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Let's Go!

Our theme verse this year was chosen to match the theme for our 40 Days of Purpose: CLIMB. By now I'm sure you are all aware that the five purposes for our lives, according to the CLIMB acronym are to Cherish God, Love others, Imitate Christ, Minister to others, and Broadcast the gospel. Most of us know these by their more "Christianized" terms of worship, fellowship, discipleship, service and evangelism.

Our desire is to see every child climb higher in their experience of God and in their obedience to Him in these areas. I am excited to see what God will do in the next couple of weeks! But we also plan to continue this idea of climbing higher with God throughout the church year.

Isaiah calls to us in the third verse of his second chapter, saying,

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths."

This call to climb higher with God is part of a set of verses (called a "pericope" by Bible scholars) consisting of verses 1-5. My goal is to discuss these verses each month in this newsletter in order to encourage each of you in your personal walk with the Lord and in your ministry to the children of Berean as well. As for this month, perhaps it is enough to note that the pericope is surrounded (in chapter one and the last part of chapter two) by condemnations and judgment on God's chosen people.

What does God do with a people that have forsaken Him (1:4) to the point that He won't even answer their prayers (1:15)? He calls them to repentance (1:16-20) and to climb His mountain (2:1-5)! No one is exempt from God's judgment, yet no one shall be refused His way of escape! As we climb higher with the Lord this year, let us remember that "though our sins are like scarlet, they shall be white as snow." (1:18) During the 40 days of this campaign, as we reflect on God's purposes for us, let us remember where we have failed to follow His perfect plans for us. And let us discover that "if [we] are willing and obedient, [we] will eat the best from the land." (1:19)

God is good to us! Amen!
Pastor Nate

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The Mountain Top Experience

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord…He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths."

Isaiah 2:3, our theme verse matching our CLIMB acronym for the 40 Days of Purpose (Cherish God, Love others, Imitate Christ, Minister to others and Broadcast the gospel), calls us to strive for the summit, a high place. We sometimes talk about a "mountain top experience" in our Christian walk.

What do we mean by this phrase? We are attempting to describe the wonderful experience of being in the presence of God in a new way or in a manner that we haven't experienced before.

God is perfect in all His attributes and is holy, that is, totally "other" than us. But we have been made in His image, therefore capable of knowing Him. Being close to God thrills us in the deepest part of our being, what the Bible calls our heart or spirit.

I believe that God is not talking about a literal mountain, a geographical place where "all nations will stream to it" (v.2), but the final coming of His kingdom on earth. Through Isaiah He wants us to understand what being personally close to Him is like.

So what images does the idea of a mountain bring to us? First, a mountain is strong; it is immovable. God's kingdom on earth, when Jesus comes in glory to rule over all creation will be like that. No one and nothing will be able to overcome Him.

Second, a mountain is awesome; it inspires wonder and fear. Even a picture of a mountain can provoke a sense of awe, but to stand at the base of one and be unable to see the crest for the clouds surrounding the peak makes us feel truly small. While we understand from the teachings of Jesus that we will experience God's love and compassion when we see Him face to face, this prophecy emphasizes that in God's presence we will unmistakably recognize His grandeur and our comparative littleness.

Lastly, a mountain is easily visible; it can be seen from a long way distant. There will be no hiding the great glory of God's kingdom on earth when the final day comes.

So we work to bring about God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. As we work with children, let us bear in mind the greatness of the God we teach them. Let us strive to reach that place where His presence fills us, directs us and overflows to others through us daily.

May God bless you as you seek his face and serve His children!

Pastor Nate

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An Invitation

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord!" As we enter this season of Christmas and embark on a new year, consider responding to this wonderful invitation.

The first person plural ("we") makes this a request to join together on an adventure; this is something we will do together, you and I. There is something exciting about to happen and I want you to experience it with me, come!

Can you imagine someone urging you to participate in something they themselves are unwilling to do? ("Hey, friend! Go try that bungee jump! I will be right here on the ground watching to see what happens!") Not very inviting.

But this encouragement to go up to the mountain of the Lord, this is something different altogether. ("I am going, whether you join me or not, but I want you to come with me because I love you.")

Brothers and sisters in the Lord, this is not just relevant to Judah and Jerusalem in 7th century BC. I am asking you to join me this year in going up to the mountain of the Lord.

To be honest, I don't really know what will happen as we travel, and I'm not sure what it will be like when we get there. But if the Lord is there, then I'm going, no matter the labor involved in reaching the summit.
And I want you all to join me. Together I want this year of ministry to children to become a personal spiritual experience for each of you. I expect God to meet me on the way and carry me to His presence in brand new ways. Do you hear the same expectant call?

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord!"

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The Mountain is the Lord's

"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord." Isaiah's prophetic vision (as recorded early in his second chapter) provides our theme verse for this year.
As I reflect on this verse, a common theme from the 40 Days of purpose arises in my mind, that our lives are not our own. Whose mountain do we seek? It is not our own, but the Lord's.
God is calling us to follow Him, to join Him in His mission. Humbly we recognize our smallness before Him and how great an honor it is that we should be invited along for the ride, that in some mysterious way God has created us to contribute to His great task.
I must be careful not to define the mountain of the Lord, to preach His kingdom, after my own preferences. The mountain we seek to climb does not belong to us. We do not choose which peak to climb, which path to take to reach the summit.
God has decreed that His mission will be accomplished through the local church. And as the local manifestation of Christ's body on earth, we at Berean see ourselves as servants of this Sovereign King.
Within the greater task, our specific mission is more closely defined as ministering to children. God loves kids and wants them to know Him, to grow in grace, to serve Him and worship Him just as we adults do.
As we climb the mountain of the Lord, growing closer to Him as friend, savior and lover of our souls, we gain strength for the mission He has graciously given us.
Father, we proclaim the mountain we climb is yours! We want to see you more clearly and know you more dearly! We serve You with hearts filled with gratefulness to You and compassion for the children You love. Bind us together as a body, abiding in the vine, climbing the mountain and seeing Your vision for us, Your people!
Amen!

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Why Go to the Trouble?

Our theme verse for the year (Isaiah 2:3) envisions for us the big picture of what we are doing and why we do it.

The daily necessities of life and the sometimes burdensome details of volunteering in children's ministries can darken our vision of what miraculous works God accomplishes through us each week we serve in His name. But, as it is apt to do, the Word of God scatters the clouds that our enemy gathers over us and shines the truth of life into our hearts and minds.

Isaiah prophecies to us that God "will teach us His ways." Of course, this is our calling, to teach the children about the greatness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. After all, are we not commanded to do so by Jesus himself? "As you go, make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey all I have commanded you." (See Matthew 28:18-20.)

Whether you work in the nursery, the preschool or the elementary department, you are teaching and modeling to the children God's glory and His ways.

But why go to all the trouble? Is it merely an educational purpose that we accomplish? May it never be! What good is a head full of knowledge if the soul perishes? We recognize that the good news is not just for your head but for your actions as well. We seek after spiritual transformation. James, the brother of Jesus, tells us in his letter that if (so-called) faith does not produce works then it does not produce salvation either.

Isaiah explains why we teach children God's ways, "that we may walk in His paths." Spreading the gospel is not just about evangelism; it is about making disciples, children that live for the One who has bought them at a price.

God calls us to reach beyond our grasp! Only by the power of the indwelling Spirit may we accomplish this for His church! Encouragement for this high calling can be found in the next volunteer training, "Effecting Spiritual Transformation in the Classroom." Hope to see you there!

For His glory,
Pastor Nate