Deposit of Inheritance

Yesterday I was smacked with a piece of scripture that I couldn't get out of my head. Ephesians 1:13-14: "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory".

You may be wandering: Marv, what was it that hit you out of that seemingly tame piece of Scripture? Here's what did me in: "...the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance...". When you think of a deposit, that guarantees something, in this case our inheritance, that means it's only the beginning. For example if you were to put a deposit on a $100,000 home, the sum of that deposit (or down-payment) would probably be $10,000. Which is A LOT of money, but it's only just the beginning!

This idea of the Holy Spirit being a deposit struck me, because God in essence is saying: "All the great things that the Spirit enables you to do and all the things the Spirit does for you is ONLY the beginning, just the down-payment showing you that you have an inheritance. And that inheritance is HUGE!"


If the promised Holy Spirit is just the beginning....that BLOWS MY MIND!!

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Trinitarian Thought

I think I had one of the most interesting thoughts just now and I had to share it before I forgot it. I've been working on my ordination and in the C&MA I need to write 6 papers: the Fourfold Gospel (Christ Our: Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King) are four of them as well as 2 other papers: 1 on the church and its role and the other on the Completing Christ's Mission.


So I've been thinking A TON about God, his aspects, attributes and so on. Mostly, I've been thinking about Christ's death and the trinity. I've been thinking about the trinity due to The Shack and some of Marc Driscolls claims about the book.


That said, here's my "Trinitarian Thought" When Christ died on the cross, the Father had to turn away from him, because he was our sin offering and to God in that moment, Jesus was untouchable to God. He couldn't even look at that type of imperfection. Does this mean that in that moment, God the Father (and the Spirit) separated themselves away from Jesus, thus cutting a tear in the one-ness that they shared? And if so, who felt more pain, them or Jesus? Because they are one, and Jesus was a part of the trinity, they HAD to have separated away from the sin that Jesus bore.


In fact, I've been thinking so deeply about this, that for God to explain all of these things, he had to mold it in a way we would understand. Thus the idea of the Father and Jesus the Son...he wanted us to understand the feeling of the separation in that moment. For a Father to turn his back on his son and give him up to death is a POWERFUL idea we can understand...but separating ourselves from a piece of who we are...we can't even FATHOM the idea or the PAIN that would cause!

Marc Driscoll said that the Shack was heresy because papa (God the Father who took the form of a Black Woman) said that he experienced the cross, to which Marc Driscoll cries heresy...yet I think God the Father, The Son and The Spirit felt the cross!! They are one, of course they all experienced the cross! Possibly in different forms, I'll give you that, but to say that the Father felt nothing during that time, I just can't sign on to that idea. In fact, I think God the Father and the Spirit experienced something harder... due to the nature of themselves they had to tear away from a piece of who they are...I can't even fathom!


PLEASE COMMENT YOUR THOUGHTS!

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Wednesday (April 23) Youth Group

Tonight, we finished our NOISE Theme. We talked about how the noise of the crowd can make us do some really stupid things in our lives. How the crowd can be so loud, that we don't even hear God over it all. I shared the Biblical story of Aaron and the Golden Calf. I showed them that Aaron, even after the Red Sea, the Egyptian Exodus, the manna and the quail and the 10 Commandments he still fell to the NOISE of the crowd.

The People BEGGED Aaron to give in and build gods they could worship, and Aaron caved immediately! Not even a blink, or a blip is recorded in the scriptures but in mere seconds he does it!

I shared that we too can fall prey easily to the NOISE of the crowd so we please them, and make us feel like we belong. I shared some of my crazy stories of falling prey to the crowd.


Here is the video clip I used to start it all off! Enjoy!

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Like Carlos Whittiker...

I Made a Mac Book Pro video :)

Check Out Carlos' Blog here: http://www.ragamuffinsoul.com/

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Aspects of Christ- Savior

A lot of times in life, I think in "movie terms". By that I mean when I hear something, or see something, I always liken it to a movie I've seen. Christ as Savior is really no different, because I have seen tons of "savior" movies in today's society. Just pick up a movie and you'll find 8 out of 10 times a character that ends up being a "savior" of sorts.

