What Do You Say?

In Matthew 16 Jesus asks the disciples what people are saying about Him. After they give Him a few answers the important question then comes......who do you say I am?

Isn't that what it ultimately comes down to? Who do you say Jesus is? It isn't important what your grandma thought of Jesus or your best friend. (they cant answer for you) Who is Jesus to you? What do you believe about Him? What did He do for you?

I learned recently that this is an important question to ask when forming a church. Who is Jesus? If the church cant answer that question why would we expect the people who will be coming to answer that question?

For some Jesus is a good man, to others a powerful prophet. Some take what He says in His Word (the Bible) seriously others don't. Some believe parts of what He says and disregard other things in the Word that they don't like. That's too chaotic for me.

The Bible is truth. It is God's Word. I believe in all of it, even the parts that convict me of things that I do in my life that are wrong. I don't try to cover over my sins, I admit them to God and know I have forgiveness because of the cross. The Word says that I am forgiven and that I am loved by God. I love it that the Word is absolute truth, that is so refreshing in a world that picks and chooses what truth is.

I love Peters answer to the question- Who do you say I am? Peter answers- You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!

I care what you think about God? Who is He to you? I've spent my life trying to show people the Lord Jesus who loves them with an eternal love. I see people hurting all the time and I see many that care more about what others think about them than what God thinks about them.

You know what God thinks about you? He loves you! He created you! He died for you! He rose for you! He calls you His son or daughter! He says you have an eternal home in heaven! All this is yours if you would only believe that............He is the Christ, the Son of the living God!

What do you say?

In Christ,
Pastor John

The Branch

John 15:5 I am the vine, you are the branches....

I would encourage you to read more of these verses from the Gospel of John regarding vines and branches and how apart from Christ we can do nothing.

I read this section of Scripture to a young man recently and he absolutely loved it. Its the perfect verse for The Branch.

The Branch is a ministry of Project 52 that is developing in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. For years Bill, Dustin and I have talked of a retreat but never really knew what it would look like. The Branch is becoming more of a reality because of the journey God has taken me on in my work with young people. He has opened my eyes to see the needs of many hurting people who seem at times to be forgotten.

The Branch will be a ministry where young people can be mentored, or housed and encouraged to be the people God has created them to be. The Branch will also be a place of worship geared toward the younger crowd. I am excited about this new adventure for Project 52.

God is starting to bring people forward with support. Some have offered money, some have offered ideas and others have asked to be part of it. One lady emailed me a picture of a barn the other day and said, "this is kind of how I imagine it looking." Wow and wow!

Pray for this ministry (resources, land, a barn, pray for God's hand in all of it and that we do what He is blessing! He has shown the need) and let us remember that our Savior is indeed the True Vine! We are His branches and with Him there is nothing we cannot do!

In Christ,
Pastor John

My Tree Was an Idol

This past weeks ice storm really angered me. Instead of watching trees bud and being excited about spring, we watched trees topple over and branches fall everywhere in Sioux Falls. I'm a landscaper and I love having my hands in the dirt and watching things grow. I take pride in my lawn and in my landscaping. I thought to myself, "if I love my trees so much how come God doesn't" I had spent a lot of money two years ago planting the trees that I did in my yard. Now they were covered with ice and snow and the wind was blowing.

I realize that there are worse things in life. Yet these were my feelings as I waited to see what would happen. If only the sun would come out or the temperature warm up. After I was done complaining God directed my heart to His Word where a passage from Romans made an impression that I am still thinking about a week later. Romans 1 talks about how man worships the creation more than the Creator.

Bam! Like a 2x4 over the head God used His Word to show me how I have made so many things of this world an idol....even my trees! These things have become more important to me than God at times. Oh I wouldn't come out and tell you that but my life would say that's how I felt.

So what do you do when you are convicted? You repent! A lot of people would say, "oh don't be so hard on yourself, don't worry about it" That is not how you get rid of guilt. You get rid of guilt by confessing your sin and once again rejoicing in the fact that Jesus died on the cross to remove our guilt and shame from us.

What things have you been worshipping or loving more than God? Those words from Romans 1 are powerful. They worshipped the creation more than the Creator. What things in creation are most important to you? Money? A beautiful body? When people lust over these things and want them more than God they are worshipping the creation not the Creator. When we want our own way or want to change the Word to fit the lifestyle we want we are worshiping the creation more than the Creator.

Thank You God for what You taught me through this ice storm. Thank You for convicting me of my sin and for providing a remedy for that sin. Wow! The Creator comes to His creation with love and forgiveness!

By the way, it turns out the temperatures did rise and as the ice melted my trees stood upright again! May the love of Jesus melt our hearts to stand upright again and return to the worship of the One who made us.

In Christ,
Pastor John

The Oak Trees

2 Cor 3:6 He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

I noticed some oak trees out by my home. Dead brown leaves still cling to the branches. Its amazing to me that they have not fallen off. The wind hasn't blown them off, the frost and snow haven't either. But something amazing will be happening over the next several weeks.

New green growth will force the old leaves off. We can learn something from the oak tree.

Maybe you are fighting a bad habit now or an addiction. You get frustrated with your self because it seems the harder you try the worse the habit becomes or you think about it more. You beat yourself up and tell yourself you will try harder again tomorrow.  What is happening is that you are trying to get rid of an old dead part of your life with the law. The above verse says the "letter kills" that is the law beats us and frustrates us. Its like the snow and wind trying to get those old dead leaves off the oak.

What you need in your life is the Good News that Jesus is the One who begins a good work in you and completes it! (Philippians 1:6) Its knowing His love for you (which is like the sun and the warmth and the new leaves) that helps old sinful habits die and new Godly habits form.

And when the old habit rears its ugly head again, return to the cross and see the blood flowing from the Savior that says you are forgiven and set free. His Spirit gives us life!

I look forward to watching the oak trees transform after a long winter.

In Christ,
Pastor John