“They know enough who know how to learn.” – Henry Adams

A squirrel’s teeth never stop growing. The typical red or gray squirrel’s four front teeth, which are curved and chisel-like, will grow eight inches a year and will, over a lifetime, see over six feet of growth. God made them this way because He made their food supply hard to get at. Getting into an acorn, hickory nut, or walnut will file down and crack the best set of teeth. There’s encouragement in this for the squirrel and there’s also a charge. As long as the squirrel is alive, it’ll have the tools to eat, grow, and survive; and that’s heartening. But more sobering is the thought that if the squirrel isn’t cracking his own nuts, it’s teeth will grow very long, become impossible to use, and the little squirrel will soon starve to death.

God has made disciples of Christ in much the same way. The food supply for the believer’s soul is often a tough nut to crack, but every Christian baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus has the tools to get at the meat. And any Christian who never endeavors to wrestle, struggle, and work out his faith, will soon see his soul starve to death on a supply of spiritual puree. Good Christian discipleship involves giving the believer treasures that are still in their shell and encouraging a hunger sufficient for the challenge. As the writer of Hebrews urged, “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (10:24-25) Let’s help each other get cracking – to grow in faith and grace!

Investigators love eyewitness accounts. Secondhand knowledge and third-hand information is valuable and can often point the detective in the right direction, but intermediary accounts are never good enough to settle a matter. On matters and mysteries of utmost importance, we want to get the facts firsthand, the story from someone who saw it with his own two eyes, and the tale told from the horse’s own mouth.

Nonbelievers, in one sense or another, are all investigators. Questions about the existence of God, the basis of right and wrong, and the prospect of life after death are all open files that sit stacked on their desks. They work on them here and there, running down the occasional lead and following up on whatever tips they’re given. But these questions remain unsolved mysteries without a significant breakthrough to help crack the case. In their ongoing investigation, few clues will be more compelling than an “eyewitness account” from a believer; a personal testimony of interactions and conversations with God Himself and the subsequent miraculous transformations experienced. It’s wonderful to tell someone of Jacob’s wrestling with the angel, of Moses’ meeting on Mount Sinai, of Peter’s walk upon the water, and of Saul’s blinding on the Road to Damascus; but these stories are all told secondhand. While the Holy Spirit uses Biblical testimonies in powerful ways, He makes a more compelling case when He has you share about your own wrestlings, meetings, blindings, and leaps of faith. Your personal testimony of your own relationship with the living God is a powerful, mighty tool in the hands of the Lord.

Over the next eight weeks, we’ll be working together to understand the nature of a personal gospel testimony; why it’s compelling and how it’s constructed. We’ll be reflecting on our own testimonies and working to give shape to their telling. We’ll be doing some writing, some sharing, some praying, and some public speaking. The ultimate goal of this course of study is to become a more fit instrument in the hands of the Lord and to bear fruit for His kingdom. I expect it to be an eye-opening time, full of fulfillment and thanksgiving. I also expect for it to be a lot of fun. Join us beginning this Sunday, September 9th at 8:30 in the morning in room #208 for this gospel workshop. Hot coffee and fresh baked goods will be served!

Much of history is a record of what’s done with sledgehammers. Men and women, frustrated with the nature and structure of things, cock back the wrecking ball and let it swing; smashing the established order to pieces. Boundary lines are moved, laws rewritten, statues toppled, books burned, and temples leveled for the rebuild. What are Paris, Jerusalem, and Rome but tubs of Legos that emperors, kings, princes, and generals have played in over the millennia? One of the lessons we’ve learned from these furious histories is that many of the things that get smashed should have been left as they were. Some that ends up as rubble should have been guarded as gold.

Ours is one of these iconoclastic ages when the sledgehammers are swinging. Under the banner of progress, a lot of our societal structure has been condemned as unfit for a noble and free people and is being slated for disassembly. As the chaos increases, those of us interested in preserving what’s best for our families and neighbors are left to decide what can be left to burn and what must be preserved. One of the changes Christians are being forced to consider is the rapid legalization of marijuana. Long seen as an illicit narcotic that seeks to arrest the energies of young people and fog the minds of all who get hooked, cannabis is today being championed as a medical miracle, a less dangerous alternative to alcohol, and even a gift from God. What should we say to our lawmakers, our youngsters, and our brothers and sisters battling chronic pain? In Marijuana to the Glory of God?, Pastor Jeff Lacine of Portland, Oregon offers his perspective for our consideration. Come join the conversation at the Roundtable this Sunday morning at 8:30am. Hot coffee will be brewed and baked goods spread out to sweeten the meeting – hope to see you there!

Click Here to read this week’s article