Do we as worship leaders usher people into God's presence?

My friend from Re:Train wrote this blog for the ReSurgence on Wednesday Dec 29. His name is Joel Brown, the pastor of Worship Arts at Mars Hill Church in Seattle.  I've got to have many meaningful conversations with this dude and his insight is very humbling.  I know that too often I have thought of myself, as a worship leader, doing to job of "leading people into the presence of God" but that would be giving myself too much credit! I know I, and many others I know, mean well when they say that statement.  We understand that there is only ONE mediator between God and man and that is the God-Man Jesus Christ, but what is the job of a a worship leader if it isn't leading someone "into" somewhere? Simple: Show them, or remind them, or sing about, or proclaim, or lift high the name of the guy who does: Christ Jesus.

Here is his blog post (here is the link to the actual blog post if you would rather read it from there)


Gentlemen, We Are Not Mediators
Anyone who’s been a worship leader at a church has heard, at some point, “Your job is to bring the congregation into the presence of God!” Or maybe, “Take them into the throne room!” Grab the latest magazine on sacred music and you’ll find the idea of worship leader as presence-usher littering the pages. But where does this idea come from? Is it even biblical?


Presence isn't a place
The word "presence" appears in Scripture 173 times. About half of those are referring to the physical place where God dwells. This was particularly true in the Old Testament, where God shows up in places like the tabernacle or the temple.
The New Testament teaches us that in Christ, God has wonderfully chosen to bewith us. Emmanuel came (Matthew 1:23) and ever since, his presence is no longer made manifest by a specific location (John 4:23-24, Acts 17:24-25) or mere mortal (Hebrews 4:14-16; 9:23), but God’s presence on earth is in the life of every believer through his Holy Spirit.

Jesus, the mediator
Because Christ is perfect, and by his blood has reconciled us to God (2 Corinthians 5:18), he can appear before a holy and righteous God on our behalf.He is the mediator, not us.
You want to bring your congregation before the throne of God? Great. Show them the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18), and by faith, the Spirit will take them there. The Holy Spirit is the conduit through whom we experience God’s presence, and Christ is the place whereby we are made most aware of his presence. In his book, Worship Matters: Leading Others to Encounter the Greatness of God, Bob Kauflin says it this way: “Christ is how and where we meet with God”.

But in heaven, we'll sing in-tune

God is present in a special way when we sing together—we are in a sense practicing for heaven, and nowhere else can we collectively see and hear one another worship Christ at the same time. But God’s presence is not a place we go.It is a Spirit we welcome.

“Sometimes when we sing, the power of music and truth combined can dig deeply into our hearts to make us realize that God is with us, but it wasn’t the singing that made him appear. He was there all along.
”

Everywhere we go, the Spirit of the living God is with us—leading us, guiding us, and allowing us to be in the presence of God without being blown to smithereens.
When it comes down to it, if music could take us into God's presence, "God would have sent us a musician rather than a saviour." –Vaughan Roberts

Does Your Blood Ever Boil? (Psalms for the Simple: Psalm 5 (5/150))

There is a "church" in our area that claims to be an "inclusive spiritual community." It is a church that has thrown out the truth and replaced it with a lie that all paths lead to God and no one should claim that their "path" is the only way. It's called universalism.  This church's leader has defamed the name of Christ in the pursuit of inclusivity and creating a large social gathering where he can stand up in front of them and teach that there is no penalty to sin, and that anyone who says there is or claims an exclusive "way" is the culprit of religious "brutality" and is the reason why there is pain and suffering in this world. 
There is a whole heap of wrong in this teaching based on it's logic alone, not to mention that it is directly opposing to God's word.  Their largest argument is that God's word is handy but not anything more than that. Well, for those of us enlightened and unblinded by the Holy Spirit,  God's word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119). You can seen then how difficult it would be for me to feel "welcome or included" when from the pulpit every weekend is a message attacking what I believe and cherish and know as absolute truth. Instead this church has felt the need to "educate" the community that exclusive claims, but more specifically, Christian exclusive claims are brutal and shouldn't be making anyone feel guilty anymore.  
They don't just limit this to the pulpit, they utilize what other churches are typically made fun of: their church sign statements. My favorite cheezy church sign was always the one that said, "Sign's broken, message inside." This church doesn't have cheezy statements, they have very offensive statements that specifically bash Christian teaching. For example: "God is a verb, YOU are the noun" (excuse me while I throw up a little...) 
All this to say, my blood boils when I see the Word of God spit on, and when the name of Christ is defamed. I get so angry sometimes thinking, "is there something I should do to stop this!?" I want to take a sledge hammer to their sign sometimes, but that would only give them "material" to bash Christianity again. It is not worth minimizing the Glory of God for my own selfish and fleshly want for retaliation and vengeance. Psalm 5 is God's way of saying, "you may have your bullies, but I am God, remember?" 
Verses 1-3 ( and also Psalm 4 which precedes this)  act for David similar to what I just did above.  "God, please hear me because my enemies are overbearing... hear my groaning, I'm so tired of how they take my honor and your name and make it to be shame." 

But notice what David writes after this (God's inspired word through David):
 4     For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; 
evil may not dwell with you. 
⁵ The boastful shall not stand before your eyes; 
you hate all evildoers. 
⁶ You destroy those who speak lies; 
the Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 
⁷ But I, through the abundance of your steadfast love, 
will enter your house. 
I will bow down toward your holy temple 
in the fear of you. 
⁸ Lead me, O Lord, in your righteousness 
because of my enemies; 
make your way straight before me. 
⁹ For there is no truth in their mouth; 
their inmost self is destruction; 
their throat is an open grave; 
they flatter with their tongue. 
¹⁰ Make them bear their guilt, O God; 
let them fall by their own counsels; 
because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, 
for they have rebelled against you. 
¹¹ But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; 
let them ever sing for joy, 
and spread your protection over them, 
that those who love your name may exult in you. 
¹² For you bless the righteous, O Lord; 
you cover him with favor as with a shield. 

It is almost as if David stopped himself, talking himself down, if you will, by proclaiming that evil and wickedness cannot be in the presence of God. God looks out for those who he saves, who he has poured our his abundant love on.  The bullies; those who replace the truth with lies, they have it coming to them, it is just a matter of time. David knows that they have chosen to rebel, and he knows what happens to them based solely on who God is and his holiness. 
David finishes with a great bit of encouragement in 11 and 12.  We, who take refuge in the Lord are covered with God's favor and his shield. God blesses the righteous and we are righteous ONLY because of Christ Jesus and believing in Him and his atoning sacrifice on the cross. 

