Home

During this week that we Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, may I encourage parents to spend a few moments teaching your children of the history of the holiday.  This is easily accomplished via a Google search of the Plymouth Colony.  Quite `rank`ly, the Charlie Brown special aired a few nights ago is pretty good, too!

Most importantly, however, is to direct your own hearts and minds, and that of your family, to the greatness of Almighty God.  As you sit around your tables Thursday and fare sumptuously, pose these questions to your children:

1. What do you have that you did not receive?  1 Cor 4:7
2. What can you do without Christ?  John 15:5
3. Why have you been able to hear and understand the gospel?  Matthew 13:10-17
4. Why do American prison inmates have more religious freedoms than "free" citizens of China?  Daniel 4:28-37 

These "discussion starters" will go a long way towards cultivating a heart of gratitude in your family. 

One final recommendation: Consider reading David's Song of Thanks with your family this Thanksgiving, as it has been recorded in 1 Chronicles 16:7-36. 

You and I can never do better than to recite the very words of our God. 

Give thanks, O saints of God in Christ.  Give thanks, now and forever. 

"Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather and deliver us from among the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.  Blessed be the God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting!" (1 Chron 16:35-36)

The Spirit really moved me today as I read Psalm 71, especially verses 17-18:

“O God, from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds. So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to another generation, your power to all those to come.”

The Lord saved me around March of 1980.  He has “taught me” as His child for over thirty years now.  Any defects in my knowledge and zeal are inherent to me, as my Savior is perfect in all His perfections!   

I love this verse because by God’s good grace it is my own testimony. And, the more I know Him, the more I want Him to be known, by my children, your children, and our children’s children, and children in the jungles of Bolivia.  And, I join the psalmist in praying God will allow me to proclaim His gospel and might and power to multiple generations.

Would you join me in this prayer?  Would you join God in adopting a vision for trans-generational faithfulness at your local church?  May God be pleased to use His people to saturate the next generations with the magnificence of the Holy One of Israel.

If our children gain academic accolades, sports trophies, myriad friends (real and facebook), great scholarships, high degrees, good jobs, nice homes, picket fences and 1.5 children, but have not Christ, what have they gained?

I leave you to answer that question . . .

"But you, son of man . . . open your mouth and eat what I give you . . . eat this scroll and go, speak to the house of Israel . . . then I ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey" (Ezek 2:8-3:3).

Our access to the honey of God's Word in America is ridiculous.  We are the recipients of ridiculous grace!  If you have any doubts, American Christian, take some time tonight to gather up every single copy of the Bible in your house.  Pile them all together.  Have your family count them.  Note how many translations.  Styles.  Forms of bindings and coverings.  Large print and so tiny nobody can see the print.  Black covers, burgundy, blue, white, pink, teen study Bibles, the Bible for Plumbers, it is ridiculous.  Digital and audiovisual copies, too! 

What's even more ridiculous is how few hours we spend in the Bible each week, given our amazing access to it.  Do its pages, after all, contain the very words of God?  Then why are we not "eating this scroll"? 

There remains an even more ridiculous fact, however.  According to Wycliffe Bible Translators, over 2200 people groups on this planet have still not seen even one verse of God's Word in their own heart language.  Now, friends, if we really believe the Bible is the Word of God, and that God saves us and sanctifies us by His Word (and He does - Rom 10:17; John 17:17; James 1:18), then this lack of access to it among the people of the world has to `rank` as the crime of our day.  In this day and age, when we can whisk documents around the world at light speed, millions still have no access to the Words of Life? 

My friends, Karl & Debbie Crossman are absolutely committed to getting the Word of God to the ends of the earth.  As Wycliffe missionaries, they served for many years in Papau, New Guinea.  They and their four children are all missionaries at heart.  Their oldest daughter, Abby (15 years old, I think), is going to Peru this summer to spread the love and message of Christ. 

Karl's skill set in radio communications and IT, however, were most needed in the JAARS center in Charlotte, NC.  Check them out at www.jaars.org.  The move from Papua New Guinea to Charlotte has not been easy on the Crossman family, and the level of support required for them to serve at JAARS is considerably higher than it was in PNG.  They need your help to get to the 100% support level by June if they are to remain on the field with Wycliffe.  Please, dear Christians, prayerfully consider giving to them.  Put your money where your mouth is when it comes to this precious gift of God's self-revelation to humanity. 

