oasisCHURCH

"Just Read" - Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study

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Click here for a printable version of the "Just Read" poster.

John 11 Sunday Morning -- This Sickness Is For the Glory of God

This Sunday we will dive into John chapter 11, which contains one of my favorite events in all the Bible, the raising of Lazarus after four days of being dead. Before Jesus did that miracle, however, he made a very scandalous decision and very intriguing statement. That's what we will discuss this Sunday at the Oasis gathering.

Hope to see you at the Pomeroy Senior Citizens Center at 10:00am this Sunday.

I Am Second

"Provocative in a Good Way"

Oasis Christian Fellowship Church!,

As we were adjourning from gathering Sunday morning, Chad mentioned that we should let the message that Chris shared be "provocative in a good way" for us this week. I think it is a fitting title for this post--It's catchy and kind of funny in a Michael Scott from the Office "That's what she said" kind of way. Wow. Anyway...

Its also an accurate and genuine desire of us -- 

(I would say "us" here is defined as, the Oasis leadership and I'll lump myself and those who participated in and embraced the recent Reformed Theology primer led by Chris at our last house church series in Athens)

that over the next seven to eight weeks as Chris summarizes and highlights the different areas and tenants of Reformed Theology, that you would work at it. When I say work at it, I don't mean that it will be boring. It will be very challenging and it takes effort to let yourself measure your beliefs and what is being said in the "pulpit" and what is being received as members of the body of Oasis. This shouldn't be any different from any other message Chris or Chad or whomever speaks. We should always be measuring what is said and how it relates to the Word of God in spirit and truth as worship to God! (John 4:24)'

I'll go a step further and say in every worship song that we sing, every testimony and every word spoken in corporate worship, measure what is said against the Word of God; Not to merely hold the speaker accountable, but to bring joy to your heart and re-affirm your bond with your church, the bride of Christ in worship to God. God desires us to wrestle with him and his truth's and truly seek him and in this we will find blessing.

ENOUGH!

This post isn't a commentary, but a forum. Over the next couple of weeks, as Chris brings us some basics about Reformed Theology -- WHAT OUR CHURCH HOLDS FIRM TO THEOLOGICALLY -- Please try to focus and challenge your minds, hearts and measure against the Word for yourself (and possibly for your family and generations to come) as a responsibility for growth as a believer in Christ.

With that, please leave here in the comment section of this post or any similarly functioning post any questions that pop up or answers of blessing that these truths reveal to you in your understanding of WHO God is and WHO we are in relation to Him and WHAT our church HOLDS to theologically. 

I'll start with my comment, and will continue to each week, but don't be shy to post questions, comments, blessings, desires, etc. for what we'll be dealing with. This should be a positive forum looking to instruct and teach, and not bring others down, but to build each other up. If you have any dissenting views, please do so in love and in the spirit of learning and try to back it up with scripture.

If you haven't heard the message, it should be posted either on the right column of this site, or on our Facebook page, which is linked on this page as well as Chris usually posts them shortly after Sunday every week.

Josh

The Living Room 2???

Last night's house church meeting reminded me of this:

Back in November of 2005 we were having such a great time worshiping God together in song, and we were having many new songs written by Oasis people, so we decided to record a worship gathering live at one of our house church meetings. It started out as a simple acoustic plan, but we ended up adding drums and bass, and it came out pretty nice for an off-the-cuff effort. Here's a sample: Trading My Sorrows.

Back to last night. About 45 minutes of our time was spent invested in worship in songs of praise to Christ the King. Such an experience is evidence, in my opinion, that the church body is truly "getting it" in our study of Revelation. Revelation is not an intellectual book to be debated, but an artistic book to be experienced. Likewise, Christianity is not a philosophy to be argued and fully comprehended intellectually. It is a love song to be sung. Of course, this love song is rooted in truth and understanding. But it also must be felt and passionately responded to. The book of Revelation is filled with songs. People often wonder why the church sings songs all the time. Why is music such a large part of church gatherings? We can easily find our answer in the pages of Revelation. If God created humans as worshipers, then that is what we do. That means Christianity is about worship. How is worship most often done? In our Bibles we see that a great majority of the time when worship occurs it is accompanied with singing, playing instruments, bowing down, kneeling, lying prostrate on the ground, raising hands, dancing, shouting, clapping, and loud choruses of song after song after song! God LOVES music. And we are created in the image of Him. We love music because we are image-bearers of God.

God could have chosen anything He wanted to be the primary tool used as means to worship Him, and He chose songs, music, instruments, singing. Yes, there are many ways we worship Him as living sacrifices. But there is no arguing that the primary means surrounding the throne of God as we glimpse into heaven is song and music and loud choruses of praise made by all the created beings.

