Some years ago – never mind how long precisely – having little ambition and nothing particular to interest me around the house, I thought I would surf about a little upon the Internet.
Through the providence of God, I found a YouTube video of Paul Washer entitled, “Shocking Youth Message.” As I was engaged as a youth Sunday school teacher from time to time, I invested an hour and watched it. I suggest you do the same now if you haven’t seen it already. http://youtu.be/cncEhCvrVgQ.
If you don’t have the time, or if you’ve seen it before, just watch the first minute of this excerpt up until the point that Brother Paul silences the crowd.
Though just into my 40s and a generation removed from Washer’s audience, the Holy Spirit of God convicted me through his words, “I don’t know why you’re clapping. I’m talking about you.” The kids in the audience were in an emotional frenzy, going with their worldly feelings and not letting Washer’s biblical message penetrate their stony hearts. At least that’s what I think was going on inside them, because that was what was going on inside me. I was no different in my life. It took the startling words of a preacher clearly calling me a phony to shock me out of my complacency.
You see, I was a great Pharisee. I went to church every Sunday, I sang in the choir, I read scripture, I taught Sunday school, I attended Bible study, I donated time and money, I maintained the church website, I edited the church newsletter, I was an elder and I was certain that Christianity was something I did very well.
Please don’t miss that last statement: Christianity – was something – I did.
Could this be true of you as well? Is your Christian faith primarily something you do?
Like Nicodemus, I had heard about the things of God and I knew a lot about God, but I didn’t know God at all. Nicodemus was a bible teacher; he sang and read scripture in the temple; his faith was something that he did very well. But he couldn’t see or comprehend the kingdom of God. Nicodemus visited Jesus at night, ashamed to be seen with him in the daylight. In John 3:3, Jesus says to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus doesn’t get it in John 3:4, so Jesus spells it out for him in more detail in John 3:5-8, to which Nicodemus replies in verse 9, “How can these things be?”
It’s almost like Nicodemus is proving Jesus’ point for him. He obviously hasn’t been born again, therefore he doesn’t understand. It’s not that Nicodemus doesn’t want to understand, rather, he is incapable of understanding. His understanding is so tightly wrapped up in his religiosity that the truth cannot penetrate it.
I, too, was insulated from the truth. For me, the first crack in my stony heart (that I was aware of) was made through the words of Brother Paul Washer when I first seriously entertained the possibility that I wasn’t a ‘good Christian’ like I thought I was. Perhaps Jesus’ unexpected response to Nicodemus’ question was a shock to him too. In John 3:10, Jesus says, “Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?” Calling a high priest of the Jews a phony tends to have a shocking effect.
Could this be true of you as well? Are you a phony, masquerading as a Christian, wrapped up in religiosity?
I must confess that I still have a tendency to revert back to what comes most naturally to me. My default setting is a desire to earn my way to heaven by doing good works.
By relying on myself and what I do, I diminish Christ and what He did.
Reliance upon the person and work of Jesus through faith alone guarantees me reconciliation with God; reliance upon myself and my tainted works guarantees me a nice hot corner of hell all to myself.
And yet even this exposes yet another form of Pharisee-ism.
Because I know I shouldn’t rely on myself or my works, I sometimes think I’m smarter or more clever than others. Putting my old works into the dustbin (where they belong) are my “new good works.” But these new good works are just as filthy as my old ones, and I am still a Pharisee because I want them to count for something!
Counting nothing to my account should count for something, right?!?
Do you see how insane that is? I can’t get out from underneath it.
With Jesus, we are saved. Everything is going to be okay. Without Jesus, we are damned. Nothing will go right.
Forsake all fraudulent success. Make Jesus your goal, your arrival, your identity, your comfort, your okayness, and he’ll gladly give himself to you — and on terms of grace. But reach for anything else, and it will turn into its opposite and betray you.
John doesn’t give us a nicely wrapped-up ending to the encounter with Nicodemus. It just abruptly ends and we don’t hear of old Nic again until after Jesus is killed. In John 3:1-21 he visits Jesus at night so he cannot be seen by anyone. But in John 19:39, Nicodemus buys a load of burial spices and he, along with Joseph of Arimathea, prepares Jesus’ body for burial in the light of day. It seems that he was no longer ashamed to be counted as a servant of Christ.
In the end, I hope this means that Nicodemus was saved; because I need the grace and mercy of Jesus Christ as much as he did.
