Be thankful! Don’t boss me!
When given a direct command, I want to do the opposite. When the sign says “Don’t touch the glass!” I want to leave my mark. I’m not sure what my problem is, but I know I don’t like being told what to do. Even when I agree or know it is for the best; I still don’t like being bossed around.
Indian Hills is a Christian Camp in southeast San Diego. The camp has a cool little petting zoo and just outside that zoo is a corral that houses some small donkeys and ponies. Years ago, the corral had signs around the outside that read, “Don’t pet the donkeys!” I was fascinated last week to discover that the signs now read, “Donkeys bite fingers!” Notice the communication change, one is a command without information and the other is information without a command. Which message would be more effective at protecting you?
A lot of the Bible’s wisdom comes to us as instructions, orders, or commands that do not give a good reason why; including this little gem from 1 Thess 5:18, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” The explanation for giving thanks in all circumstances is that it is God’s will for us. Imagine if the signs around the donkey corral read, “Don’t pet the donkeys! Because I don’t want you to!” The instruction tells us God's hope or plan for us, but it does not tell us how that helps us or protects us.
For some believers, that is good enough. “God said it, I believe it, and that settles it!” is their mindset. God blesses believers who faithfully obey. But some of us take time to move from knowing something, like knowing that God wants us to be thankful in every situation, to actually putting that into practice. Maybe stubbornness makes us push back against being told what to do, or maybe it is because we don’t see what is in it for us.
No one is justified in disobeying God because God didn’t make his instructions or precepts clearer. I’m just pointing out that some believers don’t obey and don’t like being told what to do, even by God. There is a battle of wills, and it is helpful for believers to be aware of that battle. It is helpful to recognize if, and when, believers are pushing against God’s instructions intentionally or out of a pattern of lifelong, natural, human resistance (we usually call this sin). Is God trustable? Will you submit to God and let him boss you around? If so, be thankful!
P.S. Everything modern researchers learn about thankfulness shows that God was right and that gratitude really helps the hearts, minds, and bodies of those who express it regularly.
Pastor John Riley
Jr. High Pastor
How Beautiful is the Body of Christ
One of the highlights of my week is having the opportunity to stand in the lobby and to walk the halls of the Children’s Center on Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings. There is nothing like it. It fills my heart with so much thankfulness that I can hardly contain it. Really. Sometimes there are tears. Let me tell you why.
On any given Sunday or Wednesday, I walk into this huge building and remember that it was built because of the sacrificial giving and the dedicated prayers of so many who prioritized having a special place to invest in the spiritual lives of the next generation, and who believed that opening a preschool would expand the reach of the gospel into our community. I’d like to tell you today how incredibly thankful to God I am for those sacrifices, those prayers, and the belief that it really mattered. Because it did and it does. Because children matter to God.
Don’t get me wrong. I am not saying that the building is the thing, but the building has been used by God— powerfully— as a place where kids and families have been built up and encouraged. I could tell you stories all day of kids who have been changed because of the hope and joy that they are finding in a relationship with Jesus. Or stories of young parents, new to our church, who are filled with gratitude that this church family cares so much for their children. Or the stories of families who have a child with special needs, and who are embraced and loved. Or the stories of the volunteers who walk through the doors week after week, with a light in their eyes and a love for Jesus that they long to share with each child who shows up that day.
I see about 200 volunteers from our church family walk through the doors of the Children’s Center each week, and their lives are beautiful to me. They encourage my heart more than they will ever know. So as I walk the halls and see a volunteer teaching a Bible lesson, or rocking a baby, or leading a discussion, or tenderly helping a child with special needs, or teaching a group of little ones how to talk to our awesome God in prayer— my heart could just explode with thankfulness to God for the beauty of the body of Christ on full display. Each one brings their love for Jesus, their love for children, and a hope that a child will learn to walk in the way of Jesus with the heart of Jesus because they showed up. They show up and it matters— for eternity it matters because Jesus loves children.
Father, thank you for the beauty of the body of Christ, as each one brings their gifts, their sacrifice of time and love, to help the next generation know all of the wonderful things you have done in making a way for us to know you, through your Son. Thank you, God, for each member of this church family who prays and gives and serves because they have found life in you, and want others to know that life.
