Posted in Uncategorized at 9:00 am by jeff@dlaog.com
Hello,
I, like many other church leaders of various denominations, have wondered for a long time why my generation and the ones behind me no longer consider church to be a valid part of their lives or the lives of their families. As I was preparing for the message last Sunday, preaching my July 4th message a week early as I am leading worship at our state Family Camp this coming Sunday, I was struck by the story of Isral’s first attempt at the conquest of Ai right after the miracle at Jericho. The beginning of this is:
Joshua 7:1-5 NKJV
1 But the children of Israel committed a trespass regarding the accursed things, for Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi,* the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed things; so the anger of the Lord burned against the children of Israel. 2 Now Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, “Go up and spy out the country.” So the men went up and spied out Ai. 3 And they returned to Joshua and said to him, “Do not let all the people go up, but let about two or three thousand men go up and attack Ai. Do not weary all the people there, for the people of Ai are few.” 4 So about three thousand men went up there from the people, but they fled before the men of Ai. 5 And the men of Ai struck down about thirty-six men, for they chased them from before the gate as far as Shebarim, and struck them down on the descent; therefore the hearts of the people melted and became like water.
Why should Israel melt before the small village of Ai when they had just smashed the dominant city of the region, Jericho under the anointing of God? What was the problem? Nobody seemed to really know, they just knew something was really, really wrong. They drew lots, and the lots ended up pointing out the culprit, recorded in Josh. 7:16-26, NKJV:
16 So Joshua rose early in the morning and brought Israel by their tribes, and the tribe of Judah was taken. 17 He brought the clan of Judah, and he took the family of the Zarhites; and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man, and Zabdi was taken. 18 Then he brought his household man by man, and Achan the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken. 19 Now Joshua said to Achan, “My son, I beg you, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession to Him, and tell me now what you have done; do not hide it from me.” 20 And Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the Lord God of Israel, and this is what I have done: 21 ”When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. And there they are, hidden in the earth in the midst of my tent, with the silver under it.” 22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran to the tent; and there it was, hidden in his tent, with the silver under it. 23 And they took them from the midst of the tent, brought them to Joshua and to all the children of Israel, and laid them out before the Lord. 24 Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the garment, the wedge of gold, his sons, his daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that he had, and they brought them to the Valley of Achor. 25 And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.” So all Israel stoned him with stones; and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones. 26 Then they raised over him a great heap of stones, still there to this day. So the Lord turned from the fierceness of His anger. Therefore the name of that place has been called the Valley of Achor to this day.
Unknown to anyone else, Achan had sinned. His sin was hidden from the greater congregation of the people, but it still impacted others in a fatal way…about 36 innocent men died that day. As I read this story, I began to consider the amazing amount of compromise in the greater Church today. We readily accept what God abhors. We hide our sin, just as Achan did, and wonder why our church isn’t growing, wonder why our ministries are not increasing, wonder why our attempts (or our pastors attempts) are not prospering. We think, “If we could just get this anointed pastor or if this anointed speaker would come and do a week of revivals at our church…” that things would spark. We try this strategy and then another, all to no avail, and at the end of the day we end up frustrated, angry at God and man that things are not working. I believe that in the story of Achan we see the answer to this dilemma. We, the generations of the saved, have harbored sin in our hearts. We have hidden our sin and no one sees it. We think we are getting away with it, that God understands where we are, and what we are dealing with, and that somehow He is OK with it. But just as Achan’s hidden sin caused 36 innocents to die, we are doing the same. It is just showing up another way. The next generation is not filling the pews. The next generation is dying spiritually. When will we come to the realization that the next generation will not come to the church until we, The Church, come clean before God? Until we get rid of the sin in our own hearts, in the secret place, nothing we try will work. “Come, let us return to the Lord…”
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:23 pm by jeff@dlaog.com
Sometimes I wonder, where has the time gone? Over the past month, it has been one whirlwind. The opportunity that Angelfood Ministries is giving us to impact and genuinely help our community has been amazing, and I am so thankful to God for that.
This last distribution was a wonderful success, and it looks like we are getting a good system going and working out the kinks and all.