What does this mean to me? What should this mean to our church? It means that we have been given the privilege of participating in something here and now that occurs constantly in heaven. Concerts, light shows, sound systems, amazing guitar riffs, soothing vocal harmonies, all of those aesthetics combine to draw us closer to the throne of God. Why? My guess is because that is where those things originate. That is what currently, and eternally, surrounds the throne of God.

I could hear and see last night that we are all starting to learn this fact. And we are learning it with more than our minds. God is doing something in our hearts. And He is moving our bodies to respond.

Is it time for a Living Room 2?

Good Friday Letter to Church

The following is a letter I emailed to the Oasis community last Friday.

Dear friends,

Today is a day of paradoxes. It is a gloomy, yet glorious day. It is a sad, yet joyous day. It is a frightening, yet comforting day. It is a day of great loss, yet a day of eternal gain. It is a day of death, yet it is a day of life. How can this all be? How can a cross of execution—used in the 1st century as a symbol of control, fear, and ultimate punishment—be something that today we wear around our necks with great joy, hang them in our homes and in church buildings to show dedication and love, and include them in our song lyrics to give adoration to God? How can such a symbol mean so much?

Because there is no gospel without the cross. We love Christmas, but the birth of Christ is no gospel. The life of Christ is no gospel. We also love Easter, but even the resurrection—important as it is in the total scheme of things—is no gospel by itself. The Good News is not just that God became man, nor that God has revealed a proper way of life for us, or even that death, the great enemy, is conquered. Rather, the Good News is that sin has been dealt with (of which the resurrection is a proof—so the two events do go hand-in-hand); that Jesus has suffered sin’s penalty for us as our representative, so that we might never have to suffer it; and that therefore all who believe in him can look forward to heaven.

This morning I sat at the breakfast table with my 7-year-old daughter and 9-year-old son, and I asked them if they understood what this day, Good Friday, symbolizes for us. They knew that Good Friday was the day that we remember Jesus’ death on the cross, and they were quick to point out that he rose again on the third day, which is why we go to church on Sunday. You might say that’s a good, basic understanding of things. And I am sure my kids have that understanding because they are growing up in a Christian home, with a Christian family and even Christian extended family. But, as my children continue to grow older and gain more understanding in this life, the most important thing I can teach them is that, even though they are being raised in a Christian family and are learning to lead a moral life, they are sinners who desperately need the substitutionary death of Christ to be forgiven by God.

So not only do I need to teach them the basics of “what happened.” I need to teach them the gospel, every day. I need to tell them that they are sinners, just like their mom and dad, and that sin is a serious problem. Sure, I will need to put it into words that their young minds can understand, but I should not ignore or minimize the seriousness of sin. Through their actions and attitudes they have rebelled against their Maker. And this great God is perfectly holy and must respond with fierce opposition to sin. He must punish it.

Some of you reading this right now might find it surprising that I would teach a 7-year-old and 9-year-old about God’s wrath toward sin. But I would contend that I find it surprising that any loving person would withhold this truth from another person they love. Because only when we understand God’s wrath toward sin can we realize that we need to be saved from it. What makes Good News “good news”? Usually good news comes when we are smack-dab in the middle of some serious bad news. You don’t know good news until you know bad news. That is why so many people in our world, who have lived moral lives and are thus considered “good people” by culture’s standards, do not recognize their need for Good News. If we don’t know of any bad news, then why do we need good news?

So, this is the message I want to teach my son and daughter as the hope of their life: Jesus, God’s perfect, righteous Son, died in their place for their sins. Jesus took all the punishment; Jesus received all the wrath as he hung on the cross, so people like Brock and Kaylee and their sinful mommy and daddy could be completely forgiven.

Do you know the gospel? Do you know that the cross is the center of your life in Christ? Can you explain that to someone else? Is your life cross-centered? I want to give you something to contemplate on this Good Friday. The symptoms that arise from not being a cross-centered person are actually quite easy to spot. Do any of these describe you?

• You often lack joy.
• You’re not consistently growing in spiritual maturity.
• Your love for God lacks passion.
• You’re always looking for some new technique, some “new truth” or new experience that will deepen your faith or pull all the pieces of your faith together.

If you can relate to any of these symptoms, then take some time today to re-focus your life on what really matters. It’s never too late for you to reestablish the obvious truth of the cross as the most important truth in your life. The message that Paul had for Timothy is the same message he has for you. You need to rediscover the truth that first saved you. The key to joy, to growth, to passion, isn’t hiding from you. It’s right in front of you. In fact, He actively seeks and passionately pursues after you with this message. The gospel.