“… How beautiful the radiant Bride who waits for her Groom with His light in her eyes…How beautiful the feet that bring the sound of good news and the love of the King. How beautiful the hands that serve the wine and the bread and the sons of the earth. How beautiful! How beautiful, how beautiful is the body of Christ.” -Twila Paris
Nicole Jiles
Director of Children’s Ministry
The Thankful Equation
Philippians 4:6-7-"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
Many of us have either memorized, read, or heard that verse countless times. But today as I read it, something stood out to me. Being thankful when making requests of God results in peace, less anxiety, and our hearts and minds being protected. Seems like a simple equation and who does not want peace beyond understanding and freedom from anxiety? So then why are so many people suffering from anxiety, yes many even in churches?
I did some research. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health concern in the United States. Anxiety disorders affect nearly 1 in 5 adults in the United States. Women are more than twice as likely as men to get an anxiety disorder in their lifetime. Meanwhile, approximately 7% of children aged 3-17 experience issues with anxiety each year. Most people develop symptoms before age 21. How sad is that? I’m not talking about momentary anxiety we all experience, but chronic anxiety.
A young woman we’ve been praying for in our church family is expecting a baby and is now in the hospital for several weeks before the birth to ensure he’s born healthy. She emailed me and asked to be part of the prayer team to pray for other people while she is in the hospital. I’m grateful for her and I know that God will be guarding her heart and mind while she waits. Why? Because that is what He promises to those who pray and give thanks. Being thankful in all situations helps us develop our trust in God and helps us to be humble. Thanking God in difficult situations can also help us appreciate the good times more.
Practicing gratitude increases dopamine in your brain (the stuff that makes you feel good!) and encourages your brain to seek more of the same. So, scientifically speaking, the more you are grateful, the more you will find things to be grateful for. I’m grateful for the Creator who designed that brain, aren’t you? I wonder if that also means the more I grumble, the more things I find to grumble about . . . just thinking.
How can we practice gratitude every day? Notice good things, look for them, appreciate them. Savor, absorb, and really pay attention to those good things. Express your gratitude to God, write it down, or thank someone. Even in the darkest of times, we can praise God for his love, his sovereignty, and his promise to be near us when we call (Psalm 145:18).
Thank you, Lord, for your peace that transcends understanding and your love that endures forever.
Deb Hill
Executive Assistant
Rejoice Evermore!
Do you ever find yourself on the day after Christmas or Thanksgiving thinking, “Why did I just do all of that?” I have! As I’ve stepped into adulthood, I find it harder and harder to appreciate what it is we’re celebrating on these special days without getting caught up in all the “things” to be done. So, even as I am writing a devotional on gratitude, I am thankful for this moment to pause and reflect on what it means to celebrate Thanksgiving.
An epistle that comes to mind when I think of this holiday is Philippians. You don’t necessarily see the word “thankful” come up much, but in my mind, praise and thanksgiving are practically synonymous, and praise is littered throughout Philippians. In fact, the word that comes up many times in the epistle is the word “rejoice.” The emphasis on rejoicing is really the whole focus of Paul in this letter, which is possibly the most joyful book (I have encountered) in the Bible. Paul is filled with so much joy that he can even genuinely say to those at Philippi, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Neither the terrors of death nor the suffering of life can phase Paul in the slightest. To him, they are only opportunities for better things ahead, as Paul says (regarding the things of this world), “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord” (3:8).
In the vein of this theme of rejoicing, and since Thanksgiving is a uniquely American holiday, I thought it appropriate to quote the wisdom of one of our American forefathers, John Adams (as depicted in an historical adaptation of his life). After years of struggle, suffering and political maneuvering to help form the budding nation of the United States of America, Adams is very near death’s door in one of the closing scenes of HBO’s John Adams. He verges on moments of senility that clearly make his son (who’s walking beside him) a bit nervous. However, at one point in his soliloquizing to his son, he gets extremely passionate and excited; he pulls his son close, and whispers, “Rejoice evermore!” (1 Thess. 5:16) He then repeats himself, whispering a bit louder, “Rejoice evermore!” He finishes by slamming the cane he’s using into the ground and shouts to the skies, “Rejoice evermore!” His son laughs at his father’s antics, but Adams adds, with a bitter tone of regret, “I wish that had always been in my heart and on my tongue.”