So next time you feel like getting revenge or retaliation on the bullies in this world who are trying (yes TRYING) to defame the name of Christ.  Sit back and relax.  It's like you are holding pocket aces and they are sitting across the table trying to beat you with a 2 and 7 off suit and bluffing.  They will spit and sneer and try to get you to fold, but you know that it is just a matter of time before the cards are played and they lose miserably.  (please don't read into this analogy too much, it's meant to be a simple way of saying that they can't win) 
The truth is, it really is just a matter of time.  As followers of Christ in the face of the world, we are called numerous times to "wait" on the Lord and he will renew our strength (Isa 40:31).  We combat injustice and untruth with the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5): Patience, and Self-control being two key fruits pertaining to this.  It really is just a matter of time when we will be in the presence of the Lord and Philippians 2:9-11 will play true even to the leader of this truth killing church: even he will bow the knee someday and recognize that Christ is Lord. In that day, it will be too late for him, but it is not too late now.  I pray that for him and for the people who are following his teaching that they quickly realize the error of their teaching and repent, recognizing Jesus Christ as the ONLY way, the ONLY truth, and the ONLY life, but encompassing all of that: HE IS OUR ONLY WAY TO BE RECONCILED TO OUR HOLY GOD, if we receive this gift of his sacrifice for our sins by faith. Have you done that?

Lord, please work a miracle in this community. We know that your fame will be superior and that you will not stand to see evil prevail.  Work in us Lord and empower us to show the Love of Christ so powerfully that the message coming from false teachers will be muted. We ask this in the only name that has authority, the only name that has dominion over all, the only name by which we are saved: Jesus Christ the Lord, amen. 

Immanuel, "God with us"

"Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."  Isa 7:14

"Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”   Matt 1:23

Did you ever have one of these manger scenes growing up? Or do you have one now? The nativity scene is very recognizable, but sometimes that's all it is. 

The Christmas story seems to have become so well known that even the pagan knows it or has heard it at least. Ask anyone the question, "what happened that we remember on Christmas?" Chances are, they will spout out the fact that "well Jesus was born, duh!"  Most people know this.  "The true meaning of Christmas is that Christ came to this earth to save us."  The unfortunate thing is that though it may be common knowledge, it most certainly isn't common belief.  That is a terrible problem. Do the majority of people realize that they need to be saved and thus truly believe and have faith that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied about all over the Old Testament who has come to save us from our sins!? Or, instead, do they simply know that he came to this earth as a baby, and for all they know, maybe he just grew up and was killed because of injustice.  Here's the point, the Gospel Message is just as important in the Christmas Holiday as it is every single day of our lives.

Christmas is meant to be a reminder that Christ came, yes, but more importantly there is something far greater than the fact that this man was born. The crux of the issue, which is a matter of life and death is in the prophecy in Isaiah 7 and referenced in Matthew 1: this term "Immanuel."  Jesus came, yes, but who IS Jesus.  He is IMMANUEL, which translated means, "God with us."  Why is this the crux of the issue? It is because if Jesus were not God with us, if he were not indeed Immanuel, we would indeed NOT be saved from our sins. This term is used only 3, possibly 4 (debated) times in the whole bible. Yet the truth of it is referenced and implied more than we can count: Jesus is GOD. And because he was the God-man; God who "became flesh and dwelt among us" being fully God and fully Man, we can truly be fully saved from our sins.

See, sin cannot be in the presence of the almighty HOLY God. God's wrath, because of his righteousness, is rightfully poured out on sin (Romans 3:5-8). BUT God's righteousness has become "manifest" in the person of Jesus  Christ (Romans 3:21-26), "God with us," So that when we believe, God is justified in sparing us from his wrath against our sin because of Christ being our substitution. Only Christ, the sinless, spotless, lamb of God, God himself, could cover our sin because that is only something that God can do! I love the way my senior pastor puts it: We owed a debt that we could not pay, God stepped in and paid a debt he did not owe, so that we may be reconciled unto him forever because of having faith in Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God WITH us.

I hope this makes Christmas more meaningful for you this year. I hope you take the truth of God's word that God himself came to save sinners and tell your friends and family the true meaning behind the story they probably already know. Immanuel: God with us. Let us never gloss over this!

Hope you are having a blessed start to this Christmas season!

Remember that Discussion about Form over Function?

The idea is NOT to have the "form" over the "function." Here's a humorous example of form over function. And if you are wondering, "what is he talking about" click here for the blog on "form over function."

Psalms for the Simple: Psalm 4 (4/150)

It has been sporadic in the posting of these blogs. In this case, that is a good thing.  Currently I'm in process of planting a Harvest Bible Chapel in Spring Lake, MI.  We are opening in 3 weeks and the final buttons being buttoned up are taking up a lot of my time and energy. Again, this is a good thing. I'm so blessed and excited to be apart of where God is moving, and He IS moving in a powerful way right now in the process of this church plant.  I'm sure there will be more on this later, but in the meantime, I want to experience Psalm 4 with you all. 

In my bible, the title of this psalm is written: Answer me when I call. To me that sounds a little brash. It sounds like David is a little angry? Who is David that he should demand the Lord to Answer him? Isn't that rude? We get a little insight to why he uses this kind of "demanding sounding" speech when opening this psalm in vs 1.

 "Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!" 

When David seems to demand an answer, he's rather declaring what he has experienced and knows God to do in the past and is declaring it to his future and present situation! When, in the middle of that verse, he says, "You HAVE given me relief..." the word "have" is a past-tense AS WELL as a present tense word. If I have a car, it implies that I've had that car for at least as long in the past as it took before I was able to say that I currently "have" it.

Apply this now to David and his circumstance. He is not saying, "Answer me Lord right now or else..." Rather it's as if he was saying, "I know you will answer my prayer because of how faithful you are to me all the time, and it will be no different for this circumstance in my life, so i'm going to declare it and say, "Answer me when i call."" 

I might be thinking that I'm trying to pull too much out of this, but it is a great principle even applied to our lives! Think of it this way. When striving and pursuing the heart and will of God, we know in Romans 8:28 that ALL things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose.  If we understand that, we should know well enough to know that God WILL be faithful, and answer our prayers. His answer to our prayer may not be what we expected, but in hindsight, have you ever seen how God answers prayer in a way we didn't expect and it ended up with greater benefit for HIS purpose in our lives? If we know that God is truly faithful, which HE IS, we should know that we can thus declare His forthcoming answer to our prayers knowing that it is truly for our ultimate good and for His glory! 

The rest of this Psalm is packed full of truth that can be applied to our lives. Let's look briefly at vs 2-8.  It starts with David's question, (paraphrased in my own words, read it for yourself) "How long will what I know is right be looked on from the world as foolishness?" You will find that in your walk with Christ as head in your life, the world will look back at you and say, "what a fool..." We're given a little more insight into this fact in 1Corinthians 1:18-19 "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  For it is written, (quoting from Isa 29:14) "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.""

If you are truly living in a matter worthy of the call of Christ Jesus, expect to be ridiculed by the world for it. But at the same time, be encouraged by David's words and response to when this happens, (back to psalm 4:4). "Be angry, and do not sin;" and goes on to say "trust in the Lord" and THEN goes on to say something that is AWESOME and true: "You have put more join in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound." 

Briefly, holy anger is defined in this passage: "be angry, and do not sin." It's vague, I know, but for a reason. Paul uses this same verse in Ephesians 4:25.  We can be upset about the injustice in this world, because it is the holy anger of the Lord in us against sin that we are feeling. But we MUST remember to put our trust in the Lord and realize that vengeance is HIS not ours (Heb 10:30-31). 

