My most regular questioner writes, “I have questions regarding Melchizedek…..Who and/or what was Melchizedek? I hear he was a great priest….I also hear that it’s not so much a name as it is a title or designation of honor. Well, that still leaves me confused.  I also heard that he was never born and didn’t have parents.  Please explain this to me.  Melchizedek’s name is always used as an example in the pulpit, also I know that Abraham paid tithes to him, but was he a human being?  I’ve even heard some people say he was Christ in the form of a man. HELP!!!!”

Great questions, all.  And I should admit upfront that there are many different opinions as to his identity.  But since this is my blog, I’ll tell you how I see it:

• by looking at Genesis 14:17-19, (the historical reference to him), plus Psalm 110:4 (a Messianic prophecy about Jesus), plus Hebrews 5:6, 10; 6:20 (all referring back to the prophecy of Psa. 110) and then Hebrews 7:9-20 (which explain the significance of that prophecy as it relates to Jesus, and his eternal priesthood), you have read everything we know about Melchizedek, except for what I consider the most pertinent information (and the answer to your questions)

• that info (and the ONLY other time he is mentioned in Scripture) is found in Hebrews 7:1-3.  There we learn:

1. He is the “king of justice and the king of peace“
2. There is “no record” of his mother or father, or of any genealogy as far as his ancestral line, which causes the writer of Scripture to say, “no beginning or end to his life”.  To me, that would really leave no option but to say that Melchizedek (like our recent question about The Angel who wrestled with Jacob) was a “theophany” (an appearance of God in the form of man; i.e., a pre-Bethlehem appearance of Jesus!)
3. Having said that, I should in all honesty say that some people disagree, and their explanation is that “he lost his birth certificate” (I guess I’m being a little sarcastic, because, in my humble opinion, the significance of him not having any ancestry is that his priesthood is eternal, which wouldn’t be true if he were just a human being)

So, to answer your questions, he was definitely a priest to whom Abraham paid tithes, and he was NOT born so he had no parents, but rather he was Jesus in human form prior to Bethlehem.  Since he never died, his priesthood lasts forever, unlike the priesthood of Aaron in the Old Testament!

I hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Not talking about barbecue ribs (although that does sound good)…..but the truth of Proverbs 15:30 and the great report I just received from our Backyard Bible Clubs this summer:

• 172 in attendance at only 5 clubs, with 18 salvation decisions, including the mother of one of the children attending!

• One child overheard to say, “I thought this would be boring, but it was the best Bible study ever!”

• Every CLC host family reported how much fun it was & wants to participate again in 2011!

Kudos to Pastor Cheri Garrett and Deanna Mason and their entire team for all the work in making this possible!  Enjoy a few pics:

proudly displaying their 'salvation' certificates

Still chewing on the messages from Marilyn Hickey this past weekend, and particularly the “sofia” kind of wisdom, the-big-picture-kind-of-wisdom that God gives us.

One of the most insightful verses of Scripture about that is Proverbs 29:18 that tells us without vision, people perish (that’s the KJV that I grew up with). However, many other translations express it a little differently: notice the NASB,  or the ESV, or the NLT, or even the Message - and see that without an overarching big-picture vision for our life, we are unrestrained….we cast off restraints, or we run wild, stumbling all over ourselves.  In other words, unless we see God’s ‘big-picture’ for our live, it’s easy for us to chase after most anything, trying to find the fulfillment that ONLY is found within HIS plan for us!

The problem with promiscuity isn’t that we enjoy sleeping around; it’s that we don’t see God’s big picture plan for our life, so there’s no reason to pursue a more noble lifestyle.

The issue with sleeping late, wasting time playing video games, or allowing trivial pursuits to steal our days and nights is not that we’re just bored or lazy; it’s that we don’t have a ‘big-picture’ vision that’s compelling us to become the person God has caled us to be.

The reason even Christian leaders can just ‘punch the clock’ and put forth half-hearted, mediocre efforts in our area of ministry is not that we can’t do better; it’s that we still haven’t seen the ‘big-picture’ vision that makes our ministry meaningful and fulfilling.

