September 24, 2008

[“What Do I See God Doing at Hill Point Church?” Part 3]

Several years before coming to Hill Point Church in River Hills, Wisconsin, God had begun revealing to me a list of “clues” that would enable Susan and me to recognize the place of ministry He was leading us to when we saw it. The clue of “Spiritual Awakening,” discussed last week, certainly was becoming apparent here by the time we had our first visit back in December.

Another clue God had given me came out of an important passage in Isaiah: "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” (Is. 43:18-19) This “New Thing” God is doing requires that we resist any tendencies to re-live the past, to bask in the “Glory Days,” or somehow to project the way God worked yesterday onto the present day. It necessarily involves leaving behind the successes (as well as the disappointments) of where we’ve been, so we can focus on where God is taking us. There is no time for dwelling on yesterday when God is giving us today.

Now this doesn’t ever mean we should de-value or diminish the blessings of God’s previous divine work in our lives and in the life of the church. We never want to take for granted His faithfulness, grace, love, mercy, guidance, comfort, provision. Nor do we want to make the mistake of “not learning from our mistakes.” We certainly are commanded to be a thankful people and expressive of our gratitude on every occasion. We need to give thanks for Godly people in our heritage like Dr. Leslie Deinstadt (founding pastor when this was Mayflower Church) and Rev. Harley Heckman (spiritual grandfather for our C&MA roots). However, in the process of being thankful for what God has done, we must also be intentional about focusing on what He is doing now. Indeed, one of the best ways to thank Him for yesterday is to walk with Him today!

When God says He is doing a new thing, it requires a total dependence upon and commitment to His Word. The only way to navigate successfully in these “uncharted waters” is to hear and obey His Word by faith. There are no roadmaps to help us plot our course. No one has blazed a trail for us to follow. We “have not passed this way before” (Joshua 3:4). If we are not following His lead, we set out for disaster. If we do not listen to His voice, we will go astray. Human reasoning, previous experiences and former mindsets will only get us lost here. We cannot simply duplicate the journeys of other churches at other times or in other places. The path being opened up for us at this moment is unique to what God is doing here and now.

Consider how Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy in C.S. Lewis’ “Prince Caspian” could not seem to find their way because they kept trying to go the way they had traveled before. The path they remembered from earlier times had become overgrown and did not seem to lead them where they thought it should go. In fact, it only led them in perpetual circles with no forward progress being made. At one point Lucy catches a brief glimpse of Aslan (the lion character representing Christ in the story) and feels drawn to follow after Him, but the others, who didn’t see Aslan, remain firm in their resolve to continue on as before. Before long, however, they accidentally do end up going the direction Lucy saw Aslan leading them, and she is vindicated by a new path opening up before them. Later Aslan explains the differences and changes in their journey by saying, “Things never happen the same way twice.”

God’s encouragement is clear: “Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?” Right now we are in a season of God doing a new thing here at Hill Point. It was clear to me back in December when I first met the people of this church, and it is clear to me today. There is a strong desire to move forward with God in this new work He is doing through the Body of Christ here on the North Shore. We must be firmly intentional and constantly looking for evidences of the work God is doing here. He says it is springing up. The question is whether or not we will be aware of it. Will we be watching and listening? When we see Him, will we cooperate with His Spirit and enter fully into what He is doing?

Walking together with Him!

Scott

September 17, 2008

[“What Do I See God Doing at Hill Point Church?” Part 2]

Last week we began discussing the miracle of Spiritual Awakening and the anticipation of what God has planned for Hill Point Church. He certainly is stirring up the hearts of His people here with a renewed spiritual hunger for His Word and spiritual thirst for His Spirit.

Yet another aspect of spiritual awakening is a growing recognition of Jesus Christ as our King, along with an increasing desire to “seek first” His Kingdom. As we come into this new alertness and awareness of what God is doing in our midst, we will begin to sense that there is a bigger picture; something greater than ourselves and even larger than the sum of our collective identity. We will discover that there is a finish line which far outdistances anything we’ve ever been a part of before. There is an eternal perspective which will begin to dawn upon our conscience and eclipse the smaller world view we’ve mistakenly been led to embrace.

