire

6th Sunday after Epiphany

After welcoming us warmly, Brad stated that our focus today would be on a familiar text, Romans 12. "How do we know what God wants? We’re going to look at that today."

Announcements
Next Sunday Brad and Brooke will be in Florida, thinking about us while someone else welcomes us warmly.

Wednesday Feb 22 is the beginning of Lent. There will be no Kids Club or Youth Group as we share a meal at 6:15 and begin Lent with worship together at 7:00.

The youth group from River Falls will be visiting with us next week.

Brad again reminded us that our worship is not like going to a movie where you sit and observe. Rather it is something we all participate in together.

Darlene’s introit -- rolling, rhythmic and bright -- gently transported us into the spirit of worship. Brad then read to us from Psalm 63 and led us in singing "I Will Worship" and other songs. A Scripture reading from Mark 1:40-45 followed the tithes and offerings.

After many prayer requests were gathered and offered up to God, Brad began his sermon.

God’s Desire

How do we know what God wants?

Sometimes we play games with God as if He were like a game show in which He was hiding behind Door #1 or Door #2 or Door #3. Or we play the game, “If it’s your will to go to Baskin & Robbins give me a parking space out front," as we drive around the block six times till it happens.

How do we know whether this or that is God’s will?

First, some things we know clearly. “Should I steal this bike? Is it O.K., Lord, for me to commit adultery, just this once?” These are questions we don’t have to ask. The Bible is clear on many things.

But some things are less clear.

Romans 12 begins with “Therefore…” And whenever we see a “therefore” we have to ask what it’s there for. ("That’s one reason I paid the big bucks for seminary," Brad quipped.)

1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Therefore, I urge you… In response to what Jesus has done, offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. The first answer to the question is, “God wants your body.”

God created you. But He looks down with love… He’s not just watching and waiting to stomp you like a bug when you mess up. He wants to be near you, to be with you. It's how Brad feels at the end of a day when he can't wait to get home so he can be close to his children.

A good way to start your day is to offer your hands or your lips to God, to be used in a manner that will bring life to others this day, not death. Sometimes we spend so much of our time trying to dig ourselves out of the hole we’ve dug ourselves into.

“Give your bodies as a living sacrifice.”

Not a dead sacrifice… but a living sacrifice. If you take relationship out of Christianity you end up with dead legalism. The world sees Christians as people who have a list of rules. Christianity is not about rules. It is about a relationship with Jesus Christ.

I do not try to be "good enough" for God to love me. I offer my body to God because of what He did for me when I didn’t deserve it.

A second directive for understanding God’s will: Give God your will. “Do not conform to the pattern of this world.” Another translation says, “Don’t let the world press you into its mold.”

MTV believed it had 20-year-olds in their power because this audience was a blank slate. This is an insult to a generation. As we approach life, we are to fill our minds with truth and not passively let things fill our heads. The essential thing is to not have a blank mind, but have your mind armed with truth.

Third step is this: “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Psalm 1 begins...

1 Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
2 but whose delight is in the law of the LORD,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
3 That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

God wants you body, God wants you will and God wants our minds.

Brad told a story about Genghis Khan. Someone asked, “How is it possible that you conquered all these cities with such ease?” He replied, “We bribed the gatekeeper.” You need to be a gatekeeper of what goes into your mind. This includes what you watch on TV or the movies you see. Don’t allow the trash to pollute your mind.

The second half of this idea is to fill your mind with good things, not just block out the bad.

1Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice... Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

It’s not a matter of anxiously praying about every little decision like “Do I go out this door or that door?”

God works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure. But to do this you have to follow Paul’s directive… you have to give Him everything.

As Brad prepared this message he was reminded of an old guy who spoke at a Bible college in Canada. He got up to preach…. "The problem with Christians…. too many have moss growing on their butts because they never move. I have never lived that way. I’ve lived my whole life going 100 miles per hour."

Don't be paralyzed by uncertainty. Live pleasing to God and the rest is much easier.