I’ve got to get off my soapbox and get some work done, but let me simply ask: do you see the Big Picture that God has for your life?

If not, I’m praying Col. 1:9 over you today (the ‘wisdom’ there is ‘sophia’ wisdom!) Once you see it, you’ll never do life the same again!

Well, it’s a couple of days since Marilyn Hickey was with us at CLC, and I’m still enjoying the afterglow! She was everything her website says about her: encouraging, optimistic, upbeat & energetic….at 79 years old! I kept checking on her between services, etc., asking if she wanted to rest a bit, have some refreshments….but honestly, I think she had more energy than I did!

I’ve been thinking about some of her quotes:

“God thinks you can do anything”

“You give people flowers, they wilt; give ‘em chocolate, make ‘em fat; give ‘em the Word, change their life!”

“I’ve been married for 54 and a half years, and I can still fit into my wedding dress!”

“I just tell the devil, it’s not over until I win!”

She must have told me a dozen times, “I’m a pastor’s wife“. In fact, she told me at lunch that she had never been ordained; she just holds a license with the AoG.  I mean, here’s a lady after my own heart: she hasn’t worried about titles or positions all these years because she’s been too busy teaching the Word and doing the stuff!

I loved how she illustrated the 3 Greek concepts of ‘wisdom’ by showing each one in the lives of Joseph, David & Esther – and she actually taught those principles in about 20 minutes per service!  (I’m trying to make my sermons shorter, I really am – but wow, what an example!)

For me personally, the biggest takeaway was just the simple truth of holding onto the Word during the process. We all know it, but it seems we often struggle during the process and sometimes doubt the Word we received, or (oh me) complain about our circumstances, instead of just standing in faith & holding onto the Word.

I want to change.  I want to be a better example of staying positive, remaining optimistic and just holding on to the Promise! I want to be more intentional about making friendships for the purpose of reaching people with the Gospel.  I want to make a difference, like Marilyn has for the last 50+ years.  And I think I want to invite her back to CLC, to do it all again!

How ’bout you?

Sometimes I read someone’s writing that is too good & too important to keep to myself, and such is the case today regarding the meetings this week between Israel and the Palestinians.  I highly recommend you read this and pray for God’s wisdom for these leaders.

7 is God’s number of perfection, and today’s 7 CLC worship experiences were just about that wonderful!

Before I give that summary, let me just say that Marilyn Hickey is perhaps the most gracious, down-to-earth, genuine Christian that we’ve ever had as a ministry guest at CLC!  I must admit to being a little nervous going into the weekend, since I had never met her and she is a TV “personality” – but I could not have been more impressed with this amazing 79-year-old lady who is still going strong with the gospel.

What was most impressive to me was not her public persona or her teaching gift, which was so obvious today, but the behind-the-scenes Marilyn, who went to extra-efforts to witness to our Ecuadorean waiter in the restaurant yesterday, making sure that he understood the gospel in Spanish…..or her decision to go on FaceBook so she could reach out to more people with the Word…..or the text messages she sent & received with several Muslim friends back in Denver that she is winning through her friendship.  I’m simply saying, she is the real deal, who embodies Titus 2:9-10 by making the gospel more attractive by everything she does.  I’m so thankful for the impartation she left at CLC today – may her tribe increase!

Now my thoughts about those 7 worship experiences:

1.  8am, Tinley Park: Marilyn used the life of Joseph to teach us 3 Greek words for wisdom: the ‘big picture’ of God’s plan for our life; the ‘how-to’ accomplish it, which is a process; and the ‘networking’ of people & circumstances that God brings into our life to fulfill that vision.  Awesome!

2. 9:30am, Tinley Park: she used the life of David to illustrate those same principles.  I think I’ll always remember Ziklag, the place of “overwhelming despair” – you must get this podcast!

