This weekend, we are taking about hell.  In his book called, “Erasing Hell“  Francis Chan said,  ‘Don’t believe something just because you have to, and don’t embrace an idea just because you’ve always believed it.  Believe what is Biblical.  Test all assumptions against the precious words God gave us in the Bible.’   As we study “hell” this weekend at Victory Church, and more specifically,  “Why Would a Loving God Send People to Hell?”  Remember, God isn’t always easy to understand.  His thoughts are above our thoughts and His ways are above our ways.  Keep in mind that the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of all things, has every right to do, “whatever he pleases” (Psalm 115:3 NASB)

So, despite what we may want to believe, we’ve got to figure out what God told us to believe in His Word.  As we read and study God’s Word on this topic, here are a couple other books that I think woud be a HUGE help to you:

1. “Erasing Hell – what God said about eternity, and the things we made up.” – By Francis Chan Preston Sprinkle
2. “Is hell for real?” – By Timothy Keller, R. Albert Mouler J.I. Packer
3. “Four Views of Hell” - John Walvoord

Jon us this week, get a mess of your friends to come out to Victory Church in Lancaster, PA or watch us on-line at 9AM this Sunday right here.

GIVE ME A PIECE OF YOUR MIND:    What are your thoughts on hell?   Does it exist?  Was Jesus speaking in actual terms or were they metaphors? 

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But recently, I read an incredible story by Matt Graybill of LCBC.  It was an eye-opening post on the “selflessness” of an older congregation in our community.   Well, I found another … or should I say, “I experienced another” self-less congregation.

Bethany Grace Fellowship and my church (Victory Church) are pretty much different from one another.  Not in a bad way, just different.  We are suburban, they are rural.  We started in 2000, they started in 1957.  Their background is Mennonite, ours is Pentecostal.  We have guitar and drum solo’s … and a hazer … I don’t think they do that.

But they lead by example.  I gotta admit, I am super impressed by Pastor Adam Nagle, his leadership team, and his church.  They understand something most younger congregations, in the American church, fail to realize … “The Principle of Sowing Seeds” in the Kingdom of God.  Last week, they decided to sow a seed and bless our young, growing, different-from-theirs, congregation with a cash offering.  You read that right, CASH OFFERING.  Nothing says, “I believe in you” like cash   I couldn’t believe it.  I can’t wait to share this with our tribe this week at Victory.  That mature, God-honoring congregation that meets in East Earl, PA get it.  It’s not about ME or my little world, or my little Kingdom, or my little program.   It is about expamding the Kingdom of God.  It’s not just about “my interests”, it’s about supporting and strengthening the p;aces where God is working.  God is so much bigger then my little world.

Their selfless act got me thinking,  “What am I doing as a pastor to expand the Kingdom that is NOT under my direct watch??  What am I giving?  Who am I blessing?”  What if we all started a revolution?   What if, instead of tearing down other churches in the Kingdom (and in our back yard), we blessed them?  Just like BGF did for us.   The Lord is working in many places.   Our question should be, “What IS He doing and how can I be a part of it?”

Hats off to Pastor Adam and BGF.  We need more leaders and more churches that lead in our communities like these guys are doing.  I pray the Lord blesses Adam and his church in the gracious and abundant way they have blessed us.

THINK ABOUT IT:   Where is God moving?  How can you sow a seed into that ministry?  Who is taking risks?  How can you bless them? 

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GREENFIELD CAMPUS LOGO

THEATER CAMPUS LOGO

We will start to use this on all our print material.  We also designed one for our Theater Campus as well.  Thanks Jason from 5D Creative.   You continue to amaze us!

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We are on Day 2 of a 21 Days of Prayer Fasting at Victory.  Many people are fasting many different things.  Everything from media to certain foods.  (some of our staff here wanted to fast some of our meetings … not a chance.) 

This is an exciting time, but it can also be very challenging as well.  So, let me just take a little time to explain WHY we are fasting at Victory Church.   During this season of prayer and fasting, we seek the Lord in these areas:

• Believing God for answered prayer to our specific needs.
• Declaring our dependence on God in every area of our lives.
• Asking God for clarity on our NEXT STEP as a church.  (land, building, another site?)
• Asking for forgiveness for our sins and the sins of our land.
• Praying for the completion of the Great Commission.
• Inviting the Presence of God in our church and our lives.
• Crying out to God for revival in our generation.