Yes, We Can

A beautiful Northland weekend, sunny blue skies, and warm hearts.... Welcome to New Life Covenant. Pastor Brad expressed his gratitude for our presence as we gathered for an informal July4 weekend worship service. Darlene's rendition of America the Beautiful certainly set the tone for a special time together.

We then sang a number of choruses, capping off the worship time with O Beautiful For Spacious Skies. After the offering a Scripture reading from Romans 7 and time of prayer, Brad commenced the sermon.

Yes, We Can

Brad began his sermon with the story of Handley Page, a pilot who at one point in his life delivered mail solo in the early days of aviation. On one occasion he was flying at 10,000 feet when he noticed a rat on board. Shortly thereafter he heard a gnawing sound. The rat was chewing a hydraulic line that operated his landing gear, not a good situation.

But the pastor chose to leave us hanging and said he would return to the outcome a bit later.

Today's message was drawn from the Paul's famous struggle with regard to the power of sin, Romans 7:15-25, which begins like this: I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.

In this short section 10 verses in length, Paul uses the word "I" 21 times. This is his story, his struggle, before discovering the liberating power of grace. And it is a struggle so many understand, have shared.

The JB Phillips New Testament makes a statement elsewhere that "God gave us the straight edge of the law to show us how crooked we are." Here in Romans 7 Paul dives into that same idea. The more he tries to keep the law, to follow what he knows is right, the more aware he is of his failings, his crookedness.

The wonder if it all is despite the continuous failing, so many keep trying to do it on their own. Paul finally came to a different place, saying, "I can't do it any more. I just don't have the power. Who will rescue me?"

Then, we see Romans 8. "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus..." No condemnation, and free from being controlled by sin.... all by grace.

If this is so, why do so many live as if it were not? Brad illustrated with a historical anecdote about the passage of the 13th amendment in 1865. Even though all slaves were declared free, in point of fact slavery did not end because many were not aware of this event. Some were kept in the dark deliberately, others were simply afraid to act on it. In other words, the law declared that men were free, but they continued to live as if they were not.

In moral law there is the same problem. The law tells us what to do and not do, but has no power to enable us to do it. Nor does law have any power to heal. Grace empowers and heals.

We do not "try to become children of God" by sheer will power. We ARE the children of God by virtue of God's redeeming work in Jesus. In the same way it is not by self-effort we find strength to do right. It's all grace.

A critical point was made in these remarks. It is exceedingly important to know who we are in Christ. We are called "saints" in Scripture. We are not addicts "trying" to live a good life.

The Chicago Bulls' Michael Jordan was hailed as a star who could defy gravity. Brad said, "No, he did not defy gravity. When he leapt up, he always came down again."

Jesus, defied not only the law of gravity, He also defied the law of sin and death. An in Him we too defy the law of sin and death.

Satan's primary weapon against believers is the lie. Lies, lies and more lies. This is why Jesus said, "The truth will set you free." And this is why it is important for Christians to study the Scriptures, to know their Bibles, to be in God's word.

In spiritual warfare, as illustrated in Ephesians 6, the first piece of armor Paul draws our attention to is the belt of truth. Knowing the truth is the best way to recognize lies. So it is that FBI agents learn to recognize counterfeit money by studying the real and true versions of printed money.

Now, back to Handley Page. This was back in the days before autopilot and he was flying solo. Fortunately, he remembered something from his school days regarding rats. Supposedly they need more oxygen than people do, so Page decided to fly up high in the sky where the air thinned. As luck would have it, the trick worked and when he landed he found a dead rat in the back of the plane.

Moral: When rats are gnawing at your life, climb higher. Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.

The Other Half of the Story

Today's drear was lifted a bit by Brad bright greeting. Despite the grey outside, he told us that today's message would be the Blue Sky view, which meant he was taking us above the clouds to a larger overview of this summer's theme, an exposition of the book of Romans.

