Have you ever heard someone say during a church service or church gathering, such as a community group, where two or three are gathered God is with us too? I know I have, and in fact I have said this myself prior to understanding the intended context of Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”

I think the reason we tend to take this particular verse out of context is because we don’t study the verse for ourselves. We don’t dive into the Scriptures to look at the original context. Or perhaps we heard someone quote Matthew 18:20 who we believe is more spiritual than us so we implemented their thought within our own speech.

Matthew 18:20 is just one verse in a series (v.15-20) that is addressing how to deal with a brother who sins against you. Or in other words, these verses are talking about church discipline, not about a church service, a home church or a community group when the Scripture refers to God is among us. In v.19, “Yeshua (Jesus) is teaching that when as issue is brought formally to a panel of two or three Messianic Community leaders, and they render halakhic (interpretation of the laws of Scriptures) decision here on earth, they can be assured that the authority of God in heaven stands behind them” (Jewish New Testament Commentary p. 57).  Additionally, having two or three witnesses present during discipline was not a new concept within Scripture (Deut. 19:15). John MacArthur says, “To use this this statement to claim the Lord’s presence at a small worship service or prayer meeting does not fit the context of church discipline and is superfluous.”

Lastly and most importantly you must understand I am not saying God is not in the midst of believers. In fact as a believer in Jesus Christ, God is always with us even when we are alone or isolated from other believers. God lives in us. 1 Corinthians 3: 16, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” There are numerous verses that support the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in someone who professes faith in Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 6:19 or John 14:15-31. So wherever you are this very moment God is with you if you believe in Jesus Christ and trust in him to be the Lord and Savior of your life. The point I want to make is when we want to emphasize God is with us in a corporate setting, Matthew 18:20 is probably not the most appropriate Scripture to quote.

Throughout the centuries many people have tried to explain the Trinity through non-Scriptural examples. For instance, a triangle has three sides to it. Take away either side and it will cease to be a triangle. It is similar with the Trinity (Godhead). Take away one aspect and He ceases to be God. Another example is water. “In thermodynamics, the triple point of a substance is the temperature and pressure at which three phases (for example, gas, liquid and solid) of that substance coexist in thermodynamic equilibrium” (Wikipedia). Water under pressure, in a vacuum and at a given temperature below freezing simultaneously exists as liquid, steam and ice, thus like the Trinity.  Or how about the example of the American government, one government but three branches: executive, legislative and the judicial.  Each branch is distinct, yet they form one government.

I’ve also heard people use the sun, an egg and the universe to explain the Trinity, but unfortunately, there is no perfect illustration to explain the Trinity of God.  We are finite creatures and God is infinitely smarter than us (Isaiah 55:8-9).  John Damascene (a.k.a. -Saint John of Damascus) said: “It is known and adored in Faith (the Trinity), not by investigating, examining and proving. . . . You have to believe that God is in three Persons. How sublime is this above all questions. For God is inconceivable.” There will never be a satisfactory explanation of the Trinity as it’s incomprehensible and is a truth for the heart that must be divinely revealed.

However, the Bible gives us pictures that show the Trinity in action and associated together, for instance at Jesus’ baptism, “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:21-22) or The Great Commission (Matt. 28:19) where we see Jesus say “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…”  and at Jesus’ birth (Luke 1:35).

But the best example that may help someone understand the Trinity may be that of the institution of marriage, which comes from Scripture. In marriage two distinct, but equal individuals of the opposite sex, come together to become one flesh (Gen. 2:24).  This is very much like the Trinity in that each person of the Trinity is distinct, yet they are one.

Additionally, within marriage, like the Trinity, you see submission and headship. 1 Cor. 11: 3 says, “But I want you to understand that the head of every man is Christ, the head of a wife is her husband, and the head of Christ is God.” Paul is stating here that the relationship of the husband and wife is patterned after the Father and Son in the Trinity that we see in Phil. 2:5-11. Jesus willingly submitted to the Father by becoming a servant leader.  Jesus did not have to be coerced to submit to the Father’s will. Tim Keller says:

“Male and female are invited to mirror and reflect the “dance” of the Trinity, loving, self-sacrificing authority and loving, courageous submission. The Son takes a subordinate role, and in that movement he shows not his weakness but his greatness.  This is one of the reasons why Paul can say that the marriage “mystery” gives us insight into the very heart of God in the work of our salvation (Eph. 5:32).”

In marriage we are to serve one another for the good of the other, devote ourselves wholly to the other, and sacrifice our needs for the needs of the other.  The dance of the Trinity does these things.  So while marriage is not the most perfect example of the Trinity, it may be the best example of it out there. If you have an example to explain the Trinity I would love to hear it.

