Tri God the final episode

Today we had 3 testimonies that were moving to our church. I have been teaching on a series called "Tri God" that takes us deeper into the Trinity. The Trinity is the foundation to the Christian Faith. Many people that don't understand the Trinity will say, "How can you believe in one God yet have the Trinity? Aren't there 3 Gods if each are fully God? That is a contradiction!!!!!" No, a contradiction is "There is one God, there is not one God." That is a contradiction! The Trinity is a wholly mystery that is seen from Genesis through the book of Revelation.

The Bible says that we were tethered to the Trinity at creation (Gen. 1:26). We had a connectivity, a linkage with the triune God. But when Adam and Eve sinned, that sin cut the tether. Our sin has cut us off from God, who is completely righteous and perfect. “For all have sinned, (all of us have cut the tether) and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Have you ever wondered why so many people feel disconnected? Have you ever wondered why so many people bounce around through life? Have you ever wondered why so many people try to tether themselves to a relationship, to intellect, to success, to money, to the things of this world? It’s because they are not tethered to the Trinity. We are built to be tethered to the Trinity. Yet, because of our rebellion, we turn away from God and try to tether ourselves to other things. Thus, living a disconnected, fragmented and out of control life. What is the solution to this disconnectedness? Simply, we need to be tethered back to the Trinity. Maybe you are feeling disconnected. Maybe you feel like you have been bouncing around from this deal to that deal, from this thrill to that thrill, from one relationship to another. But none of those things bring satisfaction or real connectedness.

Colossians 1:19-20 says, “For God was pleased to have all of his fullness dwell in him and through him to reconcile to himself all things by making peace through his blood shed on the cross.”

God knew that we could do nothing to tether ourselves back to the Trinity. So the Trinity, God in three persons, literally triple teamed us. The Father planned the work. The Son worked the plan and the Spirit actualizes the plan and the work. That’s Team Trinity. The Father's plan was to send God the Son to die on a Roman cross for our sins, in order to reconcile us, to tether us back, to himself. When Christ ascended into heaven, God the Spirit came after him to bring the Father’s plan and the Son’s work into realization. The Spirit convicts us of sin and he draws us to Christ, and then he lives as a power source inside of all those who place their trust in the Son. When we are tethered back to the Trinity, we can know what it means to be connected, to have true peace and freedom in this one and only life. The bottom line, though, is that we have the freedom to choose. We have the freedom to either receive this, or not; freedom to either be tethered back to the Trinity, or not.

Revelation 22:17 says, “Whoever wishes let him take the free gift of water of life.” Find the connection your heart has been longing for by accepting God’s free gift today.

“No Intelligence Allowed”

If you are like me, I love to study to find out truth. As a Christian, I believe that all truth comes from God. We as Christians should NEVER fear truth. Many people think that the only thing Christians have to hang their hat on is faith. Faith is the key to heaven and our belief for eternity. However, truth is very important to the Christian belief. As a pastor, I have heard the same thing from evolutionist and/or atheists and that is truth is on their side. That everything they believe is totally based on facts and truth. (by the way, when you believe in something, anything that takes “ssssshhhhh” don’t let them see this but it takes faith to believe in nothing or evolution)

We as Christians should not only know what we believe but we should not fear studying and understanding critics to God as creator and maker of everything (Intelligent Design). I want to encourage everyone to go and view a new documentary movie called “EXPELLED”. Many of you may remember FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF where Ben Stein played Ferris Bueller’s teacher and his famous line was, “Buuuuueller, Buuuuueller”. Ben Stein has made a movie to expose many problems with academia in our school’s curriculum.

Parents that have college age students should go together and view this movie to see what our colleges and universities are teaching our kids. Truth and facts against Darwinism are not allowed in the classroom; don’t criticize or raise any questions, and creationism is not even allowed to be brought up to study side by side.

From time to time I here things like “there no evidence for that” as if lack of evidence is evidence in itself. Well that’s not the case. Living in our age has great truths or evidences uncovered by archeology looking into our many galaxies everyday that point to an intelligent design and many more scientists are moving away from an evolutionary hypothesis.

Truth is great and we need not fear truth. So check out this video for more information

Just use what you have!

I hear from my brothers and sisters in Christ from time to time that they wonder how God can or would use them. I of course, tell people, just start doing what you like to do but unto God first. I want to encourage you that God has given you everything needed to complete what ever task that He asks you to do. If He asks, then that means you have the ability. So, what’s holding you back from serving God with everything that you have? What excuse will you give for why you are not serving? What do you mean that you JUST CAN’T! Bolder dash, you are ready and you don’t even know it yet.

Many of you know that my mom is a nurse and she works for the state of Connecticut serving the mentally handicap. In my upbringing I was involved in lives that just love life no matter what. This definitely brought me to a completely new understanding as to what being blessed is all about. This leads me in encouraging you the next time you feel like you just don’t have what it takes to be a “fully devoted follower of Christ” and just start living it!

I want to introduce you to a man named Nick Vujicic. Nick was born with no arms, no legs and he will inspire you like no one will. God is using Nick in a way that no one else is being used. You can see more by going to his ministry website: http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/

Check out this short video and then start getting involved in the “Adventure of Life”! No More Excuses!!

