Love

Jesus Christ told his disciples in John 13:34-35 that the world would know that they were his disciples by their love for one another. One of the greatest ways that we can show Jesus to the lost and dying world is to love each other. More specifically, to have each other's back, to serve one another, to consider each other better than ourselves, to confess sins to one another, to pray for each other, to provide for one another when in need, to spur one another on toward love and good deeds, to challenge and confront each other when needed, etc.

Mark Dever writes in his book the Deliberate Church that "Showing distinctively Christian love for one another, then, is a critical evangelistic tool for the spread of the Gospel and growth of the church". As a community of saints, our corporate witness to non-believers hinges a great deal upon our love for each other. Furthermore, our vocal witness will be annulled unless we take Christ's words in John 13 seriously and begin biblically loving each other through the working power of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

Once this corporate love comes to fruition, the proclamation of the Gospel that flows from our lips will be consistent with the way we treat each other and love the brethren.

And that my friends is very powerful.

The Precious Gospel

Over the past 2 months I have taken a break from classes at Liberty in lieu of my desire to finnish my MDIV through Southeastern Seminary. As of late, I spend most of my time with my wonderful family, preparing sermons and reading. I have finished up some quality books such as The Pursuit of God by AW Tozer, Jesus Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacharias, and The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhaffer. Reading books that challenge my mind and my soul cause me to think.....all the time.

Lately, I have been thinking about the Gopel. As a child of God, I have the distinct privilage and opportunity to allow God to use me to ADVANCE His gospel. That is special! Further, Christ has commanded me to promote and live out His gospel through the power of the Holy Spirit working inside of me. I'm sad to say that so many times I stay in my own little "comfort zone" and WASTE MY LIFE! I firmly believe that if I am not available for God to use me to advance His Gospel, then I am simply wasting my life here on earth. Christ has given me a task and I have not been created to merely sit on the sidelines.

As one team with one purpose, may we do whatever it takes to advance the precious gospel of Jesus. Life is too short to waste time participating in wordly and self indulgent activity. When I stop and meditate upon God's Word, it becomes crystal clear that there is so much more to life than working a 9-5, earning a nice pay check, and watching episodes of Lost and American Idol. In comparison to the precious gospel, those "luxuries" are filthy trash and count for nothing. Let's not waste our life. Let's allow God to use us to advance His Gospel. Not to us but to His Name be the glory!

-My next post will include practical ways we can advance the Gospel as a team. We are praying for you.

Happy Birthday, Erica!

As a High School student I began praying for my wife. I vividly remember taking the cd player out of my car and replacing the time I would normally spend listening to Plus One(Christian Boy Band, don't hate me) or other music artists with praying for my future wife. In fact, I remember praying specifically for a Proverbs 31 woman who was passionately in love with God and committed to reaching the world with the Gospel. Well, come to find out, God heard my prayer and answered my request.

This post is devoted exclusively to my beautiful, God fearing wife, Erica! You are my best friend and forever will be treasured in my heart. I see the God in you shine so bright on a consistent daily basis. In no particular order, I thank you for your love, wisdom, humility, modesty, patience, cooking skills, and virtuous character. I recognize today that every good and perfect gift is from above-James 1:17. I praise God for you, Erica Lindsy Hahn.

I love you. Happy Birthday!

Title or Towel?

A wise man at Liberty University once told me in a deep and authoritative voice, "Leadership is not about a title, but rather about a towel." Who would have thought that this simple but profound statement would be ringing throughout my heart and mind 6 years after hearing it?

As a husband to a Proverbs 31 wife and a father to a precious 5 month old daughter, I long to be known as a Man who serves and who isn't only satisfied with the title "husband" or "father". My leadership as the head of my household will hold no influence or impact whatsoever unless I am known and visibly seen as a servant. In fact, Jesus Christ himself, one who possessed impeccable character and was in essence God incarnate said that "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." If Jesus lived out this principal how much more should we?

The preparation stages are coming closer and closer to an end for us as a team. Before we know it we will launch as a church to the public. That sure is exciting! My prayer today is that we will unequivocally, with no reservations, be known not for our titles but for our towels.

Radical or Biblical?

I've been thinking a lot lately and I have come to the conclusion that many American Christians(including myself) misunderstand what a Biblical Christian really looks like. I feel as if certain acts of devotion such as stopping on the side of the road to give food to a homeless man, or sharing the gospel with a waiter or waitress, or giving away one's possessions, or blessing those who persecute you, or praising God in the midst of a severe trial, or suffering intense persecution because of one's faith, or giving one's life to overseas missions, or falling upon your knees at a church service while others are standing, or how about this one....martyrdom(this list could go on and on), are viewed as "radical Christianity". These acts of devotion and service are in essence extremely biblical, not necessarily radical. Now don't get me wrong, to the world, are lifestyle of sacrfice and surrender will appear "radical" or odd, this should be expected (1 Corinthians 2:14). However, as believers we must start viewing these type of actions as biblical.