Also, here are a few resources:

• Daniel Plan
• Read The Circle Maker Fasting  (you can get a journal, DVD, the book, etc.)
  
• Pick up a “21 Day Devotional” or download it here (scroll to the bottom of the page)
• Also, go to facebook and tell us your story and keep up with my video blogs.  

Remember, ditch the whole idea of, “This is awesome, I can lose a few pounds AND be super spiritual too!”   Just deny the physical and crave the spiritual. 

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“Dad, why did they fire Joe Pa?  He didn’t do anything wrong.”

Let’s be honest, the firing of Joe Pa is insignificant when compared to the REAL tragedy at Penn State.  As I said yesterday, “My heart breaks for those boys and their families who have been victimized and have lived through a horrible nightmare of epic proportions.   If these charges on Jerry Sandusky are true, thank the Lord an monster has been removed from our society.  The context of Drew’s question came when they were talking about the firing of Joe Pa on ESPN.

So here’s what I told him.  It’s what we’ve always told our kids.  “It’s always right to do what’s right.”  Your emotions should not factor in to your decision to do the right thing.  Right emotions FOLLOW right action, not the other way around.   

Joe Paterno said it himself, “I wish I had done more.”  “With the benefit of hindsight, I wish I had done more.”  

In the movie “A Few Good Men”, there a some great one-liners.  One of the most popular occurs when the crime is revealed and Jack Nicholson (Col. Jessup) screams at Tom Cruise (Officer Kaffey) and says, “You can’t handle the truth!!”  We all know and love that line.  But there was a bigger lesson in this story.  And I think that lesson applies here.

At the end, there is an amazing dialogue that takes place between the two men who were on trial named Dawson Downey.  When it was revealed that Col Jessup was the one who committed the crime, Dawson Downey expected to go free.  But when the charges were handed down, both men were dishonorably discharged. Watch this

Downey: “What did we do wrong? We did nothing wrong.”

Dawson:  “Yeah, we did. We were supposed to fight for the people who couldn’t fight for themselves. We were supposed to fight for Willie.”

Edwin Burke said it best when he stated, “All that’s necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

It’s ALWAYS right to do what’s right

It’s ALWAYS right to fight for the underdog.

It’s ALWAYS right to stand in front of a tank in Tiananmen Square.

It’s ALWAYS right to fight for those who can’t fight for themselves.

So, with all due respect, Coach Joe Paterno should’ve followed through on those claims and accusations.  He should’ve used his influence to make sure Sandusky was never around young boys again.  

“That’s why he was fired, Drew.   Coach Paterno was supposed to fight for the Willies of the world.  As a matter of fact, we all are.“

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If you haven’t heard what is happening at Penn State University and its legendary coach Joe Paterno, nice to see you crawling out from under your rock somewhere.  It is all over the news!  It’s crazy here in PA. 

As a dad of four, I am always looking at life through the lens of “teaching moments.”  This is a big one.  As we are watching TV and listening to the dialogue, I am wondering and asking the Lord to help me decipher the lessons I can glean from this situation.  Because people are already asking, tweeting, texting me, “What do you think?  Do you agree with how Joe Pa was treated?  What’s your stand on what has transpired?”

Let me say this, the charges brought against Jerry Sandusky for his alleged behavior are inexcusable, they are gross, they are disgusting.  My heart breaks for those boys and their families who have been victimized and have lived through a horrible nightmare of epic proportions.   If these charges on Jerry Sandusky are true, thank the Lord an monster has been removed from our society.

But last night (November 9, 2011) Joe Paterno, the head coach, was fired.   In the eyes of my teenage son,  1) Joe Pa didn’t do anything wrong, he is not even part of the investigation.   2) Jerry Sandusky was no longer on Joe Pa’s coaching staff when this was reported so why is Joe Pa being punished, and 3) Coach Paterno told the authorities above him.  Drew said, “Dad, I don’t understand why Joe Pa was fired. He didn’t do anything wrong.”

What would you say?   The lesson I taught him was eerily similar to a lesson I learned years ago from a classic 1992 movie called, “A Few Good Men.” 

This post is already too long … I’ll tell you tomorrow.

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