Last night we started a new Sunday evening prayer meeting before Discipleship training and  it was truly a blessing for all who attended.  After the prayer meeting we discussed the first chapter of Proverbs and realized the critical link between  praying and living a wisdom-filled life. God has AMAZING plans for the lives of  His  children.  Plans which will bring us joy exceedingly, abundantly more than anything the fleeting pleasures of  this world can offer us.  All we have to do is keep an eternal perspective and practice wisdom by following the truth which God  has so graciously provided for  us.  

As we discussed in yesterday’s sermon, don’t let yourself be drawn in to the adultery of  this  world by forsaking your covenant relationship with God.  Embrace wisdom and know that you are being true to  your Creator and  Savior.  Walk  in the light as He is in the light.

-Pastor Dave Jones

Life is all about choices and consequences – you make them and you take them.  Some of our choices bring us consequences which make us happy and fulfilled.  However, most of us also have a long list of choices we have made which brought us sadness, anxiety, and pain.  It is fair to say that we would generally prefer to go through life making choices which allow us to  avoid negative consequences.  If only there was some source of advice which would guide us to making good choices in the practical matters of this life…this is your lucky day!!  The wisdom of the ages is yours for the taking – all you need to do is read and heed and your life will take a dramatic turn for the better!  

Where can one find this treasure trove of sagacious sayings?  Really close to the middle  of your Bible – the book of Proverbs contains the wisdom of the “wisest man who ever lived.”  Proverbs 1 introduces the book as, “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel: for gaining wisdom and instruction; for understanding words of insight; for receiving instruction in prudent behavior, doing what is right and just and fair; for giving prudence to those who are simple, knowledge and discretion to the young.”  As we study this book together, we will find that God has graciously provided us with a “how to” book on navigating our way through the wiles of this world.  This past Sunday we discussed seven benefits of wisdom in our lives.  I encourage you to consider these benefits and take advantage of the best advice you will ever receive on living a life of joy and happiness.

One of the choices you get to make every day is to pray or not pray.  It is completely up to you.  If you choose not to pray, you are denying yourself the opportunity to petition the all-powerful, eternal, Creator of the Universe.  If you choose to pray, you have a one-on-one audience with The Supreme Being of the Universe who holds the power to answer all  your prayers.  And the wise person chooses…

-Pastor Dave Jones

This past Sunday evening we began a new discipleship course on the book of Proverbs.  One of the overriding themes of the book is the contrast  between wisdom and folly (foolishness). Proverbs is a book of pithy truisms which serve as practical guides by which  we should live our lives so that we achieve knowledge and wisdom.  As I reviewed our sermon from last Sunday about the privileges we have as adopted children in the Family of God, the thought occurred to  me that one of the great privileges we enjoy is that of communicating directly with the Creator  of the Universe.  Scripture reminds us that God DESIRES our prayers, earnestly wants us to bring our  praises and petitions to Him, and promises to hear our prayers (1 Chron. 16:11, Ps. 145:18, Phil. 4:6, Col. 4:2, Ja. 5:16, etc.).  Knowing this, would it  not  be sheer  folly to forsake our right to pray?  We hold the power to tap into the greatest force in the universe, why on earth would we not use it?  Start your quest for  wisdom today – PRAY!

-Pastor Dave Jones

The Men’s group is watching a video series called “The Truth Project” which examines the importance of developing and maintaining a Christian Worldview.  To put it simply, a worldview is a lens through which a person sees the world around them and relates to it.  A Christian worldview sees the world based on the fact that God is Who He says He is and does what He says He does.  From this perspective, Christians believe that there is absolute truth and that God is the source of that truth.  

Now, using this premise that there is absolute truth, what does that imply? –That there is also falsehood.  This is the great cosmic battle – the battle between truth (Christian Worldview) and a lie (Fallen man’s worldview).  

Those that do not embrace God’s truth would have you believe that man is the penultimate being and explain the rest of the universe in relation to human beings.   Such “man-centered” thought is called “humanism.”  Humanism in our society is a thriving business and Satan is dancing a jig.  Humanists think that men are basically good and that it is only bad circumstances which cause bad behavior.  They believe that if mankind is left to his own that the results will be positive and good.  This was true once when God first made man but because of sin and its destructive character there is now, as Romans 3:10 tells us,  “no one who is righteous – not even one.”  When left to his own devices each of us becomes self-absorbed and greedy.  The consequence of this self-orientation is always destructive.