Lastly, Joy and Peace are a result of what we just discussed. If we are to declare the Lord's faithfulness to our situation and trust him in the midst of our trials and circumstance, then vs 7 and 8 become a reality. We will not look upon those with wealth and money and think they are more joyful, because the Lord puts more joy in our hearts than money or wealthy could possibly even scratch the surface of. And immediately following that: Peace! We are given peace and a confidence of safety (vs 8) because the Lord is who we put our trust in and he preserves his children in faithfulness. 

I don't know what you're going through right now, but maybe this was a word from the Lord to you: "Be angry, but DO NOT SIN, allow me to take the vengeance, and yes, there will be vengeance. I am faithful and you need to trust in me and I will bless you with Joy abundantly and peace to get you through your days." 

Prayer:

Father, we are humbled again as you break down our pride when we try to seek our own vengeance on our situation. Help us to declare your faithfulness and your forthcoming answers to our prayer of deliverance! Keep us pure and worthy of the call you put before us in Christ Jesus. Guide us in your truth and keep us on the path of your righteousness! Thank you for the Joy you've put in my life, and help me to embrace it. Thank you for the peace you've given me to last in the midst of what we go through. To YOU be honor and glory and power and strength; not me. We bless you and pray for strength and endurance in the pressures and hardships of this life. We pray, empowered by your Holy Spirit and in the matchless name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, Amen! 

Psalm 3: Our God Saves (Part 3 of 150)

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like everyone is against you? I mean, it is not hard to find an enemy.  Though this most likely isn't the case where "everyone" is against you or there is an enemy all around you, but sometimes it feels like it.  Isn't it great to know that we serve a God who is not our enemy and though our sin makes an affront to His holiness, because of Christ, He is always there welcoming with open arms?  He is truly a gracious God.  I'll post a study I did in Ephesians soon about the the mystery of what motivates God's grace and love to provide. This mystery has been to my spiritual life what gas is to a fire. God demands judgment on sin because of His holiness, but his holiness does not demand mercy to be given. The mystery is, what would motivate God to choose to give mercy steeped in grace and love? It's one of those mysteries that cannot be answered and that is ok. It is that mystery that motivates God to ALWAYS, at any hour, in any day, be available with open arms, ready to forgive and heal. Psalm 3 is an assurance of this very point.
David wrote this when his own son was trying to overthrow him for the kingship. There's a slap to the face if you ask me. The worst hurt is typically from an offense from the ones you love, and David knew that really well.  There is no more lonely feeling, I could imagine than when your own family is trying to overthrow you. This motivates David's first two verses of this short psalm. Take time to read the whole thing right now.

So David is hurt, feeling alienated from his own blood, but never forgets who he can turn to for the renewed confidence of his calling: the Lord. "But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head." This is so true even when people try to tell you otherwise, why? Because God's word says so.

Let's stop here quick.  The truth behind that statement can't just be glossed over.  "Because God's word says so" is a statement that is not a "cop out" statement. The world would say otherwise because what empirical value does God's word have? In other words, the Bible is the book, and the only truth that the world turns to for answers is science.  So when they say, "because science says so" they are utilizing the same rhetoric that the believer is in our statement about the bible, but with one difference, the world holds science higher because it is apparently tested true. It doesn't take long to foil the argument there. Many scientific findings are true, and hey, guess what, they aren't conflicting with the bible. But, where atheistic science is trying to prove the randomness-creating-order motif they are creating new findings day in and day out.  Unfortunately, isn't truth told in time not just experiment? Science is changing day in and day out, but the Word of God has stayed the same for THOUSANDS of years. "if it's new it's not true, if is true it's not new."  Simple? Yes, but truth is simple.  The Bible is true because God himself who reveals it's truth to the believer in the Holy Spirit says it's true. And oh hey, history proves it true with it's preservation in such perfect way for thousands of years. Don't be afraid to say, "because God's word says so." It is the only statement worth living by.

Anyways, David had probably one of the closest relationships with the Lord.  And in 2Sam 7 when the Lord made a covenant with David that the throne would never leave his line all the way to Zion, David doesn't need to worry about his enemies because he knows the Lord is on his side.  The Lord is a shield, and in those times where we are, in our human nature, worried, He is the "lifter of our head."  He is the sustainer and the owner of salvation of which he gives freely to those who believe in Christ (the very word of God made flesh (Jn 1:1)).

So when you are feeling like everything around you is out to get you, look to God's word and be encouraged by His truth.

Prayer:  Lord forgive me for not remembering you in the times when I'm desperate. You are indeed my shield and the lifter of my head, take the opposition away from me if it be your will, but leave it there Lord if you are refining me.  You alone know your ways and I thank you for even considering me. I praise you for your glorious grace that you've given me in Christ. Thank you for saving me! It is in your holy and precious son's name, Jesus, that I pray and seek you. Amen.

Psalm 2: Hope in the Messiah (part 2 of 150)

Psalm 2 is, at first glance, one of those psalms where you are like, "hold the phone, what is going on here?" Given that the psalms are poetic and not in a narrative form sometimes there are those psalms that are referring to something else in a poetic manner.  The cool thing about Psalm 2 is that it not only refers to something and someone else, but it is one of those many passages that prove that the Old Testament stands as important as well.  I say this because common today, especially in the church, is this notion that the Old Testament is outdated and perhaps not as useful anymore now that we have the New Testament.  I mean, how many times do you go to church and the pastor is preaching a series in the Old Testament? Not impossible today, but not too often either. 

Psalms 2 is a great example of how the OT can be reference and great foundational support to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Wait, Jesus in the OT? Yes, this is what we call prophecy ;-). In fact, I go as far as to say that every book that is in our modern canon of which we call the Bible is in there for the purpose of pointing to our "messiah" our "savior" Jesus Christ. Why? Because God's word, by definition, IS Jesus Christ, the "word made flesh." (John 1:1).  This is very common and something that should be understood and cherished by someone who is seeking spiritual nourishment from God's word on a daily basis.

 

Reading Psalm 2 for me makes me think a lot of our situation as Christians in today's realm and modern times. Verses one and two sound very familiar to modern times: "Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?"  Does this sound anything like today? Let's go on with some clarification in verse two: "Where the kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed..." 

Many nations around our world right now are rising against Christianity, particularly muslim nations, and saying what would be similar to verse three in this passage: "let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." 

In this modern "age of tolerance" Christianity is under attack. From the Psalm here I can say "Christianity" because of the fact that this word "anointed" is used. David, who wrote this, knows this as well, even though he didn't exactly know the way we do the man Jesus Christ. See, God made a covenant with David in 2 Samuel 7 that in his genealogy, his "line," the throne would never depart. In Isaiah 11 we are given some more insight of the "branch" from the "stump of Jesse" (David's Father). All this to say, the "anointed" in this passage is referring to the ultimate one anointed in the line of David, that being Christ, the Messiah. Though in David's context, he also is the "anointed" of the Lord, and I believe he was writing this both in a personal standpoint, where nations were rising against him, as well as a prophetic one referring to many generations and centuries of nations rising against Christianity and the gospel.

