Keeping the Faith; Never losing Hope; Always Loving

Do you ever feel alone?  Does it ever feel like you are doing this thing called life all by yourself?  Do you ever feel like all the chips are against you?

We’ve all been there; many of us reading this blog are in that lonely place this very moment.  I experience this feeling in my own life in a number of different ways and every time it is a feeling of dread that I wish to escape from at all costs even if its an unhealthy way.  I was reminded today of a truth that has helped me to view my times of loneliness in a different light.  I think that if you’ll apply this to your life it will also help you to view your loneliness through a different lens as well.

In God’s story there is a piece of literature called Isaiah.  In the 7th chapter of Isaiah there is a word spoken to King Ahaz by Isaiah about a baby that is born who will be called Immanuel (which means “God with Us”) and before that baby is weaned Aram  and Israel (the two countries trying to force an alliance and kick Ahaz off the throne of Judah) will be destroyed by Assyria.  In essence, Isaiah tells Ahaz that this force that is bringing loneliness (the thought of losing the throne; being persecuted; etc) will pass and that ultimately this child is the reminder that regardless of the present circumstance God is with you.  And that these pressures will pass but God will always be with you.  It was this text that the gospel writers later used to describe the birth of Jesus as this shout from God that “I am with you.”

I want to encourage you today to remember that through Jesus, God is with you.  Your loneliness is an opportunity to remember that you are not alone.  Your loneliness is an opportunity to experience the loving presence of God that promises never to dessert you but to hold you in the palm of His hands throughout your life.  I want to encourage you to look at times of loneliness not as things to avoid but as chances to grow closer to a God that promises to be with you and that this promise will outlive any circumstance of loneliness that you will ever experience in this life and into all eternity.  I love you with the love of my King!

Peace,

Pastor P

chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com

A couple of weeks ago a good friend of mine got back from a recent trip to Zambia, Africa.  As he described to me his experience and the hurting and pain that he witnessed during that trip I felt compelled and convicted.  I listened to the stories and then thought about the “worries” of my life and church here in the USA and it made me sick to my stomach.  I feel like I’m a part of an amazing new church and that we are on the cutting edge of where God is moving but at the very same time in hearing of the pain in Zambia I felt that at the very best we are “playing a really good game of church.”

In my readying this morning I was going through Amos and was reminded that it doesn’t matter how “amazing” or how “cutting edge” our church (or yours) might be if our actions are not connected to caring for the oppressed of the world God despises our festivals; God despises our assemblies.  I’m reminded that Jesus can’t stand our worship that is nothing more then a religious show with plenty of good intentions that never amount to any kind of action.  I’m embarrassed that I spend my time actually worrying about what people think, who didn’t come on Sunday, who will come next Sunday, or if we will have some new “bells and whistles” this week for this hard hearted generation.

I pray today that Jesus would forgive me of this sin; that Jesus would free me from the “religious show”; that Jesus would empower me to preach His gospel that we have a responsibility to engage the brokenness of our world and that He can’t stand our “play it again church” if what we claim isn’t connected to how we live.  Lord, forgive us for we have sinned!  Renew a right spirit in us that we might be your instruments in the world.  May we live in a way that you delight in our assemblies and can’t wait for our gatherings to take place.

Peace,

Pastor P

chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com

The closer I get to Jesus the more I am aware of those thing/qualities inside of me that are not of Him.  It’s an interesting dynamic; I thought of myself being more like Christ when I was farther away from Him.  In reality, this delusion is a result of the sin that lives within me and as the Holy Spirit purges that sin and I grow closer to Christ I become more aware of that within me that needs to die. 

So often I find myself thinking thoughts and desires of my heart that are so far from Christ I question if I’m even a follower of Him.  It would seem that the more devoted follower I become the more I should feel good about myself.  But yet the opposite happens and then I remember that Jesus said, “those who loose their life for my sake will find it.” 