So this past weekend our campus pastor Jim Supp cast the vision for MBC Loudoun in 2012.  We are to be ‘A Family Expecting Guests.’  So I’ve been pondering what means to be ‘A Family Expecting Guests’ and the Lord took me in a completely different direction than I expected.

I believe the type of family we are talking about is not just the body of Christ, or an individual household, but we are talking about anyone who walks in our doors, believer or unbeliever, poor or rich, foreigner or American. Doesn’t God tell us as believers that we are to love our neighbors (Matt. 22:39; Mark 12:31) and that we are to love those who hate us even more (Matt. 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-36)? Doesn’t God tell us to share in fellow believers burdens (Gal. 6:2)?

But the next thought I had about this topic was humbling to say the least.  What entered my mind was isn’t it easier sometimes to love your neighbor or a complete stranger than it is your own family member?  Don’t we have shorter fuses with family members sometimes than with a co-worker or someone we don’t even know?  I know I do.  What I realized was we don’t always treat our family with the love they deserve. For instance, my wife sometimes has to lovingly remind me to talk to her with the same gentleness, interest, sympathy, and love that I talk with individuals I counsel or new people I meet at church.

You see the Lord reminded me that I need to make sure I’m treating my own family the way they deserve to be treated. That being a corporate family starts in our own home. That no matter what each of us does during the day that we remind ourselves that our ministry really begins the moment we enter the door of our home. That each of us needs to bear our family’s burdens as much as we bear others.

So the next time you feel yourself treating someone in your family the wrong way, take a time out to cool down.  Lift the situation or cause of your frustration to God and if you treated a family member with disrespectfulness or in an unloving way ask for their forgiveness.

On Saturday the 11^th of February I went to the home of Matt and Cherie Sandrof.  The health challenges that this family is experiencing is nothing short of staggering.  Cherie’s brain surgeries and one of their 5 year old triplets battling with autism seem to be insurmountable obstacles much of the time.  Only by the grace of God.  Their struggle however has given the Body of Christ  here at MBC Loudoun and opportunity to care in a way that is certainly unusual.  As I arrived at the Sandrof’s that morning there were roughly 3 dozen people prepping to paint nearly every square inch of the interior walls of their  home.  When you are under life’s load painting your home becomes entirely secondary, as you might understand.  The air was filled with excitement as muffins and fruit were being consumed, paint was being stirred and new friendships were being formed.  Two passages of scripture popped into my mind.  First was John 13:34-35 – “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”  I thought, people who follow Jesus do stuff like this.  It is the right thing to do.  Maybe their neighbors will notice the flurry of activity and ask about it.  The second verse was Galatians 6:2 – “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”  And as the pastor of this crew I was blessed to see our body helping to carry the load of this dear family.  It pleases the Lord and it reveals to others that we are the real deal.  Thanks to all for being Jesus with Skin on.

For the last couple of months I’ve been hearing from fellow staff members that I need to see the movie “Courageous.”  To be honest my initial thought was that I don’t want to pay to see some cheesy movie, especially since the acting in Christian films isn’t always the best. Well, after months of hearing people singing the praises of Courageous, I broke down to peer pressure and sent my wife to Redbox for a rental.

To be honest, I was blown away with the life lessons based on Scripture that were taught during this film.  There were some incredibly sad moments and some incredibly joyful moments.  Yes, men, the film even had some action scenes. But what I really appreciated was the authenticity depicted in the families and friendships — nothing in the film was unrealistic—and what happened in the film could easily happen to you or me.

Yes, you may think the acting is cheesy, but let me tell you that if you give this film a chance you will not walk away unchallenged in how you are walking with God. If you are a father be prepared for the gauntlet that is thrown down to us men in the film.

What I am trying to say is that, yes, I was apprehensive about this movie at first but now that I’ve seen it I think it’s a must see for all men, especially those of us who are serious about our walk with the Lord.  This movie will encourage men who are struggling with spiritual leadership, it may help those father’s who think they know it all and think they do all the right things when they really don’t, and it may just be the kick in the butt that some of us men need to be the men God calls us to be.

Click here to view the embedded video.

So what did you think about the film if you have seen it?

After I prayed with my wife the other day, we began to wonder why so many people tend to pray with their hands folded, eyes closed, and heads bowed down. Does God command us to have a certain posture when we pray? So I went to God’s Word to see if it gave any instruction (2 Tim. 3:16) on how our posture should be when we pray.