At the end of his life, what Adams regrets most is not allowing his joy and gratitude towards God to permeate his every waking moment. I think at this point, Adams realizes that when we rejoice, when we see our lives and this world with the perspective of a child of God who has everything he or she could possibly need or want in Christ Jesus, all the things we thought were really important fade away in the face of eternity with Him. So, this Thanksgiving, let’s not forget to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice”!
Ashley Carr
Even Greater Things
In John 14:12, Jesus, while saying his good-byes to his disciples, makes an amazing statement: “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these because I am going to the Father”.
Wait a minute… which “works” is Jesus referring to? Does he mean miracles? What exactly did Jesus mean by “even greater things”? How we answer these questions has profound implications for our life and ministry.
I’ve heard all kinds of answers being offered. I’ve heard preachers claim on the basis of this passage that all believers will perform miracles as long as they have enough faith. (Lack of miracles, must mean lack of faith on our part). I’ve also seen preachers perform “exegetical gymnastics” with this passage to say the exact opposite - to eliminate any expectation of supernatural works in a believer’s life. (Lack of miracles, must mean God doesn’t do that anymore.)
I don’t think Jesus meant we will perform greater miracles than he did (how do you rank miracles anyway?), but he certainly expected his mission to be continued and accompanied by supernatural works. After all, “the student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher.” I personally think “even greater things” refers to the growth of the movement and the scope and impact of the ministry to come.
But instead of theology, I’d like to share my experience from being involved in global missions.
I’ve had the unique privilege of traveling to many countries and seeing the global church in action on six continents. I’ve shared meals with amazing brothers and sisters in the world's megacities and in tribal villages. I’ve met Christian leaders who oversee rapidly multiplying movements of thousands of churches and hundreds of thousands of disciples. They all believe that John 14:12 applies to all followers of Jesus, not just the first few. They believe that Jesus expects all of his followers to continue his mission, including continuing the works he did. Lastly, they believe that when Jesus said “and they will do even greater things than these”, he actually meant what he said! He certainly wasn’t trying to lower our expectations of what will happen!
They don’t just believe John 14:12 is true, they are living it and they have personal stories to back it up. Dreams, divine interventions, miracles big and small. God is doing “even greater things” every day around the world and he does it through ordinary men and women doing extraordinary works that can only be explained if God’s supernatural power was involved.
Meeting such believers around the world challenges my insufficient theology, limited experience, and relative lack of faith in what God can do in my life. It also encourages me, strengthens my faith, and raises my expectations. My prayer is that we as a church will see what God is doing around the world, allow ourselves to be challenged by it, and passionately pray for Him to do “even greater things” among us in Escondido. And that you will personally lean into the astounding invitation to continue what Jesus started, so you can see what God can do through you!
Beautiful Feet
I remember it like yesterday. Mom, Dad, and my six brothers and sisters all gathered in a small living room around the TV to watch it at night. These were the times when the whole family would gather around one tv in the house and 4 channels. Compact living and close together. As an 8-year-old kid, the normal daily grind was school, play, and non-stop movement. I kicked my shoes off and laid down in the middle of the living room to join them. That didn’t last long. “What is that smell!” yelled my Mom. I was immediately banished to go wash my feet and missed that Happy Days episode.
Do you know who has beautiful feet? Paul reminds us of this by quoting Isaiah. “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring the Good News!” (Romans 10:15 New Living Translation) In his letter, Paul has outlined the need for repentance, the gospel message of salvation for all, and the incredible eternal benefits of this gift during the first 10 chapters. Now he tells us how the message is communicated.
For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent?
Having beautiful feet doesn’t require new shoes, expensive perfume, or an expensive pedicure (although they all might be nice). They are not reserved only for the super-spiritual, those that are in professional ministry, or those serving missionally in the most remote places on earth. Missio Dei invites each one of us to participate with Him to reconcile His children. That can involve knowledge of God’s mission and telling the story, praying for our brothers and sisters from EFCC attempting to reach the unreached, sharing the good news with a coworker, or funding efforts of global missions organizations.
Prayer: Father in heaven. We acknowledge and praise you for who you are and desire for all the lost to be saved. Please Lord, please use us, all of us, in any way you see fit to accomplish your mission. Father, you have put others in our path that have shared the gospel; may you use us to do the same for others…..may you bless us with beautiful feet to share your Good News.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Todd Hoyt
Global Outreach Council
The Condition of my Heart Matters!
Many of you, like me, have grown up in Bible-teaching, missions-minded churches. From early ages, we’ve repeated “For God so loved the world…” and sang “I’ll Go Where You Want Me To Go.” For me, there was a definite surrender of my life to the Lord in my high school years as I sang that song (with the caveat - Please, Lord, just not as a pastor’s wife…which in fact I later became!).
While in Bible college with some decisions looming concerning my future, I came across Solomon’s words as he dedicated the Temple in 1 Kings 8:60, 61. Stating as God’s “bottom line” His desire that all the people of the earth may know that He is the one and only True God, he goes on to exhort the people to be wholly devoted to (other translations say “committed to,” “fully obey,” “give your entire heart to”) God. It was an AHA! moment for me…a life-impacting moment! I suddenly realized that the condition of my heart before God…wherever His path would take me… made a difference in God’s seeing His deepest desire met that all the people of the earth would know about Him. The condition of my heart matters! I like the way Eugene Peterson puts this passage in The Message: “…your lives must be totally obedient to God, our personal God, following the life path he has cleared, alert and attentive to everything he has made plain this day.”
Obviously for some this means vocational Christian ministry…pastoring, translating Scripture, taking the message to unreached people groups, and more. For others, it means being a nurse, driving a school bus, working as a businessman or a carpenter, or being a mom raising kids. All are important… for wherever God plants us, we have the opportunity to show by life and word that He is the True God, seeking a relationship with us and those whose lives we touch. But the condition of our hearts is paramount for this to happen! We’re in this together…with Him…so that all the people of the earth will know that He is God, and respond to His great love. Will you tell Him today you’re on board with a committed heart to see His will accomplished?
Bev Feiker
Global Outreach Team
The God Who Sees
She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” Genesis 16:13
Recently, I had the privilege of being part of a ministry team in Jordan. We had the opportunity to fellowship with local church leaders, learn simple yet effective ways to share the gospel, participate in discipleship training sessions, attend worship services and home Bible studies. However, my favorite part was the home visits. Our team of four, two local women who are ministry leaders and two women from our team, went out several times to seek out Syrian refugee women with whom the truth of God’s love and plan of redemption would be shared.
We sought out these women through congested city streets swarming with cars whose drivers seemed to make up their own traffic rules as they careened along – no stop sign, no problem. Pedestrians bravely stepped out into this tangle of traffic while shopkeepers and shoppers conducted daily business. Finally, we stopped and began to look for the address of the woman we would visit. Often, we would walk through dark doorways, down narrow alleys, or climb several flights of stairs to a door. When we knocked a woman would shyly peek out and open the door for us to enter.
As we listened to these women, themes began to develop of families driven from their homes in Syria because of war, marriages at 14 or 15 years of age with two, three or more children by their early 20’s and for some no ability to read or write. Many women spoke of heartache, isolation, and loneliness.
Mari is one of these women. Little did she know that when she opened the door to us her life would change forever. As Mari listened intently, she learned that God sees her and has always seen her. She learned that he loves her and offers a way through Jesus to heal her brokenness and restore her to a whole relationship with God. The way it was always meant to be. That day God called Mari out of darkness into the light of His love and she said “yes”.
Do you know someone who is waiting to hear about Jesus? God sees them. Will you also see them and be intentional about sharing God’s plan for redemption with them?
Nancy Wood
Global Outreach Council
The Great Commission
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.” Matthew 28:16 (NIV)
I wonder what the disciples talked about on their way to the mountain. They probably went over the events of the previous weeks and were wondering what was going to happen next. Then they waited. It seems that part of the Christian life revolves around waiting. The Lord is never predictable. Then He spoke to them, but much later they realized that He had been speaking to posterity, to all His followers.
