Who is this Paul guy anyway?

What do you say about someone whose influence upon Christianity has been felt throughout Church history and continues to this day?  What is it about Paul that has elevated him above Peter, James, or John in impact if not in esteem as well?
The thing that separates Paul from others in the Early Church is his zeal.  Zeal is a slippery quality, it can lead us to triumph against incredible odds, and it can paint us into a corner before we even know it.  Paul as a young man, back when he went by Saul, was full of passion and conviction for the LORD.  He was consumed with the idea of purifying the faith of his ancestors in order to save his people.  It was a noble cause that the prophets had attempted time and time again, but with Saul it turned ugly.  Passion quickly turned to persecution when Saul learned that there were still people preaching in the name of that discredited Galilean rabbi, Jesus.  For Saul there was no need to know anything else, these men and women were threatening that which he held most dear.  The answer was also simple, persecute them; kill them if necessary.
That Saul didn't end his life a bitter man with blood on his hands that he couldn't wash clean is a testament to the grace of God.  There have been plenty of men like Saul in history, those too consumed with their own self-righteousness to understand mercy.  Zeal, when is runs out of control, is easily turned to hatred; hatred doesn't need much convincing to become homicide of genocide.
God, in his wisdom and mercy, had another ending in mind for Saul's life.  It would take a dramatic change to turn such a passionate man around, but God specializes in those.  A face to face meeting with the risen Jesus was just what Saul needed to finally see the Truth; God added in temporary blindness to make sure that Saul got the point.  When he emerged from his meeting with Jesus, Saul was no more, Paul had been born again.
From that point forward in his life, Paul retained his zeal, his single-minded passion for God, but now it was tempered with mercy.  No longer would he scream for the Law to rule all, Paul would become the champion of Grace.  His efforts to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ would take Paul back and forth across Asia Minor, Greece, and Italy.  Eventually his efforts would rouse jealousy and suspicion from local Roman officials and begin Paul down the road that led to his trial and execution.  In the end, God didn't remove Paul's passion, he simply redirected it.
So why do we find ourselves drawn to Paul's writings 2,000 years later?  That same willingness to do anything and everything to save the Lost that drove Paul onward inspires us today.  We too want to be on fire for God, we want to feel the Spirit of God burning within us, and we too want to be champions of Grace.

Sermon Video: "Christ is preached...And because of this I rejoice" Philippians 1:12-18

The apostle Paul offers the church of Philippi encouragement by telling them that his imprisonment has counter-intuitively helped the spread of the Gospel rather than harming it.  It seems that those who know of Paul's arrest have not been intimidated into silence, rather they have begun to preach with boldness and courage because of the example of Paul.  On top of that, Paul's conduct while "in chains for Christ" has been an example to the soldiers and government officials connected to his case.  How would we respond to such persecution, would the threat of prison or worse silence our witness to the Gospel?  That isn't a question we can answer ahead of time, but certainly something for us to remember when things far less serious than that stop us from witnessing.
Paul also tells the church that he isn't worried about those who are preaching the Gospel because of their jealousy of Paul.  They may be spreading the message of redemption through false motives, but the message they are sharing is still the hope that the Lost need so desperately.  How do we respond when others share the Gospel through ways and means that we don't appreciated?  Do we rejoice when others Christians have success in their ministry even if we don't?  Paul knew that only the important things, such as the preaching of the Gospel, are worth fighting for.  To get sidetracked by our ego is to lose track of the servant's heart that Christ demonstrated; the Gospel must come first.
Paul's demonstration of grace in the face of trails, from without (his arrest) and within (those jealous of him), is an example to us all.  Are we focusing on the Gospel, have we kept are eyes on the primary duty of the Church?

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Sermon Video: "This is my prayer" - Philippians 1:9-11

 The prayer of the Apostle Paul for the church at Philippi is not the result of a specific need or request, but rather a general prayer for the future direction of this group of believers that Paul knows from experience have already embraced the need to love in word and in deed.  Paul utilizes a six step chain of cause and effect which lead from his hope that their "love may abound more and more" to the tool which will allow love to grow: knowledge and depth of insight.  The increase in knowledge (primarily of oneself and other people, the experience that leads to wisdom) will result for them in an increase in discernment which will allow the people of Philippi to choose what is best.  For Paul this isn't a question of knowing right from wrong, rather it is a question of learning how to love properly so that they might choose best over better and good.  Once the people have learned how to choose what is best, they will then be equipped to live in purity and free of blame, not only now, but until the day of Christ.  Such pure living will invariably result in the development of the fruit of righteousness, a process of character development made possible by the power of Jesus Christ working within those who follow him.  Lastly, Paul's chain of causation reaches its climax by proclaiming that such righteous living will bring forth praise and glory to God. 
In the end, Paul is praying that God will be praised because of the people of the church at Philippi, and he recognizes that the road to God's glory begins with the growth of love in his people.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Virtue run amok

