The Incredible Journey

Dear Crosswalkers, Bono, the lead singer of the group U2, gave this testimony about his own walk with Christ: Your nature is a hard thing to change; it takes time…. I have heard of people who have life-changing, miraculous turnarounds, people set free from addiction after a single prayer, relationships saved where both parties "let go, and let God." But it was not like that for me. For all that "I was lost, I am found," it is probably more accurate to say, "I was really lost. I'm a little less so at the moment." And then a little less and a little less again. That to me is the spiritual life. The slow reworking and rebooting the computer at regular intervals, reading the small print of the service manual. It has slowly rebuilt me in a better image. It has taken years, though, and it is not over yet. This Sunday, we are looking at the second part of Crosswalk’s vision for the future.  The first and foundational part of the vision is Empowering Prayer. The Second is Spiritual Formation. This refers to the journey of going deep with God; of allowing the Holy Spirit to form your character so that it becomes more like that of our Lord.  The New Testament actually speaks of Christ being formed in us! Galatians 4:19 (ESV) says, “My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!”  Our goal this Lord’s Day is to go deep into God’s purpose for us to become more like Jesus! This is a great week. Monday and Tuesday I was at Redwood Christian Park teaching at the first National Conference for International Leadership Institute! The conference will last all week, and I was privileged to teach classes on Spiritual Leadership and Servant Leadership. I will return on Thursday and Friday. Last weekend, a group of Crosswalkers attended a clean water seminar at Saddleback Church in Orange County. They are equipped now to bring clean water to the next mission trip to the Philippines (as well as “the Living Water” of the gospel, of course!).  At our school we have our biggest fundraiser of the year, the Walk-a-thon, this Friday.  On Saturday we feed the homeless and preach a message of encouragement at the Refuge in Washington Park. Plus this week we are dedicating ourselves to living a life of absolute dependence on God through Empowering Prayer! Today, I’m praying that you will experience a spiritual breakthrough this week! Blessings, Pastor John

For Whom the Bell Tolls

 

Dear Crosswalkers,

This Sunday we will be looking at the foundation of Crosswalk’s vision for the next 3 years, which is Empowering Prayer. In researching the Bible’s teaching on how prayer can empower us to impact our world and become all God wants us to be, I came across some remarkable testimonies about the power of prayer from Church History.  One such testimony concerns John Donne. Here are glimpses of some of his more famous works:
No man is an Island, entire of itself;
every man is a piece of the Continent,
a part of the main.

All mankind is of one author, and is one volume;
when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out
of the book, but translated into a better language.

Any man's death diminishes me, because
I am involved in Mankind; And therefore
never send to know for whom the bell tolls;
it tolls for thee.
The lines “No man is an Island,” and “for whom the bell tolls,” have become an indelible part of English literature.

"Jack" Donne was born in England in 1572, and spent his youth in rebelliousness which found expression in erotic poetry. Secretly married to Anne More, Donne was thrown into prison by his disapproving father in law. Showing he didn’t lose his sense of humor, he wrote: “John Donne, Anne Donne, Un-Done!” Eventually released, Anne bore him 12 children in 16 years of marriage before she died. Turning to Christ in faith, Donne came to see himself as a prodigal son saved only by grace.

In his middle age, Donne’s life was filled with poverty and discouragement, but also by a deepening devotion to Jesus and prayer.  During this time he dedicated his poetic skill to the great themes of love, death, and God's mercy. In 1615 he became an ordained Anglican priest, and 160 of his sermons survive to this day.

In 1623, during a near-fatal illness, the bedridden pastor heard from his window the church bells of London announcing that the Black Plague had taken more victims. Donne was convinced he, too, had the plague and would soon die.  This is what is meant by his famous phrase, never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

Much to his surprise, Donne recovered, but as he endured physical suffering and emotional fears, he discovered the gift of Empowering Prayer, and poured out verses reaching out to God. Some of his prayers deal with the toughest of all questions, “In the darkest of days, how can we experience God’s purpose?”

