He is risen! You decide...

Lee Strobel quotes professor Gerd Lüdemann, professor at the University of Göttingen in Germany on the plausibility of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The prof. says,

“If you say that Jesus rose from the dead biologically, you would have to presuppose that a decaying corpse -- which is already cold and without blood in its brain -- could be made alive again..." "I think that is nonsense."

The Apostle Paul, formerly Saul Tarsus -- who saw the resurrected Christ with his own eyes -- wrote:

"If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins."

Regarding the resurrection - you decide for yourself! You don't actually decide if it is true or not. Your decision, regardless of what it is regarding the resurrection, does not change the historical facts regarding Christ's rising from the dead. Either He rose or He did not. Your decision only affects how your life is lived within the reality of the truth of the resurrection. And that decision has huge ramifications for the life you get to live in the here and now and in the one to come.

"Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed!"

a partner in the good news of Jesus,

Paul

the one from Proctor, Minnesota -- not the one from Tarsus : )

The Redemption of St. Patrick's Story

Today we celebrate the man who allegedly corralled the snakes out of Ireland. We do this by eating corned beef and cabbage (a family tradition my daughter really dislikes), wearing green and talking in silly accents. Many will even indulge in green beer and a few will try to dance like a leprechaun. I won’t be attempting the dance this year. But there is so much more to this man who came out of incredible adversity to influence a nation through his devotion to Jesus Christ.

Patrick was captured from his "well to do" family home in Britain (probably Scotland) by men under the strong arm of a warrior chief. Around the age of sixteen, he was brought in bonds to the land of Ireland where he was enslaved. His chief, or master, was a barbaric man who had placed the heads of those who opposed him on posts throughout the land. It was during this time of brutal slavery, isolation and starvation, while he tended to the pigs that he began to contemplate the godly teachings of his childhood and the creation around him. He was convinced of the truths of Christ. This led to a devotion and relationship with the Lord that guided his entire life.


"I would pray constantly during the daylight hours," he later recalled. "The love of God and the fear of him surrounded me more and more. And faith grew. And the spirit roused so that in one day I would say as many as a hundred prayers, and at night only slightly less."


It was a vision from the Lord that led him on a 200 mile journey to the coast where he would board a trading ship to his homeland. He left as an escaped slave, but that is not the end of his story, obvioulsy. The beauty of Patrick's story is that several years later he would return to Ireland under the conscription of a new but loving master, Jesus Christ. He returned to the land of his captivity as a missionary/evangelist. Patrick used the things of the culture and his faith to lead these people, who were planted in his heart, toward the love of God.

This truly is a day when we can celebrate and be challenged by a man whose love for Jesus caused him to risk all for Him.

a partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul "Frazier" Knight

Primary Source: Christian History magazine. http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/special/131christians/patrick.html

SUPER PASTOR -- NOT

It was time for the sermon and the point had to be made. I donned, at the suggestion of our worship director, the superman t-shirt and cape and sprinted to the front of the worship center. With arms outstretched (as though I was flying - a personal dream), I began my run across the front of the room, down the side aisle, and then finally up the center aisle. I opted out of the leap onto the platform and ran up the stairs. Gripping the pulpit, with super pastor strength, I pulled it up onto the platform and then lifted it above my head -- and held it with one hand. There was significant laughter and applause.

Then I launched into my message for the morning, between deep breaths and a desire for more oxygen, I made the point. "I am not truly Super Pastor and we all know this." I told them of about 10 years ago when I was exhausted and spiritually struggling. I further described how I knew I was not doing well, when I recognized that I was slipping into my office and turning off the lights between services. I didn't want the light to shine under my office door, because I was hoping no one would come to talk to me. I was too tired from trying to be more than God had made me to be. This led to the main point of the message for the morning. "We, all of us who follow Jesus, are a royal priesthood and God has made us all to serve together for His kingdom." I think, even despite the over the top theatrics, that the point was made. God desires to bless each of us with the priveledge of serving his kingdom. This was the end of first service.

Second service went pretty much like first service. Accept I faultered lifting the pulpit up over my head. I got it there, but it began to tip. I got it down quick, almost taking out the worship team's monitors, and launched into my message. Second and third services we also had Matthew West as a guest artist. This was a great blessing. He closed second service with "Only Grace" following our celebration of the Lord's supper. This led us to third service.