“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” Mathew 28:16-20 (NIV)
The primary directive here is to “make disciples of all nations.” I remember the first time I clearly saw the meaning of this phrase years ago under the teaching of Pastor Harry Larson. He explained that we tend to think of “nations” as geographical entities with political borders, but the Greek word here is “ethne” from which we get the English word “ethnic.” It means all people and cultures of the earth. For clarity, we now use “people groups” in Global Outreach. We are to “make disciples of all peoples.” Jesus was setting a super-goal. This disciple-making movement was for all His followers to accomplish. He did not tell them to make “converts”. In fact, He said nothing about the Gospel here. Their commission, and ours, is to bring a response of obedience, a global movement, and it will be completed someday. They, and we, are not sent out to make sure that they agree with a set of spiritual laws. Real evangelism is not about pressing people to conform to a set of beliefs. It is teaching life obedience. The apostle Paul described it in Romans 1:5 as “the obedience of faith among all the peoples.”
So, what about us right here in our neighborhoods? We are to reach out and make disciples of our neighbors, family members, and friends. We are living in a unique period of history. The Lord is bringing to our neighborhoods people from many places around the world that are closed to the Gospel. Our church has a group called “Journey of Hope” that ministers to refugees. You can contact them and get involved. We can pray daily for the 70 cross-cultural workers sent out by our church across the globe. They are facing daily challenges that we can only imagine. We can give to our Global Outreach fund that makes it possible for those 70 global workers to remain abroad. Let us take some time to prayerfully consider how He wants us to get involved. Make no mistake about this: we are all commanded to obey and participate. What is your next step?
Isabel Hines
Global Outreach Council
Spend some Grace
Name something that believers know they should do but often don’t do. Several things might come to mind: evangelizing, serving, and forgiving are what I think of. Imagine having billions of dollars and never spending any of it. That is similar to believers who never evangelize, serve or forgive others. God gives us grace in abundance and expects us to give grace with abundance too. When believers share their faith, serve the church, and forgive each other they are passing out, participating with, or spending some of God’s grace. Life is better when believers practice faith rather than avoid faith.
The little Bible book written to Philemon deals with all three of the above issues. All three are fundamental tenets, behaviors, or practices of Christianity. We do not know much about Philemon, but it is clear he was challenged to be faithful and to spend some of the grace God gave him.
Philemon 1:6, “and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ.” If you do not share your faith, you will never know the real good things Christ has for your life, but if you do share your faith, your knowledge of Christ’s goodness grows.
In Philemon 1:10-12, Paul points out that Onesimus (the man Philemon needed to forgive) was “useless” before he knew Jesus, but now he is a great partner in the gospel because of how he serves. Service of one another does not lead to being looked down upon. Rather, it leads to love as “a beloved brother—especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.” Onesimus’ servant heart demonstrated his activity with God’s grace and his trustworthiness to be a partner in the gospel.
Finally, Philemon is not just encouraged to forgive, he is ordered or simply expected, to forgive. Paul writes:
So if you consider me your partner, receive him as you would receive me. If he has wronged you at all, or owes you anything, charge that to my account. I, Paul, write this with my own hand: I will repay it—to say nothing of your owing me even your own self. Yes, brother, I want some benefit from you in the Lord. Refresh my heart in Christ. Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I say. - Philemon 1:17-21
This would be like a couple coming to see Pastor Paulson because of marriage trouble and he told them to stay together for his sake because they owe him and they owe the church. That advice is within his right as a pastor, but it is difficult for us to imagine that advice being respected by the couple from today’s culture. It is easier to picture that couple bailing on the church and bailing on each other following that kind of admonition.
What we miss in translation, and in our own experience, when we think about forgiveness this way is the reality that forgiveness is expected, encouraged, and ordered by believers because it really is good for them. Jesus models forgiveness with his whole life, suffering, and death, and Paul orders it for Philemon’s own good and the opportunity to partner with Onesimus in the gospel. Spend God’s grace rather than trying to hord it or hold it. When we forgive we spend some of the abundances of grace that God lavished on us.
Pastor John Riley
Jr. High Pastor