PJ's Journal

I have been preaching through 1 Peter over the last several months and there has been a consistent theme that just keeps emerging... as a Christ-follower we are to live out our lives in the reverent fear of God.  What does that even mean?  Who wants to constantly live their life in fear all the time?  Is this where Peter is going with all of this talk?  The answer is no, mainly because we have a warped view of what it means to fear.  Fear is often thought of as an emotional state that is many times debilitating.  This is not meant by the use of fear in 1 Peter.  Let me give you an example of healthy fear from the natural world.  Fear can be a friend... it raises our  awareness , much like a deer who senses the present of danger.  The ears are more attentive and the eyes are focused.  The deer is trying to identify the source of their "fear" and when they discover it, they flee from it.  Living in the fear of God means that we a...

I have not blogged in quite some time.  I have been writing paper after paper over the past few years as I have been working toward a Masters in Divinity.  I will be honest... it feels a bit freeing just to write without the boundaries of being totally objective without interjecting personal insight.  So what is on my mind???  Probably too much to process all at once, but I want to write about being a father. Though I was an expert on parenting before I had kids (sarcasm inserted), I now have a 17 year old girl and a 15 year old boy, and I seem to be at a loss at times.  My kids are far from being problem children!  As a matter of fact, it is an absolute blessing to be their dad, but am I preparing them to launch into a world that will challenge their faith at every turn?  I am excited about the challenge this next year presents, yet I am scared at the same time.  My daughter will be a senior, so what that means is that time is getting short. ...

Often times we hear the word balance in relation to how we live.  We tend to avoid extremes and label those who go to extremes as extremists.  But how does this work as a follower of Christ?  As I read about the Apostle Paul, he was a pretty extreme dude (I hope it ok to call Paul "dude").  Here is a guy who went through extreme suffering and imprisonment for the sake of the Gospel.  He writes to the churches in Galatia that he has been crucified with Christ, so his life is no longer under his authority.  He has relinquished control to the One he places his faith in... Jesus.  To the church in Philippi he assures them that he is ready to exalt Christ in life or by death.  He is one who gave up all for the sake of the Gospel.  We are inspired by Paul's example and place him on a pedestal, but we resist the idea of our life looking like his.  Paul simply took the command to follow Jesus seriously!  Do we?  Do we look at our lives...

What does it look like to live a Christ-centered life?  I would bet that many immediately start thinking about outward activities that a person might do in order to look as if Christ is the center of their life.  For example, one might look at their Bible and think, "Well, if I read this book today then I will be living a Christ-centered life!"  We think too often in terms of doing, and we miss out on fostering what really matters... the heart and mind!  I was reminded of this as I spent some time interacting with Philippians 1:20-24.  The question is a matter of cart and horse.  Which one is pulling the other?  Which one comes first?  I look at Paul's life and see a man who is in prison, and while in prison he is discipling the believers at Philippi through a letter that is deeply personal and transparent. "20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be ...

So I have not blogged in quite awhile, yet the Lord impressed on me something that needs to be journaled.  As I was preparing for my Sunday evening sermon, I was struck by some very thought provoking ideas that seemed to jump of the page to me.  I was reading Acts 4:1-31, which is the account of Peter and John before the religious elite of their day.  They were there because they had healed a 40+ year old cripple beggar.  These religious leaders demanded to know what name (or better yet "by whose authority") did they heal this man.  They courageously declared that it was by the authority of Jesus that this man was healed.  So what exactly jumped off the page?  It was the thought that this was the same group of men that Peter acted like a coward in front of just months earlier.  How does one go from being a coward who denied the Lord three times to being a man of courage proclaiming the Name of Jesus as the only one possessing the authority to save...

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven." Matthew 6:1 Like most things in life, it is not what you do that is important but why you do it in the first place. This applies to things that most would consider good and things that most would consider bad. The hidden agenda is what Jesus asks us to evaluate. In Matthew 6:1, Jesus issues a warning to his disciples during the Sermon on the Mount. He tells them to be careful! Jesus is asking them to devote thought as to why they are doing their "acts of righteousness". Jesus will go on to talk about a few such acts, like giving to the poor, fasting, and praying. I think all of us can agree that these are good things, and in no way is Jesus telling His disciples to cease doing them. He simply wants them to give thought as to why they are doing what they are doing. I don't know about you, but there are t...

As I was reading this week, I could not help but think about the similarities of Jewish religious thought and worldview to that of my own; however, there is a huge difference relative to receiving salvation. First let’s take a look at Jewish religious thought during the Intertestamental time period. Jews had a very high view of God. It starts with His name. They held the name of God in such reverence that they “put a fence around” His name by refusing to say YHWH for fear that they might mispronounce His name, and therefore, misuse His name breaking the third commandment. 1 The Jews had an elitist attitude toward the rest of the world. The considered themselves to be the elect of God through the covenant relationship they had with Him. The law played a special part in this relationship. Scott says, “Through the requirements of the law Israel was constantly reminded of her inclusion in the covenant.” 2 This provides the backdrop to the huge difference relative...

