The Epidemic of Fatherlessness

I just finished my exhaustive homework for the week so I should relax, right? Or perhaps get a jump start on next week's assignments and reading? Or, read an email I received about how an organization in Spokane, Washington, Spokane City Advance, has taken the bold and courageous stance to place "fatherlessness" as their number one societal issue in the city. I applaud their decision and for some reason after reading that email (about 6 hours ago), I became oddly passionate about the fatherlessness problem we have in America.

I'm a dad. I think I'm a pretty decent one, too. I've seen my wife and kids 26 days out of the last 382, but that doesn't mean I'm a bad dad, right? I don't think so. Our family made the decision together to keep them rooted in North Dakota while I went to Nebraska and it was one of the toughest decisions we've ever had to make. Our decision and the subsequent process to purchase a house were less stressful. But, alas, we're not here to talk about me and my insignificant problems.

Probably one of my top five movies is 'Courageous.' If you're familiar with Christian movies, you are likely familiar with the Kendrick brother's father-centric movie. I like the movie so much, in fact, that I either watch it or have it playing in the background, at least once a week. Good thing it's a digital copy, otherwise it would probably be worn out by now. Courageous' overall theme is to create in men, fathers in particular, a God-honoring life so they can lead their families well.

Alex Kendrick, the director and co-writer of the film summed up his prayer for the movie saying, "Our prayer now is that this movie will raise the standards for fathers worldwide and point them to Christ."1 I think that's a laudable prayer. Of course, as Christ followers, we want to bring our children up with a fire in their belly, hungry for God. Honestly, I really don't know how well we do at that. I'm not about to find a bunch of statistics and shoot them at you hoping one or two of them will stick. What I can tell you is that without God, fatherhood is a whole lot harder. A lot harder. I think my time in Nebraska (will be a total of about 17 months) would be impossible to manage if I didn't have faith in God.

Drug and alcohol abuse, sex trafficking and domestic violence are epidemics in this country. Fatherlessness is also an epidemic. The definition of epidemic (in case you were wondering) is: a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time.2 I know what you're thinking...fatherlessness isn't an epidemic, it's not a disease. You're only right on half of it—fatherlessness isn't a "disease" classified by the CDC, but it is nonetheless a disease and I will explain why.

A child growing up without a father is more likely to: be poor or financially unstable, suffer from emotional and behavioral problems, get in trouble with the law and end up in jail, have a teen pregnancy and be sexual active, be subjected to an increase of child abuse and maltreatment, use and abuse alcohol and drugs, be prone to childhood obesity, and decrease their educational success.3  That's a whole lot of not so good stuff going on for the fatherless child, right?  So what am I really trying to say here? Well, the epidemic of fatherlessness (yeah, I said it...it's an epidemic) can be resolved in two stages: discipleship and mentorship—simultaneously.

What is discipleship? Well, if you've ever read my blog, you know I am passionate about discipleship; therefore, my definition is: a committed follower of Jesus Christ who unashamedly spreads the Gospel message. I think that's pretty self-explanatory. Mentorship is equally self-explanatory, "someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person."4 So, what am I saying here? Well, we have to share the Gospel message with those men who are struggling to be the dads God has called them to be (see Deuteronomy 11:18-21; Proverbs 22:6) and at the same time, provide them the support and guidance they need to become God-honoring fathers and husbands (or future husbands). What about children who are growing up in fatherless homes? The same rules apply, although you'll be discipling and mentoring them to grow up to become God-honoring fathers and husbands. Okay, now you're wondering how to go about eradicating the fatherlessness epidemic. I'm proud of you.

If I start to think like someone who is without Christ, I could honestly say that the last place I would go for assistance (if I felt it was necessary) would be the church. In the words of Jesus, "Go!" (Matthew 28:19). Someone without Christ is not likely to enter the church unless they are invited. Therefore you, disciple maker, must go to them. Don't start freaking out now! C'mon, Jesus went to the people, why can't you? If you're a little nervous about it, I recommend picking up a copy of Bill Hybels' book, Just Walk Across the Room.5 I'm serious when I tell you that this book will absolutely change the way you look at discipleship. Another great book I read while in Bible college is True Discipleship: The Art of Following Jesus,6 by John Koessler. They're both great books, but I would recommend, if you can only get one, grab Bill Hybels' book first. Whatever you do, please don't allow your church to start a committee or board so they can talk about how bad this problem is. No! We already know what the problem is and how bad it has become. It's time for solutions: the soldiers of Jesus Christ to start marching the streets and ministering to the people.