In today's postmodern feel good culture that we live in, many so called followers of Christ exalt biblical acts of obedience to be "radical" or "out there" acts of devotion toward God. So many people(including myself) have succumbed to comfortable Christianity and are failing to be true zealots for Jesus Christ. I am ready to get back to biblical christian living. I think we need to call a spade a spade and start taking the Word of God at face value and obeying it, no matter who thinks it is "radical" or not. As a team, let's live biblical christian lifestyles through the power of the Holy Spirit to make God's name famous all across the world!

Update on our Family

Hi Team,

We wanted to give you a brief update on our family. Our precious little one, Abigail Grace, is growing rapidly and is approaching 20 pounds! Erica measured her a few days ago to be 27 inches long. Needless to say, we have been blessed with a healthy and extremely happy baby. Abigail Grace smiles so much and makes us laugh all the time. Please be praying for God to prepare Abigail Grace for His salvation.

On another note, we are trying to get things together in preparation for our move to the area some time this summer. Please keep praying that God will increase our faith and that He will provide for us. One of my mentor's, a local Pastor in Lynchburg, Pastor Mike Smith, recently said "Christians trust God with their eternal destiny but have a difficult time trusting him with their finances, relationships, etc.". This fact spoke directly to my heart and convicted me. I don't know about you, but I have a difficult time trusting God with the little things. After all, He is God and I am not. He is big and I am small. He is the creator and I am the created. He has proven Himself faithful throughout my entire life and He wont' stop now. Hallelujah!

We have a busy couple of weeks in front of us as a family. Erica and Abigail are traveling to Seattle to visit Erica's family. I will deeply miss them! I am starting a new semester of classes and am preaching next week and Easter Sunday at a Youth/College Service at a near by local church. Please be praying for safe travel for my two princess's and for time management on my behalf as I balance school work and sermon prep over the next two weeks. Rejoice this week in the sacred truth that "God made him who knew no sin, to become sin for us, so that in Him we could become the righteousness of God."-2 Corinthians 5:21

To God be the glory great things he has done! Here are some recent pictures of our sweet baby and my beautiful wife!

The Prerequisite to Biblical Community

We have heard testimonies over the past few weeks of how God is working within the church planting team. These testimonies and praise reports bring joy to our hearts and encourage us deeply. During this preparation stage, God is equipping our team to be effective. Erica, Abigail, and I, are waiting in anticipation to be a part of what God has started.

On another note, I currently am working as an Academic Advisor for Liberty's University's Distance Learning Program. As an advisor, we are held responsible for placing student's in to the correct classes according to their specific program. For example, before Religion student's can take upper level Bible classes, they must take the lower level prerequisites in order to prepare for the upper level classes. Without the fundamental knowledge gleaned from lower level prerequisite classes, students are not able to successfully complete upper level courses. That just makes sense.

As a team, I long for us to live in biblical community. However, in order for us to experience the Biblical community that God desires for us to experience, we must individually meet the prerequisite. So you ask: What is the prerequisite? 1 John 1:7 says "If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another." Before we can live in harmony with each other, love each other, spur one another on toward love and good deeds(Hebrews 10:24), consider each other better than ourself (Philippians 2:3), we must individually"walk in the light". In other words, we must be right vertically before we are right horizontally. If I am living in sin and not "walking in the light", it affects the entire team's unity. Our personal relationship with Jesus must be pure and growing in order for our team to experience the beauty of biblical community. Let us all make the choice to resist sin and live holy and pure lives before God through the power of the Holy Spirit, EVEN WHEN NO ONE IS LOOKING. As a team, let's do this together for the honor of God and beautiful biblical community will be the overflow.

Speechless

This past Wednesday's convocation at Liberty University was well beyond "normal". Students and faculty had the honor of hearing a testimony from Steve Saint, the son of martyred Nate Saint, and a Christian convert from the Waodani Indian tribe, whose name was Mincaye. Now don't get me wrong, this "Christian convert" was not someone who was expected to be standing by Mr. Steve Saint. This Indian man named Mincaye, killed and tortured Steve's father, Nate. Mincaye boldly stood before thousands of people and shared how Christ had saved him and set him free. In addition to his powerful testimony, the son of tortured Nate Saint stood beside him, with his arm around him, smiling, looking intently in to the eyes of thousands of students. He made one comment that I will never forget. Nate said: "Mincaye didn't kill my father". 2 Corinthians 5:17 says "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come". His comment literally caused me to be speechless. Please take around 10-15 minutes out of your day to watch this clip. I promise it will change your life as it has changed mine! It will also challenge you to be a global Christian witness, as God has commanded us(Matthew 28:18-20). Simply click on the link and then click on "play" next to Steve Saint's "Hearing the Macedonian Call".

http://www.liberty.edu/index.cfm?PID=9002

God's Consistent Truth vs. Man's Inconsistent Feelings

I recently began a new work out called “The New High Intensity Training”. To say the least, this work out is kicking my rear end. If you would like to stay in shape while not being in the gym 10 plus hours a week, I highly recommend this workout to you. On another note, this work out causes a love/hate relationship with the gym. I love to be in the gym because this workout keeps me in shape while only working out 3 days a week for a combined 90 minutes per week. You just can’t beat that! At the same time, I hate being in the gym because I literally feel like throwing up at the end of each set. It’s not fun. To be honest, I feel like quitting sometimes in the middle of the workout. However, due to the results this workout produces, I am devoted to finishing each work out every time I set foot in the gym, no matter how I feel. I’m sure your just itching to begin this workout…

As a child of God, saved by the blood of Jesus, I don’t always feel like serving Christ. Furthermore, I don’t always feel like remaining faithful and obedient. My feelings shift and are forever changing. Let me be transparent with you….One minute I feel like setting a Christ-like example for my family, and the next minute I feel like being a lazy husband and father. One day I feel like preaching the Gospel and making disciples, and the next day I feel like remaining selfish and comfortable in my faith. It is at these times in life, where I must remember that my obedience to God is not based upon how I feel, but, rather, on the consistent truth of God found in the scriptures. Our feelings are inconsistent and changing while God’s truth is consistent and steady. Our feelings change based upon a myriad of reasons(time, setting, environment, weather, health, etc). However, no matter what time of the day it is or whether or not it’s raining or sunny, God Word doesn’t change! Thus, it is rational for us to base our obedience upon the eternally consistent Word of God and not upon our inconsistent and unsteady feelings.

Consider Abraham, if his obedience was based exclusively upon his feelings, would he have taken the walk to sacrifice his son( Genesis 22)? Probably not. Consider Stephen, if his obedience was based upon his feelings, would he have been able to say to those stoning him: “Lord do not charge them with this sin(Acts 7:60).” Most likely not. Their obedience was based upon something bigger than their feelings. As you base your obedience on the truth of God found in scripture, be encouraged that the result of your obedience is beautiful praise unto Jesus Christ!

Tylenol PM, a Bag of Peas, and Acts 8

What do Tylenol PM, a bag of peas, and Acts 8:26-40 have in common? Most likely absolutely nothing to the average Joe, however, to me, they have much in common.

Yesterday my family and I (I love saying that) went to watch a Liberty University basketball game vs. UNC Asheville. I was particularly pumped for the game because UNC Ashville has the tallest player in the NCAA playing for them. My boy(he's not my boy, I just use that phrase a lot), Kenny George, is 7 feet 7 inches tall. Even though he got dunked on by Tyler Hansborough, I still wanted to see this mammoth of a man play the game of basketball. On our way to the game, we received a phone call from Erica's mom telling us that we need to go pick up some Tylenol and a bag of peas for my brother in law, Stephen, who broke his nose playing pick-up basketball. So, we went to Target and I ran inside to pick up some Tylenol PM and a bag of peas.

On another note, just the other week, I had the opportunity to speak on the topic of being obedient to the Spirit's prompting in regards to sharing the Gospel. I used Philip as a prime example of someone who embraced the Spirits prompting instead of stiff-arming it. At Target last night, I was fed up with missing opportunities to share the Gospel and not embracing the Spirit's promptings. I returned to our sporty Ford Taurus and had a few minutes to spare(Abigail was getting her grub on). I saw a kid pushing carts and I was prompted immediately to share the Gospel with him. He looked pretty down and was visibly not having a good time. I walked over to him and introduced myself. His name was Luke and he was a student at a nearby community college. To make a long story short, I had the privilege of giving him a few bucks in appreciation for what he does and followed that “act of kindness” by sharing the good news of the gospel with him. Luke didn't receive Christ as Lord of his life; however, he heard the gospel and numerous scripture passages.