I read one of the more fascinating letters written by a second century apologist named Justin (given the title of Martyr because that is how his life ended). In the following post I describe 2nd century apologetics and what the church can learn from it. Apologetics is a defense of one's belief system. In the second century, as a result of persecution by the state, Christians began to defend their faith by incorporating their culture into their defense. Apologists, like Justin Martyr, were defending the faith on several fronts: pagan intellectuals, the state, the Jews, and heretics within the church. 1 Rome was accusing Christians of atheism, cannibalism, and incest. 2 The accusation of atheism is not what you or I immediately think of. According to Ferguson "An atheist was someone who did not observe the traditional religious practices, regardless of what faith he professed." 3 Christianity was not thought of as a traditional religion, but rather a new one... one ...

During the time of the New Testament, there were three major religious and political sects of Judaism. They were the Sadducees, the Pharisees, and the Essenes. Two key issues defined each of these groups: religious philosophy and practice, and social and political philosophy. First, let us look at their religious philosophy and practice. The Sadducees were generally men associated with the priesthood probably as a carry over from their association with the priestly Hasmonean rulers. 1 However, Scott says, “it must not be assumed that all Sadducees were priest nor that all priest were Saducees.” 2 They did control the operations of the Temple. Their authoritative source for religious philosophy and practice was the Old Testament law. They rejected the oral law of the Pharisees in favor of the written law of the Old Testament. Scott says, “The Sadducees were conservative and literalistic in handling the Old Testament law as they resisted the new i...

In this post I will be explaining the religious institution during the time of Jesus and talking about what the church can learn from them. There are three religious institutions during the time of Christ. The first institution is the Temple, which was the worship center of Judaism. 1 Sacrifices in the morning and the evening were offered and both rituals were almost identical. 2 While in the temple, where no Gentiles were permitted, the Jewish people would observe the sacrifice, recite the Ten Commandments, the Shema, benedictions, other prayers, and even sing in praise to God. 3 Toward the end of the ritual, the Levites began singing, trumpet blasts prompted the people to prostrate themselves, and when the singing ended so did the service. 4 The second institution is the synagogue. The synagogues provided a variety of functions for Judaism. Lea says this about the synagogue, “The synagogue served as the center of religious, social, and educational life for the Je...

I sit at my desk in front of my computer screen thankful for what the Lord has given and what He has taken away. Many people have been asking me about what is going on in life and so I want to share. My natural instinct is to hold back and not let people in for several reasons... 1. Life's next step was so unclear that to even talk about a direction seemed irresponsible. 2. I didn't want to move myself nor my family in a direction emotionally without knowing clear direction from the Lord. 3. Does anyone even care about our drama?! haha For those of you that do care, here is the scoop. Since I was in college, God had given me a passion for discipleship and a love for young people. That pushed me into youth ministry, the area I have been serving in some capacity since I graduated High School. I thought I would always be a youth pastor! I used to cringe when people asked me about becoming a senior pastor and assumed I was in youth ministry as a stepping stone toward becom...

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them." John 17:20-26 This morning I woke up...

"We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil. Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God, instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. And God permitting, we will do so. " Hebrews 5:11-6:3 Wow! Sometimes the truth hurts. You begin to get the sense of the author's frustration because of the lack of understanding by...

" Every high priest is selected from among men and is appointed to represent them in matters related to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal gently with those who are ignorant and are going astray, since he himself is subject to weakness. This is why he has to offer sacrifices for his own sins, as well as for the sins of the people. No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to him, "You are my Son; today I have become your Father. " And he says in another place, "You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. " During the days of Jesus' life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, he learned obedie...

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are --yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16 In verse 13 of Hebrews 4 we are faced with the reality that all of our activities, thoughts, and even motives are laid bare before God whom we must give an account. That is a frightening thought apart from the grace of God. But it is true! All of our sin is an open book to God. We can't hide it or cover it up... He knows! So on the heals of that sobering thought, the author of Hebrews gives the reader good news. We have a High Priest! Now certainly a Jewish audience would be very familiar ...

"Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess." Hebrews 4:14 The start of a new section and thought. It seems to be the pattern of the author of Hebrews to begin with a challenge to the reader followed by the explanation. Yet it seems that each of these challenges is connected to each other as well. It seems appropriate timing for this challenge to be issued which I will explain tomorrow, but first, I want to take a deeper look into the challenge itself. "Therefore" , the author's preferred transition word, "since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess." The challenge is to hold firmly to the faith we profess! I have already said that this book is all about faith. The author has been trying to convince a Jewish audience that God has always expected His people...

"Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:11-13 How big is your God? The greatest joy in this life is to know the true God, yet many times we are guilty of creating a false image of God based on our own biases and reason. For instance, many try to reason an infinite being who does not think like us. We create a God that we can reason in our mind instead of accepting His revelation of Himself through the Scriptures. It is through the Scriptures that we primarily know God, though He has revealed Himself through His hand...

"Now we who have believed enter that rest, just as God has said, "So I declared on oath in my anger, 'They shall never enter my rest.' " And yet his work has been finished since the creation of the world. For somewhere he has spoken about the seventh day in these words: "And on the seventh day God rested from all his work." And again in the passage above he says, "They shall never enter my rest." It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before: "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from hi...