We as humans have a deep, desperate need to be saved. Most claim to NOT feel that need in our world, but read a book, or watch a movie (as stated above) and you'll see a different picture! For example, in the newest installment of the Superman franchise: Superman Returns, we see and even hear savior-like even Christlike themes. The most prominent in my mind is the scene where Superman takes Lois Lane on a "flight". During this flight, he asks Lois what she hears, she says "nothing". To which Superman responds: "I hear everything. You wrote that the world doesn't need a Savior, yet everyday I hear people crying for one". WOW!

The GREATEST thing is that Christ IS our Savior. The scriptures say: "...By His Wounds, we are HEALED", because of His death, we can now live. When Christ died on the cross, he sacrificed himself so we could inherit not only eternal life, but the gift of freedom from sin! He saved us from damnation and condemnation. Who wouldn't want to be saved from that?

Romans 3:23-26 sums up Christ as Savior better than I ever could. It says this: "...for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,^[a] through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus".

What a God we serve!

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Cherishing your Eve

I Just finished reading Chapter 5 in Don Miller's Searching for God Knows What and I was struck as well as convicted. I've been reading A LOT more than I used to and I usually am not SMACKED like I was tonight.

Don continues a vein of thought he started in the previous chapter and the thought is that Moses wrote A TON of poetry into the Old Testament and that this poetry was used to define that which could only be expressed through free verse. It is here, that Don picks up the vein of thought on the creation and Fall of man.

The poetry thing didn't hit me until he was describing Adam's job and his loneliness and his desire for a help-mate. Don shares that God sent Adam on a job- Name all the animals, to which both Don and now myself admit glanced over this as a story thought only, not a plot.

In fact for Adam to name all the animals would have taken at least 100 years of continual naming. The scriptures say that God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would name them...it still took about 100 years to name all the animals even though they were brought to him. (this is Don's theory based on the number of approx. animals that are in existence).

Then the Word of God says: "But for Adam no suitable helper was found" Adam was looking for companionship or friendship with these creatures as in a help-mate. he had a perfect relationship with God, untainted by sin, yet his heart longed for a help-mate as well, some human intimacy. Just think about it, he was naming these animals for let's just say the 100 year theory, all the while looking for a help-mate.

God, seeing his need, then produces Eve for him. This is where Don's words struck me: "It's quite beautiful really. God directed Adam's steps so that when He created Eve, Adam would have the UTMOST appreciation, respect and gratitude. I think it was smart of God, because today, now that there are women all around and a guy can go on the Internet and see them naked anytime he wants, the whole species is DEVALUED." "...And then I thought how very beautiful it was that God made Adam to work for so long because there is NO WAY, after a hundred years of being alone, looking for somebody who you could connect with in your soul, that you would take advantage of a woman once you met one."

I know this is a long post, BUT I feel it is important for us husbands or future husbands to ask God to bless us with this type of cherishing. IMMEDIATELY after reading those words, I begged God to allow me to see Hilary as if she were a gift to me from him after 100 years of waiting. I pray I can and always will cherish Hilary the way Adam cherished Eve!

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Wednesday Night Youth

This whole month's theme has been surrounded in the idea of NOISE. We let the NOISE of the world, our cell phones, our TV's, our computers, our books etc. get in the way of getting to know eachother, listen to each other and more importantly getting to know and listen to God.

Last night, I challenged the Jr. High Youth to turn down the volume of their lives and embrace something that they may have ever tried before...solitude! I explained to them the verses in Matt. 6:6-8 describe us getting alone with God, and that by getting alone, God will reward that time!

So many times, we go to church and mark our "scorecard" of our Christian walk...but God truly wants YOU! I shared with the teens how hard solitude is for me, but also the rewards that I have seen in my time of solitude with Christ.

I then shared the story of the Samaritan woman at the well and how she was seeking solitude (not for good reasons mind you, but she still was seeking to be alone) when she encountered Jesus. And in that time of solitude, she was forever effected by Christ!