The announcements included...
1) An acknowledgement of several members of the church who ran in yesterday's marathon, including Pam Johnson and Rich Mullvain. Special commendation to Rich who could not run a year ago due to back surgery. Nice comeback, kid!
2) Today is Father's Day. All fathers were to make sure they got a helping of pie after the service.
3) Brooke gave a VBS report. We had more kids than ever this year. More than eighty participated during the week, with a high of 67 on one of the days, only 20 of which were from New Life. The week also raised $823 for Thailand mission needs. The theme this year was Pandamania... "God is wild about you." The kids got it.
4) The blood drive is next Sunday. If you are able to give and will be here, call Ruth Anne by Monday.

Chuck, Ken and Darlene led us in worship today, with Chuck noting that his dad was his first hero. A fitting tribute to begin a father's day service.

After worship, offering and a time of prayer, Brad delivered today's message.

The Other Half of the Story

Brad began with the exclamation, "I am here because of grace." Grace is amazing. But too often we allow time to muffle the amazement of grace so that eventually it is intriguing grace and finally "Ho hum, grace." In church, surrounded by Christian friends, we start to take grace for granted.

So we turn to Romans again and the receive an overview of the first three chapters. Paul notes that all people instinctively understand that there is a God. But in a variety of ways we move away from God, cut ourselves off from Him. After details of debauchery, Paul details how people can get into making and keeping rules to show how "good" they are (better than others) and puff themselves up with a blather of self-righteousness. This latter attitude puts us no closer to God than the former behaviors. In short, as Paul emphatically underscores with a passage from the Old Testament, "No one is good. No, not one."

At this point Brad led us to the book of Ephesians where Paul details our exact situation before grace. We were "dead in our transgressions." Dead equals no life. That is, we can dress them up but dead flowers are quickly wilting and becoming dust. Once cut off from God, the soul dies.

And here is Paul's point: Since all have sinned and fall short, human beings cannot save themselves.

We are wholly dependent on God, then. Saving faith is not a gift man offers to God. It is from God to man. Grace always flows downward.

I was a sinner. Now I am called a saint. Not by merit, not by having matured spiritually. Saint means sanctified for God's service and set apart for His use.

We don't "try to become saints." We ARE saints.

Then Brad had us turn to Romans 5:6-8

⁶ You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. ⁸ But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

No matter how far you are from God, His grace can reach you. Rahab, the prostitute, is a perfect illustration of this. In fact, she gets numerous mentions in Scripture. In the famous "heroes of the faith" list in Hebrews 11, she is right there with Moses and Abraham.

Grace did not come to Rahab after rehab. She believed, responded to God, and God lifted her.

The rest of her story is equally remarkable. She married and had a son, whose name was Boaz, and she is listed in the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah.

I am because of grace, Brad affirmed. And because of grace, Scripture declares I am God's child, Christ's friend, united with the Lord in one spirit, born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.
What's more... I am the salt of the earth and the light of the world, I am the branch of the true vine, Jesus, a channel of His life, I have been chosen and appointed by God to bear fruit, I am a personal, Spirit-empowered witness of Christ, I am a temple of God, a minister of reconciliation for God and God's fellow worker, seated with Christ in the heavenly realms, God's workmanship, created for good works, prepared in advance. I may approach God with freedom and confidence and know that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

"Friends, you are not defined by what anybody else says you are," Brad said in closing. Fill your minds with the truth of who you really are in Him. Because of grace.

Urgency of the Matter

Another beautifully sunny morning here at New Life Covenant Church in Saginaw, MN. A man walks in and another, and a couple, several families, three women and a youngster, and now the group from downstairs sauntering in as we gather for worship as the sanctuary fills. After several personal acknowledgements about the room Pastor Brad, with characteristic energy, checks the microphone and greets us. “I’m glad you guys are here today….”

He reminds us that we are now studying the Paul's letter to the Romans. His warm-up pitch went like this: "Paul has an urgency in today’s text about his desire to go to Rome. It’s a text that might alter you."