Could this be true of you as well?
Christianity isn’t about what you do. It’s about what Jesus has already done. Don’t ever lose that focus.
Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith – Phil. 3:8-9
Many friends, family and acquaintances of mine are suffering right now. Death, divorce, drug abuse, alcoholism and familial betrayal are but a few things that people I know and love are fighting at the moment.
I hear of others just outside of my circle who are afflicted as well. Loss of work and home, debilitating disease, dementia, depression, cancer and suicide are among the sufferings of the people who know people I know.
What makes these problems more heartbreaking is that many of those suffering these things don’t know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. They don’t know that God’s grace is sufficient to get them through their struggles (2 Cor. 12:9).
Poetry rarely appeals to me, but this poem by John Piper touches something in me that prose just doesn’t reach. Read it three times and then meditate on the words of Jesus, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”
What is God’s sovereign grace?
Not grace to bar what is not bliss
Nor flight from all distress but this:
The grace that orders our trouble and pain
And then, in the darkness, is there to sustain.
The police officer took his time getting out of his car. I hadn’t done anything wrong (I thought), but my heart rate was up a bit nonetheless.
I sat in my car on the side of the road. My car was in park, my flashers were on, all my windows were down and my sweaty hands gripped the steering wheel at 10 and 2.
Finally, his door opened and he stepped out. I watched him in my rear-view mirror.
“Good morning, officer!” I thought to myself. That’s what I’d say when he got to my window. Try to be pleasant.
He walked directly to the back of my car. I heard something scraping against my bumper as he wobbled in my rear-view.
“Did he step in something? I thought.
Then I saw him talking into the radio mic on his shoulder.
Snow! There was snow covering my license plate and he had to scrape it off to read it. I whispered an oath as I finally exhaled. I could see my breath.
He walked backward a few steps toward his cruiser, never taking his eyes off of me.
“Smart man,” I thought, “and he doesn’t have any idea yet that I have a gun.”
He talked into his shoulder again and then paused to listen. I noticed his head jerk toward me just a little. He knew.
I could feel my heart thumping now. I tightened my grip on the wheel. My neck was hot and my fingers were cold. The gun felt like an anvil on my left hip.
He shifted his weight on his feet and took a lungful of cold Ohio air. I could see his breath too.
Now my ears were hot and my hands almost slipped off the wheel they were so cold and wet. I never noticed before how red the lines in my knuckles were. I glanced in my rear-view again and he was gone.
“Good morning, Sir.” I heard as he entered my peripheral vision. I jumped a little, not sure if he noticed it though. “May I see your driver’s license, registration and proof of assurance, please?”
“Officer, I have a license to carry concealed and I am armed. What would you like me to do?”
“Where is the firearm?” His voice was like a rock.
“In a holster on my left hip, under my shirt.” I squeaked.
“That’s fine,” he said, “Keep your hands on the wheel unless I tell you to do otherwise.”
“Yes sir. My license is in my left back pocket.”
“Get it with your left hand only. Keep your other hand on the wheel.”
“Yes sir. I need to open the glove box too.”
“Go ahead.”
He stood slightly behind me outside my window, his body parallel to the side of my car. I never saw his right hand and figured it was resting on the butt of his pistol.
I leaned to my right, slowly opened the glove box and removed my insurance card and registration. Holding them between my thumb and forefinger, I returned my right hand to the wheel and reached with my left hand really, *really* slowly toward my left back pocket. I removed my wallet and brought both hands back to the wheel.
He moved closer and placed his right hand on the sill of my window.
I relaxed a little bit as I removed my licenses and handed everything over. “Here you go.” I managed.
He took them from me without a word, straightened up and walked toward the front of my car. He never turned more than halfway away from me as he walked around the front of my car and toward the side of the highway. He keyed his mic and called in my information.
I thought ice might be forming under my hands on the steering wheel. My heart wasn’t beating as fast, but now I could feel sweat running down the side of my head. For a misguided moment, I thought about unzipping my coat, and then thought better of it.
His breath was white with little sparkles in the morning sun. Mine looked like a gray fog in the shade. He walked to the passenger side of my car and leaned into the open window.
My grip tightened. The wheel would never be the same.
“Sir, do you know why I stopped you this morning?” he asked.
“No, sir.”