All in all, I think they got it! There was one girl who was shocked that God wanted to be alone with her, that he actually cared that much! It was pretty sweet!

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Walking in the Light

In September, I did a series called: Walking in the Light, which was a Sr. High series on 1 John 1:5-2:14. I don 't know if I am the only Youth Pastor on the planet that this has happened to, but for me this was the first and only time so far...I became so wrapped in the series that I wrote a 33 page devotional based on the study! It hasn't happened since (yet) and never before had it happened to me. I found out a love for writing that I NEVER knew I had. I mention this, because the editing of the devotional is almost done and tonight, I am giving a copy to my leadership team! I love it when God flips my mind out and drives me to do new things!

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Aspects of Christ---Healer

To sort out my blogs, I am going to focus the next few on certain Aspects of Christ. All will be relevant to our vision as well as to our lives. The first aspect of Christ I am going to highlight is that of Healer.

This past weekend I saw God heal Jr. Highers. The speaker: Jason Ostrander was focusing on the Fourfold Gospel of Christ Our: Saviour, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King. Saturday night is when he approached Healer and he had the students come up and receive healing. It wasn’t one of those manipulation, emotional high type healing services either. God spoke to Jason before the weekend and told him it was going to be a healing service, but not a hyped up one, simply a prayed up service.

Students came forward with all types of issues and I was blessed to be able to pray with them for their healing. One girl, the first girl I prayed with was balling her eyes out and asked that God heal her of her constant feeling of loneliness. When she was speaking, I immediately felt her pain and started tearing up. However, after we prayed for healing, I saw her hours later, smiling and excited…God truly healed her pain and met her where she was.

Christ, all through the scripture healed people. Whether he was right there with them, touching them for healing, or whether he said the word and miles away someone was healed, he was and is the Healer!

The world and closer to home, Nyack is dying for a healer. We need healing as do the people we are trying to build a bridge to. I truly believe that a church of healing is a church set up to be a bridge. By grabbing hold of Christ’s healing and then healing other people through HIS power, people will come to know the Lord. Healing is a REAL thing today and the Holy Spirit is willing to heal, we just have to ask.

Will we be a church marked by the healing of God? I believe we will! Through service, healing will be a natural next step to building a bridge!

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Tryin to be Profound, hitting Mediocrity

When I set up this blog, I was hoping to be constantly profound, like so many authors I've been reading, but what I ended up finding out was that a lot of what I want to say is mediocre in comparison to the profundity of high class authors like Max Lucado, Rob Bell, Don Miller, Brennan Manning and the like.

When you read those guys, you get a sense of awe at the gift that God has given to those men. However, I slowly realized that mediocrity ends up defining most peoples lives and we all need to remember that not all life will be (or should be) constantly profound...seeking profundity on a constant basis will only bring up disappointment, since a lot of life is in fact mediocre.

I say this not to deny, or nay-say the profound insights that these men have been blessed to bring the world through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, but simply to say that God can meet us in the mediocrity as well. We don't always need a profound "AH Hah" moment with God to be drawn closer to Him...sometimes he wants to meet us in our mediocrity, sometimes he wants to meet us in the mundane.

For people like me, who constantly seek profound insights about God, it's good to be reminded that mediocrity can also be a place where God meets us!

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Urban Lake Champion PLUS

I was truly blessed to be a part of the team for the Urban Lake Champion retreat this past weekend! Several things happened in which I know God was moving. Erica and Macho Lara were used in tremendous ways this weekend.

Erica was the speaker for the Urban youth who came from: Brooklyn, Queens, Trenton, Paterson and Manhattan. She spoke on being a Joshua Generation, seeking out a life like that of Joshua and seeking that which Joshua sought. She spoke of Joshua's faith and dependence on God. She mentioned the Jericho scene and challenged the teens to write down the walls that have been blocking them from God onto a box. She then gathered all the boxes from each group and had a teenager symbolically TEAR them down! All in all, I truly believe that the teens interacted and engaged with their Father on a new level and really were able to take out the trash and tear down the walls!