In Acts 8:26-40, the story of Philip and the Ethiopian is shared. To summarize this text in a few words, an angel of the Lord prompted Philip to approach a man who needed to hear about Jesus Christ. Upon the spirit's prompting, Philip had to make a split second decision. Do I embrace or stiff arm the Spirit's prompting? According to the scriptures, Philip embraced this opportunity to share Christ and the Ethiopian was saved and baptized. Glory to God!

Every day, just like Philip, you and I are going to be prompted by the Holy Spirit to share the gospel. At times, you will be prompted to share with a friend, co-worker, or even a stranger. As a team, let's embrace these opportunities to advance God's kingdom through the proclamation of the Gospel! Never succumb to the exclusivity of “friendship evangelism” in your life and avoid opportunities to share the Gospel with random strangers. Jesus is coming back and people are going to hell. We don’t have time to wait….

A Tozer Truth

Check out this article from A.W. Tozer. This is a great read. Take 3-5 minutes out of your day to digest the content below. Well, maybe 10-15min. As I like to say...Get your grub on!

The Holy Spirit: The Need for Illumination

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. --1 Corinthians 2:14The doctrine of the inability of the human mind and the need for divine illumination is so fully developed in the New Testament that it is nothing short of astonishing that we should have gone so far astray about the whole thing. Fundamentalism has stood aloof from the Liberal in self-conscious superiority and has on its own part fallen into error, the error of textualism, which is simply orthodoxy without the Holy Ghost. Everywhere among Conservatives we find persons who are Bible-taught but not Spirit-taught. They conceive truth to be something which they can grasp with the mind. If a man hold to the fundamentals of the Christian faith he is thought to possess divine truth. But it does not follow. There is no truth apart from the Spirit. The most brilliant intellect may be imbecilic when confronted with the mysteries of God. For a man to understand revealed truth requires an act of God equal to the original act which inspired the text....Conservative Christians in this day are stumbling over this truth. We need to re-examine the whole thing. We need to learn that truth consists not in correct doctrine, but in correct doctrine plus the inward enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. We must declare again the mystery of wisdom from above. A re-preachment of this vital truth could result in a fresh breath from God upon a stale and suffocating orthodoxy. The Pursuit of Man, 76-77,84."Lord, I do believe in the authority of the Scriptures, and thank You for that foundation of truth. But I need this reminder that even that inspired text is not alive until the Holy Spirit takes it and enlightens the recipients. May the Holy Spirit indeed take what I teach and imbed it in the hearts and minds of my hearers. Amen."- A.W. Tozer

Pictures

THE GOD BEHIND AND WITHIN THE WORK

I don't know about you, but I sometimes can get so busy that I forget about WHO I am "doing" everything for. With family responsibilities, preaching responsibilities, school work, and my job at Liberty, life can become so busy. Thus, I become exhausted and at times discouraged. In addition, I lose my zeal for God and I simply just go through the motions with no recollection of why I am doing what I am doing. I know many of you can relate to what I am talking about. In the midst of busy schedules and life’s demands, it is imperative that we don't forget about the God behind and within all of our work.

As you work for God and remain faithful in the duties he has given to you, don’t forget to reflect upon the God who is mobilizing you to accomplish His work on earth. Marinate in the Scriptures and spend time "Being still" before Him-Psalm 46:10. When we reflect and focus upon the God who has enabled us to work for him, our responsibilities and duties become a joy rather than a burden.

As You Are Going

In Matthew 28:18-20, Jesus Christ gives one of the most important commands recorded in scripture. We know this all familiar scripture passage as the "Great Commission." During a brief reading session this morning, I was reminded of the meaning behind the word "Go". In fact, I learned this nugget of truth years ago but simply forgot about its importance. Due to the nature of the word "Go", one can translate this word in the original text as "going" or "as you go". Why is that literal translation significant? When Jesus Christ was giving this command to His disciple’s right before He ascended into heaven, He wanted to stress to them the utmost importance of "making disciples" as they went about their daily lives. For the Christian, the act of discipling others is a command, not a mere option. Furthermore, this process hasn't been designed for only Church leadership or Clergy, but for all men and women who has been saved by the blood of the Lamb. It isn't something that we do exclusively at church or at Bible Study. The process of discipleship, when done biblically, is accomplished every day of the week, no matter what time it is or what is going on in one’s life. As God's Church, if we desire to take this command seriously, we must be in the process of making disciples "as we go" throughout our lives. My wife and I, along with Abigail, are excited to unite with you all this summer. We know that God is going to use us collectively as a team to fulfill the great Commission for his glory. As you go throughout your home…Make Disciples! As you go throughout your work place…Make Disciples! As you go throughout your city…Make Disciples! As you go overseas...Make Disciples!As you go to the Gas Station...Make Disciples! As you go out to eat…Make Disciples! As you go….I think you get the point. Finally, be encouraged that at the conclusion of the Great Commission Jesus writes “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

I Approve This Message?