I discovered that people prayed to God with many different postures in the Bible, all of which were acceptable. For instance, Jesus put his face to the ground (Matt. 26:39) in Gethsemane, he lifted his eyes to heaven (John 17:1), King Solomon prayed on his knees with his hands held high (1 Kings 8:54), Daniel prayed on his knees (Daniel 6:10), people prayed standing up (Psalm 106:30; Neh. 9:2; Mark 11:25), others threw themselves to the ground (Ezra 10:1), and King David prayed seated (2 Sam. 7:18).  So if anyone ever tells you God won’t hear you pray because you are not in the right posture, know what the person is saying is unbiblical.

The take-away here is any physical posture for prayer is acceptable, the Lord does not require us to position our bodies in a certain way in order to be heard by him. So whether, you are driving your car, on the treadmill at the gym, lying in bed or even in the shower; all these postures are acceptable, but what is ultimately and truly important in prayer is not our physical posture, but the posture of our hearts. Sometimes it is easier for us to bow our knees then it is our hearts to God. Also, our outward posture is not always symbolic of our inward spiritual attitude as we can see from the parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector (Luke 18:9-14).

So the next time you are in prayer and your heart is troubled or it is not in the right place, be honest with God and tell Him how you are feeling – remember, it’s no secret to Him. :) Ask Him to break your heart for what breaks His.  Ask Him to put your heart in the right place as you come before Him.  Whatever you do, just keep praying.  The Bible says we should “pray without ceasing,” so that means anytime and anywhere, the important thing is not where we pray but that we do pray!

Read 1 Timothy 4:1-3 below.

“Now the (Holy) Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful (or leading astray) spirits and teachings of demons (disseminating errors among men and seeking to seduce believers), through the insincerity (pretending to be what one is not) of liars whose consciences are seared (withered or become insensitive), who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”

When I heard these verses the past week it really drove home in me the importance of being in God’s Word.  Paul was saying that as Christ’s return grows nearer, less people will read the Bible and even more people will begin to listen to others to get their teaching.  People will mostly choose who they listen to based upon the speaker’s message meshing with what they want to hear. So how can we discern who is teaching God’s Word correctly?  The answer is simple, we must read the Bible ourselves, otherwise we cannot know if what the person is saying is true.

Friends I implore you that reading God’s Word daily is of the utmost importance to keep you away from false teaching.  Don’t put your faith or trust only in a person or individual when it comes to the Word of God.  Put your faith and trust in God alone by reading His Word and seeing if what you have heard is true according to God. Don’t trust one person alone to learn about God, even if you know the teachers are godly. You must dig into God’s Word yourself and see if what they are saying is true and trustworthy.  Become an avid student of the Bible. Matt 7:15 says, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Some teachers may be the nicest people in the world, or perhaps the greatest story tellers, or perhaps the greatest communicators, but that doesn’t mean they are staying true to the Word of God. Additionally, the words of man will never compare to the words of God.  God’s Word has supernatural power and authority, man’s words do not (Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12).

So Dive In to the Word of God and observe it, interpret it and put it to application in your own life. And remember: the greatest interpreter of Scripture is Scripture itself.

On August 1, 2005, we lost our niece to a horrific accident. A box fan fell from the window and snuffed out our precious little girl. Words do not have the value needed in describing the magnitude of our grief. It was awful. There is no other word that can describe an event like that…awful.

I have often pondered since that moment and questioned Gods ultimate plan. It seemed so useless. Void. Obtuse. When you are placed in a situation as a follower of Jesus that really makes you question your faith, it is a scary place. What about all of his promises? What about his claims of protection and declarations of never leaving us or forsaking us? Where is the meaning in all of this?

3 days ago, 6 and a/half years after our precious Ava’s passing, I had an experience that will historically go down as one of the most proud moments of my 13 years and 9 months of being a father.

On Thanksgiving, my wife and children, Elijah (13) Emeliah (10) and Zeke (7) went to visit there Great Grandmother. Grandma Bloomer was the mother of my wife’s mother. She was a saint. One of the sharpest 90 year old women I have ever met. Always dressed to the 9′s, she always remembered everyone’s name and she always made us laugh with her humor and uncanny wit!

But most of all she was a fervent follower of Jesus Christ.

Two days after Holly and my children saw her, she went into hospice. It was a shock to us all. Especially after she was so sharp just a few days before. My beautiful wife called me at work and said, “things are going downhill for Grandma Bloomer. It looks like it will be very soon….”