I’m reminded this morning that it’s not about me feeling good about myself; its about putting to death what is earthly inside of me that I might find true life in Christ.  In Colossians 3:5, Paul speaks of this action of putting to death what ever is earthly inside of us.  Paul is reminding his readers that it is not about Jesus helping us to live a better “current” life.  In other words, its not about Jesus blessing what life we already have.  No, following Jesus is about a new life; it’s about putting to death the old that we might begin living the new.  Paul invites us to “trepass here” and find out if there is life after death.  Today, I die with Christ that I might also rise with Him and in that rising find new and complete life.

Pastor P

chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com

When I think of the words “peace” and “blood” I don’t immediately connect the two.  In fact, it would seem that where there is the shedding of blood that is where there is no peace.  It doesn’t make a lot of sense that peace is found through the shedding of blood.  But yet the shedding of blood takes place when there is no peace.  I’ve never thought about the death of Jesus on the Cross as God’s invasion of my reality and meeting me on my turf where I view the shedding of blood as proof of no peace.  Perhaps, Jesus’ death on the Cross was God’s way of saying to me, “you and I are not at peace.”  Perhaps God then takes it another level and through Jesus’ death on the cross wants to transform my idea of peace that once I am at peace with God (through the shedding of Jesus’ blood) I can now live a life of peace in the world that doesn’t require the shedding of any more blood.

What if being at peace with God through the blood of Jesus required that I now be at peace with the world because of this transformation of grace?  What if being at peace with God through the shedding of the blood of Jesus required that I now become an agent of this peace within the world?  What does this agent of peace look like in a world that is ravished with unrest? 

In Colossians 1:20 Paul reminds us that God was pleased to reconcile everything to Him by making peace through the blood of Jesus.  As a follower of this one who “makes peace through blood” I am required to be an agent of this peace; to follow in Jesus’ footsteps even to the point that this testimony of peace can continue through my blood.  I thank Jesus for the martrys of this peace who have given up their blood for the message of peace to continue.  I pray that God would shine down light on our world and that the gospel of peace would continue through the message that in Jesus’ blood God has offered true and complete peace to the world while at the same time calling His followers to be agents of this peace within the world.

Pastor P

chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com

Bill Hybels says that the highest stakes of leadership are in the local church.  He argues (and I agree) that for a leader there is no other environment that requires more leadership where more is at stake then within the local church.  In the church we are not dealing with lives but we are dealing with eternities which makes the local church, for a leader, the greatest leadership challenge.  At the same time, the local church can be the greatest challenge in leading especially in a culture like that of the United States which is ruled by the dollar and the pursuit of wealth.  This creates many challenges for the church which proclaims a message that pursuing Jesus is more important then pursuing wealth.  I’ve learned that engaging in leadership within the local church is engaging in a constant conflict within the world and that there are constant pressures, stresses, situations, and reasons for conflict, which requires constant leadership.

In Philippians 4, I think Paul offers a great model for pursuing leadership within the local church in terms of a Leader’s outlook and approach to handling the daily pressures of leading a local church.  Paul describes three attributes that I have found to be essential to leading a group of people toward Jesus and away from the world.

First, Paul says to rejoice in everything.  Regardless of the situation as a leader we must “rejoice” as hard as it may be.  For example, if you are dealing with a conflict that is tearing you a part; rejoice in the fact that God has given you the responsibility of leading through the situation instead of someone else.

Seond, Paul says not to worry but to pray and in the prayer we experience a peace that surpasses all understanding.   Often times we want to complain or talk a situation to death and this never leads to peace.  But when we stop and pray we gain perspective of the situation and experience a peace that surpasses understanding.

Lastly, Paul urges us to remember that through Jesus we can do all things because He gives us strength.  As difficult as the challenge may be to lead a local church we are only able to fulfill the task through the power of Jesus.  If I try to Lead Crossroads on my own it will fall a part and I will fail miserably.  However, if I depend on God’s grace then I am empowered to lead in this environment that not only requires the empowerment of God but effects the eternities of God’s beloved children.