The good news is that there is a way out of this destructive death spiral.  When we wake up and embrace absolute truth, we see that coming home to God brings us to the salvation of our souls. It is the only path that does! In Luke 15, Jesus gives us a great example in the  parable of the Prodigal son who comes home – to salvation.  In this story, the son leaves home because he is self-absorbed and does not trust that  his father has his best interests at heart.  The son THINKS he knows what’s best for himself.  The son THINKS he is missing out on “the good life.”  The  son THINKS money can buy happiness.

The son soon discovers that his thinking was flawed.  After a short spurt of wild living, he finds himself destitute and friendless in a foreign land.  Once he has hit bottom, the son realizes his  flawed thinking, repents from it and humbly returns home where his father greets him with joy and reinstates him into the family.  So, what changed?  Not the truth – it was there all along.  What changed is the son’s WORLDVIEW – how he looked at the world around him.  When the son changed from a selfish, sinful worldview back to a God-centered worldview, he found peace, acceptance, love, and security.  

The REALLY good news is that same deal is available to you and me today.  No matter how far we have gone astray from God, He is  eagerly waiting for us to return home.  That is the ABSOLUTE truth – once you BELIEVE, then you will SEE. 

-Pastor Dave Jones

In 1988 I learned a valuable lesson about responsibility when I assumed command of an Army unit for the first time.  I was a  young Captain when I took over command of a sixty man unit with $800,000 worth of property.  Becoming the commander means you are responsible for everything your unit does or fails to do and you PERSONALLY are held responsible for the actions of your unit.  Commanders are granted a great deal of authority to manage the resources of their unit, but along with that authority comes the responsibility to be accountable for all the people and the property in the unit.  However, a commander’s job is not  just to maintain accountability of the resources (people and property), but to IMPROVE them through training, maintenance, and skillful application so that the unit adds more value to the Army.  The Army holds commanders to a high standard and expects them to succeed.  Commanders are rewarded or penalized based on their actions as leaders and managers of the resources provided them.  For most officers, their career hangs in the balance of how  well they perform in command.

The Army places a great deal of trust in commanders to skillfully manage resources so that the Army mission can be achieved and the value of the unit will be constantly increasing as it becomes more capable and efficient in its tasks.  Command is a sacred trust placed only in those who are deemed worthy of such responsibility.  All commanders have three things in common:

1. A Significant amount of authority and responsibility for the resources of their unit.
2. They all serve another master.  Regardless of the level of command, every commander is a servant who must answer to someone else who has greater authority.
3. A commander personally OWNS NOTHING in his unit.  He is managing resources provided to him by the  Army.

It has been nearly thirty years since I assumed command for  the first time and I am still struck  by the similarities between being a commander and being a servant of  Jesus Christ.  In the Parable of the Talentsin Matthew 25, we see the Master entrusting three of  his  servants with  resources to manage to increase the Master’s wealth.  Each  servant is given resources in line with his capabilities, much like the levels of command within the Army.  ALL of the resources belong to the Master – not to the servant.  Each servant is charged with enhancing the Master’s wealth by shrewd management of  the resources and each servant is rewarded or judged based on his actions.  The parallels between command and servanthood are clear, however there is one important difference.  In command there is a set duration of time for which the commander serves, usually between one and three years.  A servant of Christ must serve for  an  unknown  period of  time – either until the servant dies or Christ returns.  

I was privileged to command in the Army on three separate occasions and I can attest to the challenges and difficulties faced by commanders.  However, I can also definitively say that it takes far more faith to commit to being a servant of Christ than it does to serve the Army as a commander.  Christian servants are entrusted with the greatest responsibility on earth – the spreading of  the Gospel and the glorification of the Kingdom of God.  There simply is no higher calling.  The work is full of challenges and requires all of our resources to accomplish, but the reward is unparalleled and eternal.  God has endowed each and every believer with talents and resources to be used for the glory of His  Kingdom – we are ALL His servants.  The question I would ask you to ponder is “How trustworthy am I being with what God has given  me to use?”