Announcements this a.m. included:
Darlene: Next Sunday is Father’s Day… We're asking all women to make pies, adding, "If a father wants a specific pie in particular, he can make it himself."
Brooke wore her bright colored Pandamania t-shirt this morning as she made final VBS announcements. VBS will be daily from 9:30 – noon every day at the Twig Town Hall. This Friday everyone is invited for the closing ceremony/program at 7:00 p.m.
Suzy Lane announced that donations would be welcome to feed the 100 or so youth and adults daily at VBS.

Brad read from Psalm 150 to lead us into worship.
1 Praise the LORD.
Praise God in his sanctuary;
praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power;
praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,
praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing,
praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD.

We then sang together a contemporary version of Amazing Grace and several other contemporary worship songs. After the offering Ruth Anne read from Acts 2:14-21, which was followed by a time of prayer and the sermon.

Urgency of the Matter

Today's message was drawn from Romans 1:18-23
18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.

We're all familiar with urgent messages. "Tom, call home, it’s urgent!" Or, "Judy, call home, it’s urgent! The first section of the book of Romans is dripping with urgency, an expression of Paul's laser-focused mission. Paul loved the church, committing his life to planting churches, training churches… because he loved what Jesus loved: the church.

Today's sermon could be called “No excuses.” Brad warned us this this section of Scripture could be hazardous to our assumptions. It conveys Paul’s awareness that unbelievers everywhere are daily committing a spiritual crime that will place them eternally separated from God.

In presenting the message, Brad rearranged the verses to help make the case with greater clarity.
1. God has revealed Himself clearly to all human beings everywhere. (19,20)
2. Unbelievers suppress the revelation of God. (18b, 21-22)
3. Suppressing the revelation of God continually unleashes God’s angry displeasure. (18a)

God has revealed Himself clearly to all. Since creation of the world His divine attributes have been clearly seen. This passage asserts that knowledge of God is evident inside all people. Every person everywhere knows that there is a God.

Vs. 20 elaborates. People understand through what has been made. In theological terms this is called “General revelation.” You cannot walk this planet and claim that there were no clues.

No one looks at a car in our parking lot, and doesn’t know that the car was designed by someone. You could even find, if you looked hard enough, the one who did it. Likewise our watches. So it is with the Creator.

The world is littered with clues. Creation bombards us with so much evidence that we must not only conclude God exists but that he is eternal and powerful. When you see an ocean or a rainbow, what does that say about God?

God’s invisible attributes can be seen within nature, and in moments of wonder, even unbelievers often involuntarily exclaim, “Oh… my… God.”

Therefore, Paul states, every human being is without excuse.

The next point Paul makes is this. Unbelievers suppress the revelation of God (18b, 21-22)

There is a God and He is worthy of worship. But unbelievers, rather than responding with integrity, do the untruthful thing. They suppress the truth and refuse to worship. “This, my friends, is a crime against the almighty God,” Brad said.

Suppressing the truth is like trying to hold a beach ball under water. It takes effort to suppress the truth. The unbeliever doesn’t want to deal with it, doesn't want to know the truth and has to push it down. The truth can cause trauma, and it’s easier to believe lies. Truth is disruptive, causes inner turbulence. Our tendency is to love the darkness rather than light. Truth traumatizes sinners.

Sinners have a vested interest in suppressing truth. If you do not suppress truth, it will stare you in the face and harass you till you come clean. There are two options: Confess sinfulness or suppress the knowledge of God.

God’s grace is amazing. When we confess, He is a merciful God.

The third point is this. Suppressing the revelation of God continually unleashes God’s angry displeasure. God has revealed Himself in many and various ways and has now revealed Himself in Jesus.

Some day all of us will stand without excuse before God. It that day, it will not be a knowledge problem, but rather had an acknowledgement problem. That is, we know the truth in our hearts.

In the end, God will give those who reject God what they sought after… freedom from God’s presence… that is, separation from God, for ever.

On judgment day, the cry of the unbeliever will not be, “I just didn’t know.” It will be, “I wouldn’t bow.” And there will be unfathomable regret. Anguish.