“You had snow covering your rear license plate. Are you aware that you have to keep it clear of obstructions?”
“I am now, sir!” I replied briskly, “I’m sorry about that.”
He held out my paperwork and said sternly, “And this isn’t what I asked you for, you know!”
My hands stayed on the wheel. I just looked at him, my mouth half open. I think I might have blinked.
“I asked you for your driver’s license, registration and proof of assurance.” He stressed the last word.
My hands stayed on the wheel. I just looked at him, my mouth half open. I think I might have blinked.
He grinned as he tucked my paperwork under the edge of the bible sitting on the passenger’s seat. “I noticed the cross you have hanging from your rear view mirror at the same time that my dispatcher said you had a license to carry concealed. Then I saw your bible just before I got to your window. I’m usually a little nervous approaching an armed citizen, but this time I felt pretty calm.”
I managed to close my mouth and take a short breath.
“I thought I’d have a little fun with you and see if you might hand me your bible as proof of assurance.” He said as he tapped the book on the seat.
“I never even caught it.” I replied as I tried to smile. “I thought you said insurance. I guess I didn’t expect to be pulled over by a Christian.”
“I’m a Christian and a cop; but I guess I’m not much of a comedian!”
“I’m sure I’ll laugh about it later” I said as I finally found the ability to smile.
“I’m sure we both will.” He replied as he straightened back up. “Make sure you keep your license plate clear of snow and have a blessed day, brother!”
“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir… brother. You too!”
UPDATE: This article is a work of fiction; a creative writing exercise focusing on dialog and descriptive realism. I welcome constructive criticism in comments or via email. Thanks for reading!
Now the work really begins, and not just because you can’t wear your pajamas anymore. (Actually, I’ve visited some churches where pajamas would be fine!) You’ve got to get yourself and your family all dressed and ready to do something really difficult and unpleasant: walk into a strange church where you (probably) don’t know a soul.
Attend the prospective church on a typical Sunday morning. Don’t go for the first time on Easter, Christmas, special events, etc. You want to see a ‘typical’ service if possible. If you happen to go to a church for the first time and there is a guest preacher, special event or other non-typical event, plan to go again the following week. Do not judge any church on only a single Sunday’s attendance. A good rule of thumb is that you’re not qualified to evaluate a church until you’ve attended at least three times.
The exception to the ‘three visits’ rule is if you find something biblically amiss the first time; like a woman pastor or a Joel Osteen video in a bible study class. There’s really no reason to go back unless it is to advise them to revise their website to reflect reality.
Playing Games
I don’t recommend that everyone do this, but there are some subtle tests you can perform to help evaluate certain aspects of the church during your visit. Perhaps ‘running a play’ would be a more accurate description than playing games.
All the lonely people; where do they all belong?
At two different evangelical megachurches, I stood along the wall of the narthex/commons area all by myself and just kind of looked around. I met people’s eyes whenever possible as they were walking by and nodded or smiled at them. I did this three to five minutes prior to or just after the service. Not a single person stopped to talk to me in either place. The preaching was very good at both churches; the music was acceptable but not great at one, and downright irritating at the other, but this was a deal breaker for me.
I was fishing for a greeting, trying to look as lost and vulnerable as I could, but didn’t succeed in catching anyone. People doing what I was doing should get noticed, and someone (anyone!) should stop and say hello at the very least. (Romans 12:13)
When I ran this play at Parkside Church in Bainbridge, Ohio, a man named Douglas came up to me almost immediately and started a conversation. It was mostly small talk, but it was enough to make me feel welcome and when we parted ways he said he hoped to see me again. Eight months later I still remember his name, so he obviously made an impression. I really, really like Parkside church; unfortunately, it is about a 45 minute drive from my home.
Hey baby, you come here often?
“Hi. My name is Dave Miller, this is my (first, second, third) time here. How long have you been attending?” That’s my standard opening line when visiting a church. Usually, rather than waiting to be approached, I find a man about my age, walk up, put out my hand and ask the question; then I shut up and listen. There are also a few standard follow-up questions that I’ve used depending on the situation.
Do you have family here too?
Where did you go to church before?
Would you say this is/was a pretty typical worship service?
What do you like most about this church?
Does the pastor have any tattoos or piercings?
I’ve never actually asked the last question of anyone, but include it just to make the point that there really isn’t anything that is too far out-of-bounds to ask when visiting a church. If there is anything you are concerned about or just want to know, ask!