If you have been reading these emails and posts this week and you sense that Jesus is speaking to your heart through the Holy Spirit, we encourage you to respond to the revealed Christ and give your worship to him. Some of you who have read these emails this week have become very committed to the fellowship of Oasis, and you know that God is calling you to partner in ministry with Oasis Meigs. But undoubtedly there is a number of you who are reading this right now and you know you have distanced yourself from the church in general, and thus you recognize a greater distance growing between you and Jesus.

Friends, we cannot exist alone. Your relationship with Jesus Christ is more than just a personal, private, autonomous relationship. You have been created by the Creator to, first and foremost, glorify and give worship to Him. Yes, you can and should do that on your own and in private times. But the worship we so often see demonstrated in the Scriptures is a corporate, community act. The encouragement that the early believers received in the Bible was through public gatherings of preaching and teaching. And one of the most common ways God’s people have been strengthened, comforted, and encouraged has been through the fellowship of the gathered church.

If you are thinking to yourself, Man, it sounds like he is trying to get me to come and join the church, you are exactly right. I care enough about you to exhort you in this vitally important aspect of your relationship with Jesus. Don’t try to do it on your own. One of the things worship requires is humility. It takes a humble person to admit need. We need one another. We need to be together, living out our salvation in a community of grace, love, and truth.

I hope you had a great Resurrection Weekend.

Forgiveness

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. And Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” And they cast lots to divide his garments. And the people stood by, watching, but the rulers scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!” The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” There was also an inscription over him, “This is the King of the Jews.” (Luke 23:33-38, ESV)

Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act. It means, rather, that the evil act no longer remains as a barrier to the relationship."

Jesus' first recorded words from the cross were words that he had been speaking since the first days of his earthly ministry. He taught forgiveness in the Lord's prayer: "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us" (Matthew 6:12). When asked by Peter, how many times should we forgive someone, Jesus answered seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22). At the Last Supper, Jesus explained his crucifixion to his Apostles when he told them to drink of the cup: "Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Matthew 26:27-28).

In this word from the cross we come face-to-face with man's greatest and primary need. The first and most important lesson any person must learn is that we are all sinners, and as such, not fit for the presence of a Holy God. Everyone has their own ideas for how to do what is right. We all make resolutions, and adopt rules to live by. In our own way we humans try our best to deal with the "sin problem". But our attempts to develop good character and our efforts to please God while there is still sin between Him and us are nothing but vain efforts. What good is a treadmill to us if our legs are paralyzed? What use are glasses if we are blind?

The question of the forgiveness of my sins is the basic, fundamental, vital question of all of life. It does not matter one bit that I am highly respected, famous, prominent, or loved by a wide circle of friends if I am still dead in my sins. It does not matter one bit that I have developed success in business or career if I remain an unforgiven trespasser in the sight of God. What will matter most in the hour of death is, Have my sins been forgiven by the blood of Christ?

[Devotional thought written by Chris Stewart]

Jesus' Seven Statements from the Cross

One thing we know about the crucifixion of Jesus from reading our Bibles is that while he was hanging there during those 6 hours on Friday, he spoke a few words. We often talk about a person's dying wishes, or their last words just before death. Usually a person's final words before death are important, key moments to remember.

Likewise, it has been a tradition in some churches to use the seven statements of Jesus from the cross in Good Friday services, where the members will take some time to reflect on the particular aspects of what Christ said during the last hours of his earthly life (or better said, the last hours before his death by crucifixion; as we know and believe, Jesus died but he returned to life again).

So this week we are going to do something similar. We are going to reflect on those seven statements made by Jesus during his time on the cross. I have invited seven different Oasis members to read, ponder, study, and write a few brief thoughts about one of those words in particular. Every day this week there will be a new post here, focusing on the word of the day, and leading us to the culmination of what is known as passion week, the greatest event in human history, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We hope you will be inspired, challenged and edified by each of these daily devotional thoughts this week.

"Amen."

Bethechurch friends, below is one of the best videos I have seen in a long time. After watching this, go listen to Chad's sermon from last Sunday (James 1:2-18) if you have not already.