"For seven years I have preached about God’s love in this church," Brad said. God loves us so much and He doesn’t impose His will on us. He lets us choose. Brad’s appeal: it doesn’t matter where or how, just bow down.

In closing we sang, “Jesus, what a friend for sinners.”

The Cathedral of the Christian Faith

The sanctuary was boisterous and alive this morning as we gathered for worship this sunny Sunday morning. Sunshine and smiles were exuberantly displayed everywhere. Pastor Brad welcomed us and noted that we were embarking on a new summer series devoted to the Book of Romans, a New Testament book which at least one theologian called, "The Cathedral of the Christian Faith."

Announcements included several regarding Vacation Bible School which begins June 13. There will be a meeting of volunteers at the Twig Town Hall after the service next Sunday at 11:00 a.m.
They are also looking for 5'x3' self standing boards as well as monetary donations for craft supplies.
Even if you are not involved as a volunteer, you're invited to the Family Fun Night on the very last day, Friday the 17th.
It was also noted that the Bloodmobile will be here on June 26th after the service. Please sign up to give blood if you are able.

The worship team sang for us and led us in song, which was followed by the offering. Eric Borndal read to us from Acts 1:6-14.

This week we honored the many grad who are among us by having them come to the front to be recognized. Steven Borndal, Monica Mullvain and Casie Westgard have now graduated from high school. Sara Borndal finished college and will be going to South Korea in a few months to teach English. Lisa Smith completed four years of post-grad studies in the pharmaceuticals field. Their lives are ahead of them, and we pray for them to make good choices while following their dreams. (See photo of the grads at bottom of this page)

The Cathedral of the Christian Faith

Martin Luther called the book of Romans the purest Gospel, noting that even a cursory study of this book will have life-changing consequences. Pastor Brad began by breaking today introductory passages into three sections as we lay the foundation for the weeks to come.

Romans 1:1-7 Paul's introduces himself, the writer of this letter to the church in Rome.
Verses 8-10 Paul sentiments toward the church in Rome.
Verses 11-17 Paul's dreams for the church and his intentions.

How Paul saw himself

Unlike many of the letters which were written to churches he founded, this one is different. Paul had never been to Rome and did not found this church, so he begins by introducing himself.

¹ Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God...

Even the first word is pregnant with meaning. Paul, each time he reflected on it, could no doubt remember that he had once been Saul, a legalist and persecutor of the early church. The name Paul had been given to him by Jesus, who called him to be an Apostle, specially chosen and commissioned, set apart to proclaim the Gospel, the good news of salvation through the Jesus.

But Paul was not a ladder climber and did not aspire to this high position. Rather he saw himself simply as a bondservant, which is to say slave, of Jesus Christ. There were six million slaves in the Roman world. To be a slave is to be someone's property, and when Paul used this language, everyone knew what it meant. He was the property of Jesus, in service to the wishes of his master.

The letter begins with Paul citing his new name, new status, new calling and proceeds to outline his new passion.

At this point Brad paused and asked what we would say about ourselves in the opening of a letter of introduction? What is your status, your ministry, your passion?

Paul's sentiments toward the church

⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. ⁹ God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you ¹⁰ in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God’s will the way may be opened for me to come to you.

Paul is so in love with Jesus that he loves what Jesus loves. Jesus once compared the church to a bride, an object of love rich with meaning. Paul, too, loved the church, and upon hearing the good things happening at the church in Rome, he earnestly prayed for that church as well as prayed to be able to one day visit.

How much do you love the church? Do you love the people there? Brad said that while growing up it seemed that for a lot of people church was simply something to be endured or that others endured.

This church in Rome was interesting. There were liberals and conservatives, educated and uneducated "barbarians"... but they shared a common love for Christ. Paul longed to go there.

Paul's dreams and intentions

¹¹ I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong— ¹² that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that I planned many times to come to you (but have been prevented from doing so until now) in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

¹⁴ I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish. ¹⁵ That is why I am so eager to preach the gospel also to you who are in Rome.