Grading on the curve
When you get to your car after the service, write down the names of the people you met and a few short impressions of your experience. After you get home, go over your list of primary and secondary criteria and assign a letter or numerical grade to each if you can. Write down your general impression of the church in more detail and include the input of your family as well. After visiting three churches, each more than once, you can start ranking them.
Remember, there is no perfect church. Don’t be disappointed when you don’t find a church that receives a perfect 10 rating. Part of being a Christian is compromising with fellow believers on non-essential issues (Romans 14:5). As long as the essentials are present (Preaching the whole counsel of God, sacraments are rightly observed, discipleship is practiced and encouraged) the rest is just a subjective decision.
If you made a personal connection with someone, you really hit it off and made fast friends, don’t discount that as unimportant. Personal connections with fellow believers are a big part of being in Christ. This is especially true for your children. If your kids have a connection, that should carry quite a bit of weight when it gets to making a choice.
When I got to the point where I had my list narrowed down to three candidates, I kind of knew in the back of my mind which was the right church for me. As I mentioned in a previous post I’m searching by myself, so if you are searching with your family, (Praise God if you are!) be sure to take their opinions into account too.
At the church I used to attend, there was always a devotional message on the back of the weekly bulletin. I have one here at my desk from a year ago. I saved it because I liked the message, but something about it seemed just a bit off. I finally figured out what it was last week.
The devotional told the story of a pastor who gave a group of children one Lego block each, and then asked them to add each of their blocks to his block and build a “Lego church.” His intention was to demonstrate that each of them was a part of the church. The pastor said that some tried to build something resembling a house, but many pieces were sticking out “on a limb.” Since there were so many different kids with different ideas, the construct looked like “nothing you have ever seen before.”
The pastor summed up this object lesson with the following:
The real church is like that. Each of us brings our piece to add to the whole and even if someone suggests we add it in a certain place, we have our own ideas and place it where we will. It seems like a mess! But then we are reminded that this is not our church [but] Christ’s church and he builds it as he wills it.
God does receive us in the shape we are in and fits us into his church, but the fact of the matter is that we just don’t fit very well; nor should we. We come to God’s church in a worldly form. He meets us where we are, like the woman caught in adultery and like Zacchaeus in the tree, but he doesn’t leave us in the shape we were in when we met Him. The woman caught in adultery was told to go and sin no more (John 8:10-11) and Zacchaeus repented and promised to repay his victims four times over (Luke 19:8).
Likewise, if we remain in the worldly shape that we were in when we come, the church we form will be worldly as well. That’s what the devotional writer got wrong. God’s church doesn’t have parts sticking out in random directions that serve no purpose and we aren’t the ones who form God’s church in the first place! No, Christ reshapes us into the kind of block that He needs for His good purposes. (Matthew 16:18) Look at the quote above again. In one sentence the writer says, “…we have our own ideas and place it where we will.” And two sentences later, he says that Christ “builds it as he wills it.”
Which is it, Mr. Devo Writer?
Are we building it or is Jesus?
In ancient times, the Tabernacle was constructed to very exacting specifications. It wasn’t a random conglomeration of whatever rocks and branches the carpenters found lying around. God spoke to Moses about the materials, the processes, the sizes, the adornment, and the order of all of the parts of the temple, including the priests themselves! (Exodus 26:1-27:21) He ordained who would do the work of the Lord within the temple; and how and when they would do it in order to please Him (Exodus 28:1-31:18). The devotional writer is saying the exact opposite – that we come as we are, we decide how we are going to be, what we are going to do and we make something pleasing to God all by ourselves.
Nothing could be less biblical.
Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.– C. S. Lewis in Mere Christianity
Today, for the Christian haters of Christmas, I give as my gift my answers to the most common questions from those that object to the celebration of Christmas
“I was told I could hold sheet music, an instrument or camera in my hand, but if I hold a Bible or small Nativity Scene that would be considered a ‘prop’ and cause me to face arrest or citation.”
A few thoughts from a fellow bungler to help us think ahead and pray about how we might grow in being proxies for the gospel, in word and deed, among our families.
I would like to wish you and your family a very happy and memorable Christmas.