The worship time with Matthew West for third service was wonderful! God's presence was sensed as He was sensed the previous services. But now -- it was time for Super Pastor! I again donned my t-shirt and cape and sprinted to the front of the worship center. Struck a Super Pastor pose, right arm stretched to the skies and took off for my sprint around the room. Somewhere between that moment and the next I ended up planted into the carpet. I rose to the applause and laughter of the congregation. Bright red faced, I mouthed to our worship director, "I think I pulled something." Now with a much more vivid image, I worked my way up the platform, didn't run, and asked for help with the pulpit. Pain! I finished the message, the celebration of the Lord's Supper, and made the point that everyone needs to pitch in -- "I am not super pastor."

The end result is that tomorrow I have surgery to reattach my Achiles Tendon. Not the way I wanted to make the point. But it is clear: I am not super pastor. Not even really that powerful at all... Have a great week!

your partner in the gospel,
Pastor Paul

Restoration -- The Church's Test

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load. Galatians 6:1-5 NIV

I wonder in the local church who is "spiritual?" The Apostle Paul states that the "Spiritual" one in the church should work toward the restoration of sinners...

If we would look at the church today, you might think that there are very few "spiritual" ones because there seems to be precious few who enter into this kind of restorative and gentle work.

But I think we know better. The spirtual are not a special class Jesus follower. The spirtual are all who follow Jesus.

By basic definition the spiritual are those who have the Holy Spirit and by definition those who have the Spirit are followers of Christ. The Apostle Paul in Romans 8:9 reminds us; You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Therefore, lets be clear that the followers of Jesus Christ who see a brother or sister caught in a sin should, because the Holy Spirit is within them, seek to gently restore them. Could I say it this way? "The Spirit-filled person is one who is a restorative type person."

Did we hear it; if you are spiritual and see someone, a brother or sister in Christ, caught in something destructive to their souls -- do the work of gently going to them and helping them find their way back to their spiritual home. Help them be restored. I wonder how much of the way people view their relationship with the church would change if "sinners" found out that the body of Christ loved enough to be restoration not merely pointing out the sinfulness?

I BROKE MY COFFEE POT

I returned from my trip with Compassion International in Ethiopia. It was an incredible experience. I am confident that I have been marked by the Spirit in ways that I will not fully know for quite some time.

On the way home I missed my flight out of Dulles to Mpls. due to a delay taking off from Addis Ababa. Our 17 hour plane ride had been delayed by an hour so I was unable to make my connection. I was put on stand-by for the next several flights. Finally, at 5:22 (EST) I had my seat and was on my way to Minneapolis where I would catch another flight to home in Grand Forks. I arrived home sometime after 11:00 p.m. (CST) I was picked up at the airport by my son, who said to me, "I am looking forward to hearing about what you saw dad." He has been to Africa. We will share something together of the pain and wonder.

When I got home I decided to pull my toothbrush (with plans to kiss my wife Bonnie) from my luggage. While I was looking for my toothbrush I was really disappionted to find that my Ethipopian coffee pot was broken along with two of the five cups I had purchased. The coffee pot was intended to be a reminder of the coffee ceremony that was so graciously performed at almost every home we entered. It was a beautiful sign of hospitality. And my coffee pot was now broken. I had not packed it well.

Holding the broken pot in my hand my immediate thought was, "well I will have to replace this some day!" I will have to replace it someday because, I guess, I can. And that is what hurts. It was only going to be a decoration. Not something I would use. The coffee pot was to be added to the artifacts of my travels. And I can replace it. And I will most likely have opportunity. And I will most likely have the means. So I went to bed.

Today, I began gluing up my broken Ethiopian coffee pot. I am gluing it because I feel like I must. Other than the coffee pot, I am not sure what else "I must." I am sure that the Father will teach me and I hope that as He does that I will say, "I must."
Your partner in the gospel,
Pastor Paul

Here is a link in case you would like to check out Compassion:
http://www.compassion.com/default.htm

All You Who Are Thirsty -- Come

I was thinking this week about the times in my spiritual life when I am parched and living with a dehydrated soul. In these times my tendency is to want God to intervene and “do something” about me. I want him to pour into me the streams of living water (his Holy Spirit) that I crave. And I cry out to him to come to me and quench the thirst of my being. I have been listening to numerous songs that join me in the cry: “Come to me.” “Come to me” seems to be a common theme.