3.  11:30am, Tinley Park: she helped us see those same principles in the life of Esther.  Wonderful!  (Special props to Zack Derbas – I’m sure leading worship in Jon’s absence, with Marilyn Hickey on the front row would create some anxiety for anyone – but he led us into the Presence of the Lord each service.  We’ve got an awesome group coming up in this next generation!)

4.  South Bend: Pastor Doug reports a fun & exciting day, with 5 babies dedicated, 2 baptized in water, great worship, communion, and several guests in the house!  God is at work at CLC-SB!

5.  Shorewood: Pastor Dan was excited about their Family service with great worship, 7 babies dedicated, 5 baptisms, prayer over all their returning students & a good response to the message!

6.  Lisle: today was the day we moved into the Hyatt (our new home in Lisle), and Pastor Eric said it was an incredible day of their teams all pulling together to make a ’mobile church’ happen.  The unity and anticipation is obvious – good reports all the way around in preparation for the grand opening on September 12!

7.  Centro de Vida Cristiana - Pastor Jaime had my favorite report about a great service where he preached about intimacy with the Lord, and 3 people gave their life to the Lord! Gloria a Dios!

Speaking of people coming to the Lord, our online services resulted in at least 2 people who prayed to receive Christ, and they’re both from the south suburbs!  I also met other first-time families in the lobby today whose only contact with us was through the live-stream – praise God for the technology that’s helping us reach beyond our 16 walls (4 walls x 4 campuses)!

That’s what I’d call a good day!

My most faithful questioner asks, “I have a question regarding Genesis 32:24.  Who was this angel who wrestled with Jacob and what was the reason? The scriptures reads like this was something common and happened to people all of the time, but I think that I would have been horrified to try and wrestle with an angel. And obviously Jacob knew it was an angel because he would not let the angel go until the angel blessed him. And how was he able to overpower an angel?  Am I missing something here?”

All great questions – let me try to answer them, in order:

1.  The angel who wrestled with Jacob was, in my understanding (and with the agreement of Bible scholars) what we call a “theophany“.  By that, I simply mean that God Himself appeared to Jacob in the form of a man, or an angel.  (Notice that in most Bible translations, the word ‘angel’ in this story is capitalized, ‘Angel’, to designate that this was no ordinary man, but God Himself).  Probably plainer still, this angel was Jesus, God-in-a-human-body, prior to Bethlehem.

For further proof of this, notice the wording in Hosea 12:3-5, which recounts the story from Genesis 32, and tells us that Jacob met God there, “face to face“.

2.  As to the reason Jacob wrestled with the angel, the Bible doesn’t exactly say – but it’s quite obvious that this was a meaningful encounter with the Lord that changed Jacob’s life.  From that day forward, he walked differently, literally, but he also was a different man – no longer the conniving, scheming, cheater that he once was.  Personally, I love the way Eugene Peterson put it in his Message paraphrase of Hosea 12:

In the womb, that heel, Jacob, got the best of his brother.
When he grew up, he tried to get the best of God.
But God would not be bested.
God bested him.
Brought to his knees,
Jacob wept and prayed.
God found him at Bethel.
That’s where he spoke with him.
God is God-of-the-Angel-Armies,
God-Revealed, God-Known.

3.  Not sure if this was a question, but I think it’s safe to say that this was NOT an everyday occurrence.  Initially, Jacob probably thought he was wrestling a man, a stranger who came to harm him – before later realizing that it was the Angel of God.  At least, that’s my opinion.

4.  Your next question is very insightful, and I think a lot of us miss it when reading the story: how could Jacob overcome an angel? Remember, one angel killed 185,000 men in one night (2Kings 19:35) and one angel will be strong enough to bind the devil and throw him into the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:1-3).  So the only conclusion I can draw is that the Angel allowed Jacob to prevail – much like a father might ‘wrestle’ with his young son and ‘let’ the boy win.

As I see it, God initiated this encounter with Jacob and then allowed Jacob to prevail, so HE could bless the ‘changed’ Jacob as HE wanted – just as HE loves us, reaches out to us, encourages us to trust Him, and then rewards us when we do believe!  What a wonderful God He is!!!