If you're a church, toss the standard Sunday sermon to the side and talk about how you and your congregation are going to minister to the single moms, absent dads, and father-absent kids. And please, don't leave the parents who are together, whether married or otherwise, out to dry. They need your discipling and mentoring, too.

The big take away from this rambling mess is that fatherlessness is an epidemic. Everyone knows it and very few are doing anything about it. I'm proud of the Spokane City Advance for taking this societal issue by the horns and doing what they can do to eradicate it. Will you do the same?

In Christ,

JM

God Exists to Everyone...Now What?

Have you ever had one of those moments in your life when you read something or heard someone speak that it absolutely ruined you? Ruined, in this context, basically means "wrecked". Have you? I'm in an interesting season of my life right now. I have seminary on my mind, getting ready to retire from the military (hopefully in just a few months!), and the move back to be with my wife and kids. The next 6-months of my life certainly will be interesting.

My problems are so insignificant. I was studying today and came across what I have now claimed to be my life's verse and it absolutely wrecked me. This isn't the first time I've come across this passage, though. I remember writing a short commentary on the first chapter of Romans in early 2015 when verse 20 hit me as if were a Mack truck going 60 miles an hour and my feet were stuck in hardened concrete. Time stood still for several minutes as I digested this verse and what it meant. As a passionate advocate for discipleship, both inside and outside of the church, this verse ruined me. I suppose it would now be appropriate to share with you the verse:

But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.

Romans 1:19-20

I added verse 19 to provide some level of context (verse 20 is in bold). Can you see why I was wrecked by this verse? What is Paul saying here? I have heard many times from people that if someone doesn't ever hear the Gospel then they cannot be held accountable by God for not following Him. That is a myth. Paul clearly demonstrates—and a walk outside would also demonstrate—the beauty of God's creation. There is no explanation as to how this universe came to be except by God commanding it to be (Genesis 1). So, what's the point, right? I get it; you may be inpatient just like me at times. Okay, we'll get to the nuts and bolts of this post then.

God exists...that's the point. Even people in faraway lands who have never heard the Gospel are not immune to the fact that God exists. Okay, so now that we have established the existence of God, what now? What's the big deal? The existence of God through creation is reason enough for God to judge. People will be held accountable if they do not respond to His knowledge. Are you picking up what I'm putting down here? The birds, trees, ocean, stars—everything on earth—is reason enough to know God exists. What does that mean for you, the follower of Christ?

We are commanded to make disciples of all nations, right (Matthew 28:18-20)? As followers of Christ, our job is to make other followers of Christ. In order to do our job, we have to GO and make disciples. Understanding the existence of God is a great start; however, people still have to respond to the Gospel message and accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. There isn't any other way around this. This blog won't save anyone from going to hell; only their acceptance of Jesus' free gift of salvation will save them. So while understanding that God exists is important, nothing is more important than KNOWING God lives and accepting Jesus' free gift.

Here's the bottom line: we Christians must go (whether it's in your neighborhood, school, workplace, or overseas) and share Jesus. According to Paul, everyone in this world knows God exists so unless they respond to the Gospel message, they won't be saved. We have to do our part. Are you ready to go? What has God placed on your heart for the unchurched? The unsaved? The outsiders? Are you willing to go where God leads?

Don't pass up an opportunity to share Jesus with someone—ever. What do you say we keep the party popping in Heaven (Luke 15:10)?!

In Christ,

Pastor Jeremy Meier

Does The Bible Say That?

Have you ever found yourself reciting scripture to someone who may have needed a little encouragement or was having a tough time in their life?  I’m sure many of us have, at one point or another, provided a word of encouragement to someone.  Did you know that a lot of the standard “go to verses” you and I have likely used aren’t actually in the Bible?  I was reading my Bible and came across a verse that sounded a lot like something I’ve heard people use from time to time and realized it hasn’t been used in the appropriate context.  This realization urged me to go down several rabbit holes and determine some of the most widely used “verses” people use to encourage others.  But, there’s a catch, they aren’t actually in the Bible.

This post is not about rebuking the practice of encouraging others.  Instead, I want to help us all use scripture in its context without putting our own spin on it.  There are plenty of verses in the Bible that can help us help others, so we’ll look at those, too.  First, though, I want to talk about a quote people commonly mistake as scripture.  Probably the top misunderstood quote people is: “God won’t give you more than you can handle.”

