Healing of the Mind – What Happened to Happiness?

Dear Crosswalkers,

Last week, in our sermon series, Simply Jesus, we covered the eye-opening and controversial reality of demonic possession, oppression and influence in today’s world.  Several were affected deeply by that message.  As part of the message, we saw a powerful video clip of an exorcism. For those who want to see the full program you can watch it online by clicking on this link:http://abc.go.com/watch/primetime-nightline-beyond-belief/SH55131205/VD55136065/battle-with-the-devil

If you missed that message, you can listen to it here: http://crosswalkchurch.com/Multimedia//wp-content/uploads/sermons/How_to_Act_with_Authority_over_Evil.mp3

This Sunday, we will turn our attention to the powerful subject of divine healing.  As always, we won’t be able to cover every aspect of this fascinating biblical truth, but as we study through the gospel of Mark we will have other opportunities to revisit this reality.  We will have a special time of prayer for healing this Sunday, so please pray for this service, that God will bring healing in our lives in a powerful way.

We will also celebrate baptisms this Sunday, so it will be a GREAT DAY at Crosswalk Church.  In fact, although we say this often, this truly will be a perfect time to invite someone to worship with you!

Speaking of healing, there was a tremendous study done recently regarding the level of depression across a span of many nations.  In an article dated July 26, 2011, ABC news reports that “The old adage that money can't buy happiness may be true not only for individuals, but for society as a whole, according to new international research on depression."

In what is called a “global collaborative study” on depression that featured a whopping 89,000 interviews with people from 18 different countries all across the economic spectrum; the conclusions showed a remarkable similarity among the nations studied as well as a shocking difference that caught many researchers in their unawares (how embarrassing!).

First, the remarkable similarity: The researchers found that depression has the same debilitating effect on people regardless of their economic status.  This makes perfect sense to me, because people are people wherever they live.  But the researches thought it to be quite remarkable.  “One of the things (they) …found most striking however, was the extent to which people from all different nations seemed to respond to depression with similar levels of impairment -- that is, depression negatively affected citizens' ability to work, have meaningful relationships and in general live their lives…” This is one of the many reasons to have a biblical worldview.  The Bible teaches that ALL PEOPLE are created in the image and likeness of God, and all people have the same sin nature, regardless of their environment.  This is why God’s truth revealed to the ancient agrarian communities in the Bible speak to us so clearly today!

Psalm 42:5-8 (NLT)- Why am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again— my Savior and my God! Now I am deeply discouraged, but I will remember you— …But each day the LORD pours his unfailing love upon me, and through each night I sing his songs, praying to God who gives me life.

But now, the shocking difference: “Researchers found that… wealthier nations tend to have a higher incidence of depression among their citizens when compared with middle-income or poorer nations… The United States and France were the leading most-depressed nations, with a prevalence of depression five times what was reported for less wealthy nations like Mexico and China.”

Of course, the researchers were somewhat bewildered by this turn of events, but they did speculate as to why wealthier nations suffered from more depression:

1.   "Wealthier nations ... are industrialized nations where individuals rely less on family support for everything from childcare to marital advice. There is a well known link between social support being a protective factor against depression," says Dr. Sudeepta Varma.  This makes perfect sense.  God created us for community.  We are better together!  Strong nuclear families and strong church families help us with our mental health!!

2.   Dr. Varma also said, "I also believe that poorer nations may look to religious/spiritual beliefs for comfort, also a protective factor." Of course this is true! The more secular a nations becomes, the less people rely on God, the more debilitating will be the depression.  Make no mistake, spiritual people suffer depression as well, but we do have God as our shield, and the spiritual protection he provides!

3.   Dr. Gary Kennedy speculated that in wealthier nations, the expectations are so much greater.  In other words, we so easily tend to compare ourselves with others, and in wealthier nations there is a great disparity which negatively affects our mental health.  Clearly, this is also a factor.  The spiritual answer to this is found in the words of Jesus:  “Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own…” (Luke 12:15).

The church of Jesus was always meant to be a place of healing and hope!  May the Lord richly bless your week!

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

A $200 million Blessing from Jesus!

Dear Crosswalkers,

There is exciting news in the world of art!  A lost painting by famed artist Leonardo da Vinci has been found!  It is a 500-year-old painting of Jesus entitled "Salvator Mundi" (or Savior of the World). Art historians estimate the value of the painting to be $200 million! The painting, pictured here, shows Jesus raising two fingers in a traditional form of blessing to the world.

As with many such paintings, there is much symbolism.  One artist described the "deeper meaning" of

this painting with these words:

The eight-pointed centre star signifies resurrection and corresponds to the eight lines of the threads found on the stole.The rubyrepresents martyrdom and passion. An unusual vestment tuck seen on the right-hand side of the stole signifies the lance piercing Christ's side. What we now see as a globe was originally an orb (when surmounted by the cross); it probably recalls the words, "I am the Light of the world."The stole symbolises the Voice of Immortality.

One issue that is always before us is this: What is of great worth and more intrinsic value, the representation or the reality?  The symbol or the reality which is being symbolized?  The ritual or the reality that the ritual is designed to celebrate?

For example, wedding rings are nice, but can we agree that the vows they symbolize are more important?  In the same way, baptism is a wonderful ritual of the church.  A week from Sunday we will have baptisms at Crosswalk. But baptism is a picture of a deeper reality; namely our union with Christ by faith, and our dying and rising with him!  Baptism is important, but the reality of being in union with the Lord by faith is of far greater importance.  In the same way, a $200 million representation of Jesus blessing the world is no small thing!  But even so, and despite the enormous monetary value of the pictorial representation, I hope we can agree that the actual blessing of Jesus is even more valuable!  And that blessing is not lost; it is readily available for free!

If you feel like you have lost the blessing of Jesus in your life, Crosswalk Church is dedicated to helping you find it.  Our sermon series entitled "Simply Jesus" takes us to a powerful place this Sunday: the authority of Jesus over evil in the world.  Here's the kicker for us: Jesus wants to give us authority over evil as well!  This would be a great Sunday to invite someone to come to church with you!

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

The Answer to a Perplexing Question!

Dear Crosswalkers, Last Sunday I promised to answer a question that came to me a bit late in the sermon preparation process, but it is actually a question that has perplexed to consternation believers for many generations!  Before we get to the question, and possible answers, here is a quick review: In the Bible, the words “test” and “tempt” translate the same Greek word, perazo.  Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow (James 1:2-3). This verse clearly tells us that when troubles come to test our faith, such testing is good medicine because it helps us become better people.  God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12). Here perazo is translated “testing and temptation!” And again we see that God tests us in order to bless us. We also saw that Satan tests us in order to make us fall.  This is a fine distinction but a crucial one.  When used in a negative sense, perazo (temptation), has the more classic meaning of being enticed to do what you know in your heart is wrong.  The NT says, Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death (James 1:13-15). God does not test anyone with the intention of making them sin.  God does not entice anyone to do evil.  The devil does that.  In fact, one of the names for the devil in the Bible is the tempter!  Then we saw that God tests us with the purpose of helping us stand firm and the devil tempts us with the purpose of making us fall, and they can happen at the same time!  NOW FOR OUR QUESTION:  God clearly leads Jesus to be tempted/tested, and God clearly designs times of tempting/testing to be good for us, so why in the Lord’s Prayer does Jesus teach us to pray:  “Lead us not into temptation?”  Why should we pray NOT to be led into that which is beneficial to us?  Most evangelical Bible scholars believe that the prayer should be understood in its full context, which is “Lead us not into temptation (or testing), but deliver us from evil (or, better, “the evil one”).”  The meaning of the prayer must be that rather than avoiding temptation; we need and therefore ask for God’s help in overcoming the temptation.  It could be paraphrased like this: “Do not allow us to be led into the temptation that can overwhelm us, but rescue us from the evil one.”  In fact, Paul may have had this prayer in mind when he wrote: The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure (1 Cor 10:13). It is interesting that in the old 5th century Liturgy of St. James, after the Lord’s Prayer is said, continues with these words: Yes, O Lord our God, lead us not into temptation which we are not able to bear, but with the temptation grant also the way out, so that we may be able to remain steadfast; and deliver us from evil. The last piece of this puzzle may be found in Mark 14:38, where Jesus says to some of his disciples in the garden of Gethsemane, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.” The meaning here must be, “Stay awake, and pray that you do not fail the test!”  Of course, we know they DID FAIL THE TEST in the garden, as we sometimes fail the tests which come upon us.  But the grace of the story is that the Lord Jesus did not fail the test! The resurrected Lord came back to them and forgave them and gave them another chance.  This time, with his help, they did not fail!  THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS:  For those of us who know our faith is perhaps no stronger than that of Peter and James and John, we pray to be saved from temptations/tests which are too great for our weak faith.  But if the test/temptation is inescapable, as often it is in this fallen world, then we pray for the grace of God to save us through the hard time of testing!  May  it ever be so in our lives!     THIS SUNDAY we will explore the awesome and fascinating truth that the Lord Jesus places a call upon us.  What does it mean that he calls us to follow him in today’s world?  How does he speak to us today?  How can we hear his voice?  This will be a very practical and evangelistic message!  Invite a friend or family member to come with you and let’s have a great day at church! See you Sunday! Pastor John