¹⁶ For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. ¹⁷ For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”

Why does Paul say he is so eager to preach the Gospel in Rome? Because he wants to witness and be a part of the unleashing of God's power in Rome. He had seen it elsewhere and longed to see it here.

Brad said he identifies with this longing. It's not about new buildings or new carpets, new liturgies or new styles of worship. It's about the power of God, and Paul was confident that when he reached Rome and preached the Word of God, powerful things would happen.

God's word gives strength, direction and nourishment. And it isn't one person that makes it happen. It happens in communities of faith working together. God can do that here if we speak the truth and are not ashamed. Go the second mile and watch what happens.

Paul was ever dreaming about the church. "I'm never going to stop dreaming about what God can do when unleashed," Brad said.

When was the last time you dreamed about the church? It's not about me doing this alone. It's about us.

After a closing hymn we proceeded to share communion together.

That I May Have a Harvest Among You

It was a somewhat unusual service this morning. Saturday night word went out via the prayer chain that Pastor Brad was on his way to the hospital, most likely appendix related. Those of us who gathered at the Breakfast Roundtable learned that Pastor was heading into surgery. By the end of our discussion on the question, "Do I believe God's best blessings are before us or behind us?" we learned that Brad's surgery was already complete, went well and he was in recovery.

Chuck Vanderscheuren stepped into Brad's shoes to lead the service. Darlene was also out today and Ed Newman filled in on piano. Chuck greeted us, and began with announcements which included the following:
1. The Harvest Festival at Twig Town Hall is coming soon. There will be a whole host of activities on September 12 from 8:00 a.m. till 2:30 with a worship service sandwiched in the middle. Hot air balloon rides will begin early, but there will be plenty more, including food, games, art, and a treasure hunt.

2. Volunteers are still needed for the rummage sale.

3. JoAnn Winship talked about Christ formation in our Christian education program and additional programs that are being discussed by our leadership team. There may still be a need for teachers and assistants.

As an introit Ed played Majesty in Spanish on the piano, pronounced Majastad. Chuck led the congregation in a number of hymns, which was followed by an offering and a time of prayer.

That I May Have a Harvest Among You

Chuck began by talking about how sometimes we feel helpless, perhaps like a car spinning on an icy road out of control. He shared a humorous letter written by Eric Borndal from camp to his parents when he was very young. The food and accommodations were so awful he thought he was going to die. Chuck remembered the first day of kindergarten being that way for some kids who cried because they had to leave their parents and come to school.

With this we began a short study of Romans 1:1-17.

Paul begins his letter to the Romans with a little information about himself. This is a letter to the church of Rome, a church which he has never seen, a church which he was not involved in founding, like many of the others he wrote letters to. In the opening he makes reference to his new birth, and his status, "a bondservant of the Jesus Christ."

Chuck described what a bondservant is. In ancient times when a slave has completed his service and is released, he could stay on as a permanent servant/slave to the master. The man would place his ear on the master's door and have it pierced, making him legal property of the master.

Paul was also an apostle, a calling not a job one obtains through ambitious maneuvering. He notes that he has been set aside for the Gospel.

After going through Paul's resume, Chuck asked what our spiritual resume would look like.

Beginning in verse 8, Paul shares his sentiments toward the church in Rome, how he is grateful for them and longs to see them. Paul's aim in coming to Rome was mutual encouragement as they each shared their gifts.

In verse 16 Paul declares that through preaching the Gospel, the power of God is unleashed, and in the God's salvation the character of God is revealed.

This letter was written at a time when Paul was dreaming about the possibilities of the Gospel when he comes soon to Rome. When was the last time you dreamed about seeing God's power released here? The best is yet to come.

Now and Not Yet

Pastor Brad opened with service with his customary greeting, "I'm glad you're here today," and proceeded to introduce today's theme by summarizing the main point of our Ash Wednesday this past week. Lent is a season of new beginnings that begins with brokenness. It is a time of introspection, a time to admit "I need God's help." God, he asserted, is in the business of restoring lives. And by looking at Romans 8 he focused the direction of our thoughts toward this end: What does God's Promise look like because of Grace?