The whole reason we celebrate is to commemorate the greatest gift ever given. Christmas is the time to honor Jesus of Nazareth, God the Son, the Son of God, who was born in human flesh to live among His creation for a few decades. What he did, during what we would consider a very short life, was to teach us to love God and one another, to take our sins upon him, and to cover us with His perfect righteousness so we can once again be in full fellowship with God the Father now and forever.
If you only half-heartedly believe this, or don’t believe it at all, please think about it for a few minutes. Consider the fact that all of us will die someday and how many toys we have really doesn’t matter. Consider the fact that there is no way for anyone to live a life good enough to qualify for even a moment in the presence of a perfect, Holy God. The only way to earn a place in heaven is to live a perfect, holy life, and none of us can do that. But if you believe Jesus (not just believe IN Jesus) and turn away from your sins, God will look at your sinful life and see Jesus’ perfect life. Jesus’ work on the cross has assured all believers of this.
Everything else you may have been told that you have to do in order to gain heaven is extraneous. Repent and believe that Jesus is Lord and you are saved – by grace alone through faith alone, not by works. No other religion in the world teaches this, grace is unique to Christianity. Grace is the best kind of gift because none of us deserve it. What a wonderful gift! God loved us so much that he sent his Son to defeat death and sin, and give all believers the undeserved gift of eternal life in His presence.
May the blessings of Christmas be upon all of you.
As everything, He became nothing so that you, as nothing, could have everything. You bring nothing to the table except the unrighteousness that makes Christ’s righteousness necessary.
If Jesus is to remain “the reason for the season,” then churches must be the place continually pointing to Him, especially in our preaching. We must take caution that our Christmas programs, which many times are designed to draw unbelievers, are not so secularized that we obscure the message we are trying to convey.
Then she said, “Jesus died for me. I love my Jesus.” Sometimes I don’t know what “joy inexpressible and filled with glory” means, but at that moment I did. I had no words. So I just squeezed her hand gently and smiled at her through tears and sat there. That’s what you do in the presence of greatness.
Don’t be surprised if people look at you and say hurtful things like “she is really great with child.” Even more irritating will be the future idea that little Baby “no crying did make” when you know that he is fully human.
The period beginning four Sundays before Christmas, observed in commemoration of the coming of Christ into the world.
Arrival or coming.
Advent is a time of preparation in the Christian liturgical calendar observed by many Christians. It is traditional, not biblical; but it is not sinful either, as long as all the foofaraw doesn’t obstruct the good news of Christ.
The Distraction
Christmas trees and wreaths, mistletoe and silver bells, candy canes and presents, Santa Claus and Rudolph; even many Christmas carols can distract us from the advent of Christ. Saying Merry Christmas instead of Happy Holidays isn’t even the point, nor is erecting a nativity scene in the town square. Buying gifts, gathering with family or friends, and taking time off from school also have nearly nothing to do with the coming of Christ.
The Danger
Don’t get all wrapped up in the traditionalism, sentimentality and emotionalism of Christmastime. Most Christmas traditions celebrated in America aren’t biblical anyway. Retelling a mythologized version of Jesus’ birth complete with an innkeeper, a stable full of animals and threekings (none of which are mentioned in scripture) conceals the truth of the historical birth.
The Dilemma
Even if we can get past the distractions and the dangers of Advent, we still have a dilemma: Why are we going through all these preparations for something that has already happened? Is it just a commemoration, or is it something more? Maybe we can take a clue from the words of some biblical Christmas carols.
Joy to the world the Lord is come, let Earth receive her king;
Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing.
Sing choirs of angels, sing in exultation, sing all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God, all glory in the highest; O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
Come, Thou long expected Jesus; born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us, let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel’s Strength and Consolation, hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear Desire of every nation, joy of every longing heart.
The Declaration
I submit to you that these lyrics are not solely about the first advent of Christ, but equally about the second. Keep in mind that Jesus promised to come again and call his church home to Himself (John 14:3). Go ahead and re-read the words to the songs above with this second, future advent in mind.
Really. Go back and re-read them. I’ll wait.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
As this season of advent (Christ’s imminent arrival) progresses, let us press onward and remember His first coming in lowly circumstance and poverty, but don’t falsely romanticize it! The incarnation was at once, the most selfless act of condescension ever performed and also the most valuable gift ever given by our sovereign God. Christ’s second coming will not be so quiet.
Are you ready to sing with the joy of angels that Christ has returned?
Are you ready for the advent of Christ, today?