If you turn on the television today, you will eventually see an advertisement by one of the Presidential candidates supporting their campaign or attacking someone else’s. At the conclusion of the ad, the candidate says "I'm .....and I approve this message". This concluding statement, while rather corny in my opinion, got me thinking.

As a communicator of God's truth, I long for God to approve my message to the world and to his Church. Sadly, many pastors who stand behind GOD'S PULPIT waste the time that they have and do not preach the Word of God in an unadulterated and undiluted manner. They choose to preach messages that lack true biblical content and appeal exclusively to one's feelings while providing a myriad of illustrations in hopes to make the congregation laugh and feel good about themselves. While God has challenged me to pray for these Pastors rather than speak gossip about them, I have been internally challenged to be different and to utilize the time God has given me behind his pulpit. Please pray that I will, according to 2 Timothy 2:15 "Be diligent to present myself APPROVED to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." According to scholars, the word "approved" means "proven to be worthy after testing". John Macarthur says "What is the goal of the teacher? To make a maximum effort so he might someday stand alongside God unashamed because he has proven himself to be worthy". Now, there is one more nugget of truth that I want to bring to light through this well known scripture passage. The phrase "rightly dividing the word of truth” refers to "cutting a straight line". For a preacher to "cut a straight line", he must preach the Word, not his opinion. The Apostle Paul spent hours and hours a day laboring to make tents. In order to make these tents, he had to utilize animal hides, skins, and other materials. He had to meticulously cut these materials in order to piece together a successful tent. At times, logic would tell us that he had to cut straight lines in order for each piece of material to line up together. It took many hours and wasn't an easy task. Just as Paul had to pay attention to detail, cut straight lines, and work extremely hard to put together a tent, I have been challenged to exhaust myself in the meticulous study of God's Word and prayer. In addition, I long to "cut straight lines" when I have the opportunity to preach. Why? The scripture commands me too. The Apostle Paul, in the midst of false teaching and heresy, commands his young protege in the faith, Timtothy, to "cut straight lines" when he handles the Word of God.

As a preacher, it's not about the illustrations and 3-point sermons we provide, even though they can be effective, it's about exalting the God behind and in every word and command written in the precious scriptures. Please pray that I am diligent in studying the scriptures so that I can "cut a straight line" while preaching God’s truth. Furthermore, pray that I will saturate every message in prayer. Finally, please pray that my heart is humbled and that the Holy Spirit fills me and guides me behind the pulpit.

Consider Him

Today my wife and I are celebrating our 2 year anniversary. Wooo-Hooooo! We are going to be eating dinner at the Melting Pot and I am dreaming of a Filet Mignon as I type this post. Anyways, over the past two years, my wife has exemplified Godly virtue and has consistently been the greatest and most loving wife. I couldn't ask for a more beautiful and virtuous woman. In times of solitude, I often remember how blessed I am to be married to my wife. I think upon her inward and outward beauty, her kindness, her compassion, her patience, her love, and all of the other attributes that amaze me. As a husband, it is extremely healthy for me to remember and reflect upon the blessing that God has given to me in my wife. As I do this, I am compelled and challenged to be the Ephesians 5 husband that God has commanded me to be.

As believers, it is healthy for us to remember and "consider Him". What do I mean by that? Just the other day, I was studying Hebrews 12. In verse 3, the author writes "For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls." As a husband, it is easy to become unmotivated and lazy. At times, the enemy tempts me to merely go through the motions and not be a spirit-filled leader. In addition, as a follower of Christ, at one time or another, we will be tempted to go through the motions and live a life that doesn't coincide with the principals found in scripture . During these seasons of your life, when Satan is on you like white on rice(and he will be-1 Peter 5:8), when you are on the brink of becoming discouraged and feel like giving up and giving in, consider Him. Remember Jesus. Remember the cross. Remember his blood. Personally, the more I remember and "consider Him", the more I experience God's victory in my life. At certain times, I forget about the cross. I forget about his blood. I forget about the pain he suffered for my salvation and justification. This fact in my life is very sad, but, very true. Thus I become internally discouraged and weary in the midst of trials and tribulations. You and I don't have to live a life of discouragement and defeat. No matter where we are in life or how we feel, we can experience victory! Sometime today, I encourage you to reflect upon Isaiah 53. Be encouraged, motivated, and challenged by God's Word. Consider Him....