A Word about Virginia Tech

All week I have been thinking, pondering, contemplating, and praying about how I should respond to the dreadful evil events that unfolded on Monday morning at Virginia Tech University. Like you, I have probably asked many of the same questions: Why? Did God allow this? If so, why would He? How does this fit with a biblical worldview of a Sovereign God? These are all good questions. And we ask them because they are desperately needed by our human minds in order to try to piece together some sort of rationale for what took place. But in the end we will undoubtedly be left with the conclusion that these kinds of acts are purely irrational. There are no “reasonable” explanations. And the conversations and various responses we hear and see all around us are very revealing of the worldviews we hold. Your response to tragedies like these reveals your worldview, and your view of God.

Perhaps the oldest and most asked question of Christian theology is “Where was God during this tragedy? How could God allow evil like this to happen?” It always comes up at times like these. And it always has come up throughout history whenever evil, tragic events rock our world. In fact these questions go all the way back to the Bible. The questions are asked all throughout the book of Job. And they are asked throughout the gospels in conversations Jesus had with his disciples. It is an age-old question. It is the question of evil. And it always rears its head whenever evil manifests itself in such a dramatically horrifying manner such as at Virginia Tech.

As with any evil that manifests itself in our culture, the terrifying evil of the killings at Virginia Tech bring us face to face with the reality of all human evil. Biblical Christianity does not duck the question of the problem of evil. Christianity faces this challenge honestly, and acknowledges the horror of moral evil and its consequences. The Bible never shies away from assigning responsibility for moral evil. Human beings are capable of committing horrible acts of violence, wickedness, cruelty, and killing.

Here is a paraphrased summary of Dr. Albert Mohler’s On Faith article in the Washington Post from this week that I thought was very insightful and on the mark:

The Bible locates the problem of moral evil, and points directly to the human heart. As the prophet Jeremiah reflected: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). In taking moral evil seriously, the Bible affirms that we (human beings) are responsible creatures. Our Creator will hold us fully accountable for our actions. All are sinners. Some sinners embrace evil more explicitly than others—leading to horrors such as these killings on a university campus.

As author C. S. Lewis so powerfully reminds us, we must trust that God's perfect justice will destroy evil and reset the moral equilibrium of the universe.

A central principle of the Christian faith is the claim that, on the cross, Jesus Christ willingly suffered the full force of evil, even unto death—and that in raising Christ from the dead, the Father vindicated Christ's victory over sin, death, and evil.

The Virginia Tech horror reminds us all what human beings can do to each other. The cross of Christ reminds us of what Jesus did for sinners in bearing the full punishment for this evil.

Christianity does not deny the reality of evil or try to hide from its horror. Christians dare not minimize evil nor take refuge in clichés (i.e. “God is in control”). He certainly is, but we must be willing to acknowledge how God is in control and how God has responded to human evil. Additionally, we cannot accept that evil will have the last word. The last word will be the perfect fulfillment of the grace and justice of God. We know this promise from God’s Word. And we trust in it and live by it.

In the meantime, we are witnesses to the true nature of moral failing and tragedy such as the killings at Virginia Tech. We mourn with those who mourn, and weep with those who weep.

None of us can truly know the pain and suffering of these victims and their families? Even now as I pray for those who grieve and suffer, I place my confidence in the assurance that God will bring all things to the perfect conclusion of his judgment. Without this confidence, how could I make sense of what certainly appears to be senseless evil and violence?

Does this still not answer your question of how can I believe in a God who would allow something like this? What answer will satisfy that question? One thing I know for sure, and I will stand by this regardless of what evil I see in the world or even experience personally. And that one thing is: God is GOOD. He is so good that it’s not as if he measures up to some external standard of goodness—He actually determines what goodness is just by being who He is. God is love. God is light and in Him there is no darkness at all. And you may even hear some Christians try to wiggle out of this question by suggesting that God is not omnipotent—meaning, God did not have any control over this circumstance. He is omnipotent. He is in control of all things. God is the creator and He is ultimately responsible for all things, either by making it happen, ordaining it to happen, or allowing it to happen. He is omnipotent and sovereign.

So if He is truly omnipotent, then how can He be good? It would seem, in our minds that a truly good God who was also omnipotent would never allow something like this to happen. I will again say what I said above. The Bible hits every single one of these issues head-on. On every issue that deals with this problem of evil, the Bible never flinches. It tells us that God is omnipotent and in control of His creation. It tells us that God is good and in Him there is no evil at all. And it tells us that we (his creatures) are responsible and will be held accountable for the evil we do.