There were several announcements this morning including:
a) The youth of 1st Covenant Church, River Falls, were welcomed.
b) It's that time of year when we invite friends of our church family to become members. If interested in membership, contact Pastor Brad or look for the sign up sheet in the back of the sanctuary.
c) Caribou Lake School, as a potential future home, is no longer available. Please pray for our church leaders with regard to building matters.
d) Paula shared that we still have some holes in the sign up sheet for coffee rotation. All volunteers welcome.
e) There were many people who wanted to see the Secret Friend activities re-commenced for 2010. See Paula.
f) The Empty Bowl Project is a Duluth-wide fund raising event that helps the non-profit organization Second Harvest with the distribution of food for needy families. Anyone interested in making bowls to raise money for the needy can come to Susie Newman's Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m. You do not have to be a professional potter. Please bring $5 for materials. Call 729-0818 for more information.

Darlene's introit, How Great Is Our God, produced a suitably moving introduction into the service after which three young people from First Covenant in River Falls led us in worship singing "Your Grace is Enough", "Yesterday, Today and Forever" and "Audience of One." Luke Richter then read from Romans 8:18-30, a passage from which Pastor Brad would be preaching today.

During our prayer time many painful and difficult circumstances were shared, after which Brad took the podium and shared from his heart and God's Word.

Now & Not Yet

If you're a Christian, you know that Christianity is supposed to be about joy. You probably know that you're supposed to experience joy in spite of circumstances. There's a joy that the deepest trouble can't extinguish, and that joy can overwhelm even the greatest grief.

In John 17 Jesus prays that His followers would know the full measure of His joy. And in the previous chapter Jesus says His disciples will rejoice and 'no one will be able to take away your joy." He said this while telling them they would be persecuted, robbed, tortured and even put to death. Jesus promised a joy that would withstand all of it.

Pastor Brad confessed that he struggled with some of this. Do we have that kind of rock solid joy in our lives? Why do things affect me so much? Why is my joy not relentless?

In Romans 8 the apostle Paul describes a world that is groaning for release, a broken world, a suffering world. There's troubles, persecution, poverty, nakedness... and one must ask how does joy fit into the picture? In verses 28-30 Paul offers three principles for finding joy in suffering.

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. 29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. 30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

There were three points Brad sought to establish from this verse. Paul states that if we are in Christ, (1) bad things turn out for good, (2) our good things cannot be lost, and (3) the best things are still to come. These are the reasons for our joy.

Bad things happen to everyone. Christians are not exempt. A few verses later Paul states in verse 35, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?" In other words, you can anticipate troubles and hardships, even famines and swords. In point of fact, if anything good happens to us, it is because of God. And when bad things happen, God can take these and work them to good effect.

The story of Jesus and Lazarus is a good illustration. Jesus weeps and is even angry. He hates death, which is why He gave everything to defeat it. Likewise He hates loneliness and suffering, which He experienced in order to bring us relief. Christianity is not a Pollyanna religion for children, but deal directly with life's most difficult issues.

Many people teach and believe that if we are Christians we won't have as many bad things happen to us. But it's not true. There are horrible things that can happen to us, and believing in a loving God won't stop them from happening. Everyone will experience the decay of their bodies. Everything falls apart.

But even though bad things happen, this verse notes that God will work them for good. That is, they will be used for good effect in your life. 50% of discouragement is from being shocked when bad things happen.

God doesn't promise better life circumstances, He promises a better life. Jesus didn't suffer so that you wouldn't have a bad day.

In verse 30 he writes about being predestined... and in this passage it is a promise, a sure thing. Our future is fixed. God's aim is the development in us of the character of Jesus. And the full meaning here is that everything that happens in our lives serves to form us and polish us. Nothing will hold back His purposes for you. It's as good as done.