Pastor P

chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com

Have you ever thought of the relationship between the words optimism and hope?  Both words point to a better future but imply totally different ways of getting there.  I’ll never forget hearing this for the first time and it blew me away.  I can’t remember who told me this (which is even more of a confirmation it was a message from my King) but they said this of optimism and hope.  Optimism implies having faith in something that I am going to do in the future.  Hope is having faith in what God has already done in and through Jesus Christ.  So often we think the two are interchangable when in fact they are polar opposites.  Optimism is rooted in the lie that some how “I” am able to create this preferred future in my life; its rooted in the worship of “I”.  Whereas hope is rooted in the truth that because of what God has done for us through Jesus Christ I am now able to live God’s preferred future in my life; hope is rooted in the worship of God.

The scriptures continually show this truth time and time again.  In Ephesians 1, the author talks of our lives being flooded with light (great image huh?) that we might understand the confident hope we have in Christ.  In Psalms 33 the author makes a declaration that true hope is found in God alone.  Until our hearts, minds, and souls are flooded with the light of Christ we will not know the truth that hope is found in God alone and may fall into the trap of “being optimistic.”

My challenge to us today is to open our lives up to the light that brings hope; to open our lives up to being flooded with the light of Christ that we might understand the hope we have received through Jesus and live in ways that our testimony is “my hope is found in God alone.”  I pray this would permeate out of your pores today and that the light that floods your life would spill over into the world around you that others would experience the hope of the world.

Peace….from Pastor P                                             (chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com)

I was outside looking at the house the other day and I’ve started to notice some cracks in the hardy board where over the past few years the caulk has come out.  I’m not looking forward to resealing those cracks but I know its got to be done to keep the house in good shape and solid.  The cost of not sealing is far greater then the cost of sealing.

In psalm 60 David asks God to seal the cracks that are in the land; that the land is trembling.  The land is trembling today; we live in a broken world where the caulk has come out between the boards and their are cracks in our lives and community.  The good news is that God has answered David’s prayer.  God sent Jesus to be that caulk to seal the cracks that the house would be protected and withstand the weather of the world.  As a follower of Jesus, I am called to be a part of putting that culk of grace in the cracks of the world.  So often followers of Jesus spend time amongst themselves and forget the call to seal the cracks that are present in their lives and community.  Today I want to encourage you to be the caulk of Christ and live a life that will seal the cracks of the lives of those around you and in your community.

Peace,

Pastor P

chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com; www.wedesiremore.com

Romans 1:8

“Let me first say that I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith in him is being talked about all over the world.”

What an incredible testimony to the Christians in Rome; their faith is being talked about all over the world (according to Paul). I long for this to be the testimony of Crossroads. Deep in my heart I feel that Jesus wants to use this community of faith to give witness to the world of the possibility of radical faith in our current culture. I pray for opportunities for us to exercise this radical faith in Jesus. I pray for opportunities to witness in ways that the faith we are practicing through God’s grace would be talked about all over the world. I pray this would be real in my life today! I pray this would be real in your life today! So often I get caught up in the daily grind that I am sure I miss these opportunities to practice faith that would be talked about all over the world. My fear holds me back. I pray today for God’s grace to be greater then my fear and that I would seize those opportunities to practice the kind of faith that would be talked about across the world. Please join me today!

chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com  www.wedesiremore.com

Psalm 101: 8

“My daily task will be to ferret out the wicked and free the city of the Lord from their grip”

David knew about battles; throughout his life he found himself in battle after battle for the sake of the Lord.  He lived out this psalm all throughout his life.  It’s a consuming thought to think today that the city of God is the world and the world is gripped by the hand of sin/evil.  Its even more intense to think that as a follower of Jesus my daily task is to ferret out the wicket and free the city of God from the grip of sin/evil.

How do I ferret out the wicked?  I have to expose the darkness to light.  The temptation is to fight wickedness with wickedness.  The temptation is to fight prejudice with more prejudice; gossip with more gossip; fear with more fear….and before I know it I find myself gripped by sin/evil instead of living in a way that ferret’s out the wicked.  If I get real honest this morning about my ferreting power these days I would have to say that its real easy for me to get caught up in the daily grind where my task is merely maintaining the land I already have instead of pushing on the front lines ferreting the wickedness from its grip upon God’s people.

chadpullins@connect2crossroads.com  www.wedesiremore.com