-Pastor Dave Jones

Last night the men started a new study based on a video series of lectures from Focus on the Family called “The Truth Project.”  As I watched the instructor lay out his argument, I was struck by the simplicity of his point.  The  topic was “Why did  Jesus come to earth?” and the  answer was “to testify to the Truth.”  Jesus Himself told  us this  in John 18:37 when answering Pilate at His trial, “Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to Me.”  The simplicity of this topic is contrasted with the profundity of the implications for  mankind.  It involves the great cosmic battle between “The Truth” (Christian Worldview) and “A Lie” (Fallen Man’s Worldview).  

In an era of relativism and political correctness,  it is  easy to lose sight of THE FACT that there is absolute truth.  Our  culture does not want to admit to this fact because it, by its very nature, causes conflict.  Our culture wants to respect everyone’s beliefs in the hope that this will create harmony and unity.  If we look at this  issue logically, we will rapidly determine that such a pluralistic view of truth is not only hopeless, it is  also chaotic and destructive to society (not to mention just plain silly).  Who, besides perhaps a philosophy professor, do  you know who  would  argue that 2 + 2 does not equal 4?  This may  seem like an oversimplified example but, from the  viewpoint of “relative truth,” society would have to be tolerant of  those who would argue for another answer and cannot definitively condemn their  answer.  If truth is relative,  how can laws controlling human actions be enacted?  What is to dissuade us from committing murder, robbery,  assault or any other infraction upon  our fellow man?  How can one “stand trial” for a crime if there is not a set standard for truth?  When one takes the witness stand, he is supposed to tell “the truth, the  whole truth, and nothing but the  truth.”  How does that differ from a fairy tale if there is no absolute standard for truth?  When I was training to be an investigator, one  of  the interrogation trainers taught me to  always preface an interview with  a subject by encouraging them to speak the truth about the circumstances of an event because the truth is much easier to remember than a fabricated story which will come back to haunt them.

Given the sad state of society with respect to our attitude about truth, it  is easy to feel helpless and hopeless about our future.  However, the good news is that there is hope – One hope – our ONLY hope, and  that hope is the  source of all truth.  That hope is logical.  That hope is eternal.  That hope is never-changing.  That hope is available to all who will accept it.  That hope has a name – His  name is Jesus.  And Jesus loves you regardless of  who  you are or what you have done.  He loves you so much that He died to pay for your sins so that you could have hope.  Those who do not know “The Truth” are not bad people, they are merely deceived people.  They have been deceived by “The  Lie” and are held captive by The Great Deceiver himself, Satan.  Jesus came to the world to testify to the truth and to set the captives free.  He offers us the opportunity to live in truth and to work for the Best Boss, doing the most  important work,  and enjoying the best retirement plan ever known  to man.  Is it time for  you to make a career change?

-Pastor Dave Jones

A welcome sign at Fort Richardson reads, “U.S. Army Alaska, Privileged to Serve.”  Like many old Soldiers, I understand what a privilege it is to serve in our Country’s Armed Forces.  While there are certainly times of hardship, suffering, and loss, there is also an incredible sense of honor, camaraderie and accomplishment associated with being a member of our  Country’s military.  The privilege Soldiers feel is based upon the fact that we belong to a values-based organization which expects our very best and holds each member accountable to the standard.  It is also an organization which subjugates the importance of individuals and promotes the importance of the organization.  It is the duty of  each individual Soldier to carry out his orders to the best of his abilities.  Good Soldiers (Sailors, Airmen, and  Marines) are devoted to the Military and perform their duties with a glad heart because they know the cause for which they serve is a just one.  

Yesterday, the President of the United States awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor to a Navy SEAL, Senior Chief Edward Byers, for heroic action in a hostage rescue in Afghanistan.  Chief Byers neutralized two enemy guards and threw himself on top of the hostage to protect him from gunfire.  The  Chief then extricated a wounded SEAL team member and performed CPR on him for over a half hour trying to save his life.  In his comments at the award ceremony, the  Chief spoke only of the heroic actions of his deceased brother-in-arms and the valiant efforts of the other team  members.  Byers shunned the spotlight and deflected glory back on the organization, essentially saying, “I was only doing my duty.”  

