Exodus 24:4 – “Then Moses carefully wrote down all the LORD’s instructions. Early the next morning Moses got up and built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He also set up twelve pillars, one for each of the twelve tribes of Israel.”

What you put at the foot of the mountain will determine what you see at the top of your mountain.

1)   “Then Moses carefully wrote down all the LORD’s instructions.” – There are different types of mountains that we face as believers.  Difficult circumstances, betrayal, the attack of the enemy on our lives, family, or ministry can all be mountains that seem to block our way.  One of the mountains that trip people up the most though is the mountain of obedience. When God simply asks you to do something you do not believe you can accomplish.

2)   “Early the next morning Moses got up” – In the case of Moses there was instant obedience to “the Lord’s instruction.”  Whenever there is hesitation in your obedience you can be sure it is going to be seasoned with your opinion and an earthly perspective.  It is in these situation that doubt and unbelief is disguised as wisdom, and disobedience is the result.

3)   “And built an altar” – What Moses put at the foot of the mountain determined what he saw at the top of the mountain.  Many times it takes a mountain of difficulty to bring us back to the Cross, and to put our living sacrifice back on the altar. God’s end goal when there is mountain in our way is to bring us back to Him, not necessarily get us over the mountain.

4)   “At the foot of the mountain” – Most people want to know what they are going to see at the top of the mountain before they are willing to decide what they are going to offer at the foot of the mountain.  The reason is because they allow their perspective to determine what they believe.  If you could see what was on the top of the mountain when you are at the bottom, you would have no problem building the altar.  It is in the dark that we cannot forget what we are told in the light, and in the midst of the battle that we cannot forget what we were told in the camp.

5)   “He also set up twelve pillars” – These twelve pillars represent the promises of God that we must use to support our top of the mountain vision when all we have is a foot of the mountain perspective.  It is God’s promises that are our resources to obey and fulfill the plan of God.

Conclusion: What Moses built at the foot of the mountain unveiled something amazing on the top of the mountain.  I am sure there has never been quite a view before or after that compares to what he saw:

“Then Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel climbed up the mountain again. There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence!”

– Exodus 24:9-11

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Having so much fun in Chicago this week.  Getting to meet tons of different people with different backgrounds.  I have been really excited to share my faith with these people, and see God work in their life. Some cool things have happened from cabbies giving Amy and I free rides to even witnessing to an astronaut (his identy verifed… hehe). Here is one of the most memorable experiences I had sharing my faith so far.

Ever get intimidated to share you faith with someone on an airplane? I know I do.  I mean, what if it goes REALLY wrong and you are stuck sitting next to this person for the next hour? That would stink.  Well anyway, on this trip I ended up taking a flight on an airline that allows you to choose where you sit.  With this fear in mind, I decided the best thing to do would be to specifically pray that God would show me someone who needed to hear the gospel before I sat down.  I thought this would give me a little more confidence to actually share my faith; if I already knew God had placed me specifically where he wanted me to be (doesn’t He do that already anyway?).

It soon became obvious who it was that I needed to sit by.  Funny thing is that when I came closer to the two open seats next to him it appeared that he did not want anyone sitting next to him.  The first seat had the tray pulled down like a barred gate protecting his fortress of solitude, and the seat next to that had a bag and papers in it to give the appearance that someone was already sitting there.  I was on to his con right away and thought to myself, “If this man does not want anyone sitting next to him, then he definitely doesn’t want anyone preaching to him either!”  None-the-less, I stuck with my instinct, and took a seat.

It didn’t take long for me to realize he didn’t want to talk.  He was stuck to his paper, and after what appeared to be a catholic prayer before take off, I thought I had made a mistake and fell asleep.  I woke up to the flight attendant delivering Amy a diet coke, and the man next to me some alcohol.  I thought it was weird that he had ordered two cups of ice, and it turns out he was a very generous drinker. Not generous in that he drinks too much, but generous in that he likes to share what he drinks!  He offered both Amy and I a drink, and I was a little a surprised at his willingness to share.  I thanked him for his generosity and then told him when you have the Holy Spirit, you no longer need alcohol and quoted Ephesians 5:18.

This of course led to a conversation about Jesus, faith, and eternity where I was able to share the good news.  Like most people, he listed to me all the charitable projects he has worked on, and all the other “good deeds” he has done as merit for heaven.  I was happy to use this as an opportunity to share the “good news” that not only does he not need those good works to enter heaven, but that they won’t help him either! We had a good talk the rest of the flight where he thanked me repeatedly for showing him things he had never learned, and even said he believed God ordained that I sit by him.  When I asked why he believed that, he turned and showed me where he had planned on sitting and there was a little girl vomiting on someone (could have been me if I would have wimped out earlier)!

By the way, it turns out that this man is over the educators union in his city where thousands of teachers and principals are members and influence the entire school system from elementary to high school in his city! Be bold and step out!

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Not Forgotten is off to a great start.  Things kicked off last night with Pastor Joel and the Deluge Band.  Pastor Joel shared a powerful word on the conference them, and many hundreds were saved and set free.  It reminded me of a giant encounter retreat with thousands of people crammed into the North Campus.  What a tremendous way to start things off.