G.K. Chesterton wrote his explanation of why he believed in Christianity, Orthodoxy, in 1908.  He wrote at the dawn of the Modern Age that we know live in, prior to WWI, when electricity, the automobile, and radio were on the horizon.  In the last one hundred and five years some things have changed a great deal, one observation of his in particular about virtue and vice has only grown more true with the passage of time.
"The modern world is not evil; in some ways the modern world is far too good.  It is full of wild and wasted virtues...The modern world is full of the old Christian virtues gone mad.  The virtues are mad because they have been isolated from each other and are wandering alone." (Orthodoxy, p. 22)  By this Chesterton meant that Truth, Justice, Mercy, Love, etc. are still valued in our society, but out of proportion with each other, and in grotesque ways that ultimately lead to evil instead of good precisely because they have become detached from their framework within the Christian faith.  Those who value Truth above all else think nothing of persecuting those with whom they disagree.  Those who trumpet Mercy do so by declaring and end to judgment; rather than learn what true mercy means, they simply deny any absolute sense of right and wrong.  The examples could go on and on, but the most disturbing of all virtues run amok is Love.  Our society is drunk on the idea of Love, but the love we now worship is a self-centered, pleasure seeking charlatan, it cares not for those who do not love it back and resembles not at all the Love of God shown at Calvary.
Chesterton's observation about the virtue of humility is particularly poignant, and worth quoting, "Humility was largely meant as a restraint upon the arrogance and infinity of the appetite of man...But what we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place.  Modesty has been removed from the organ of ambition.  Modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction; where it was never meant to be.  A man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed." (p. 23-24)  This is the Post-Modern world we find ourselves living in.  Everyone is full to overflowing with self-confidence, but scared to death to say that one thing is right and another is wrong.  The result is an ever more pathetic arrogance about one's own place in this world, and an ever shrinking ability to define one's purpose in this world.  It is any wonder that people grow weary of the bluster and long for some sense of Truth to comfort their souls?  Is it any wonder that far too many young people around the world have embraced fanaticism in the vain hope that the brutal certainty of a violent claim to truth will make up for their own feelings of uncertainty?
The world may not look much like it did one hundred years ago, but the mind of man hasn't changed all that much.  Would that we might once again embrace the mind of Christ and put an end to all of this virtue run amok.

A humbling moment, thanks to all

Last Wednesday was one of the highest moments in my professional life, it was an unexpected honor I received from the Dept. of Human Services of Venango County.  They held an annual awards dinner and chose me to receive the Outstanding Service to Others award from the Office of Economic Opportunity and Children and Youth Services.  Having lived here in Venango County for only a year and a half, I was certainly surprised to have been noticed beyond others who have toiled in this field far longer.  There would be no opportunity for this award if my church and my board didn't support me 100% in outreach efforts beyond our congregation, nor would I be able to do so without the support of my loving wife, Nicole, or the rest of my family, especially my father Walt and my mother Kathy.  In addition, I'm supported here in this ministry effort very capably by my office manager, Cheryl Rila. 
From the day I arrived here in Franklin I knew that something was different.  The years I spent hoping and praying for an opportunity to minister more while living back in Michigan were no more; instead, people were looking to me for leadership on several ecumenical outreach efforts.  It was during the third meeting of the Chilren's Roundtable that I had attended since moving here that one of its principal supporters, CYS solicitor Bill Cisek, asked me to "take over" the discussion about what the churches might be able to do to help partner with the Human Services dept.  Thus my involvement in Mustard Seed Missions, as it came to be know, was born.  Not by some grand plan of my own, but by a simple opportunity that presented itself to do what God would want any of his ministers to do; help those in need.  God bless everyone involved in the effort here in Venango County to make our churches known for what our faith causes us to DO.

The picture is of me receiving the award from Judge Lobaugh, another of the instrumental local government officials who have shown such amazing trust of our local churches.  Four incredible things have happened here:
1. The government agencies trust churches to help
2. The churches trust the government enough to be willing to help.
3. The communities of this county are working together for the common good.
4. The churches of this county are working together for the common good.