Here is a portion of his Empowering Prayer, with Donne’s 18th Century language updated and clarified by author Philip Yancey:

O eternal and most gracious God, you have reserved your perfect joy and perfect glory for the future when we will possess, forever, all that can in any way conduce to our happiness. Yet here also in this world, you grant us…glimpses of that stored treasure. Just as we see you through a glass darkly, so also do we receive your goodness by reflection…

…I received your blessing, O God, but I bless your name most for this, that I have has my portion not only in the hearing, but in the preaching of your gospel.

O most gracious God, on this sickbed I feel under your correction, and I taste of humiliation, but let me taste of consolation, too. Once this scourge has persuaded us that we are nothing of ourselves, may it also persuade us that you are all things unto us.

In a brief few hours you have shown me I am thrown beyond the help of man… By that same light, let me see that no vehemence of sickness, no temptation of Satan, no guiltiness of sin, no prison of death—not this first, this sickbed, nor the other prison, the close and dark grave—can remove me from the determined and good purpose that you have sealed concerning me.

I can read my affliction as a correction, or as a mercy, and I confess I know not how to read it. How should I understand this illness? I cannot conclude, though death conclude me. If it is a correction indeed, let me translate it and read it as a mercy; for though it may appear to be a correction, I can have no greater proof of your mercy than to die in you and by that death to be united in him who died for me.

...When your Son cried out "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" you reached out your hand not to heal his sad soul, but to receive his holy soul. Neither did he desire to hold it from you, but surrendered it to you.

I see your hand upon me now, O Lord, and…my true healing lies in silent and absolute obedience to your will, even before I know it. Preserve that obedience, O my God, and that will preserve me to you; that, when you have catechized me with affliction here, I may take a greater degree, and serve you in a higher place, in your kingdom of joy and glory. Amen.

This Sunday will be a great day at Crosswalk! Please come with the expectation that God will meet us as we worship together, and that we will experience for ourselves the joy of Empowering Prayer!

Blessings,

Pastor John

Why America May Go to Hell

Dear Crosswalkers,

Last Sunday I mentioned the new Memorial in Washington D.C. dedicated to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  In an article written by Cornel West, professor at Princeton, it is noted that not long before he was murdered, Dr. King said that his dream for a more democratic America had become "a nightmare."  Why?  Because of the continuing presence of "racism, poverty, militarism and materialism" in American life.  Here’s something interesting:  According to the article, on the Sunday after his assassination, King planned to preach a sermon titled "Why America May Go to Hell." I always think my sermon titles lack imagination.  King’s title is truly provocative!  However, as West points out, "King did not think that America ought to go to hell, but rather that it might go to hell owing to its economic injustice, cultural decay and political paralysis." Cornel West (who has some radical political ideas that I certainly think would be disastrous for America) calls King “a courageous and visionary Christian blues man, fighting with style and love in the face of…catastrophes he identified." Who can argue with that?  The Memorial honoring Dr. King is based on his words “Out of the mountain of despair, a stone of hope.”

It is certainly a beautiful image and one worth honoring.  This is especially true because ultimately hope is found only in Christ, of whom the Scriptures say:  “And his name will be the hope of all the world”(Matthew 12:21 NLT).

Whether or not America may to go to hell is an interesting question. Of course, the Bible tells us that salvation is an individual matter.  Hebrews 9:27 (ESV) says “…It is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” Interestingly, Jesus speaks of judging the nations (see Matthew 25:31-46), but the bottom line reference must be to all the people of the world.  Perhaps America can go to hell figuratively, but in likelihood only if there are a lot of individuals headed that direction as well!  The political paralysis, cultural decay, and economic injustice Dr. King spoke of are certainly with us in abundance today, but so is a devastating secularism and departure from a host of biblical values. The answer is always found in people turning or returning to the Lord, and allowing his Holy Spirit to fill and direct their lives in a way that transforms our culture.

This Sunday will be a great day at Crosswalk!  It is the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attack on America.  Personally I think it is a shame to speak only of the “tragic events” of that day.  Let’s call it what it is.  We will honor those who died on that day and look at some enduring lessons for us.  This will be in the context of a fascinating passage from Mark chapter 2 which indicates the type of people who Jesus came to save.