We also debuted a couple of new things for a 220 Conference that went really well. One thing that we are doing for the first time is displaying people’s twitter messages about the conference on the Big Screen before sessions.  We select from tweets that have the Not Forgotten Hashtag in them (#Not Forgotten).  This is a great way for us to interact and share the stories of those who are at the conference with us this year.  We also decided to work into the conference something everyone in 220 always looks forward to at our local gatherings, and that is our wacky rules videos.  Seeing Wayne dressed up as Mr. T as apart of the “B” Team is not something that I will soon forget!

We actually just finished our first ever Hippo Water Festival.  At some point we stopped planning a conference, and just plain lost our minds.  The fun everyone is having is only the result.

I am also really enjoying getting to hang out with a couple awesome Aussies: Pastor James Murray and Dan.  Here’s a sampling of some Australian words I have picked up on so far: Marker (mocha), jumping stars (jumping jacks), sunnies (sun glasses), skuns (scones), and bitters… don’t have a translation for that one yet I’m afraid!

More conference updates to come!

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On Tuesday night Pastor Joel shared a word with our group about “passion for Jesus.”  I have to say it has really stirred me up.  Without a passion for Jesus fueling everything we are doing, what are we really doing, and what could possibly be taking the place of that passion if it is not there?  The answer to both of these questions is nothing good or worthwhile.  It is a passion for Jesus that caused me to be a leader in the first place, it has been a passion for Jesus that has kept me going, and it is a passion for Jesus that is going to lead me to finish.

Acts 20:24 – “But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.”

This is an excellence verse on passion.  The first thing it shows is that passion is not about excitement, but endurance. Passion is not about how much noise you can make, or how many people you can get to look your way, but about how much you are willing to suffer in order to see God’s vision come about: “my life is worth nothing to me unless…”  You know you have passion when you have found the one thing that will make your life worth something if it is accomplished, and worth nothing if it is not.

The next thing this verse shows us about real passion for Jesus, is that real passion does not just start strong; it also ends strong. This means that real passion is more than a state of emotion, but must reach a place of conviction.  Conviction is not just something your feel when you do something wrong.  It is a passion boiling inside of you that causes you to hold the line, keep your standard, and stand strong in the midst of temptation.  In order to finish what you started your passion must become a conviction connected to the Cross.

The next thing we see is that real passion originates from an assignment of the Lord Jesus and not a desire to please man.  Learning certain behaviors and habits that you know will cause you to be seen as favorable in the eyes of man, without going through the necessary heart transplant that is required to truly obey GOD will lead to hypocrisy; not passion.  Repentance is not about changing what you do.  It is allowing God to change your heart, so that what you do is different.  The proof of a changed heart that can be obedient to God’s will is found in a renewed mind (Romans 12:2). Real passion transforms your behaviors by transforming your heart.

The last thing we see here about passion is that real passion is directly connected to work of winning souls. Without a passion for Jesus fueling what we are doing, what are we really doing?  When the flame of passion for Jesus begins to flicker  and die out it is revealed by your lack of passion to see the lost saved.  Hiding behind a microphone and pulpit does not excuse this passionless existence either.  Boldly declaring the gospel in a room where 95% of the people will clap and applaud your message does not reveal passion.  If that same boldness is there in the midst of certain rejection, or obvious ignorance to the good news, then passion can really be seen.  If a passion for Jesus is not fueling your ministry then what is?  Without real passion for Jesu can your ministry continue without losing its focus of “doing the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God?”

Lets not be like Eutychus who while sitting among “flickering lamps” lost his passion to endure and fell asleep.  Though he seemed to have died, the passion for Jesus inside of Paul awaken Eutychus again, and then they both continued “until dawn.” Jesus coming again! Let us continue in passion until he returns!

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I mentioned this is a previous blog, but would like to focus on it a little more here.

God has given every man a conscience, a creation, and a Cross to draw him to himself.  Any preacher who does not use all three to bring people to the Lord is fighting unarmed in age-old battle, and will lose.  You may draw a crowd, but in the end it was the crowed that crucified Jesus because they accepted his goodness without repentance.  These are the 3C’s God uses to invite us to heaven

Creation – is evidence in itself that there is a God.  Those who say there is no proof of a Creator are throwing out the obvious before beginning their empirical study.

Romans 1:2 – “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

Consider this humorous story about Sherlock Holmes:

Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson went on a camping trip. After a telling some stories and roasting some marshmellows they lay down for the night, and went to sleep.

Some hours later, Holmes awoke and nudged his faithful friend awake. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.”

Watson replied, “I see millions and millions of stars.”

“What does that tell you?” Holmes questioned.

Watson pondered for a minute. “Astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, I can see that God is all-powerful and that we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?”

Holmes was silent for a minute, then spoke. “Watson, you idiot. Someone has stolen our tent.”

Conscience – God has placed eternity in the heart of every man, and the evidence of that is your conscience.  It is not the mind that is convinced, and therefore someone is saved, but it is the soul that is converted.  When you stand before God on Judgment Day without receiving forgives, you will experience what your conscience has been alarming you off your entire life: There is a God, and when you sin you violate His law.