Contact Karl and Debbie at kdcrossman@windstream.net for more info or to have them come speak at your local congregation.  Why not pledge even a small amount of $25 a month to the Crossman's?  Visit www.wycliffe.org and click the "Give" link to make the transaction quick and easy.  Simply designate your gift (one time, monthly, quarterly, or yearly) to Karl & Deborah Crossman on the on-line form or mail your contribution to Wycliffe Bible Translators, PO Box 628200, Orlando, FL 32862-8200.  The Crossman Acct # is 352527.

Last night, our pastor preached from Matthew 6, with an emphasis upon our heart treasure.  Where is your teasure?  Your pocketbook won't lie.  Why not give more to missions, missionaries, and Bible translation, and see if your heart does not follow?  "For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt 6:21).

Heavenly Father, may Your name by revered, and may You be pleased to make Your name great through the work of my friends, Your servants, Karl and Deb Crossman.  Use them and us, O Lord, partnering together to send Your Word to peoples who have never heard of Jesus, nor ever read a verse of Scripture in their own language.  I ask, Lord, that You do a mighty work of grace, gather the financial support needed to keep the Crossman's living out their calling.  Stir the hearts of Your people to give, for in Christ You have given lavishly to us.  Please do it for the sake and fame of Your Son, our Savior, Jesus the Messiah.  Amen.

It was the Puritan John Owen that wrote: "To suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect."

Perhaps nowhere is this remark more salient than in Christian marriage.  What is it that God requires of us, as followers of Christ, in marriage?  Mounds of books have been written on this subject, so let me just point to a few of the primary truths and texts concerning God's expectations for spouses:

1. To understand sin's effect on us as spouses is critical, and I believe God expects us to study what He has clearly said about us, as it pertains to all of life, including marriage.

a. Genesis 3:16 among other things, states that sin will cause Eve to have "desire" for her husband.  The same word is used again in Gen 4:7 where God tells Cain sin's "desire is for you." 

b. In context then, it seems clear that sin will cause Eve to want to control or rule her husband.  But, God essentially tells Eve it will not work, because "He will rule over you."  God's design, whether or not our culture agrees, is for male leadership or headship of the home.

c. Implied in God's words, "he will rule over you" is the subtle hint that sin will cause Adam to abuse his God-given leadership in the marriage.  Sin will corrupt Adam's headship.  He will not exercise it in God-honoring ways.  Indeed, much of the remainder of Genesis shows us sinful men struggling to exercise godly headship in the family! 

d. Knowing our resident enemy (sin) and its effect upon us as spouses is foundational; for if we are to fight in God's enabling power to do marriage His way, we ought to know who or what we are fighting against.  

2. To commit to "one man, one woman for life" and to hate divorce (See Malachi 3:16; Matt 19:1-6).

3. For men to lead and love their own wives like Christ leads and loves His church (Eph 5:22-33).

4. For women to respect and submit to their own husbands as the church respects and submits to Christ (Eph 5:22-24, 33).

Numbers 3 and 4 above give many Christians today fits.  Perhaps they fail to see that the two principles go hand-in-hand and are really about Christ, not them?  As men lead and love like Christ, women will submit and respect (dare I say even treasure) the husband's Christ-like leadership and love.  As wives respect husbands God-ordained headship, men will strongly desire to lead and love their wives like Christ does. 

And the grand purpose in all this?  The honor and glory of the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, who paid for and purified His bride, the church, with His own blood and sets His bride apart to love and serve Him forever (Eph 5:25-27).  Amazing, huh?  As the church glorifies Christ, so Christ is determined to make His bride "holy and blameless."  Christian marriage is to mirror this reality.  Who knew Christian marriage could accomplish such lofty things?

But, can a husband and wife really live up to these clear demands of God?  Put another way, is the young Christian's fear of marriage rooted in reality?  Is there any hope for a Christian husband to actually mirror Christ to his wife?  Can a Christian wife actually submit to Christ's ultimate headship through submission to her husband's headship? 

As Paul asked in 2 Corinthians 2:16, "Who is sufficient for these things?"  Who indeed?  Methinks a discussion on sanctifying grace is in order.  Stay tuned . . .               