He actually, starting in Verse 4 and going through verse 9, prophesies and writes as if the Lord was speaking and commenting on the situation, (which he is, it's his word through David remember). The Lord is depicted as being in heaven almost chuckling, saying (paraphrased) "pshhh, no worries, i've established this throne and my kingdom: Zion. Nothing can destroy it."  The rest of this psalm is about how the everlasting kingdom of the anointed cannot be moved or destroyed and will in fact rule over and judge all other nations, and mightily so. The psalm ends with a call of warning basically saying, "align with the true KING and you will be blessed." 

That true king is Jesus. And his kingdom is being built day in and day out as people are coming to know him as their savior from their sins.  This Psalm acts as encouragement to all believers in the fact that the ancient truth is still true today: don't worry, if you have your allegiance with the truth King, take hope in him and do not let the "nations" who rise against you bring you to dismay, rather "take refuge in him." 

Prayer:

Lord, sometimes I allow my circumstance and the busyness of life to crowd in and get me down and doubting of your provision. Forgive me for doubting, and help me to believe in you more by faith. give me strength to stand proud of my relationship with you and know that even if I face persecution, I can hope in your kingdom to come in Christ, where there will no long be pain, or suffering, or weeping, or hardship, but rather joy, peace, and rejoicing for what you've done for us on the cross.  You are worthy of my praise and I submit my life to you. In Jesus name, amen. 

"Psalms for the Simple" Part 1 of 150

That title probably scares you as much as it scares me. "part 1 of 150?" is he serious!?
Yes I am.
I've been reading through the Bible cover to cover, something I'm trying to do fairly regularly in my own personal study of God's word. And guess where I just turned to? Yep! Psalms.
I have titled this series "Psalms for the Simple" because it is part of my goal as a pastor and worship leader to show people that you don't need to have a prestigious degree or know greek to read and benefit from God's word! One of the things that makes me most sad is that some people leave church thinking, "man i'm glad he knows what he's talking about because I have no idea how he got that out of that passage." When biblical lines start getting shady, when pastors preach heady and intellectually above the congregation, a person is drawn away more than drawn to wanting to study it casually on their own. That is a shame.
So to do my part, being a simple brain, as I usually say, I'm going to blog my way through the Psalms and give you simple and personal insight. There is a place for intellectualism, a good place, but the sake of this study is going to be on finding joy in reading God's word and benefiting from what he has given us, knowing how it has been preserved over thousands of years.
Here we go:

Psalm 1 (go ahead read it!):

First thing I gather from this Psalm, even right from the first sentence, is the main theme of the whole thing: There is no blessing in wickedness.
Blessing comes from obedience and delighting "in the Law of the Lord." "Meditating on it day and night" (verse 2)
This is describing a person who actually WANTS to play by the rules. Now, hear me out, never once will you hear me say that salvation in Jesus Christ is by obeying all the rules. Salvation in Jesus Christ is ONLY by grace THROUGH faith. But there is also a phrase that is biblical and I like it a lot: "Choose to sin, Choose to suffer." See, there is consequence to sin, ALWAYS. Whether it is immediate or many years from the offense. There is always consequence to sin and it isn't pretty. It is messy, it hurts, it's SIN! Blessed is the man who "delights in the Law of the Lord." This man recognizes consequence to sin and thinks to himself, "hmm.. instead of doing something that is offensive to God and will inevitably hurt me, I'm going to purposefully do what is right, even when it doesn't seem favorable to me at the time." That is meditating on the Law of the Lord.
Blessed man in this passage is described like a tree by streams of water. If I were a tree, I wouldn't want to be in a desert right? The BEST place to be is by a constant and never worrying-about-it flow of water! The connection is drawn in this Psalm to delighting and meditating on the Law of the Lord, God's Word, and streams of water. Jump forward to the New Testament, when Jesus is talking to the woman at the well and he refers to "living water." God's word is like a stream of living water in us, constantly shaping and growing us into the image of Christ. Why is that? Because Christ is the Word made flesh (John 1:1). All this to say, when we are living a life like the blessed man in this Psalm, our focus is on pleasing the Lord, avoiding sin, with the result that we are bearing fruit and prospering (cf Gal. 5 & 6).

The rest of the Psalm finishes with how the wicked man is for a moment; ultimately has no real purpose because he will be driven away like chaff blown away from wheat. The wicked man suffers, "he will not stand in judgement." (verse 5) That doesn't mean that he won't be judged, it means that he won't get through judgment. He will never stand in the congregation of the righteous and ultimately perishes. Wow, the line is very clear here: Blessing for the righteous and the wicked will perish.

Prayer:
God, you are, as you say you are the one who truly knows the way of the righteous (vs 6). You know our hearts, the good and the bad. Forgive us Lord for the sin in our lives that cause us not to bless you, but defile you. You are the God who blesses the righteous. Protect us from a life of wickedness and guide us in your truth, in your Word. Lord give us motivation and strength, as we are human, to delight and meditate on your law. Help us not to follow it with an ill-conceived notion that we have to, but instead follow it because we want to.  Only you can give us, as fallen as we are, the power to please you. Give us strength and give us endurance to pursue righteousness. Thank you for your mercy.  In Jesus name we thank you and praise you. Amen

A challenge to the Men in Church

This Church Had a Man Crisis

ReTrain 2010 First week: Leader as Disciple

This last week I was in Seattle, WA for a week long of classes from 9am-5 sometimes 6pm. The most accurate description that I heard from a colleague about this week was, "kinda like using a fire hose as a straw." I best describe this week like this: Having a bachelors of science in Biblical Studies, I feel like I was given the puzzle pieces and the picture, and now I'm getting the chance to put it together. It has been an amazing and challenging week of these masters classes.
http://retrain.org is the program that my brother and I are going through this year. It basically is a masters degree in one year in the field of "missional leadership." This particular week was under the leadership of Pastor Bill Clem on the topic of Leader as Disciple.


Previous to this course, I would have said that evangelism and disciple-making were separate entities. Clem put into biblical perspective that they are to be one in the same. "Disciple" by definition is a follower. If our purpose is to make followers of Christ a decision is one thing, but a changed life is another. A true conversion to Jesus Christ is a starting line of the race of new life through the Holy Spirit, not a lobby or waiting room to heaven. Disciple making therefore doesn't start after conversion to Christ, it IS Conversion that transforms someone into bearing the identity of Christ.

Becoming a true Disciple of Christ is better described as accepting God's loving offer of being apart of His story of salvation through Christ, as opposed to making Jesus apart of our story. In doing so, we pick up and respond through the Holy Spirit to his call to "follow me" and we are imparted his righteousness and, before the father, are reconciled.

As a disciple then we are to seek to mirror Christ. In mirroring Christ, He, through us, is creating disciples. It is therefore not programs that make disciples, but Disciples that make disciples. Discipleship is best described then as Life on Life, not a class. How has Christ transformed you? How is your relationship with Him evident to the outside world, so that all someone has to do is be in your vicinity to notice Christ in you? Being in community, showcasing the Christ transformation in your life, will draw people toward following you thinking, "wow, something about him/her is different, they are patient, they are kind, they are honest, and overall they just seem like they actually enjoy life, what is that?" When people start following you, they aren't following you, but Christ in you. And when Christ in you ministers to them through you, discipleship happens.

There is a reciprocity in discipleship because what happens is this, Disciple A, more mature in their relationship with Christ, is "discipling" Disciple B who is perhaps younger and less mature in their walk with Christ. As disciple B is being ministered to by Christ through Disciple B, they are becoming more and more like Christ (that is sanctification). When Disciple B becomes more and more like Christ, Christ starts ministering through Disciple B to Disciple A, and the result is an eternal growing relationship in Christ just as two mirrors facing each other create an infinite reflection.

As a disciple grows in Christ and mirroring Him, they are able to withstand hardship and trials. Why? because they have the power of the Holy Spirit in them sanctifying them into being more and more like Christ. A true disciple endures, A true disciple trusts, and a true disciple bears fruit in the process.

A disciple could then be defined like this: A follower of Jesus Christ whose faith endures no matter how they feel or what circumstance they are in because God promises a good return.

That ultimate return or blessing of God is eternal life. "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life." To believe IS to be a disciple, not to have said a prayer. Praying to receive Jesus Christ is to become apart of the salvation story and reflect Christ to others where forgiveness and not going to Hell are icing on the cake.

So where evangelism and discipleship are combined, talking to a non-believer is a conversation centered around Christ as the transformer of lives in following him, and not a "get out of hell free card." We are saved from hell, but our motivation for following Christ is unity and reconciliation with God. In Christ we are then able to find victory over sin's control, supernatural power of the spirit in bearing fruit in suffering, and an overwhelming sense of worship that is not just in church, but evident in all aspects of life, so much so that the lost are found following Christ mirrored by you.

This is a concept that I'm going to be chewing on for the rest of my life. What I do know is that I'm so humbled that God would have chosen me to partake in the fullness of life in Christ Jesus and that someone as sin-broken as me could be used by Him as a light to shine into the darkness of the world the light of Christ, the author and perfecter of our faith.

What do you think? Is "disciple" a bigger concept to chew on for you? In Matthew 28, what does it mean to go and make disciples? How are you seeking to fulfill the great commission? And how can we work together in doing so?

To Celebrate Life in Death

It is difficult when you go through the death of a loved one. There are many emotions that result after someone near and dear to you is seemingly taken away too early. The thing we must always turn to in times like this is the cross of Jesus Christ. It is truly in the shadow of the cross, the work of Christ in defeating death for those who believe, that comfort is found.

A month ago, my grandma passed away. Last week, my wife's grandfather, who was in every way like a grandpa to me, passed away unexpectedly. It has been an emotional roller coaster for me in the last weeks. But one thing is certain, I strive to cling more and more to the cross of Christ. I'm angry that it is because of Sin that there is death to begin with. I'm filled with a righteous anger against sin and disease as a result of a fallen existence that is taking our loved ones away. But not for a second should I consider the Lord's ill will on us nor do I question his control. My grandma and my wife's grandpa were believers in Jesus Christ and are now with their Savior.

I was asked to give the Eulogy at my grandma's memorial service. I wanted to convey more than anything that believers have nothing to worry about in death. And when it comes to losing a loved one who is a believer, we should celebrate their current situation being one who is experiencing their Salvation in Jesus Christ in a finalized and perfected way. Below is what I challenged those at my grandma's memorial service:


"In Memory of My Grandma"
It is with great honor that I would have been asked to speak today at this celebration of the life of my grandma Mary Joan Rietdorf. I have always had it on my heart to have a part in this celebration by means of music, but to bring God’s Word to you today is not only a privilege, it is a blessing. To bring to you, this day, the thing that my grandma cherished most, even more than Boogie (my grandpa), that is, God’s Word, is the reason why today is a celebration and not a funeral.
Funerals have such a negative connotation in today’s world. Going to a funeral means more of a burden than anything else. You got to dress up, but not only dress up, dress up in colors, or should I say, the lack of color, that you don’t typically dress in, that is unless you’re Johnny Cash. Funerals start with crying and end with crying and even have a side of crying. Crying, because of the loss of a loved one. Crying and sadness because of “never seeing that loved one again.” Sadness and mourning because of the last thing that someone said before this person died, Sadness because of death. See the world has such a skewed view of death. The world views death as the end, the last line, the closing curtain with no curtain call. The worldly funeral is meant to be sad, it’s meant to be somber, and it’s meant to be “closure” to the situation. It is a time where people can say their “last remarks” and then leave it at the grave site.
I am so blessed not to be of the world today. See; today is NOT a funeral. Today is not an extended time of sadness. Sure, there are tears, there will be lumps in throats, and there is a cloud of somber in the room right now; but if you knew my grandma, she would come in here and say, “What’s the matter with you, don’t you know that I’m fine! Get up off your fan-dan and cheer up… have some fudge.”
Today is not a funeral; today is truly a celebration. It is a celebration because of the life of my grandma, that, by the way, she is STILL living. I want to talk to you and encourage you, and maybe even challenge you with that today. If you could please turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 15 starting at verse 50.
(READ 1 Cor 15:50-56)
The phrase “passed away” is today’s politically correct way of saying “died.” But there is so much more to that phrase. “passed away” doesn’t really sound like dying to me, it sounds like the continuation of life elsewhere. This passage, among many many others in God’s Word, is a passage that provides the true believer in Jesus Christ the Assurance and comfort in the last days on this earth. It was actually this passage that came to mind when I was standing next to my grandma the day before she passed away and telling her I loved her and would be seeing her soon. It is this passage that makes my heart well up with Joy, but it is also this passage that makes me well up in a holy anger against sin.
I remember that same day when crying in my Aunt Kari’s shoulder I told her, “I’m not crying because I’m sad, I’m crying because I’m so mad at the devil and mad at sin for doing this.” See; death is a result of the fall of man, sin, of Adam and Eve. And that death would have prevailed if our gracious creator God wouldn’t have provided all the way from the beginning a means of redemption and salvation. This is the “mystery” is referred to in this passage. This passage particular speaks on the mystery as it pertains to the second coming of Christ, but is the same mystery that Ephesians 3 speaks on. Ephesians 3 refers to the “mystery” of Christ, that is, the gospel of Jesus Christ. Why is the gospel a mystery? Well the gospel is not a mystery in that it happened, it indeed happened, the mystery is in the reason. WHY did God allow a means of redemption from our sin? Why would he do that? We know very well that we don’t deserve it. Everyday in our thoughts, actions, and words we sin. Isaiah 64:6 says that even our most righteous of deeds are as filthy rags before the Father. Why would God allow a means of salvation?
Grace is the answer to that question. God’s grace, by definition of the term, allows the answer of this question of “why” to be as simple as “because.” I am a simple man, and I love when things are made simple enough for me to understand. Why does God, though not having obligation, choose to allow a means of salvation and redemption from sin? He just does. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life trying to figure out the mystery, except as it says in Ephesians 3, that the basic of it is revealed to me in the Holy Spirit: Christ has saved me, and I don’t deserve it, but I BELIEVE it.
My grandma is a prime example of this truth. Not a person in this room who knew my grandma could say that they didn’t know that she was a believer in Jesus Christ. This truth seemed to bubble out of her! Her faith in Jesus Christ was so evident that even in her last days, when she didn’t remember anything else, if you were to ask her to pray she always started, “dear Jesus.” God’s grace in allowing us to believe in Jesus Christ and have it counted as our righteousness and eternal life is THE REASON why this is NOT a funeral today, but a celebration, and a challenge.
Back to the passage real quick:
Starting at vs 54,
(Read 1Cor 15:54-57)
The reason why my grandma did not “die” is because of the truth of God’s Word. She had an amazing faith through amazing grace of God IN Jesus Christ and that allowed her to “put on” the imperishable and “put on” immortality; Immortality, not in a worldly sense but in the Heavenly sense. Grandma is with her Savior Jesus Christ right now, not dead, but alive. “Death is swallowed up in victory!” That victory is the saving work of Jesus Christ, being crucified for our sins, being buried in the tomb, and defeating death once and for all by rising from the grave. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?”
My grandma no longer lives in the sting of death, which is sin, as the passage describes. My grandma no longer lives with a cloud over her memory because of the effects of sin. My grandma now lives purified and perfected but only by the grace of God through her savior Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus Christ that she has experienced now this victory over death, and victory once and for all over sin, and she can and IS standing before the Living Creator God and has heard the words, “well done, my good and faithful servant.”
Do you see why I don’t want to call this a funeral but a celebration? Do you see why our tears are not endless but temporary.
Many in this room know exactly what I’m talking about. But some of you in this room would be hearing these words from me and remembering a time when my grandma would have asked you the same question, “Do you know Jesus?” Do you know and believe that Jesus is the ONLY way, the only truth, and the ONLY life.
Common today is this notion that “all roads lead to Rome.” In other words, all religions are true and can save you. I’m here to tell you in the name of Jesus Christ that that is so false. The Bible says in Matthew 7:13-14, “wide is the road that leads to destruction, but narrow is way that leads to life.” John 14:6 Jesus says, “I am the way the truth and the life, NO ONE comes to the father, BUT by me.” In other words, religion cannot save you. Your good deeds cannot save you. Only Christ can save you. Romans 6:23 says “for the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus” This has nothing to do with religion. Salvation and redemption is in a relationship with Jesus. A relationship starts with faith.
Only Jesus can save you from the penalty of your sin. Will you receive him today, letting my grandma’s example be the start of your motivation? She would want nothing more at her memorial service than to see someone come into saving faith in Jesus Christ. Do you believe that you are sinful and need a savior? Do you believe that Jesus is the only redemption from that sin? Have you ever made that step of faith?
If you’re sitting there thinking, “I’m not sure” make it now. The Bible says that “today is the day of salvation.” And salvation is a gift. The only way a “gift” works is if you “receive it.” Do not leave here today thinking, “that’s great for them, but I don’t need that.” The bible says, “The word of the cross is folly for those who are perishing.”
I would want nothing more than for you to know today, maybe for the first time, or maybe as a reminder that God loves you. It does not matter what you’ve done. You can receive forgiveness by the grace of God today if you believe that Jesus saved you from your sin.
Grandma knew this so well. Grandma now KNOWS this so well. In her life on this earth, it was her faith that gave her so much peace. My grandma was such a peaceful woman, and patient! Fishing for me is a tremendous pain in my side. It’s because my patience pails in comparison to hers, and I’m learning. You can ask anyone in here who knew my grandma if she ever seemed afraid of anything. She had experienced the peace of God because she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would be with him someday in heaven. In fact, she would always sing that song,
“heaven is a wonderful place, filled with glorious grace, I’m going to see my savior’s face, oh heaven is a wonderful place.”
Wow, is she singing that song louder than ever right now.
Do not be grieved over my grandma, rejoice that she has finished the race. Let us celebrate the life that she lived here on this earth but more importantly the life she is NOW living that will never go frail, never deteriorate, and never die. Celebrate today that if you believe in Jesus Christ, you will not only get to see grandma again, but you will get to see Jesus Christ face to face.
If today was the first day that you truly believed in Jesus Christ, please don’t keep that to yourself. Will you tell someone after this service? Will you honor my grandma and tell one of her family that it was because of her testimony that you now believe and that we can come along side of you and help equip you on your new life in Jesus Christ?
Let us celebrate the life of Mary Joan Rietdorf today because there is truly victory over death in Jesus Christ.

The Message of the Cross: Speak it Boldly

In my life, sometimes I find myself too comfortable in my faith. That comfortableness, if you will, is almost always associated with a lack or fear of sharing the good news of Christ. I will admit, it is scary to share Christ with a complete stranger. But, I will also admit, it is NOT hard to do so.  Wait, but it IS hard if it is scary, right? No. Those two things can be in the same boat, but are not limited to always being together. Fear and Difficulty have a Biblical relationship, pertaining to who that fear is directed towards. Proverbs 1:7 says, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge..." We know that the pursuit of knowledge is difficult, but with the fear of the Lord, difficulty becomes do-ability. We also know that a good and growing fear of the Lord makes other "fears" seem like mice: Romans 8:31, "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?"
Because fear of rejection drives our ability to evangelize and tell the good news of Christ, it makes the simple and easy thing of sharing, hard.  The truth is, the message that we are sharing, if done right, is one that the world rejects, and those drawn by the Holy Spirit receives. If we more and more grow our fear of the Lord, we will realize that God does the work of Salvation, not us, but he allows us to play a part by offering His gift that people can receive freely. If they reject it, they aren't rejecting you, they are rejecting the Lord. Our fear is that this complete stranger will think mean things about us! My response to this, which is still a work in progress in my own life, but there by the grace of God I can say, "who cares, no big deal, I don't seek their approval, I just honored the Lord by sharing His good news..."
Soon, I believe, fear of rejection will actually be fear of persecution. We are nearing more and more a world that has, in the name of tolerance, NO tolerance for the message of the cross, because it is exclusive and doesn't allow for other religions to be recognized as truth as well. Here is a video of a great friend of mine and now my senior pastor David Wisen on national television defending this very point:


The thing that makes David compelling in his defense of the cross is something called boldness. There was no sense of "well, to me I think the cross..." or "It is my understanding..." There was the sense that David knew with confidence what TRUTH is (God's Word) and the other guy, unfortunately not only doesn't know the truth, ISN'T EVEN PURSUING the truth! He, in the way he is running his universalist church, is saying, "there is no truth" and by doing so, no one is convicted of sin, no one is lead to think deeper about reality of falleness, and the "worship" service is focused around worshiping one's ability of loving themselves more and apparently "being a better human, relating to other humans." By saying that I believe a Buddhist or a Muslim needs to repent and come to Christ otherwise facing certain damnation is not being a good human because I'm causing another human offense by saying, "I'm right, and sorry, you're wrong."

But our message does not end there. The message of the cross does not end at "I'm right and you're wrong..." It ends with, "repent and receive this free gift of eternal life and truth upon faith in Jesus Christ as the Savior of our sin!" See, the message of the cross is actually the ONLY true INCLUSIVE message, because ALL can accept and believe and confess in it.