This sort of “Kingdom” awakening down through the centuries has proven to be the kind of catalyst that prompts people to sell private, personal property and selflessly give the proceeds to those in need (Acts 2:44-45; 4:34-35). It is the kind of eternal perspective that has moved people in the past to put aside their own affairs in order to embark together on a building project that required everyone’s undivided attention (Nehemiah 3-4). It was this new dawning of Kingdom awareness, received and embraced by faith, which enabled individuals to take a stand for eternal truths without regard for their temporary, earthly lives (Hebrews 11). Spiritual Awakening brings the Kingdom of God into focus and pushes all other priorities to the periphery.

As you might guess, this kind of awakening would require a force greater than any known to man. Only the power of God can open our eyes and cure us of short-sightedness, so
we can glimpse and appreciate the long-view of eternity. Only the authority of God Himself can command our deaf ears to be opened to the sound of God’s calling in our lives. Only the Word of God applied by the Spirit of God can awaken us from our limited, confined, self-centered perspectives and transform us into the sons and daughters of the Kingdom of God that we are in reality.

A major indicator that spiritual awakening is occurring in our midst will be a renewed commitment to one of our basic core values as a church: “Lost people matter to God – He wants them found.” As God is at work waking our slumbering spirits, we will begin to see the value of people – all souls – through the eyes of God. We will not see them so much as enemies, but rather as victims of self, sin and Satan. We will not see them so much as they are right now, but rather as what they represent to the Kingdom of God.

Spiritual awakening will cause us to see people far from God as individuals that God loves so intensely, He was willing to sacrifice the life of His Beloved Son to bring them near to Himself. We will see Jesus the King Who, with unbridled passion, pursues all who are still in darkness into His Kingdom of light and into personal relationship with Him. And we will give ourselves unreservedly to be a part of this Kingdom pursuit that captivates the heart of our King!

Walking together with Him!
Scott

September 10, 2008

[“What Do I See God Doing at Hill Point Church?” Part 1]

This September marks an exciting new season of ministry for us here at Hill Point.  I believe it is important at times like this to communicate with our church family and friends the various ways we are witnessing God at work as He is building His Church.  Right from the start and at each point along the journey, we want to keep remembering that this is His work; that “unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” (Psalm 127:1)

One of the first things that has become clear to me is that God is unleashing a Spiritual Awakening here.  As we mentioned this past Sunday, spiritual awakening is something that God does for us, not something that we can make happen ourselves.  Throughout the ages, at different times and seasons, God sovereignly and graciously has intervened in the lives of His people to effect positive change in spiritual climates that were poised and ripe to receive Him.

I believe we are on the threshold of such a time here at Hill Point.  We are seeing this both collectively as a church body, as well as among individuals.  As a local body of believers on the North Shore of Milwaukee, we have witnessed God’s grace in preserving us and giving us a renewed sense of purpose and destiny.  And there is a strong sense I get from talking to individuals here that they are being drawn closer in their relationship to God than ever before.

I’m not sure of the extent of what God has in mind for Hill Point.  Often times in history, spiritual awakenings have impacted not only individual churches, but entire regions and even nations.  I only know at this point that He is doing this work here, and I wouldn’t be surprised to discover Him doing a similar work in some of the other local churches in our area.  Ultimately our joy and fulfillment will be found by responding in obedience to the awakening work that God is doing in our own lives first, and then sharing it with others as He gives opportunity.

There are several key components of “awakening” that are already becoming recognizable here.  We are seeing a growing passion for hearing and receiving the Word of the Lord.  The hunger and thirst for God’s Word is a common theme here and an indication that our people strongly desire to hear from God.  I am encouraged that so many wish to hear God for themselves, and to learn to know the voice of their Shepherd.