There's a portion of this passage which some people have stumbled over because it seems gender insensitive to speak of being adopted as sons. Paul was living in a time when daughters were second class citizens. What Paul was stating here is that there are no second class citizens in Christ. We're all sons. When you are a Christian, you receive all the benefits a son enjoys in a traditional culture. It was a subversive and revolutionary promise.

Finally, the best is yet to come. And when you get a glimpse of what's to come in the world to come, you can handle anything in this life. The notion of Heaven and glory does not trivialize our suffering. Your soul is too great for anything but this.

Morality Above the Law

It was Grandma’s Marathon weekend here in the Northland, and though a chill had come into the air this a.m. our hearts remained warm. Pastor Brad Shannon gave a heartfelt welcome, which was followed by several announcements. Brooke thanked the forty volunteers who made this week’s Vacation Bible School experience a success for so many children. And everyone was reminded that next week New Life Covenant will celebrate its fiftieth anniversary with an exceptional dinner prepared by Leonard Armstrong to be enjoyed 11:00 p.m. after the service.

The Call to Worship began with Chuck reading David’s prayer from I Chronicles 29:10-13 and the quartet singing Holy, Holy, Holy. After a time of worship and singing Brad presented the Children’s Challenge.

Today’s Scripture readings were:
Jeremiah 20:7-13
Roman 6:1-11
Matthew 10:24-39

This morning we had a guest pastor present this week’s message. Pastor Jim Swanson, husband of the eldest of the Armstrong girls, had preached here 35 years ago and said it was good to be back in our pulpit.

Morality Above the Law
There is a tendency in church history for truths to lose their weight or significance after two or three generations. The circumstances which motivated the founders of a movement to react are different three generations later.

The truths of Scripture transcend time, but different circumstances affect what is highlighted or has more relevance.

Pastor Swanson spoke from Paul’s Letter to the Romans this morning. Most of Paul’s letters dealt with specific situations within the various churches for whom he cared. But Romans has a different purpose. It is a book of written to condense the theological insights he gained from his three year study of the meaning of the Gospel and how we relate to God.

For the purposes of context it is occasionally good to be reminded of Paul’s story preceding the many letters he wrote which became Scripture. Formerly Saul of Tarsus, Paul was a persecutor of the early church. He stood by at the stoning of Steven, a deacon of the early church, and led an entourage that was serious about maintaining the current order of things.

While heading toward Damascus, with murderous intent, Paul had a life changing experience. A light suddenly flashed around him and he fell to the ground whereupon he heard God’s voice, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” According to the book of Acts:

7The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

But it was a disciple named Ananias who’s obedience was really tested. The Lord spoke to him in a vision saying to go see the Saul who was murdering Christians for their faith. Nevertheless, Ananias obeyed and went to see the man whom had done so much harm in Jerusalem. Paul indeed had had his heart prepared by his ordeal and not only received the Word from this man but had his eyesight restored.

Changing his name to Paul, he went into the desert for three years to study the Scriptures and make sense of this new way to encounter God.

Paul’s Book of Romans is essentially a compilation of condensed theological insights, summarizing his distilled thinking regarding the meaning of the Gospel. In chapter three he writes about justification by faith. Justification does not simply mean we have been declared Not Guilty. It contains a bigger idea than this. God fills us out to the dimensions God intends us to be.

In chapter six of the Romans, Paul writes about the implications of baptism for believers. Baptism in the early church often took place in caves with streams, Pastor Swanson said. The one being baptized would enter the stream on one side and emerge on the other side to be clothed in a white robe. What it meant was that our sinful self was destroyed and a new life was now ours.

Pastor Swanson, then shared the story of a woman named Cindy whose alcoholism nearly destroyed her marriage. After a stint at Hazeldon, a prestigious clinic that treats alcoholism and other addictions, he saw her again with a new glow in her face. “I don’t have to do that any more,” she said.

It was Christ who met her there. And for the first time she had hope.

In closing we were reminded that there is a possibility of a whole different kind of life when we have been crucified with Christ…. in order that we might live a new life together.