Scripture – Page 9 – John Markum

Before you know God’s will…

Posted on July 15, 2013 by johnmarkum

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” – Romans 12:1, 2

Without a doubt, the greatest thing I get asked about as a pastor is something along the lines of, “How do I know God’s will for my life?” It’s a fair question. And it’s one that I’ve wrestled with most of my life, also. People have often asked me stuff like the following:

How did you know which college to go to?
How did you know Tiffany was “the one”?
How did you know God was calling you into ministry?
How did you know God was leading you to start a church?
How did you know God was sending you to California?
How did you know you were suppose to wear that shirt? (ok, this one, less often.)

Well according to Heb. 11:1, “knowing” any of these things is a stretch at best. You cannot “know” for sure anything God calls you to accept on faith. But the bigger reality check is that, despite all of the mystery and wonder we put to knowing the specifics of God’s will, what God really wants for each of us, is very clearly spoken to us in His Word.

No, God didn’t answer any of the above questions for my life in the Bible. He gave me answers to more important issues than the details of His specific will for the “what” to do with my life. He gave me the divine ways for the “how” I should live my life.

In Romans 12, Paul tells us quite clearly -even begging us- to submit ourselves as a “living sacrifice” to God, and that doing so is both “holy” and “pleasing” to God. When we do this, we live in such complete submission to the ways of God, that we understand this is our “true and proper worship.”

He goes on to contrast this way of living a life of worship by telling us not to be conformed to the “pattern,” or ways, of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of our mind. This “transforming” comes from our regular submission in our hearts to God’s ways.

But we want DETAILS! How do I find the answers to all these important life questions?!? Paul tells us that as we submit ourselves as living sacrifices to the ways of God, “then“ He will lead us into the perfect will of God. In other words, as I obey God in what He has revealed, He will guide me in what He has concealed.

God’s will is a subject too broad for me to understand in my own life, let alone explain it in yours. But what I do know is this: As I walk in God’s ways, I will always be in His will. That’s why Paul can tell us later in 1 Cor. 10:31, “whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.” If you want something for reasons that give God glory, go for it!

It still might not work out the way you think it will. But Romans 8:28 reassures us that, “All things work together for good, to those who love God, and are called according to His purpose.”

When we were first telling our kids that we were moving to San Jose to start a church, my little girl, Kali, asked, “I thought we were going to California?!” I had to explain to her, “When you’re in San Jose, you’re in California.” The same is true of God’s will – when you walk in God’s ways, you’ll always be in His will.

So what should you do with your life?! Whatever you want to,… as long as you are doing so out of a love for God and a desire to bring Him glory. He’s got the details of getting you to His will under control.

Blessings,
Pastor John

Your Problem is Not the Problem

Posted on May 11, 2013 by johnmarkum

The lesson I’ve had to learn, and relearn, my entire life is frustratingly simple. And yet the Bible speaks to the title principle of this post repeatedly. Where, you ask? Well, for instance:

Matthew 17:20, “If you have faith like a grain of a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there,’ and it shall be moved.”
Ephesians 6:12, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood… but against spiritual forces…”
1 John 4:4, “You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.”

Here’s the thing… The problems, troubles, and frustrations that you and I deal with are a consistent part of living – especially for the counter-cultural, God-centered value system of a Christ follower. But when we begin to live, think, and behave as though these difficult circumstances are somehow more than external distractions from the greater battle we’re at war with, we’re already losing the real fight.

You see, your problem is not “the” problem – your perspective is. There is no external problem that is greater than the God who promises to indwell every believer. This same indwelling Spirit of God “always leads us in triumph,” in Christ (2 Cor. 2:14). That’s a pretty big claim. And our instinct is often to argue that claim. After all, we don’t always feel as if we are being lead in “triumph” by God. That feeling comes from our focus, though. And as long as we focus on our problem, rather than the God who is greater than our problem, we’ll always feel discouraged.

That is why Jesus tells us in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Don’t lose your focus on the One who promises victory over your trials. Following Christ does not mean that your world becomes “problem-free”. It means that you have overwhelming victory over those problems. The only thing better than not having a challenge, is knowing that no challenge can stop you. “If God is for us, than who can stand against us?!” (Rom. 8:31).

Blessings,
Pastor John

The Role of the Church in times of Crisis

Posted on December 19, 2012 by johnmarkum

This Friday it will have been one full week since a disturbed man murdered his own mother and then proceeded to slaughter dozens of people – mostly small children – at the school where his mother had taught, finally taking his own life. What happened before nightfall of that same day was a phenomenon to watch:

Some people started blaming guns.
Others argued for greater use of guns for protection against such people.
Political positions were asserted
Some prayers were given…

All of this is normal – we like to assign blame. And personally, I sense a gross oversight in one source to consider blaming: the man who did this. But I digress…

The thing that honestly frustrated me more than any of that was how many people, Christians mostly, were quick to start using this tragedy as a political soap box. Now, don’t misunderstand me. I am a strong advocate of our American right to keep and bear arms. Even aside from constitutional provision, I have a God-given mandate to protect my home and family. A right I will relinquish to no one.

But my point is, that there were dozens of families in Connecticut that went to bed that night with one less family member than they started the day with… And in even less of a window of time, many people hundreds or thousands of miles away who profess the name of Jesus, had used their family’s virtual Hell as a cliche political statement on Facebook. I think something’s wrong here…

Yes, Christ-followers should stand up for their rights. Yes, we should answer those who would seek to take those rights from us. But we also have a much higher calling and responsibility to consider. Such as:

The families who lost people from this
The people who are saying “Where is God?” in all of this
Other Christ-followers who are confused and needing direction
Others who have also experienced a terrible loss

One of my favorite passages of Scripture is Luke 4:18-19 where Jesus says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the Gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captive, and recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.“

It seems apparent to me, that Jesus’ bigger concern had to do with connecting people to their God-given potential in Him. He was about meeting needs, healing, delivery, recovery, liberty, and preaching the message of the Kingdom. If we claim to follow Him, then these are the thing we should be about also.

There would have been no lack of hot, politically-charged issues in Jesus’ day. And granted, He occasionally addressed them. But His default move when tragedy struck had less to do with political action and more to do with hands-on involvement in the situation.

If we truly want to be like Jesus, we must also humble ourselves and let that mindset lead our behavior – and our opinions. I’m not even saying that you and I should not express political opinions. Far from it, in fact! My point, concisely put, is that we change the world by the love of God working through us to others.

Blessings,

Pastor John

PS – And yes, I would address your congressman of choice regarding your desire to maintain your constitutional rights. If strict laws would keep things like this from happening, then the one against murder would have been enough.