It is also apparent that people are being drawn to Jesus.  We have seen people come to faith in Christ in our worship services.  Others are finding confirmation and revitalizing for their faith that has been “on hold” for years.  Some have expressed an interest in being baptized as a public identification with the death, burial and resurrection of Christ on their behalf.  Still others have come to us desiring to join the membership of the church.  Jesus said “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him” (John 6:44).  We are seeing this “drawing” process in action.

May we be responsive to God’s awakening call in each of our lives as He summons us to higher levels of personal relationship with Him, and as He grants us new vision for “His Kingdom come and His will being done” in the earth.

Walking together with Him!

Scott

 

September 3, 2008

[Part 7 of 7 in a series on The Glorious Throne taken from Jeremiah 17:12 – “A glorious throne on high from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary.”]

The Glorious Throne we have been discussing for the past six weeks is not simply a metaphor.  It is not an irresponsible escapist notion or a dreamer’s break away from reality.  It is a Place; an actual location from which the Glory of God radiates, the Government of God expands, the Grace of God extends and the Goodness of God gives.  The Glorious Throne is the Command Center of the Universe from which our Creator oversees the life-cycles of galaxies, administrates the balancing act between mass and energy, and governs strange phenomenon like gravity, black holes and “dark energy.”  It is also the place from which our Sustainer upholds all things - molecular structures, atomic elements, sub-atomic particles – by the Word of His power.

Several individuals in scripture were given a vision of the Throne of God.  Ezekiel tries to describe a vision he had of this Throne, and we get the distinct impression that words failed him in the attempt:

“Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was what looked like an expanse, sparkling like ice, and awesome. . . Above the expanse over their heads was what looked like a throne of sapphire, and high above on the throne was a figure like that of a man.  I saw that from what appeared to be his waist up he looked like glowing metal, as if full of fire, and that from there down he looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded him.  Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. When I saw it, I fell facedown, and I heard the voice of one speaking. . .” (Ezekiel 1:22,26-28)  This vision, difficult as it might have been to describe or explain, still clearly evidences a place from which God conducts His sovereign rule over all of creation.

However, the really challenging thing to comprehend is not the physical description of the Throne, but that this “indescribable” place is available to us.  It boggles our minds to think that the Throne of God is the very place to which we are invited to draw near with confidence (Hebrews 4:16).  This is “the place of our sanctuary!”

Now a sanctuary certainly is a place of refuge – a safe haven for respite, refreshing and renewing.  But a sanctuary is more than just a harbor of safety.  By definition, sanctuary denotes the Holy Place, the place where God Himself dwells.  In fact, it can be said that the very Presence of God is the place of our sanctuary.  "'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Though I had removed them far away among the nations and though I had scattered them among the countries, yet I was a sanctuary for them a little while in the countries where they had gone."' (Ezekiel 11:16) 

So the Glorious Throne is an actual place from which the God of the universe reigns, and yet the very place we are invited to come and dwell.  Imagine how different your day will be tomorrow when you wake up and start the day by going with confidence to the “Throne of Grace.”  Consider how this will affect the decisions you are going to face, because they will be decided in the Throne Room rather than in the Board Room or from home, or the car or over the phone.  Consider the changes in your attitude and behavior tomorrow, since you will be responding to people and situations from the vantage point of God’s Throne rather than from your own limited reasoning and perspective.  Consider that you will be seeing people as God sees them, and not as you have always seen them in the past.  Consider the grace, mercy and love you will be extending to others because you yourself are standing firmly at the foot of the Throne of Grace.  Consider the confidence with which you will be walking with your God!

Once you get a taste for dwelling in the sanctuary of His Glorious Throne, on High, from the Beginning, you will wonder “Why would I ever want to be anywhere else?!?”  “Taste and see that the LORD is good; how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!” (Psalm 34:8)

 

Walking together with Him!

 

Scott