Macho (or Rafael as he likes to be called in his elder age...which is actually his real name) was the worship leader along with Red, Isaiah and Kyle who rocked it out. I think the style was different or our Urban Youth, but they enjoyed the worship and it was truly fantastic! I've always loved worshiping with Macho leading...God has truly gifted my brother to lead others to the throne room of Christ!

This weekend, I learned a new phrase in my vocabulary with the Lord: Utterly Dependant. I was unaware, but had strep throat the entire weekend and as anyone behind the scenes could tell you, I looked and acted as if I had it. I felt like I was going to die on Saturday, but I took dinner off, prayed for God to heal me (at least for the day) and took a nap. When I woke up, I could swallow without much pain and I got on the mic and emceed the most energetic session all weekend!

Since being diagnosed yesterday with strep and not receiving my medicine until early afternoon, I took the day off today (you are still contagious 24 hours after your first dose of meds.) which for me is HARD...harder still I didn't go to youth group so my body can recover for this weekend (JR. High Lake Champion!!) I fully trust my intern MARKO REQUENA but it is HARD for me to not do my job. I have that nagging voice in my head that says: work til you die Marv, don't stop...

As you can see it's been quite a week, but God is TRULY good and I know that all of this has happened for his purposes or can be made to fit his purposes. I am just about recovered and can't WAIT to start work at 8am tomorrow...who else do you know is begging to go to work? My job rocks and I can't wait to see how Marko did.

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New update coming...

Soon, very soon an update will be flying your way! All things Urban Lake Champion to all things my sickness that has lasted 2 whole weeks...all coming tomorrow...

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Canker Sore/ Ulcer

I have an ulcer (canker sore) on the roof of my mouth and it hurts like crazy! At first I thought it was a sore throat that started last Saturday. Some of you may know the Saturday before easter, I came down with a 101^ fever and was sick. However, as the fever went away withing hours (thank God), the sore throat persisted until now! Yesterday I went to the Doctors office, hopin to get some respite from the pain, but he looked at my throat, did a strep test, gave me some pills and said goodbye.

It wasn't until LAST night that I discovered the thing the Dr. missed...the thing that has been causing my extreme oral pain...a canker sore! I shined a flashlight in my mouth and saw the thin right next to me tonsil on the inner portion of the roof of my mouth.

This things has been driving me NUTS, it's caused fatigue and some nasal congestion and every dog-gone morning I wake up with cotton mouth, because my body won't lubricate my mouth due to the pain while I sleep!!

Anyways, sorry to BORE you with my canker sore story, just wanted to let you know how annoying it is and if you think of it pray for me, becuz I am directing the Urban Weekend this weekend at Lake Champion!!!

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Interesting Reads...

Right now I am in the middle of no less than 5 books! I couldn't resist picking up two more last night! The first book: The Shack was promoted by Erik with a 'K' during our Lake Champion weekend. I am in the middle of the second chapter already and the story is really good, very descriptive and entertaining, yet spiritually engaging! Eugene Peterson said that this book has the potential to do for our generation what Pilgrims Progress did or it's generation!! And you know what...I think he's right.

The other book I picked up last night is an AMAZING read that I recommend to all my Christian brothers and sisters! It's called Lord, Save Us From Your Followers. It's a book similar to that of UnChristian, which surveys people about their feelings about Christians and Christianity. It discusses some serious issues about our faith and how we can get back to the Gospel of Love and stop the culture wars. Christians as a whole despise sinners in total. We say we love them, yet we spit our faith on them, without trying to listen to them. To the person we're spitting on, they feel no love. So how can we come to show the love they need, yet still bring them to a saving relationship with Jesus? This book has some good insight.

The other books I am currently reading are: Posers, Fakers and Wannabees; Come Thirsty; Wholly Sanctified and Morph! All very good reads! I may be doing some "spiritual regurgitation" from some of these books, so watch out :)

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