 

  

I am scheduled to preach this Sunday morning - yippee!  Opportunities have been scarce of late, so my heart is thrilled to once again have the sacred honor of feeding God's flock from His Word.  Of course, for someone such as myself whose preference is always expository preaching, verse-by-verse, passage-by-passage through books of the Bible, having to just "figure out" what text to preach is somewhat intimidating!  How do you topical preachers do it? :-0  How did Spurgeon do it?  I'm just not that creative!

One thing is for sure, any man who fills a pulpit has nothing of eternal value to offer listeners apart from the very words of our God as recorded in the Bible.  This is why exposition - the explanation of the text's meaning and the application of its timeless truth - is so very critical to the life of a church.  God created by His Word (Gen 1:3).  God saves us by His Word (Romans 10:17; James 1:18).  God sanctifies (grows us more like Christ) by His Word (John 17:17).  Jesus said "Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God" (Matt 4:4).  One can quickly get the idea from Scripture that the Word is important!

Indeed, the Word is important.  And this Sunday, Lord willing, I will expound on a passage that leaves me awe-struck every time I read and study it.  The passage is 1 Peter 1:8-16.  In a nutshell, Peter tells us this gospel of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus was sought after intensely by the grand old saints of Old - men like Moses, Samuel, David and Isaiah.  Pious woman of old like Esther and Ruth no doubt wished for their eyes to behold Messiah.  Yet, it was not God's plan to send Salvation to walk the earth during their lifetimes.

This salvation God brings to undeserving sinners like us is so glorious that Peter says the angels are bewildered by it!  Say what?  Angels?  Like those men in white robes that have unbelievable power?  Yes, those angels.  They long to look into the mystery of how Holy God reconciles unholy sinners to Himself through the bloody work of Jesus on the cross.

Well, I do not want to get so excited that I preach the whole sermon here!  You'll just have to come hear it in person this Sunday, March 7th, at Tar Landing Baptist Church, at 10:30 a.m.  Or, log onto www.tarlandingbaptist.org in a few days to download the audio.  I want you to hear the sermon not because I am preaching it, but because I am convinced we American Christians sorely need to reorder our priorities.

What would our lives look like if we really started to treasure the glorious gospel of King Jesus above all?  What would our homes look like if we truly bowed our knee in awe of what God has given us in the gospel?  How would we spend our money?  Time?  Would we still make the same educational choices for our children?  Would we continue to let our kids spend more time studying Geometry and Biology than they do Scripture?  What of their "extra-curricular" activities?  Might we launch our children to the nations to carry the gospel torch if we really got a hold of what God has told us through Peter's pen?  After all, it is the gospel that has as its end the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ!

That's the all-surpassing value of the gospel, friends.        

Hello everyone.  It's hard to believe I am actually typing a blog.  For those who know me, this will doubtless come as a shock.  For those who don't know me that well, let me explain.

You see, I am semi-anti-techno-gadgets.  Make sense?  No?  Then perhaps some further explanation is in order.

I am a pastor to young adults in Jacksonville / Camp Lejeune, NC with a clear focus on Marriage / Parenting / Home.  Thus, the title of this blog, "Cross-Centered Homes," or C2H as we affectionately call it in my home church.  C2H is a new emphasis in our church that seeks to reclaim God's grand vision for the home, as He has revealed it in Scripture.  Thus, the focal point of this blog will typically be doing home God's way.  But, what does all this have to do with my semi-anti-techno-gadgetry? 

Well, to be blunt, there is a huge part of me that thinks we, as a culture, are bringing ourselves to ruin by our absolute obsession with social networking, texting, emailing, tweeting or tooting, etc.  While none of these things are evil in and of themselves, and certainly can be used for redemptive, Christ-exalting purposes (which is what I aspire to do here), the fact is all of these things are estranging us from the truest form of human relationship - face-to-face. 

I love the Bible's epitaph of Moses: "And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face" (Deut 34:10). 

For this we were created!  Face to face communion with God and one another!  This, I'm afraid, is what we are losing quickly in my generation, not to mention my children's generation.  I will have more to say on this in future posts.  For now, just indulge me and carve out some time today to just sit face to face with someone and talk, and laugh, and enjoy the other person's presence. 

Why not carve out some time to spend such precious moments with your Creator?  Not literally face to face with Him - not yet - but surely "mouth to ear" with Him in your prayer closet.  Why not lead your family to commune together with their Creator this very day?  This is the way to start reclaiming "face to face" relationship.