Jesus has gone to prepare a place for you. Are you preparing a place for Him?
“We are a resurrection people living in a perpetual Advent.” – David Ridenhour
All I remember of the beginning is that I was standing in a kitchen in a well-appointed home. It was daytime and there was a well-dressed woman sitting at a table across the room having coffee. I was standing next to a microwave on a countertop and there was a clear glass jar next to it. In the jar was a baby in an amniotic bubble and it was alive.
The baby had bluish, transparent skin and I could see tiny internal organs and a beating heart. At the baby’s midsection, I saw two ovaries. She was a girl. I looked up at her expressionless face and she opened her eyes, they were like milk chocolate; a beautiful little brown-eyed girl. She blinked and looked at me, and I started crying.
I was crying because I had helped to put her where she was. She was still alive, but wouldn’t be for long.
Turning to the stylish woman at the table, I intoned through my tears, “Why did you do this!?”
“You know why,” she answered incredulously, “I’m having company over today and I can’t be pregnant for company!”
I knew I had to get this baby back to where she belonged, and fast. But this didn’t make sense; I’m a handyman, not a doctor.
The woman seemed annoyed, “I told you I needed to have some things done around my house to make it presentable. You agreed to help me do that. This was just part of your job. What’s your problem?”
My knees buckled; I sank to the floor. Lying on my right side, I curled up and sobbed. My heart weighed a thousand pounds and my head threatened to burst.
“I didn’t agree to help you kill your…” It came out like a shout and a moan. I had to stop and hold my breath. My stomach was full of stones. I felt like vomiting.
And that was the end.
My dreams are like that usually. They start in the middle and are over before they finish.
I haven’t been able to put it out of my head today. I still have a remnant of that sickening feeling that I’m an unwitting accessory to the murder of an innocent. The baby in the jar was going to die and I couldn’t do anything about it.
Yesterday I read an article about seven former Planned Parenthood employees who are willing to testify before congress that the national abortion factory that is the Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) regularly uses taxpayer monies to fund abortion on-demand.
PPFA receives more than one million dollars a day from federal and state sources which, by law, may NEVER be used for elective abortions. Malfeasance by Planned Parenthood is a well-known secret that shouldn’t surprise anybody; the lack of congressional oversight is criminal and, again, shouldn’t surprise anybody.
In the time it took you to read this article another brown-eyed girl has been killed by an employee of Planned Parenthood. If you are a taxpayer, you helped kill her.
But this is just part of your job, citizen. “What’s your problem?”
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; Jeremiah 1:5a
Like Nicodemus, I had heard about the things of God and I knew a lot about God, but I didn’t know God at all. Nicodemus was a bible teacher; he sang and read scripture in the temple; his faith was something that he did very well. But he couldn’t see or comprehend the kingdom of God. Nicodemus visited Jesus at night, ashamed to be seen with him in the daylight. In John 3:3, Jesus says to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Nicodemus doesn’t get it in John 3:4, so Jesus spells it out for him in more detail in John 3:5-8, to which Nicodemus replies in verse 9, “How can these things be?”
I must confess that I still have a tendency to revert back to what comes most naturally to me. My default setting is a desire to earn my way to heaven by doing good works.
The police officer took his time getting out of his car. I hadn’t done anything wrong (I thought), but my heart rate was up a bit nonetheless.
Hey baby, you come here often?
When you get to your car after the service, write down the names of the people you met and a few short impressions of your experience. After you get home, go over 
The devotional told the story of a pastor who gave a group of children one Lego block each, and then asked them to add each of their blocks to his block and build a “Lego church.” His intention was to demonstrate that each of them was a part of the church. The pastor said that some tried to build something resembling a house, but many pieces were sticking out “on a limb.” Since there were so many different kids with different ideas, the construct looked like “nothing you have ever seen before.”
In ancient times, the Tabernacle was constructed to very exacting specifications. It wasn’t a random conglomeration of whatever rocks and branches the carpenters found lying around. God spoke to Moses about the materials, the processes, the sizes, the adornment, and the order of all of the parts of the temple, including the priests themselves! (Exodus 26:1-27:21) He ordained who would do the work of the Lord within the temple; and how and when they would do it in order to please Him (Exodus 28:1-31:18). The devotional writer is saying the exact opposite – that we come as we are, we decide how we are going to be, what we are going to do and we make something pleasing to God all by ourselves.