Famous People and the Purpose of Life

Dear Crosswalkers,I recently came across a study done by four psychologists on the meaning of life.  They looked at notable quotations from 195 famous men and women who lived within the past few hundred years and distilled them into categories regarding life's purpose.  One writer created a summary of the major themes and some of the people representing each theme, presented in order of greatest to least percentages: Life is primarily to be enjoyed and experienced. Enjoy the moment and the journey. 17 percent of the famous people in the study endorsed this theme (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Cary Grant, Janis Joplin, and Sinclair Lewis). Janis Joplin is best known for her lyric: "You got to get it while you can." We live to express compassion to others, to love, to serve. 13 percent endorsed this theme (Albert Einstein, Mohandas Gandhi, and the Dalai Lama). Albert Einstein stated: "Only a life lived for others is a life worthwhile." Life is unknowable, a mystery. 13 percent endorsed this theme (Albert Camus, Bob Dylan, and Stephen Hawking). Hawking wrote, "If we find an answer to that (why we and the universe exist), it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason—for then we would know the mind of God." Life has no meaning. 11 percent endorsed this theme (novelist Joseph Conrad, Sigmund Freud, Franz Kafka, Bertrand Russell, Jean Paul Sartre, and Clarence Darrow). Darrow compared life to a ship that is "tossed by every wave and by every wind; a ship headed to no port and no harbor, with no rudder, no compass, no pilot, simply floating for a time, then lost in the waves." We are to worship God and prepare for the afterlife. 11 percent endorsed this theme (Desmond Tutu, Billy Graham, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mother Teresa). Desmond Tutu said, "[We should] give God glory by reflecting his beauty and his love. That is why we are here, and that is the purpose of our lives." Life is a struggle. 8 percent endorsed this theme (Charles Dickens, Benjamin Disraeli, and Jonathan Swift). Swift wrote that life is a "tragedy wherein we sit as spectators for awhile and then act our part in it." We are to create our own meaning of life. 5 percent endorsed this theme (Carl Sagan, Simone DeBeauvoir, and Carl Jung). Carl Sagan wrote: "We live in a vast and awesome universe in which, daily, suns are made and worlds destroyed, where humanity clings to an obscure clod of rock. The significance of our lives and our fragile realm derives from our own wisdom and courage. We are the custodians of life's meaning." Life is a joke. 4 percent endorsed this theme (Albert Camus, Charlie Chaplin, Lou Reed, and Oscar Wilde). Charlie Chaplin described life as "a tragedy when seen in close-up but a comedy in the long shot." The rock star Lou Reed said "Life is like Sanskrit read to a pony." Each of these themes informs the person's worldview, or philosophy of life.  Honestly, from my perspective today's culture gravitates between number one and number seven.  I recently spent some time with some men who are solidly in that combination.  They made their fortunes, retired early, and are living "the good life."  There is no thought about God's purpose for their life or their eternal destination.  Many secular people, who deny the existence of heaven and hell, basically say, "Give me a relatively happy 80 years or so and then I'll die and cease to exist; and that is a worthy life." This attitude reminds me of C.S. Lewis' comment that the problem isn't that we want too much, but that we settle for so little.  God offers us what he calls the abundant life; and eternal life on top of that!  But people are literally willing to sell their souls for a bit of happiness followed by an eternal death.  God has so much more for us!  This "something more" is what we have to offer a darkened world.  Crosswalk is committed to meeting this challenge and reaching a new generation for the Lord!  Please pray for us as we use the summertime to strategize for our future outreach!! Faithfully yours, Pastor John