3 days ago I jumped into bed and snuggled up to my wife and fell fast asleep. At 3 am I heard our two dogs barking and I was sure that they needed to be let out to go do their business. When I opened the door to let them go, they bolted across the field and chased deer for close to an hour. So here I am, wearing a winter coat, Ohio State pajamas and moon boots, screaming “Shadow! Sadie!”. Finally they returned covered in manure and deer brains. Yeah, bitterness is not a word I would use to describe my anger…

When I went inside, I was wide awake. I laid down on the couch and watched ESPN discredit Tim Tebow for 2 hours and then I turned off the TV at 6 and crawled into bed with my oldest, Elijah. As I was drifting off to sleep I heard Holly’s phone ring at 6:15 am…and I knew…

She made her way upstairs sniffling and weeping. The door opened to Elijah’s room and I said ,”hey baby, did Grandma pass away?”. She fell into my arms sobbing and I just held her. A few minutes later Elijah awoke and rolled between us and wrapped his arms around her. Next was Zeke. He burst through the door and jumped on Holly and just hugged the life out of her. And then Emmy walked in and joined the mourning with her arms around us both. My children didn’t say much. They didn’t quote verses or offer cliché’ bible promises. They just loved on they’re mom. With the exception of one comment from Zeke. “I hate it when people in my family die! It sucks!” (like father like son)

As all 5 of us laid there in one giant mourning clump, a revelation hit me. My children have suffered. They know how to respond when things go bad. As angering as Ava’s death was, even still today, lessons have been learned. My children have been tested, in the fiery furnace of affliction, and they are better because of it.

When Ava passed I often wondered about Gods love and purpose. But as life progresses, His plan and goodness are being revealed more and more everyday. And most of the time, it is through suffering. And let’s be honest, does anything else really get our attention?

As Christmas quickly approaches, let us remember that Christ was born to die. And it was through His suffering that he became acquainted with OUR suffering and became not only our Savior, but our friend…

Have a blessed and thankful Christmas…

I received a Christmas card a few years ago that touched me deeply. Here is what it said:

If our greatest need had been information,
God would have sent us an educator;
If our greatest need had been technology,
God would have sent us a scientist;
If our greatest need had been money,
God would have sent us an economist;
If our greatest need had been pleasure,
God would have sent us an entertainer;
But our greatest need was forgiveness,
so God sent us a Savior.

I believe that forgiveness is the greatest commodity in the universe. It’s a commodity that heals our soul so that we can live a healthy, functional life here on Earth. It’s a commodity that reconciles us to God so that we have eternal life in the world to come.

When we think about Christmas in today’s culture, we think about baby Jesus in the manger. But what we should be thinking about is the full-grown Jesus on the cross. His primary purpose was not to serve as the central figure in the manger scene, but rather to die on the cross and rise again. This is what Christmas is really all about. It’s not about trees, presents, tinsel or going to the mall. It’s about the fact that “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

This Christmas season, I would urge you to make this the rejoicing of your heart. Christmas is all about Jesus Christ, the greatest gift that anyone has given or received in all of human history. Thank the Lord Jesus today, tomorrow, and every day for the forgiveness that we could never earn, but that the He gave us freely in His mercy. Rejoice in the fact that as long as you are forgiven by almighty God, there is always something going right in your life.

May you and your family have a blessed Christmas celebration. May the New Year bring you an abundance of God’s blessings and may your spirit soar with Him who came to redeem you. Merry Christmas!

So I have a thing for books. I mean, what other person in their right mind spends seven years in seminary?! : )

One of my favorite books this year has been Champagne for the Soul. I fell in love with the author, Mike Mason, shortly after I became a believer. I was at a wedding, and I started to think there was more to this marriage thing than I’d thought before I was a believer. I ended up reading Mike Mason’s Mystery of Marriage and just loved it. He paints such a beautiful vision of what marriage is and is intended to be in God’s eyes.

In Champagne for the Soul, Mason tries out a 90 day experiment. He wonders if it’s possible to be joyful for 90 straight days. It’s an impactful and fun devotional of celebrating God’s gift of joy. I just love it. I’ve given it as a gift a few times this year, and others have loved it as well. It’s a blessing of a book.

Last Christmas, my grandmother sent me to the bookstore to find a devotional for her. I brought back four options, and she chose two. One of them she consistently raves about. More than Conquerors has given her great encouragement to live in faith, hope and love. It has motivated her for victory and triumph in the stresses of each day. She’s spoken so highly of it that when Impact singles ministry made Easter baskets this year for residents at Madison House, we included this devotional in it.

As I’ve been shopping for my grandmother for this Christmas, I went back to the bookstore and searched. I came acros

s a devotional called Jesus Calling and thought my grandmother might enjoy it. I told the gals at the bookstore which devotional my grandmother liked last year and asked them to which one they would recommend for this year. Without seeing the book in my hand, they recommended Jesus Calling as well. I’ve talked to two people since then who have read it and loved it! So I got it for my grandmother {shhhh… don’t tell her : )}.

It’s so fun to scatter the joy and love of Christ through Christmas gifts! If you have other recommendations, please chime in. We’d love to hear them.

Merry Christmas, and happy giving!

My grandmother, mom, and me