As I was re-reading Jesus’ words from John 7:37-39, I found myself being spoken to… The words that Jesus speaks to us are “"If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” Interesting, I am praying, crying out, demanding, for him to come to me. And his invitation is for me “to come to him.” I don’t want to quibble about words, yet I find it interesting that I do this very thing in my other relationships. I want my friends to “come to me.” To call me. To visit me. I want them to make the first move. How self-centered of me.

James 4:8 has a wonderful promise: “Come near to God and he will come to you.” The King of the Universe invites me into his presence and I am saying to him – “no, you come to me?” Who am I?

Then from a different perspective, my heavenly Father is saying, “Come to me, you who are weary and burdened.” The invitation is to me – his cherished and loved child! Come and I will take the burden. I wonder what He knows about the benefits of me coming to him?

Restoration - The Church's Test

I wonder where my desire for us to get this right, the restoration of those caught in sin, comes from? Maybe it is because I have had so many I love flee or slip out of relationship with their "Church family" only to pursue or wander spiritually because of stupid choices they have made. Maybe it comes from the look I see on the faces of men and woman who "come back" for another attempt at Church family after a long bout of sinful choices. Sometimes the shame I see in their faces makes me weep. Maybe it is a bit of pragmatism? I see some of us in the church family make attempts at "getting it right" and watch as the wandering soul is pushed further from the church family. Maybe it is more personal? Maybe it is because I have had wonderful brothers and sisters stand by me when I have struggles and they have graced me -- held me with the "kindness of God that has led me to repentance."I don't have this all figured out. I don't have all my thoughts in order or refined, but I thought I would start figuring it out right here. I will come back to this thought periodically, because I am a sinner that loves the church family and I know a bunch of sinners that need the church family.

Here goes: How should we, the Church, respond when one of us gets "stuck" in sinfulness. As I have been thinking of this there is a frustration in my soul with how I sense and see that we handle sinners (as though they are not us). There are those who, it seems, get an internal sense of satisfaction when someone, especially from another theological or ecclesiastical flavor, gets caught. We walk around like clucking roosters proud that our theology or ecclesiology kept us out of trouble -- "we must be right in what we believe." This is clearly sad (even more when it is me doing the clucking). It seems the only thing this truly displays is that the rooster is sinfully arrogant. Then there are those who are intent on "truthing" the individual caught. Like the person who feels it is their "godly duty" to phone the person struggling in marriage or with a divorce just to "let them know the Truth about divorce." I find this so common in the church, and very ineffective. I do, honestly, understand the importance of speaking the Truth. But sometimes it seems that our need to speak the truth is more about us than the one being spoken to. It appears to me that it gives us a sense of "well I've done my part and now they know." In many ways, and I have done this, it disgusts me. This is generally not done in love. Dare I say "rarely done in love?" And it does not seem to be done with the "sinner's" benefit in mind at all -- although we pretend it is. It seems to me that we get this internal sense of satisfaction with keeping the "church pure" as we help these sinful folks out. Or that, in the midst of other Christians hearing about the person from our church that is stuck in sin, we make sure the other Christians (from other churches) know that we are not compromising on the Truth! "We have told them they are wrong!" It seems that we feel like we have to prove ourselves to the critics from other fellowships. Like we have to “be harsh on the sinner” so that those who are always watching and judging whether or not we are getting it right. I found this quote on a website called Ponder These Things. The quote is from Brian McLaren. "

Being right isn't enough. We also need to be wise. And loving. And patient.
Perhaps nothing short of that should 'seem good to the Holy Spirit and
us.'"

Maybe McLaren touches on what I am feeling and thinking. As I become older I am becoming more and more partial to the Apostle Paul's statement in Romans 2:4: Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you toward repentance?

It we, the Church, really believed in the forgiveness of sins and the power of love to draw people back into the fold wouldn't we extend it more? I am beginning to look at this as a significant test for the church. Can we and will we restore the prodigals in our midst? Are we willing to make the effort or to expend the energy or to risk the hurt? Galatians 6:1-5 speaks volumns about how we should respond -- the spiritual should gently restore.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, for each one should carry his own load.

Your partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul