Know Your Spiritual Enemy!

Dear Crosswalkers,

The number one human predator in the United States, aside from other humans, is the mountain lion.  It is estimated that there are between 4 and 6 thousand big cats in California. However, statistically speaking, a person is one thousand times more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a mountain lion!  Anyway, here’s a chilling story with some practical value and a great spiritual application.

Author and naturalist Craig Childs  was on foot doing research on the lions in Arizona's Blue Range Wilderness. As he approached a water hole from downwind, he saw a mountain lion drinking water. The lion did not notice his presence. When it finished drinking, it walked slowly away into a cluster of junipers. After a few minutes, Childs went to the water hole to identify tracks in the mud and record notes.

Now get this:  Just before he bends down to look closer, he scans the perimeter, and there among the shadows of the junipers, 30 feet away, he sees a pair of eyes. He expects the lion to run away, but instead it walks into the sunlight toward him. Childs pulls his knife and stares intently into the eyes of the lion. He knows what he must do, and more importantly, he knows what he must not do. He writes:

Mountain lions are known to take down animals six, seven, and eight times their size. Their method: attack from behind, clamp onto the spine at the base of the prey's skull, snap the spine. The top few vertebrae are the target, housing respiratory and motor skills that cease instantly when the cord is cut…

I hold firm to my ground and do not even intimate that I will back off. If I run, it is certain I will have a mountain lion all over me… The mountain lion begins to move to my left, and I turn, keeping my face on it, my knife at my right side. It paces to my right, trying to get around on my other side, to get behind me. I turn right, staring at it….My stare is about the only defense I have.

Childs maintains his stand, refusing to give his back to the mountain lion.  The lion continues to try to provoke him to run, turning left, then right, back and forth, moving closer until it is just ten feet away from him! Are you nervous yet for this poor man? Finally and mercifully, the standoff ends. The lion turns and walks away—defeated by a man who knew what never to do in its presence.

The application is clear.  We have a spiritual enemy who is as dangerous as a hungry lion, and yet awareness of his schemes is the key to victory. 

1 Peter 5:8-9 (NLT) - Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith…                                   

                                                                    

2 Corinthians 2:11 (NIV) -… In order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.

Last week we saw how important it is to have a quiet time with God.  Of course, the minute you plan to be alone with God there will be opposition and obstacles.  We must not be unaware.  This Sunday we have a great passage that will encourage us to invest our lives in others by bringing them to Jesus.  Of course, the minute we commit to doing this, there will be spiritual opposition.  There will be more obstacles.  We will also be focusing on the fact that we are better together.  There is strength in numbers.  Crosswalk has over 20 Fall groups or classes that give you an opportunity to connect with others!  Please prayerfully take advantage of these opportunities.  The devil will want you to put off any involvement in connecting with others.  There will be obstacles to your involvement in our Fall groups.  We must not be unaware of the devil's schemes. He wants you disconnected because you are much more vulnerable when you are alone. 

This will be a great Sunday at Crosswalk!  We will have Teacher Appreciation Day and honor our Sunnyvale Christian School teachers, our public school teachers, home school teachers, and Sunday School teachers.  All teachers come and be blessed and prayed over! 

See you in Church!

Pastor John 

The Good, the Bad, and the Crazy!

Dear Crosswalkers,

It is always good to get away for a vacation, but also good to be home again!  Special thanks to Mike Jones and David Bolhorst for doing a GREAT JOB of filling in for me while I was taking a break.  I strongly encourage you to check out their messages on our website if you didn't get a chance to hear them in person!

While away, I was shocked by the rampant cheating scandals in our public schools that made the headlines.  There was a good article in the Washington Post, which you can read in its entirety here: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/aug/2/schools-scramble-to-stop-cheating-scandals/

According to the report, more than 30 New Jersey schools are under investigation for falsifying test scores! Atlanta officials recently discovered that 44 schools and 178 teachers and principals have been faking test scores for the past decade!  These are staggering numbers! The article also mentions ongoing investigations of possible cheating scandals in Pennsylvania, Dallas, Baltimore, and Houston. How many more are there that haven't been caught?  To be fair, I'm sure that many schools and school districts are run by honest people who choose not to cheat.  But we must ask, "Why all this cheating?" Apparently, it's a desperate attempt to avoid getting the dreaded government "failing" rating.  In other words, rather than face the facts and admit failure, many teachers and school officials are choosing to cheat.

Now before we get too caught up in our righteous indignation about all those cheaters, and especially those who have been cheating for years and apparently getting away with it for years, we need to take a good hard look in ourselves and ask ourselves if we have ever been tempted to take the shortcut, the easy way, the even the wrong way in order to achieve our goals. You see, this cheating scandal simply verifies the Bible's teaching that  

The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?(Jeremiah 17:9).  The Christian view of human nature is that it is broken and therefore needs to be restrained, disciplined, overcome, and even healed.  
 

Sometimes, I'm tempted to choose crazy too!  Why?  Because today, most people believe themselves to be essentially good, in their innermost core.  When caught doing something bad, their defense is "That's not the real me."  I'm sorry, but IT IS the real you!  The sooner we face it, admit it, and turn to Jesus to receive forgiveness and the power to do better, the more spiritually healthy we will become.  Crosswalk is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.  All are welcome!

Love in Jesus,

Pastor John

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