We kicked off our Wednesday Night Dinners and classes last night.  The food was good, the company was fantastic, and we celebrated Perry Williams' 98 birthday with candles and cake and ice cream!  If you missed the fun plan on joining us next week!  Blessings on all who are committed to being in a small group or class in order to grow your faith!

Hope to see you Sunday,

Pastor John

Scariest Story about the Bible?

Dear Crosswalkers,
 
In her book Amazing Grace, Kathleen Norris shares what she calls "the scariest story" she's ever heard about the Bible. Norris and her husband were visiting a man named Arlo, a rugged, self-made man who was facing terminal cancer. Arlo started talking about his grandfather, who was a devout Christian. The grandfather gave Arlo and his bride a wedding present: an expensive genuine leather Bible with their names printed in gold lettering on the front. Arlo's wife sent a thank you note, as custom and courtesy dictate, but the couple never opened the box nor looked in the Bible. For months afterwards his grandfather kept asking if he liked the Bible. Arlo told Norris, "The wife had written a nice thank-you note, and we'd thanked him in person, but somehow he couldn't let it lie, he always had to ask about it."
 
Finally, out of pure curiosity, Arlo opened the Bible. "The joke was on me," Arlo said. "I finally took that Bible out of the closet and I found that granddad had placed a twenty-dollar bill at the beginning of the Book of Genesis, and at the beginning of every book … over thirteen hundred dollars in all. And he knew I'd never find it!"
 
What treasures have you yet to find inthe Bible?  In Psalm 19:10-11, we read this about the words of God:
They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb.They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them.
 
God has given Crosswalk Church a new vision for our future together.  You will be hearing a lot about this in the weeks to come. A significant part of that vision is LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT.  Please do not be discouraged or put off by this title in any way. Everyone is an influencer, and that means everyone in some sense is a leader. God wants us to grow in his grace and become more effective influencers in the world.  We will be introducing new ways for you to grow in your faith over next several months.  
 
Here are two ways to grow your faith: 
 
1.  INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE is offering a NATIONAL CONFERENCE in our Backyard!  For 5 days at the end of September, you can be a part of an incredibly successful training event. We will be looking, in depth, at the 8 Core Values of Christian Leadership.  All the information, with a link to register, is featured below.  It would be fantastic if we could get some Crosswalkers to attend this training.  I will be making a couple of presentations, as will Peter Pereira and Al Vom Steeg, both great friends of Crosswalk.  If you can't make this deepest level of training, we are offering Christian to the Core here at Crosswalk, beginning Weds, Sept 7, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.  Linda Jackson and Leanna Christie will be the facilitatiors.  This class covers the same 8 Core Values of Leadership!!
 
2. READING GREAT BOOKS is always a way to grow deeper.  I just finished a fine devotional book edited by our own Rev. Edward Taylor.  FAITH IN THE FIRE:  Wisdom for Life, contains the writings of Gradner C. Taylor, who TIME Mag. calls "the dean of the nation's black preachers." There are so many great quotes in this book!  Here are a couple:
 
"There is a language of grace, which we have only learned to stutter in its simplest words. There are vistas and distances we have not begun to reach. We are growing... We are becoming and we are not yet what we should be!"
 
"Hold on, even when it seems as if nothing is going to happen.  So one prayer, one struggle, one effort and then another - nothing happens.  But keep praying.  Keep hoping, keep serving, one more effort, and one more day like all the rest and we shall waken satisfied and in God's likeness. Hold on, work on, pray on, believe on, and trust on, and God will make it well.  Be patient!"
 
This is destined to become a devotional classic, and it can be purchased on Amazon at this link:http://www.amazon.com/Faith-Fire-Gardner-C-Taylor/dp/1401929621
 
THERE ARE TREASURES IN GOD'S WORD FOR EACH OF US!  This Sunday we will open the Scriptures again and be blessed by the Holy Spirit.  See you in Church!
 
Growing with you,
 
Pastor John