The Resurrection According To Job

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

I love these powerful words from Job in Chapter 19:

"But I know my living Redeemer,
and He will stand on the earth at last.
Even after my skin has been destroyed,
yet I will see God in my flesh.
I will see Him myself;
my eyes will look at Him, and not as a stranger.
My heart longs within me."

Does your heart long within you for that day?

There will be a bodily resurrection when God remakes the world. That's the promise of Christian resurrection!

Paul writes in Philippians 3 that his goal is to know Jesus and the power of His resurrection...assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead.

How about you? Will your eyes look at God, and not as a stranger, on that day?

Computers, Mosquitoes and the Virtual Spirit of Humanity?

Occasionally, we'll take a break from blogging through the Bible with some random thoughts. This is one of those random moments:

This sign (courtesy of some friends in Thailand) totally reminded me of our days in East Asia and all the crazy translations (or mis-translations) that we would see! Check it out!

Any ideas what in the world it could be referring to? It kind of reminds me of how I feel whenever I'm watching Lost.

The Mysterious Name of God

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

It used to be that the meaning of names meant everything. That's not so much the case anymore in our culture, but a quick study of the Old Testament will show you the importance of names.

After Israel has been delivered from Egypt through the Red Sea they sing a song of deliverance called Israel's Song.

One verse in particular stuck out to me:

"The Lord is a warrior;
Yahweh is His name."

Earlier, when God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush, this is the name, Yahweh, that he gave to Moses when Moses questioned whom he should tell the Israelites had sent him.

Yahweh, the covenant name of God. Full of so much mystery we can't even come close to grasping its many meanings:

1. It literally means: I AM WHO I AM or I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE.
2. It means that God is the self-existent one.
3. He depends on nothing for his existence.
4. All things depend on him for their existence.
5. He has no beginning and no end.
6. He doesn't exist in any category; he is his own category.

N.T. Wright writes that by the time of Jesus Jews would not say this name of God out loud. There was only one exception, and that was by the High Priest, once a year, in the Holy of Holies.

Because the name Yahweh couldn't be spoken the Hebrews developed a way to avoid speaking it when they came to this name in the Scriptures. In its place they would say ADONAI, which means the LORD, a tradition that continues in most english translations to this day.

Regardless, it is the covenant name of God--special and sacred.

It's hardly surprising that in John 58 when Jesus said to the Jews, "I assure you; Before Abraham was, I am!" they immediately picked up stones to kill him. He was claiming to be the self-existent one, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

It's no wonder that Israel's Song continues with these lines:

"You will lead the people
You have redeemed
with Your faithful love;
You will guide them
to Your holy dwelling
with Your strength."

If Yahweh, the one whom we can't define, who doesn't fit into any of our categories, who has no beginning and no end, decides to free his people and lead them with His faithful love who can stop Him? Could Egypt or Satan or the schemes of wicked men? No, nothing can thwart the purposes of God.

And that is just a part of the very definition of his Name.

Coming To God His Way

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

It's been a while since we've updated this blog, but since we started our Going Deeper: Reading Through the Bible in a Year, I'm going to try to write more often based on some of those passages that we're going through each week.

Recently, we dove into the book of Exodus and one of the central themes of the Bible that runs from Genesis to Revelation has really stood out to me during the story of the Passover: If we're going to come to God it has be His way. It can't be our way, or a way that we've made up. It's either God's way or nothing.

Remember how God refused to accept Adam and Eve's clothing that they made for themselves in the garden? Or how he refused to accept Cain's offering? God gave Noah specific instructions for building the ark. And he gave specific directions to the people of Israel in Exodus for the 10th and most devastating plague found in Exodus 12. Here are the some main points taken from Trevor McIllwain's Firm Foundations:

1.They had to choose a lamb without blemish.

Think back to the ram that was caught in the thicket and was sacrificed in the place of Isaac. He was caught by his horns so that he would be an acceptable sacrifice.

2. They had to kill the lamb.

Its blood had to be allowed to flow out and was a reminder to the Israelites that the punishment for sin is death.

3. They had to place the blood on both of the doorposts and above the door.

It was the blood on the doorpost that would save their firstborn from the judgment of God during the night.


4. They had to stay inside the house until the morning.

They couldn't leave the house where the blood had been applied to the doors until the morning.

5. They couldn't break any of the lamb's (or goat's) bones.

This last point is important later on in Scripture. We'll probably get there in a few months!

God kept his promise and he passed through Egypt during the night executing judgment upon the land. All of the Israelites who followed his instructions were spared the lives of their firstborn.

And God hasn't changed! We can't come to God our own way or by our own means. It has to be by the way that he has instructed.

And, for us, in 2010 Apex, NC, that way is Jesus Christ.

No Time For My Marriage

Peter Dubbelman
Family Life Pastor

Life can be very busy, especially for parents. So busy, in fact, that we don’t do what is helpful for the most important things in our life: our relationship with the Lord and our family. When facing the demands of employment or being a parent, don’t do it at the expense of your marriage! Below are several strategies to avoid doing this.