There is such a clash of worldviews out there, and you have undoubtedly seen, read, or heard them. For instance, the Christian scientists say that there is no evil at all. There is no sickness. It is all just an illusion. Well, those students and families in Blacksburg, VA know all too well that evil is not an illusion. I remember hearing one preacher address the question, why do bad things happen to good people by saying this: “Look, God is good, but He is not in control of all these evil events (translation: God is not omnipotent). He is doing the best He can under the circumstances. He tries his best to make good come out of the evil we choose to do, but it is not always possible. In that case He is always ready with ‘plan B’ whenever ‘plan A’ fails.” Open theists offer similar answers: “God is ultimately resourceful; He’s just not completely sovereign.” In other words, we cannot blame God for this because God could not have prevented it.

All of these are efforts to keep people from blaming God for evil events. For many, the only way to make sense of the answer that God is not to be blamed is to suggest that God could not have done anything about it. For if He could have controlled it, then He would be to blame. And if He is to blame, then He is not good.

The problem with all of this rationale is that it is completely antithetical to the Bible. The Bible says He is in control. The Bible says He is good. There is no “Plan B.” The Lamb—who was slain from the foundation of the world (Revelation 13:8)—is, was, will be, and always has been “Plan A” for the problem of evil. God is not shocked or surprised by the events of this world. God is not stunned or taken aback by our actions. And God’s plan is not thwarted by evil. God’s will has never been thwarted by man’s evil. The story of Joseph teaches us that clearly. God did not just use the evil actions of Joseph’s brothers, the Bible says that God “meant” for Joseph to be sold for “good” reasons according to God’s redemption plan (Genesis 50:20).

So, God ordains and/or allows all that comes to pass. Within that omnipotent sovereignty you will find man doing evil. The distinction that we must make in our understanding of biblical theology is that God did not ordain the evil but “allows” it because it is going to bring about the good will of God. This is consistent throughout the full counsel of God’s Word.

For example, Judas was not forced by God to betray Jesus. But God allowed Judas to act like Judas (an evil sinner) because God’s will of the cross would be thus fulfilled. In order for Judas to act like Judas all God had to do was cease from restraining the evil in Judas’ heart. Thus, God did not create the evil, Judas did.

As you can probably see by now, I for one believe that God is not a casual observer in His own universe. He does not sit idly by with His hands tied and watch the events of His creation unfold, wishing He could do something about it but either not having the ability to or restraining Himself from interfering. That is not the God that is described in the Bible. He is the Lord of all that He has created.

But, He has done something very interesting with human beings. He created us as moral creatures. If you go back to the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis, you will see that God created Adam and Eve as moral creatures, in His image. What it means to be created in God’s image is to be creatures who have moral capacity—to do good and to do evil; to obey and to disobey. The whole story of the fall of humanity had to do with this very issue of evil: they did evil rather than good. They disobeyed rather than obeyed, and it came with consequences. One of the consequences of their sin (Adam and Eve) is that for all of us in the human world, sin is a very real threat, evil is an all too real reality. And the fact of the matter is that we do not have to look very far to find horrific acts of this evil.

Just looking at the many photos and video captures of the faces on the campus of Virginia Tech University tells us that human beings know all too well the face of moral evil. The biblical Christian response to this, as well as to any tragedy, is to affirm that God is sovereign and Lord over all; that God is good, absolutely righteous. And that God has made us as moral creatures, capable of doing great good and great evil. And the sad story of human sinfulness is that we so often choose the evil rather than the good. The Bible doesn’t say that some people are sinners, but that all are sinners. But there are some sinners who give themselves unreservedly with abandon to their sin, and that is the only explanation for what took place on Monday morning in Virginia.

And the only HOPE to find in what took place is that God, who is ultimately good and sovereign, is working together in this evil—as well as in all the evil we experience—for good for those who love Him and who are called according to His purpose.

Whenever something like this happens in our world it tends to put Christians on the stage with onlookers saying, “Okay, how will you respond?” It certainly puts us on the spot. And so my word to you is this. Respond with truth. Respond with grace. Respond with the compassion of Jesus Christ. Respond ultimately with the Gospel. And most of all I would exhort you with this: to respond with a theology that is honoring to God rather than with one that simply makes us feel better. Do not be quick to rationalize in order to make sense of evil. Hold fast to the timeless truth of God’s Word. To me, the theology of a sovereign, holy, omnipotent, loving and good God is the most comforting thing there is. To know that we have a Lord of lords and a King of kings, whose supremacy reigns over all people, all events, and all circumstances; that is what helps me rest and have joy even in times of tragedy. Because I trust Him; even when it is difficult to accept the events and the results of the evil in the world. I trust Him.

Even if just a little, I hope you feel more equipped to converse with your friends and co-workers on this. Do not overlook the incredible opportunity you may have to be a witness to the truth of the Gospel as a result of this event.

May God bless you this week, church.