While Chief Byers has been hailed by the country as a “hero,” his focus was not on self-glorification nor on seeking gratitude.  He believes he  simply  did his  duty and served when called.  In Luke 17:7-10, Jesus told the parable of how a servant should do his duty without expecting any gratitude or special consideration from his master.  As Paul reminds us in Romans 1:1, all Christians are servants of Jesus Christ and subject to His commands.  It is our duty to serve our Master whenever and wherever He calls.  Just as Chief Byers did not allow his personal safety or comfort to interfere with his duty, Christians should not allow the comforts and conveniences of this world to divert us from doing our duty as directed by our Master.  Just as Chief Byers never sought recognition or accolades for performing his duties, Christians should not work for recognition but rather out of a sense of duty and deep love and devotion to our Master.  Just as Chief Byers praised the work and sacrifices of his fellow servants, Christians should encourage  one another in the service to our Master (Hebrews 3:13).  

I encourage you to ponder what our world would be like if all Christ-followers adopted this attitude of Selfless Service.  Put your faith in  the  Lamb that is Worthy and live a life of Service instead of Serve-us.

-Pastor Dave Jones

Just two months ago we were preparing to celebrate Christmas, and now we find ourselves  only five weeks away from Easter!  Time does, indeed, fly.  As I reflected on the short span of time between Christmas and Easter,  I began to see the similarity between these two days of celebration –  they are both all about Jesus.  While retailers would lead you to believe these days are all about spending money on yourself and others as a method of demonstrating your love for them, the truth is they have nothing to  do with money.  However, the retailers did get one thing right,  they are about demonstrating love for people.  The Creator and leading Man of both Christmas and Easter showed us just exactly how to demonstrate love for others.

Jesus voluntarily left His home in the Heavenly Realm to come to earth as a human baby where He would eventually be chided, ridiculed, threatened, beaten, humiliated and then hung on a Cross to die the cruelest death known  to man.  Doesn’t sound like a very fair trade to me.  Luckily for us, Jesus wasn’t interested in “fair.”  He was interested in “forgiveness.”  The Righteousness of God demanded that a blood sacrifice be made to atone for Mans’ sins and reconcile us to a Holy God.  Jesus volunteered to be that sacrifice and He did so Joyfully.  Nowhere in Scripture is Jesus portrayed as being “bitter” or angry about His lot in life.  Never does He throw a pity party or complain about the unfairness of His suffering for others.  Jesus simply joyfully sacrifices Himself so that we, who deserve only condemnation, can receive forgiveness, redemption and eternal life in Heaven with God.  That is a Joyful Sacrifice.

The  next time you are asked to “sacrifice” something to promote the Kingdom of God or just to help out a fellow human being, think about the greatest sacrifice ever made and give of yourself joyfully and with a glad heart KNOWING that God will provide your reward. 

-Pastor Dave Jones

The parable of the Growing Seed, found in Mark 4:26-29, is one of Jesus’ shortest parables but it provides a powerful message.  It is a message of encouragement for Christians to be faithful and obedient by continuing to sow the seed of the Gospel even when we can’t immediately see the results.  This parable reminds us that our job is to sow and God’s job is to grow.  It is a nice parallel to Jesus’ command in the Great Commission to “go forth and tell…”  As Christ-followers, we have an inner compulsion, driven by the Holy Spirit, to share the Good News with others yet sometimes we get discouraged by what we perceive as a “thankless pursuit.”  Our discouragement stems from a lack of visible results of our efforts.  We want our testimonies to be received with immediate acceptance and effusive praise. However, as is most often the case, our sowing is  met with ambivalence, polite rejection, or even open hostility.  

This parable, like many of Jesus’ teachings, focuses on The Kingdom  of God.  Basically, the kingdom of God represents life as lived under the Kingship of God; it is when we recognize God’s right to reign supreme.  When we, as God’s children, recognize and acknowledge that the reason we sow the seed of the Gospel is for the glory of God and the enlargement of  His Kingdom,  we can truly enjoy the fruits of our labors.  As Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” It’s God’s providence, not our power that makes the seed grow. 

Be encouraged in knowing that God’s Seed (His Word) is POWERFUL and that He promised it would not return void.  As the prophet recorded God’s promise in Isaiah 55:11: “So is My word that goes out from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.”  So, the next time you feel like your sowing is meaningless, remember God’s promise, your purpose, and His timing: from this, we will find our joy.

-Pastor Dave Jones