I’m sure you’ve heard that quote before and perhaps even used it when encouraging or comforting others.  It sounds good and would be excellent encouragement to others; however, it’s not in the Bible.  I would argue that telling someone “God won’t give you more than you can handle” is one of the most common misunderstandings of scripture when providing encouragement to others.  This quote is commonly mistaken for 1 Corinthians 10:13 which reads:

No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful, and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape so that you are able to bear it.

As you can see, this passage is referring specifically to temptation.  Of course, you could use this verse when someone is struggling with temptation, but when a person is challenged by trials in their life, this verse doesn’t address that.  Moreover, the phrase, “God won’t give you more than you can handle” is not Biblically accurate.  The Bible doesn’t address the amount of trials one can handle.  What it does address is a person’s ability to strengthen their faith through trials.  James 1:2-4 says this:

Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

This passage addresses the ability of someone to strengthen their faith in the face of trials.  The Greek word for endurance is hupomone which means “a person who is not swerved from their deliberate purpose and loyalty to faith”.  In other words, trials produce in us a strengthened faith and perseverance.  We have all had challenges in our lives and, generally, we are one of two types of people.  Either we embrace the trials and find strength in the Lord or we give up and hope it all goes away.  Sometimes things can seem so unbearable that it is simply inconceivable that we would have the strength to get through it.  But, the Bible does say that we will find comfort and strength in the Lord (Isaiah 40:31; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; Matthew 11:28-30; Psalm 91:1-16, et al).

I believe God will undoubtedly give us more than we can handle.  If we were able to handle everything on our own, why would we need to rely on God?  Therefore, it is my belief that God, indeed, gives us much more than we can handle—if for nothing else than to remind us that we NEED Him.  There have been plenty of times where I needed God to help me get through challenging times in my life.  In Iraq we were shot at over 120 times in eight months.  For some, that may not seem like that big of a deal.  But, for me, it was a moment in my life where I absolutely realized that I needed God to help keep my fellow service members and me safe.  We wore all the appropriate armor and had our weapons strapped to us, but God would be the One to keep us safe.  There is only so much we can do on our own; God can do everything—we need to allow Him to do so.

If there is anything I’ve learned over the past 20 years as a follower of Christ, it’s that I am not invincible.  I get hurt and hurt others, do and say stupid things, and seek forgiveness from God and others.  Seeking the face of God won’t make my sinful nature melt away, but it will help me when I’m struggling with life’s challenges.  I’m certain that seeking the Lord will also help you through your challenges.  I would love to tell you that God won’t give you more than you can handle, but the reality is He will.  Christians are a unique people group in that we have and seek God constantly.  If you have trouble letting go and letting God (admittedly, I struggle with that at times), commit with me to try.  God is the ultimate.  He may give us more than we can handle, but He will be right by our side as we navigate through it (Psalm 118:6).

So what’s the big take away here?  First, I would remind us that God does and will give us more than we can handle.  He does this, in my belief, so that we will seek Him with the understanding that we absolutely need Him.  Second, I would encourage you to dig into the scriptures to retrieve some special passages that will help you and those you comfort.  Remember to look at the context of the passage (I use the 10+10 rule – read the 10 verses before and 10 verses after the passage you’re looking at to understand its context).  There is a lot in the Bible; I would encourage you to spend an afternoon and get acquainted with some of those passages so you’re ready when called upon to provide comfort and encouragement to others.

I find encouraging and comforting others to be one of the highlights of my ministry.  It strengthens my faith and helps those who are struggling.  I have been on both the receiving and giving end of misunderstanding Scripture with commonly used quotes.  Once I realized it wasn’t actually scripture, I stopped, but I wonder how many people I erroneously told, “God won’t give you more than you can handle.”  Hopefully not many.

There are other phrases people use that aren’t exactly Biblical (in context at least), but I’ll save those for another day.

Yours in Christ,

Jeremy

Do You Believe in the Cross of Christ?

I have watched the movie “Do You Believe?” five times in as many days. This movie is such a powerful, Christ-centered reminder that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I found it fitting, then, that in this week’s post I talk about the cross of Christ. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he tells them the only thing he’ll boast about. In Galatians 6:14, Paul says this:

“But as for me, I will never boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. The world has been crucified to me through the cross, and I to the world.”