5.  I’m sure you probably are – seems like there’s always more in God’s Word that we haven’t discovered yet!

Hope that helps.  Now, what would YOU like to Ask the Pastor?

Does anyone still use that word, or did I just date myself?

Anyway, it expresses how I feel, after just receiving a phone call from the Watoto Choir that I wrote about yesterday.  It seems the US Embassy in Kampala will not give them an appointment to receive their visas until September 15, which effectively wipes out the first 2 weeks of their planned 6-month tour.  The Watoto office even appealed through US Congressmen & Senators, to no avail.

So, as much as I hate it, the choir will NOT be performing at CLC in September as announced.  They will visit us at the end of the tour next March, so it’s technically not a cancellation, just a postponement.

Of course, that doesn’t help with our planned opportunity on the heels of our ONE series, to give you a ‘good excuse’ to invite your unchurched friends to attend.  (What is it they say about the best-laid plans of mice & men?)

Oh well.  Nothing much left to say – except that I’m sorry we didn’t know sooner, before you started telling others about it.  And we’ll look forward to March!

I don’t think you’ll like this post, but it may encourage you nonetheless.

My devotions yesterday began with the book of Job.  You probably know his story – he was “the greatest of all the men of the East” (Job 1:3), with tons of sheep, oxen, camels, donkeys and servants.  Today that would probably translate to real estate holdings, a nice stock portfolio, a flush bank account, and lots of loyal employees.

Verses 8-12 jumped out at me, even though I’ve read them dozens of times – get this: God initiated the conversation with Satan and asked if the enemy had ever considered Job.  God was bragging to the devil about what a wonderful servant Job was!

What follows isn’t pretty.  Some of you may be able to relate.  The enemy showed consideration to Job by stripping him of everything – the sheep, the oxen, the camels, the donkeys and the servants.  And for good measure, he forced Job to attend the funerals of all of his 10 children.

Once again, God bragged to the devil about Job’s response (Job 2:3-6), and this time, the enemy’s consideration brought unbelievable physical suffering to Job – literally from head to toe (Job 2:7).

Let me cut right to the chase and say, could it be that what you are experiencing right now – whether pain, loss, heartache, or suffering – is not at all because God doesn’t care or that He is somehow letting you down or that you are being ‘judged’ for something you did – instead, could it be that God is actually pleased with you and perhaps bragged about you to the enemy?

If you’re having a bad day, or a bad week, or a bad month, or even a bad year – could it be that you’re getting consideration from the devil because God is so pleased with you that He couldn’t help but brag a bit?

I don’t think it was happenstance that allowed me to read Acts 5:41 next in my quiet time.  Maybe we’ve been counted ‘worthy’ to suffer.

In many respects, the last 12 months have been the most difficult of my entire life. But this much I know: if the early Christians could stay on assignment, so can I (Acts 5:42).

I am gonna stay on my assignment, because God has a plan for me just like He had for Job! (Job 42:12-17; Jeremiah 29:11)

How ’bout you?

We’ve spent the entire month of August emphasizing the value & importance & power of ONE.  Think of it: Jesus died so that even ONE could be saved.

Our plan is to follow up this emphasis with some “user-friendly” events that will be easy for you to invite your friends & co-workers to attend, and the first one is coming at the Tinley Park campus on September 12, when we’ll host the internationally-known Watoto Children’s Choir from Uganda!

These AIDS orphans have performed in various nations, before all kinds of audiences, including the White House, the parliaments of several nations, from Presidents to paupers  (for instance, they’ll be appearing at Trinity College & at Navy Pier on this tour). Their cause is worthy.  Their leader is a godly man who is leading an incredible ministry that is impacting Uganda.  I’m honored that we get to host them at CLC.

Speaking of ‘hosting’, we do still need a few families who would be willing to keep a few of the kids & an adult chaperon overnight on Saturday, Sept. 11.  If you’re interested, please let us know here.

Most importantly, this is one of those events that even unchurched folk will attend – the kids are that winsome & their story is that compelling.  So start inviting NOW. You won’t regret it, I promise.