It was amazing to have WDAY there to cover the event. What an amazing coverage they gave us! They did far and above what we expected, and we are really grateful to them. If you think of it, please let them know. www.wday.com
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:45 am by jeff@dlaog.com
Hello,
As I said yesterday in the morning service, God has really laid this one word on my heart. This is a season for the Church of Jesus Christ to rise up and shine in His image, to radiate His likeness, to illuminate a darkened world. It is a time for us to rise up and, as the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 5:7 (NKJV) “For we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Now is a time for the body of Christ to believe God, to take Him at His word, to act on His word, to behave as though God will follow through and confirm that which He has promised.
This is a link to a song that really blessed our family as we were making our faith move here to Minnesota from our home in Alaska.I pray that your faith will be encouraged as you put your faith in your Creator, for whom nothing is impossible to those who believe!
Posted in Uncategorized at 10:04 am by jeff@dlaog.com
We are now gearing up for another distribution as an Angelfood Ministries Host Site, and what an amazing month it has been. With just a few days left until the ordering deadline, things are looking really good. We have had so many people coming into the church who normally would not have a reason to come here, and it is a privilege to be able to help people in this manner.
I am very excited to see what the Lord will do as word of this continues to spread and we are able to help more and more people out. As a side note, I recently saw the June menu and am already looking forward to the Rib-Eye Steaks that are in June’s Signature Box!
Posted in Uncategorized at 6:23 pm by jeff@dlaog.com
The same church that did the movie “Facing the Giants” and most recently “Fireproof” began their foray into cinema with a movie entitled “Flywheel.” This is a movie about a man who gives his life completely to God and decides to trust Him no matter the what happens in his desperate situation.
Posted in Uncategorized at 12:18 pm by jeff@dlaog.com
Well, it has been an interesting first week with our new outreach to our community in partnership with Angelfood Ministries. We had a great number of orders for only 1 week activity, and today in our office we were able to go through the ordering process and complete our first order. April 25th will be our first distribution, and we in the office are all very excited about this wonderful opportunity to bless our community. A big thank you to all of our volunteers.
Posted in Uncategorized at 8:17 am by jeff@dlaog.com
Over the years, there have been many video re-enactments of the crucifixion, from the graphic to the tame to the modernized. One thing they all share in common is the fact that Jesus died on a cross for you and for me. An innocent man purchased our salvation. As the hymn goes, “Jesus paid it all…”
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:46 am by jeff@dlaog.com
John 3:16 NKJVFor God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
This well-known verse sums up the purpose of Easter. Humanity had sinned, and this sin seperated us from God. The gap could not be bridged by any of our attempts. We were without help, and without hope. Yet God loved us so much, that he brought a solution that none of us could fathom, His own Son to purchase us by praying the price for our redemption.
Because Jesus paid the price, we can now recieve eternal life, the opportunity to live forever with God. This is the great message of Easter, life eternal through faith in Jesus Christ.
Posted in Uncategorized at 9:25 am by jeff@dlaog.com
As we approach the Easter Holy-day, I am always amazed at what Christ accomplished when He went to the Cross on our behalf. Isaiah 53 foretells the work that Messiah would do in His death. Vs. 4-6 usually strike me in a particular way this time of year. Vs. 4 states that Jesus carried our sickness & pain. These words are often but incorrectly translated our “griefs” and “sorrows”, with the NIV correctly translates infirmities. Why the KJV translators so clearly missed this is beyond me, as the original words only have sickness/infirmity and pain as their meanings. Vs. 5 goes on to say that He was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, recieved punishment that we might recieve piece, and by His stripes we are healed.
Christ purchased our healing from sin and sickness on the cross 2000 years ago, and rose again, conquering death and hell once and for all. As you reflect on your Easter traditions this year, I encourage you to once again place your faith in the Double Cure Christ has purchased for each of us, our salvation of our souls and the healing of our bodies.
Posted in Uncategorized at 11:51 am by jeff@dlaog.com
Last Sat., my wife and I went down to Brooklyn Park, MN to observe first-hand an Angelfood distribution. What an amazing operation, and what an opportunity to make connections with unchurched people while giving folks a hand up during this troubled economic time. I am so excited to announce that the month of April will be our first venture into new waters as we will host our first distribution on April 25th, from 2Pm - 4PM. Orders need to be in to the church office by April 12 at 1PM. I know that this is Easter Sunday, but this is the deadline. One thing I learned during our observation is the necessity of strict adherance to posted deadlines, otherwise we will not be able to meet our established deadlines with Angelfood.
I pray that everyone will be able to join us as we launch forward into this new venture!