Paul’s standard “signature” has historically been, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you”; however, he was so concerned the Galatians receive the message that he chose to write an entire paragraph as his closing message in Galatians 6 (v. 11-18). Paul’s intent with this non-standard closing message was to provide a final contrast between the legalists and the Spirit-led Christian, to show that the Spirit-led believer lives for the glory of God, not the praise of man.

The legalists, as Paul explains, were a bragging group. Their purpose was not to win people to Christ. Instead, their chief purpose was to convert people to their group so they could brag about them. Their work was not done for the glory of God; it was done for their own glory. While it isn’t wrong to want to win people to Christ, it’s certainly wrong to want these blessings for the glory of man. Paul further explains that these Judaizers were hypocrites (v. 13).

“They want you to submit to the law, but they themselves do not obey the law” (paraphrased from v. 13). The legalists belonged to the same group as the Pharisees about whom Jesus said, “They say and do not” (Matthew 23:3). Paul wasn’t suggesting that the Judaizers should keep the law. Instead, he was condemning them for their dishonesty. They had no intention of keeping the law, even if they could. Their preaching of keeping the law was only a cover for their real goal: winning more people to their cause. Their overall goal was quantity of converts and glory for themselves.

Paul brought everything back to the cross of Christ. In Galatians 2:21, Paul said, “If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” Paul’s message was about glorifying the cross. Now, let us not be confused. Paul was not glorifying the cross and the brutality and suffering associated with it; he was glorifying the Cross of Christ. Why would Paul glorify the cross? Because he knew the Person of the cross.

Jesus Christ was mentioned at least 45 times in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. That means one third of the verses contain some reference to Him. Paul was fascinated by the person of Jesus Christ which made the cross glorifying to him. Furthermore, Paul knew the power of the cross. Saul could not even comprehend the notion of sacrifice on the cross. He thought it was ridiculous. When Saul experienced the power of the cross and became Paul, the cross was no longer a stumbling block. Instead, the cross became the very foundation stone of his message: “Christ died for our sins.” For Paul, the cross meant freedom and liberty from self (Galatians 2:20), the flesh (Galatians 5:24), and the world (Galatians 6:14). In the death and resurrection of Christ, the power of God is released to rescue believers and give them victory. It is no longer we who live; it is Christ who lives in and through us.

So, the overall theme of the movie “Do You Believe?” is found in its title. Do you believe in the cross of Christ? Do you believe that Christ was crucified on the cross for our sins? Do you believe?

Paul’s message to the Galatians was as important then as it is now. As a Christ follower, we must completely surrender to Him. To paraphrase a quote from the movie, and something we need to remember and understand is, “Our sins that separated us from God died on the cross with Christ.” Do you believe that? It may be a challenge to comprehend, but it is so very true. But, faith requires action.

Maybe you are in a place right now where you’re a little uncertain of your future. Perhaps your faith has been shaken by an event or circumstance in your life. Maybe this is the first time you have ever heard of Jesus’ sacrifice for your sins. Wherever you are in life, Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He died on the cross for YOU. Yes, YOU! If we go back to Paul’s message in Galatians 6:14, we have to boast about the cross of Christ. Check out what James 2:17 says:

In the same way faith, if it doesn’t have works, is dead by itself.

James is stating that people with dead faith substitute words for deeds. They know the correct vocabulary for prayer and testimony and can even quote the right verses from the Bible, but their walk does not measure up to their talk. As followers of Christ, we must not only have faith, but we must show our faith through our actions and words. To put it another way, we need to boast about the cross of Christ. So, there’s only one question left to ask you. Do you believe in the cross of Christ?

Yours in Christ,
Jeremy Meier

Finish the Race With Endurance

I am currently on my ninth month away from my family and church.  I would be lying if I said it has been easy.  People who have deployed or been on a business trip or otherwise away from their family probably understand what I'm talking about.  Missing birthdays, anniversaries, special events, parent teacher conferences, hockey games, and gymnastics is tough.  Plus there is the continuous guilty feeling of only having to worry about myself while Amanda is playing the role of mom and dad while I'm gone.  If I get nothing else out of my time away, I will undoubtedly leave Omaha with an overwhelming amount of appreciation for Amanda and all she has done.  Likewise, I will look to with reverence and gratitude to our church family—each of you—for your prayers, help watching the kids, letting our dogs outside when days become nights, and so much more.

I have been digging into Hebrews over the past couple weeks and have found myself stuck on Hebrews 12.  You are probably familiar with the theme of this passage: "The Call to Endurance".  What does that mean exactly?  Perhaps you have heard a preacher once say something along the lines of, "finish the race with endurance."  The life we live as Christians is a marathon.  We must constantly work hard to do what's right even when the potential consequences are unfathomable.  Doing what is right sounds awesome on paper.  Go ahead and write it down...I'll wait.  See, wasn't that easy?  Writing that phrase down, however, is only in preparation for the marathon.

Take a look at Hebrews 12:1-3:

Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured a cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.  For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, so that you won’t grow weary and lose heart. 

What do you say we take a closer look at this passage? In verse 1, the author mentioned "witnesses." The term 'witnesses' can be translated from Greek into English as martyr. That's right; these witnesses are heroes of the Bible. They came before us and are not witnessing what we are doing. Instead, they are bearing witness to us that God can see us through. God bore witness to them (Hebrews 11:2, 4-5, 39) and they are bearing witness now to us.

If you take a look at verses 2b-3 you'll see what you already know: Jesus endured a cross and despised the shame...endured such hostility from sinners against Himself...why?  So you won't grow weary and lose heart.  Our lives hardly every have a chance to catch up.  We are busy with school, work, kids, and everything in between.  We live our faith as best we can and admittedly we screw things up every once in a while.  Sometimes we're right on top of things and, on occasion, we ruffle some feathers because we live out our faith.  You may be fearful of losing your job by openly discussing Jesus' love with a co-worker.  Perhaps when you were saved, you lost some of the oldest friends you had because they didn't understand your transformation.  There are a bunch of things that we go through on a daily basis which provide for us an opportunity to show Jesus' love through our actions and words.  What does all that mean?  Time to bring this thing full-circle.

I started this post explaining where I was and some of the feelings I felt.  What I didn't mention was the very real anger I felt, for a few months, after my arrival in Omaha.  I was upset, of course, because I was leaving both my family and church for at least a year, more likely 16-18 months.  I felt guilty because I wouldn't be there for Amanda, Gabe, or Genevieve.  In other words, I had myself a good old fashioned pity party for a couple months until I came across a wonderful verse I've read a hundred times before, but this time it felt very real to me, more than ever before, Romans 8:28:

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.

You see, my situation, and anything you have going on in your life, is absolutely insignificant compared to what Jesus went through for you and me. I am where I am and you are where you are for a very specific purpose. We may not know or understand that purpose immediately (what fun would there be in that anyway?) but I believe in time, He will reveal His purpose to us. For me, it seems as if my coming to Omaha was God's way of training me. I have been involved in two different ministries here and I believe that God is using the people I've met to train me to be a better disciple-maker, specifically with the youth population. When we are removed from our comfortable atmosphere, God has a bigger plan in store for us. We have to remain patient and faithful that our plan is so much smaller than what God has got going on for us. It's not always easy, but it is always worth it!

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Jeremy Meier

Understanding the Old Testament // Creation

Ah, the Old Testament. I really love this span of the Bible; without it, were would we be? It draws the road map of how we got here, why we are here, and how we should live. It has been a challenge to find the inspiration to write this post, not because I am less passionate about it, but because I’ve let the busyness of my life interfere a little bit this past week. In order to combat that, I found myself on my knees, seeking the face of the Lord. I’ve been listening to one song almost exclusively the past couple days as I become more and more deliberate and intentional in my relationship with God. The song is called “Came to My Rescue” by Hillsong United. One of the verses of that song which really convicted me goes like this:

My whole life I place in your hands, God of mercy humbled I bow down, In your presence at your throne

Don’t worry; there is a point somewhere in here and I hope I’ll be able to tie this all in with the Multiply study this week. Every week, I read the week’s Multiply chapter at least twice. The first time I read it, I focus on what Francis Chan is saying and what the call to action is. During the second read, I always try to find little nuggets of information that he so eloquently writes to create a “theme” for what I feel God is calling me to write in the blog. This chapter is no different in my intent, but there was one sentence that spoke to me with great conviction. It can be found on page 145:

“So rather than trying to identify the image of God with a specific aspect of the human condition, perhaps we should simply acknowledge that God made us to reflect Him to the world.

This chapter is all about creation. God spoke and it was done. To say that it was as simple as that seems so inadequate, but it really was that simple because it was God who spoke. Imagine hearing God say, “Let there be light” and then all of the sudden, BAM! in your face, there was light! Can you see the magnificent power of God? Seriously, that’s huge! The Creator of the Universe is absolutely incredible.

As I mentioned, this chapter is discussing creation and what that should mean to us as Christians. Francis Chan explained it well in saying, [The Bible] “Is a story that gives meaning to our existence, our daily lives, and to every other story on earth.” Have we ever stopped and just got still and looked at God’s creation? I’m not referring to just looking at a pretty sunset or gorgeous mountain range or the Grand Canyon as an amazing photo opportunity; instead, I’m talking about seeing those different, wonderfully perfect and beautiful creations as ones that came directly from the commands of God’s mouth? Have you ever sat in awe of His creation?

Francis Chan explains in this chapter that this is God’s world and that “we represent to the world its rightful King and we illustrate His workmanship, attributes and characteristics.” In other words, we are God’s messengers on this earth, here to tell people all about Him. I think that we have a tendency to lose our focus sometimes, not necessarily on God, but on what He created. Last week I spent a significant amount of time (about 10 hours) going through Romans 1, verse by verse, just really digging into the Word with anticipation and an open heart and mind, eagerly waiting to see what God was going to reveal to me. I’ve studied Romans before but this time was different. I don’t know if I have ever spent 10 hours on one chapter of one book of the Bible before. It was an absolutely amazing time of getting real with myself and my relationship with God and how I felt about discipleship and what I believed God calling me to do as His disciple. And since Multiply is all about discipleship, I’m going to share with you something that I learned going through Romans 1 last week. It completely transformed me. Check out Romans 1:20 (for someone passionate about discipleship, this verse should completely transform you; it did me):

For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. (NLT)

This verse was my “aha” moment. Paul was very clear that no one can claim ignorance of God’s existence and power because God has clearly revealed many of His attributes in the natural world, enough for people to respond in some manner. This verse, in my very humble opinion, explains the magnitude of Genesis 1. It explains that the greatness of God in creating the universe is enough proof for people to know God exists. But, knowing that God exists and believing in Him, are two very different things. To know God is to understand that He exists; to believe in God is to put your complete trust and faith in His Son, Jesus—to transform your life to live solely for Him. This is where we come in, church.

As disciples, we must show God’s greatness through His creation as well as showing people that by believing in Jesus, their life will be transformed. People need both: knowledge and faith, the latter being significantly more important since it is by faith that we are saved (Ephesians 2:8).

Now, to go back to the beginning of this post. The lyrics to “Came to My Rescue” were so appropriate for this past week. I really try to get these posts out by Sunday morning at the latest, but I was met with some challenges along the way. For those of you that may not already know, I write this blog from a tiny one bedroom apartment in Bellevue, Nebraska where I am currently serving my “twilight tour” (final military tour before retirement). Last week began my full integration with my new job and it just happened to be a 64 hour work week. I was tired and discouraged. I was thumbing through my MP3 player and ran across this Hillsong United tune. It was a nice song, but it didn’t strike me until I really listened to the words. The words I described above:

My whole life I place in your hands, God of mercy humbled I bow down, In your presence at your throne

…has become my daily prayer. You see, throughout my few “woe is me” moments this past week in between studying Romans 1, I seemingly had forgotten that none of this is about me, but about humbling myself and getting in touch with the Creator of the universe. And as a result, telling everyone I see how awesome He is. Being in Jesus’ presence is more glorious than anything else in this world. That’s the message that we need to bring to the people. People will continue to deny Him even if they realize He exists. It is our duty, as soldiers for Christ, to bring the accompanying message of hope and love so there is no denying Him…ever. Church, let’s make Jesus famous again!

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Jeremy Meier

How to Study the Bible // Studying Logically

Well, I’m eagerly waiting to hear what you thought of this week’s chapter of Multiply. I thought it was pretty interesting and, unfortunately, often overlooked by those that seek the truth through God’s Word. Have you ever read a passage of Scripture that just really spoke to you in such a way that you felt so much better? Yeah, me too. Then, did you read the 20 verses before and the 20 verses after your new favorite verse? For the sake of this blog post, we’re going to use the 20/20 verse scale, but I would encourage you to ready much more than that. In any rate, by focusing on just one verse, we can (and often do) come to a conclusion that is actually contradictory to what the Bible is telling us. It’s all about context.

Several years ago, I had the rare opportunity to have a pretty significant theological discussion at work with someone that was new to the faith of a different denomination. Our dialog was quite interesting but also very troubling. As we continued to discuss our faith, he would provide single Scripture references (which is generally fine), but he was completely missing the context of the verse. For example, he told me that his denomination believed that baptism was the literal washing of sins and was a requirement for salvation–meaning that to be baptized was synonymous with repenting and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. I stopped him there and we chatted for a little while on that subject. I was genuinely interested in why he believed what he was telling me. Here’s what he told me: his denomination takes John 3:5 literal in which Jesus says:

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit.” (NLT)

Now, I won’t get into the theological discussion I had with my friend, but I will show you an example of what his beliefs are derived from. You’ll notice that I underlined the word “water” in the passage above. That single word from John 3:5 is what my friend’s denomination used to conclude that baptism is the literal washing of sins. Of course, that’s not what the passage is referring to. I suppose you can see where they got their belief from by just reading that verse; however, they did not put it into its context nor did they dig deeper into what it actually means (interpretation, as Francis Chan explained). So as not to leave you on the edge of your seat, the “water” reference is referring to one of two possible things: the actual birth of a baby or the “born again” birth of a new Christian which could be used as a parallel to what John is referring to here. In any case, the actual water baptism does not wash away one’s sin; it is an outward display of someone’s commitment to live their life for Christ. To put it in a little clearer context, let’s read John 3:3-7:

Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

“What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?”

Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ (NLT)

In verse 3, translated, “again” also means “from above” meaning that to be born again is to receive new life through Christ, not by baptism. I think you get the point I’m trying to make here. Just as Francis Chan explained it (much more eloquently than I), we can’t pick and choose which verses of the Bible we like and which ones we’ll just skim over and call it a day. Each word in the Bible is the God speaking directly to us.

I really liked how Francis Chan explained the difference between interpretation and application. You’ll probably notice when you see and/or hear people preach, they provide an interpretation of the Scripture and then have their points that outline practical application for life. As discussed in Multiply, those are two very different and distinct aspects of studying the Word. How often have we, when studying the Word, interpreted the Scripture as an application for our life instead of interpreting the Scripture itself? There are certainly some deep theological differences between denominations and ecclesiastical bodies; however, the Word of God is constant. It never changes, it is perfect, and proper interpretation will lay the foundation for practical application in our lives. We must draw a line, though, so we don’t confuse the two and start interpreting our personal application. Remember what Francis Chan said, “With interpretation, we are asking what the passage is saying and what it means. With application, we are applying that meaning to our specific situation.”

If you haven’t really studied the Bible using Francis Chan’s outline (interpretation versus application) then I encourage you to start. I’ll be honest, when I started really digging deep into God’s Word using these types of principles, it changed my life. I’m more focused on the Word, I find it extremely helpful and gratifying to get to know God on a much more personal level through studying this way. If you want to dig a little deeper, start looking at some of the words in the Old and New Testament in their original language (mostly Hebrew and some Aramaic (OT) and Greek (NT)). This will give you a clearer picture, most of the time, of what is being said.

I really enjoyed the section about letting go of our baggage. Our baggage has a very unique ability to interpret the Bible other than the way God intended. I’m sure we all have let our baggage interpret Scripture on our behalf. I’ll admit to it. There are so many things that can happen when we let our baggage get in the way of what the Scripture is telling us. I’ve been watching a sermon series by Pastor Greg Groeschel of LifeChurch.tv called “God Never Said That.” I think that if we allow our baggage to get in the way, we could very well be the subject of a sermon series called, “God Never Said That.” The messages are really interesting and I encourage you to watch one (or all of them). In one of Greg’s messages titled “God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle,” he talks about that “verse” which is used so prominently for people going through a challenging time in their life. What he did, just as Francis Chan explained, was look at the context of the verse and then interpreted it as God intended. The fact is, God never did say that. Culturally, we’re so used to hearing that, that we take people’s word for it that it’s actually in the Bible.

Being a disciple of Jesus Christ comes with it the inherent responsibility to know and understand the Bible so that we can clearly communicate it to others. If we interpret the Bible as an application for our lives instead of the actual meaning, chances are we won’t be providing factual counsel to those in which we are trying to reach. Let’s refocus our studies, church, so that our understanding is broadened and we are drawn closer to God.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Jeremy Meier