So when an opportunity arises to share your faith with a complete stranger, so far for me some of the best opportunities have been at the oil change place sitting in a lobby with strangers, share the message of the cross boldly and with no fear about what they think of you or if they reject you.
If you look at every instance in the book of Acts where the apostles are sharing the good news of Jesus Christ, notice on if they were trying to be shallow with it or not. In fact, knowing that they faced certain persecution, they were more bold all the more! But even in their boldness they were convicted and prayed for more. I want to close with this prayer that they prayed:

Acts 4:23-31 says:

23 When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them. 24 And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, 25 who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, [1] said by the Holy Spirit,

“‘Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
26 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed’ [2]—

27 for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, 28 to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. 29 And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants [3] to continue to speak your word with all boldness, 30 while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

10 random thoughts after a year of marriage

It's about 12:24am and I'm fighting to keep my eyes open. I was at a wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner tonight and got to thinking about marriage. I am just over 2 weeks away from my 1 year anniversary of being with my amazing bride. So far, here are some random thoughts after my first year of marriage:

In no particular order:

1.) I am a selfish human being that is slowly but surly getting better.
2.) I am a spoiled man. If any of you know my wife, enough said.
3.) A Christ-centered marriage is worth the work.
4.) There is now new meaning and worth to the imagery of Christ being the bridegroom of the church.
5.) Money stresses me out, but God always provides.
6.) God's word is buying more and more real estate on my time.
7.) My wife's forgiveness gives new worth to Christ's forgiveness in my life.
8.) My wife and I are a team, and other couples are our competition.
9.) The clothes hamper is more of a target than a destination.
10.) I am so glad that we don't have a "gaming" system connected to our tv.

There you have it! 10 quick thoughts on my first year of marriage. All in all, if Jesus is not the hero of my marriage, I, as the spiritual leader, am failing. I'm praying that God continues to give me the grace and wisdom to keep Jesus in the forefront of my walk, as well as my wife's.

What are your 10 random thoughts so far in your marriage or wherever you're at in life?

Do you believe in Aliens?

Aliens! from Moellerd on Vimeo.

Sometimes you just need to interrupt life's seriousness and insert something funny and completely off the wall. God has a wonderful sense of humor, and I love to embrace that gift of humor sometimes.  Being in transition from one ministry to another, I've had a bit of time on my hands to enjoy this wonderful machine that I call Mac. (my macbook). Mac and I have made this wonderful video for your enjoyment and also, for no extra charge, you may view the original video that inspired all of the above, below.  Hope you like it! 

I went to the store today from Moellerd on Vimeo.

HBCSL Launch to have Burlock Family!

The Burlock Family from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

I believe I've shared a video of this wonderful family before, a long time ago on this blog. Nevertheless this family has blessed me beyond my words with their testimony and singing.

This last weekend (May 30th) was officially my last weekend at Harvest Bible Chapel in Crystal Lake :-(. I'm going to miss that place! They are a wonderful people and God is working in amazing ways at that campus. I was privileged to talk with my friends, the Burlock Family, and they happily agreed to share their gift with the people of HBCCL this last Sunday. Between services, my wife and I got to share with them what our plans are in planting a Harvest in Michigan and they were like, "WE WANT TO BE THERE!" They agreed on the spot for us to promise them to call them on the specific date of our launch to come out and sing for the grand opening! I'm like... Yes!!! So, Lord willing, HBC Spring Lake will welcome the Burlock Family Singers this coming fall! Stay tuned for more details about our church on this blog or my friends Calvin's Blog,  and Kristen's Blog.

Oh, and here is a video of their testimony!

Enjoy!

John 5:46-47 ~ Jesus and Moses, and the JEDP people

Isn't God's creation beautiful! This picture was taken recently at Camp Harvest in Newego Michigan.  You know creation points towards God (Romans 1:20).
I've been reading recently the blog of a dear friend of mine, Kristen Wisen ("Nike Musings" Click here and start reading).  Her recent posts have been on the subject of creation and taking God's Word literally in Genesis 1 and 2.  
If any of you know me outside of this blog, on a scale of 1-10 on my passion for this subject what would I be? Uh, correct: 1 million. I am very passionate about the subject of creation because I believe that God's Word is true and I believe that he wrote it in a way that is accessible for all people.  I don't believe that you have to have a formal educational degree to fully understand the main theme of the Bible. I don't believe that stories in the Bible, unless otherwise stated in the passage (i.e. parables, some prophecies etc.), are to be taken metaphorically or allegorically.
In the case of Genesis 1 and 2, there is no scriptural reference anywhere that is to persuade us to take those metaphorically or allegorically.  I believe that what is in the Bible is what God was intending people to understand about Him. I don't believe that God excluded things from the Bible that we "need" to know or fully understand (i.e. what did God do before the creation of the universe?; explanation of why he predestines some and not others; How he has just always been and was never created or will ever die. etc.) With all that said, Genesis 1 and 2 are to be taken literally and at face value, with no tricks up God's sleeves, and with no hidden textual translation ambiguity. It points towards a young earth literal view of creation.

All that to give a foundation for what I want to bring up to support my friend Kristen in her blogging on the literal truth of God's word.
Ever since the theory (and it is a theory only) of evolution started seeping into the church world, theologians have been trying to find more and more ways to fit the Bible into the mold of what this theory says so that, with good intention, the Bible is able to be current and congruent with modern scientific findings. I truly believe that these theologians and people who are "theistic evolutionists" have good intentions for believing what they do. They are trying to make the Bible relevant to a people who are being swayed by science.
The unfortunate side effect to this compromise actually the opposite of their good intention; it is the crumbling of Biblical accessibility. So when you fit the bible into the scientific mold of evolutionary history, then it is relevant as long as you say that Genesis 1 and 2 were simply just "poetry" with the one important theme of "well, it doesn't matter how God created, as long as you believe that HE did it." 
That belief snowballs into, "well if Genesis 1 and 2 which don't look like any other clear poetry in the bible, are indeed poetry and not meant to be taken literally, how many other places in the bible is this true?"
That belief snowballs into, "man, this is confusing, I better just leave the study of the bible to the people who have degrees to study it and navigate through all of the poetry/non-poetry vs. literal vs. metaphorical texts." 
The ultimate point to all of this snowballing is people being swayed away from reading and diving into God's word because they apparently aren't "smart" or "educated" enough to do so. So instead of reading it, they need to listen to sermons by the preachers who are claiming and preaching the compromise of Biblical history with Evolutionary science.
People, even though there were good intentions behind this equation, it is pushing people away from Christ.  It cheapens the bible from being the Word of God meant to draw people into saving faith in Jesus Christ to being a book by human writers that contains good wisdom for how we should live our lives.