OK, I'm Back!!!!!

ALL RIGHT!!!! It’s time to come back to the blog. It’s taken me this long to sign back on after my last blog due to the unfortunate lost of the PATS. OH WELL, it’s a new year. My lovely wife is addicted to her blog. She has over, get this, 15,700 viewers and I wonder who will stumble upon mine. If you would like to read Gretchen’s this is her blog http://gretchenclark.blogspot.com/

Over the past several months, God has been moving in the hearts and lives at Adventure. I am always ready to experience what God is doing. It’s important to me to be where God is moving.

Over the past few weeks our youth pastor Nate Worthington, http://nateworthington.blogspot.com/ was moved when he went to Dare 2 Share this year and he has encourage Adventure through his experience to look outside of ourselves and help others in need. The Phoenix Rescue Mission has needs throughout the year and they are in need of bottled water during the summer. Nate brought a challenge to collect 10,000 bottles of water by the middle of May. As of yesterday (3/30/08), we have collected over 7,000. I think that we will be able to break that mark. I want to thank everyone who has helped. Over the next few weeks I will be updating you on what God is doing in my life as well as with Adventure. All praise to Him who sits on high!!!!

PERFECTION!

As many of you may know, I am a New England Patriot fan. As a little boy living in Connecticut, I used to dream of the time that the Patriots would become a great football team. Many times my expectations were drowned in sorrow because my team was far from a great team and it was mediocre at best. The past seven years has been a great time to be a Pat’s fan.

This year I have been following the Patriot’s website every day to read and watch videos about my team. It’s amazing what we will do when we believe in and even love something. What do you really love or believe in? Just look at what you love to do and how much time do you spend with that thing. Do you love Christ that why and His Church? Anyway, the pressure was mounting on every website and on the major sports channels, would the New England Patriots become the first team in NFL history to go 16-0 in the regular season? Bill Belichick, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, and others always focused on what it will take to play the next team, the next game, and win, not on future games. The whole team would wear T-shirts that said “Humble Pie” on them. Coach Belichick would emphasize on what they needed to do to correct misplays from the last game and that they still needed to work on the basics. Well as many of you know, the hard work paid off and they did it! Now they need to finish and win the Super Bowl. ;)

As I was lost in thought with the words “Perfect” and “Perfection”, the Lord reminded me how we are to be perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect (Matt. 5:48). The Pats have a perfect regular season but they have by far not executed every play perfectly. How many of us have friends and family playing in the game of life and we wonder if they are going to make it in the last quarter? Will they finally say yes to Jesus as their savior? Will they be playing on the universe’s undefeated team of all time, “The Called”, “Believers”, “Children of God”, “His Own”, “Christians”? There were about four games where I had to sweat it out all the way to the end. And I mean SWEATING!!!!!

As a Christian, we are called to live that perfect life but how do we do that when we are all sinners saved only by God’s grace? Romans 3:10 tells us that there is no one that is perfect, not a single person except Jesus. This is what I love about God! To live perfectly is to live completely. Jesus completes me and reconciles me to Himself not by my deeds but through His sacrifice. Living in the purpose that God created me to do and finishing the race we gain the prize “Perfection” “Completion”. As we close out 2007, did we win the race? Did we fight the good fight? Were you overwhelmed by a devastating year? We only need to take account of last year. Bring the best into 2008, learn from the mistakes and eat that “Humble Pie”, leave the things that we cannot change, focus on the game of today, and complete the God given task ahead. What will you do with 2008? Stay the same, the same old me with a new hairstyle. (Ok, that one doesn’t work for me) On the other hand, press on toward the mark of the high calling that God has called you too. Our coach, the Holy Spirit, encourages us to keep pressing on. I pray that it is the latter and we together will become a people who will be “…fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ!” Hold nothing back! Do NOT FEAR! JUST DO IT!!!!!!

Capture the Moment!

I’m reflecting on the story about Martha and Mary found in Luke 10:38-42. I wonder how many times I’m at a God moment and I find myself too busy to sit at the feet of Jesus. I am caught up in the doings of life that I miss out on the most important things that God wants to share with me. I watched a video on “YouTube” about this guy who drove his Lamborghini LP640 219 miles an hour on the 202 “Red Mountain” highway here in the Phoenix area. When I watched that video, I noticed that at that speed I had a hard time seeing what was around the car. All the focus was on what was coming up in the windshield. How much of life do we miss when we are so concentrating on the immediate and we miss all of life that is passing us by. This Christmas I want to capture the moment by slowing down, open up, and choose a better way through Christ. I hope you will find time to capture the moment with me.

And the adventure begins...

Well, I've begun a blog like the rest of the world (it's about time…Mike). This is something that will take a little getting use to. I'm always looking for something that will stretch me in some way and this is it. Today, I'm working on the road and I had an idea to use the barricades that I see everywhere and apply them in a message that relates to the roadblocks of life. When I'm faced with a roadblock, I tend to look through the sign so I won't be stopped. What do you do with your roadblocks? Do you just stop and lose hope? Or do you find a way to complete your destination? I always want to finish and finish strong. Something to think about...