1. Coming this January our Married and More (M&M) ministry will have six constructive suggestions within the context of ABC to help you work on your marriage in 2010. We’ll have the information distributed via a flier at our first two Sunday worship services in January.

2. Are you praying together and communicating with one another? Schedule time to be alone together each day in order to catch up on each others’ feelings, experiences, and thoughts, even if this means a phone call while driving home to meet your spouse and kids. My wife and I pray daily together around the meals and at bed time. We also take one day out of the week for an extended time of prayer. Communication is one of the keys to having a great relationship, whether it is with our Lord or your spouse.

3. Spend time together as a family. When babies arrive, they come into the family with a lot of needs; resultantly, couples have less conversation, flexibility, opportunities for romance, and money. Therefore, children, which are a product of spousal love, can actually bring into the family a dynamic that may put adverse pressure on the very relationship that brought them into being. You must actively work at this not happening. In a kind way, let your kids know that the dynamics of parenting will not split your marriage apart. Your spouse was there before kids, and they will hopefully be there after they leave the nest. You can also enjoy some great moments as an entire family by doing things together like family walks, shopping outings, or games. Or, as a couple, take on some of kid responsibilities like bathing or bed time stories.

4. Create private moments. You still need some time without the kids. Working on any relationship takes privacy as well as time. When our kids were in the home, my wife and I went out of our way to plan a date night, put the kids in bed early, …. All so we could have time together. In addition to your private moments, combine working around the house with working on your relationship. Don’t always divide up the chores, sometimes do them together. Just being in the same room or working towards a common goal can foster a feeling of closeness.

If I can ever help you with your marriage, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

The Church and D-Day

I recently finished reading “D-Day” by Stephen Ambrose. Kristi and I had watched Band of Brothers a few years back and my interest in World War II was further stoked by conversations this past year with my Grandfather who served in the Navy during the War. A short blog post can in no way do justice to the sacrifice and bravery of our armed forces, but I wanted to share 3 lessons that I think the Church can learn from D-Day.

1. Courage: The courage of these men against the defenses of the Atlantic Wall is just amazing. The simple fact that the airborne troops would jump from their planes into a storm of artillery and tracers not knowing whether or not they would arrive on the ground dead or alive is enough to give me chills. How many times have I wimped out in my relationship with Jesus? How many times have the words of God’s love stuck in my throat because I was scared of offending someone or too lazy to say it? God, give me courage!

2. Working Together: It’s incredible to read just how focused everyone was in the United States in the war effort and how everyone worked together. Whether it was the soldiers on the front line or farmers providing food or workers in defense plants making planes and artillery or volunteers helping roll bandages—everyone labored together sacrificially. This was Jesus’s prayer for the Church: “May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent me and have loved them as you have loved me.” God, make us one!

3. A Common Cause: Eisenhower said this twenty years after D-Day: “It’s a wonderful thing to remember what those fellows twenty years ago were fighting for and sacrificing for, what they did to preserve our way of life. Not to conquer any territory, not for any ambitions of our own. But to make sure that Hitler could not destroy freedom in the world. I think it’s just overwhelming. To think of the lives that were given for that principle, paying a terrible price on this beach alone [Omaha], on that one day, 2,000 casualties. But they did it so that the world could be free. It just shows what free men will do rather than be slaves.” Oh, that our common cause would be to know Jesus and nothing else! God, help us to know the fellowship of your sufferings!

A Time of Restoration

Nathan Stam
Children/Communications Pastor

Growing up, my best friend and I used to get in fights all of the time. We used to play basketball in his driveway and we’d make bets on making half-court shots and then, usually, if one of us made the shot the other one would refuse to pay up. (I remember one time offering a trade for our younger sisters.) Inevitably, we’d end up rolling around on the ground trying to gouge each other’s eyeballs out. Thinking back on it—it was kind of interesting that our parents were never to be found during those times!

We’d get into fights playing tackle football. We’d get into fights playing board games. I can remember one time fighting over who was the best character in G.I. Joe—-Duke or Snake Eyes.

But let’s be honest—one of the big differences between boys and girls is that boys have this ability to fight one minute and then be best friends again. It doesn’t matter. We don’t carry grudges. My friend and I—-one of us would go home mad—-and our Mom/Dad would tell us that we needed to make things right. 30 minutes later we’d call each other up and go off down the train tracks with our sling shots shooting rocks at trees. Our relationship was made right again—-it was restored.

In the Book of Hebrews the Bible talks about how when Jesus died on the cross and sacrificed himself he brought about a time of restoration. The word that’s translated “restoration” means “to make straight”, “to correct”, or “to make right.” In other words, because Jesus died on the cross our relationship with God can be made right. It can be restored.

Because of sin in our lives our relationship with God was broken, but because of Jesus’s death on the cross that relationship can be fixed. He’s the one who has made things right; who has straightened things out. I know we can all identify with having relationships in our lives that need to be restored or that have been restored in the past. But what about the biggest, most important relationship of all—-your relationship with God? Has Jesus made things right between you and God? Have you trusted in Him as your Savior?