One such compromise that I want to speak on is the JEDP theory of the authorship of the Pentateuch. This theory, to be brief, states that no one man (Moses) wrote the Pentateuch because it would be impossible for one man to have had the knowledge or the insight to write accurately what happened before he was alive and even a little bit after he was alive. So instead there were many different writers over MANY MANY years (fitting into evolutionary old earth theory) that wrote different sections of scripture that were pieced together.  The earliest section of scripture was by authors who referred to God as "Jehovah" and the second earliest section of scripture by those who referred to God as "Elohim" and then there were authors responsible for deuteronomical texts of God's law, and then finally those authors responsible for "priestly" writings about the temple and sacrifices etc.  Long story short, this theory is purposed to try to fit the bible into a worldly, perhaps modern scientific, lens. 
I was taught this theory as fact when I was at a Christian school at the collegiate level. I sat in the classroom and something just didn't sit right in my soul about it. I was like, "what about Moses! I thought he was the writer for the Pentateuch? Why is my professor making this too complicated?" If Moses didn't write it, then who did, and how do we know if we have all of the writers inputs! Could there be some sections of the priestly texts that we don't have and we have been worshiping all wrong this whole time!!?? AHH... I just didn't like the thought of taking the writer title away from Moses. I believe this was the Holy Spirit in me saying, "you now understand what is blinding people in this world and turning them away from the Gospel, you need to stand up for the truth!" Weird huh? Sometimes it's little, but when the Lord stirs your soul to stand for the truth, your fear of Him grows and you understand the truth more and more (Prov 1:7).

Why is it not a good thing on the textual level to compromise with modern, perhaps scientific, findings or perceptions? It's because it cheapens and complicates something that is meant to be accessible to all, not just those who have degrees.
The JEDP theory, something that some bigwig theologian spent many years on, is refuted in 2 VERSES in the New Testament, and that's just two of many many verses. Not only is it refuted, these two verses challenge the reader to believe FULLY in the truth of God's word, not just believing in what modern science can fit into it's scheme.

John 5:46-47  is Jesus talking to a Jewish audience. The context of this passage is in verse 18 "This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal to God."  Verses 46-47 conclude the whole chapter with this powerful and challenging statement from our Lord:

"If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me.  But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?"  (ESV)

In these two verses you have Jesus, God himself, saying that Moses wrote the Pentateuch (also there are other passages where Jesus quotes Moses from each of the 5 books a couple being Mark 7:10, Mark 10:5, Mark 12:26, Luke 5:14, Luke 24:27, John 7:19, John 7:22, John 7:23... and there are more).
On top of that Jesus challenges the reader that if they don't believe in what Moses wrote, how could they believe in His words? That's a slap in the face of the JEDP people.  That's a slap in the face to those who say that Genesis 1 and 2 aren't meant to be taken literally. That's a slap in the face of a theistic evolutionist who says, "I don't believe that God created the earth the way it says in those two chapters, but only believe that He 'created' and by the way, created with this major leading theory developed by esteemed scientists who unfortunately happen to be Atheist, but praise the Lord we can redeem their findings eh!?"
Listen, God wrote a book, and he meant for people to read it and understand it. He didn't write it overly complicated. He wrote it so that everyone in EVERY VERSE can be drawn to Himself through Jesus Christ. Jesus is the hero of the Bible.

If we compromise God's word with modern evolutionary science or any other worldly schism, we cheapen the bible into a book of wisdom with a nice story about Jesus somewhere toward the end of it. Let's stand for the truth and reveal to people the fact that this amazing Word of God is accessible to even them!

One last thought.  Why did Jesus have to die for the penalty of our sin IF there was death (survival of the fittest) before Adam and Eve in the evolutionary compromise of Genesis 1 and 2?  I may just write a whole other post about this. In the meantime check out Kristen Wisen's blog on some other incredible and great insights of the TRUTH of God's word being Literal and relevant even if it doesn't correlate with evolutionary science. After all, we look at the world with a biblical lens, we SHOULD NOT look at the bible with a scientific/worldly lens. Just like everything in our journey here on this earth, we double check things according to God's word, not the other way around. Stick to that biblical model and start to see how Christ's Sacrifice for you becomes SOOOOOO REAL that nothing else really matters.

Question: How should we give?

Answer: Cheerfully! (2 Cor 9:7)

You remember these? I grew up in a church that had these round brass collection plates with the little fuzzy padded bottom to them so that the coins wouldn't clang as they were passed. I don't remember many people overly enjoying the offertory time of the church service. If anything, the offertory special music was placed there so that there would be something enjoyable for the people as they gave their money to the church.  It wasn't until I started attending Harvest Bible Chapel when I learned and saw the importance of the offertory being a joyful and cheerful time.
It was one of my first Sunday's as a visitor at Harvest when the pastor stood up in the front and said, "Harvest, it's time to give our offering!" and then people actually cheered and clapped! My first thought was, "these people are kinda weird..." but then, being the good Bible student I was, I corrected that thought with this thought, "well that's cute..." But now, 3 years later from that particular instance, I've come to the realization that our giving should ALWAYS be cheerful and never out of grumbling. Our gifts to the Lord and His house is vitally important. 10%? sure, why not %20?  In whatever amount, our giving should be with a joyful and cheerful spirit. Why? Because God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7).  That whole section of scripture (2 Cor 9:6-15) gives great insight into God's blessing of the cheerful giver.  Vs 6, "whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
Now, let me stop there before you think I'm going to become Joel Olsteen. This passage is not purposed to tell the believer that if they give as much money as they can to a ministry, that they'll become richer exponentially to the ratio of their giving. "Reaping bountifully" may be a financial bounty, but don't be sad if it is a spiritual bounty, or a relational bounty. We should not expect that our giving to the Lord should only be blessed by his giving to us more money. Our giving to the Lord should NEVER feed our fleshly desire for wealth. Our giving to the Lord should ALWAYS motivate our reliance upon our Lord and faith that he provides for our NEEDS, and not necessarily our wants.

Let's finish this particular passage before moving onto another passage. Vs 7-15:
"Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things and all times, you may abound in every good work.  As it is written,
"He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."
He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.  By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon You.  Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!"

Most, if not all of this passage speaks for itself, not needing much additional commentary about why we give cheerfully. But the most important thing that I want to hammer even more in this passage is the last sentence.  We give cheerfully because we are so thankful for the amazing and undeserved gift that God is given us! "his inexpressible gift" is Jesus Christ. That gift, there is nothing that we could do, say or give that would come close to "paying back" if you will. But it is our pleasure and honor to be able to give whatever we can joyfully so as to honor the Lord for his gift of salvation to us!

I want to close by bringing you to 1 Chronicles 29:9, "Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole heart they had offered freely to the Lord.  David the king also rejoiced greatly."  This was their response after giving A TON of wealth to the house of the Lord, being the temple that Solomon would be building soon after David's death. I mean TONS! If we were to give in the amount that the people of Israel gave during that particular time, it would be easily into the billions of dollars equivalence.  They gave "freely."  They didn't grumble, they didn't hesitate, they gave and it was genuine because they knew the Lord delivers. Take some time to read 1Chronicles 28-29 and see the example of cheerfulness that we should have in giving back to the Lord.

In all things, we need to recognize that nothing is really ours.  God has blessed us with everything. It is only when you realize this, that you can start to let go of your hard grip on your wealth or weekly paycheck and open your palms in worship by trusting the Lord in His provision. God LOVES the cheerful giver. Don't hesitate to give back willingly and with a whole heart, and see how the Lord will bless you!