Romans 2:15 – “They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right”

Cross – God made it easy to serve Him, by first serving us.  Although He has done nothing wrong, He came to us first in the form of a man to establish relationship with us.  God gave us his very best, and we gave Him our very worst – the Cross.  Because this, the Cross will always stand as the most significant sign of God’s love and invitation to come home.

1 Corinthians 1:18 – “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God”

Romans 5:8 – “But God demonstrates His own love for us in this, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

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Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak to a muslim advocate and share the gospel with him. We discussed a number of different things, but what was interesting is his understanding of forgiveness. Throughout the conversation we use the same words/terms, but often with different meanings. This started as a video for Rez week, but we kept taping until we had about ten minutes of our conversation. I continued to witness to him for another 20 minutes or so after we stopped the video.

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Many Misunderstand How to Use the Law

Many preachers misunderstand how to use the law of God in preaching.  There are some that overuse it until it becomes like too much salt on popcorn that cannot be eaten, and then there are others who neglect it all together making their messages ineffective and spiritually irrelevant.  Paul understood how to use the law, and in the book of Galatians references the law of God over 30 times. Anyone curious on the roll of the law in modern preaching and the life of a believer should take the time to read  Galatians carefully.  With a proper perspective of how God’s law works, Galatians becomes a treasure to the preacher whose desire is to win souls with his lectures.

The first chapter of Galatians shows immediately why most preacher do not, cannot, and will not use the law when preaching.  This is because their goal is the opposite of Paul’s – “Obviously, I’m not trying to win the approval of people, but of God.  IF PLEASING PEOPLE WERE MY GOAL, I WOULD NOT BE CHRIST’S SERVANT” (Galatians 1:10).  If you want to please God you will not be ashamed or afraid of using the law.  On the other hand, those who only want to please people are afraid of the law, because they feel like it only reminds people of what they have done wrong and separates them from God.  Here is a clue: the law does not separate people from God; SIN does!  Don’t be afraid of truth chasing people away, if spoken in love and faith it will have the desired result.

The second chapter of Galatians represents the negative experiences that many people have with the law.  They have been under preachers who have abused the law,and used it to control and condemn, which eventually leads to hypocrisy.  This is what was happening with Paul.  There were some who wanted his companions to  be circumcised, even though he had already accepted Christ, and then there was Peter only obeying the law when others were watching (hypocrisy).  These are two abuses of the law, and describes the experience of most believers.  As a result of these negative experiences, the law has been abandoned in most preaching and teaching leading to a fork in the road from New Testament preaching and modern preaching.

The third chapter of  Galatians then begins to clear things up.  It sheds light on the purpose of the law, and how it is to be used in preaching.   The first application of the law is found in verse 13, “But Christ has rescued us from the curse pronounced by the law.  When he was hung on the cross, he took upon himself the curse for our wrongdoing.”  This shows us that the law is especially to be used in Evangelism.  The law is what makes the Good News, GOOD, without the law, the Good News because just news.  This may sound shocking, but look carefully at this verse, “The CURSE PRONOUNCED BY THE LAW.” Week minded preachers do not have the faith to search difficult passages that do not overflow with promises of blessing, but the wise preacher does.  The law shows that there are consequences for sin, and explains why there has to be a Cross in the first place.  Jesus did not go to the Cross because He loves us.  There is a trillion other things he could have done for us to show us his love other than allowing himself to be beaten and hung naked on a hill for the world to see.  He went to the Cross out of Obedience to His Father, because there is a consequence for sin, and out of love to take those consequences upon himself so that we would not have to suffer them ourselves.  ”Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree…the CURSE pronounced by the law” (Galatians 3:13).

Then Galatians 3:19 says, “the law was given alongside the promise to show people their sins.” Another reason why people do not use the law, is because they assume that sinners feel so awful about their sin that they just can’t wait to repent once we tell them how good God is. This is wrong, niave, and laughable.  Breaking News, “Sinners love sin!”  Many love it more than their family, friends, careers, or anything else.  They don’t want to give it up because someone they don’t know, never met, and who the world has mocked loves them. In verse 21 we see that there is no conflict between the promise and the law, because  the law sets up the promise.

You may be thinking, “But since Christ has came the law is no longer valid,” and to that I would say correct.  When Christ comes the law is no longer needed, but until Christ comes the law is needed.  Galatians 3:23 – “Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed”  When you use the law correctly it protects the sinner, like a baby sitter waiting on dad to come home, from things that would cause them to reject “the way of faith” when it is finally revealed.

Galatians 3:24 – “Let me put it another way.  The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith.”  What a powerful passage!  Until a person expresses faith in Christ, the law actually protects their heart from the pride that would come in and say they are good enough without Christ and do not need him.  WOW! The law is a protector, a guardian, working alongside the promise to keep the heart to fertile for the see of the gospel  When the law is preached in a way that controls and condemns or directs Christians into earning their salvation it is legalism and an abuse of an important truth.  A proper use of the law though, will lead to salvation and joy as people see the promise in a clear and glorious light. This light shows that despite our sin, God has chosen to love us, and made away for us to come home the moment we left.

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