Recently, I attended a large pastor’s conference with church leaders from all over the world. During one of the allotted sessions, they held a question and answer session with senior leaders. Every pastor on the platform had been in ministry for at least forty years. Each predetermined subject was designed to get them talking about advice they would give to their younger self. I sat in rapt attention.One of the pastors shared something I won’t quickly forget. He said he would tell a younger version of himself to take his sin more seriously. He explained that baby sins grow up into adult sins once mature, bringing death. His message was simple: kill sin or it will kill you.As children of God, the battle is on. We saw it declared by Paul in Romans 7, but we see it more fully in Romans 8. There is a battle between my flesh and the Spirit, between my body of sin and my new nature. The law — or principle — of the Spirit is pulling me up into Christlikeness, but this isn’t automatic, at least not now. One day, once in Christ’s full and unfiltered presence eternally, we will automatically be pulled into the glory of the Second Adam, Jesus Christ. Right now, however, the principle of the Spirit is working, but I must avail myself to the process.This process is my right as a child of God. It was not possible before I entered into His family, before His adoption of me. But now I can enter into His transformative work in my character, nature, and tendencies. He wants to gift me and grow me into more Christlikeness. For this to occur, I must understand I am a debtor to no one but the Spirit, and that I’ve been made into a child of God. Radically so.We Are Debtors (8:12-14)Not to the Flesh"So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh." (Romans 8:12)Paul begins this section with a strong term of conclusion when he writes, “So then," which could be translated “wherefore, therefore.” It is a forceful way of saying he’s come to a compelling conclusion about what he’d just written, where he said that we have freedom by the principle of the Spirit working in us.His conclusion is straightforward: we are debtors. To whom? Well, the Spirit. But before he writes about that he diverges into an explanation of whom we do not owe. Before we can think of being a debtor to the Spirit, we must know we don’t owe the flesh anything. “Not to the flesh,” Paul writes. We don’t owe the flesh at all.We do have a debt to pay, but it isn’t to the flesh. The flesh is that ugly complex of sinful human desires within us. Ungodly motives, principles, words, and actions are all part of the flesh. Paul concludes that giving into our flesh is not mandatory. We don’t owe that body, that flesh, anything. We aren’t obligated to live in response to the desires of the flesh.That doesn’t mean there is no battle. No, the battle is genuine. Paul knows this; it is the reason he announces our lack of debt to the flesh. He knows there is a battle between flesh and Spirit for the child of God. He had experienced it — and had written of it — and now he wants us to realize our destiny isn’t to lose this battle. The Spirit in us can overcome. We aren’t debtors to the flesh.This is one of the marks of being a child of God. In a dead man, there is no possibility of life. When we were unsaved, lost, we were dead. There was no possibility of response to the Spirit. We were dead to Him, dead in trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:1). But now we have been made alive in Christ. This new life from Christ introduces conflict. The mere presence of the battle is indicative that we are God’s children.You see, we are positionally in the Spirit, but we must activate that part of our lives. Feed the Spirit, and you'll follow the Spirit. Feed your flesh, and you'll follow your flesh.Recently, someone gave me an opportunity to drive a brand new Tesla for twenty minutes or so. One of its features is automated driving. As long as there is a center line and a white line

"For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead." (2 Corinthians 1:8-9)Though we do not know what trial Paul endured in Asia, the Corinthians knew, and what we do understand is that he was "utterly burdened beyond strength." The man was at his breaking point, unable to endure, feeling his last ounce of strength evaporate. Paul trudged through great pain in his years, but this was the last straw. He felt he could take it no longer. He said, "We despaired of life itself."Perhaps you can relate to a season such as Paul's, one where life itself seems impossible, unendurable. Make no mistake, Paul was not an overly dramatic person. When he said, "We felt that we had received the sentence of death," you know something severe and despairing had unwrapped itself. The claws of death and misery had Paul in their evil clutches and, for his part, Paul saw no way of escape.Paul's DiscoveryThen, his light bulb moment: "But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead." There it is, an explosion of grace and faith. Grace, because God broke through to his despondent mind. Faith, because he began to trust God afresh. Where his strength ended was where God's power began.Paul felt the trial which caused him such despair was one which could teach him to rely not on himself, but on God, the one who raises the dead.1. Don't Rely on YourselfFirst, Paul learned not to rely on himself. This lesson is paramount for the servant of Christ, for the child of God. Too quickly we believe the battle is ours for the taking, but instead, we should say, "the battle belongs to the Lord." If everything in your life is manageable (and I'm sure that's only your perception), perhaps you haven't gone far enough into the obedience of Christ to experience the impossible situations for which only God's strength will do. He, of course, knew what it meant to trust God's power, for he was a force in the early Christian missionary effort, but he needed to see it anew. Self-reliance had to die, and Paul went to a new place of dependence during this trial.2. Rely on GodSecond, Paul learned to rely on God. He saw how self-reliance could not end without something new beginning. Reliance and trust in God had to grow. For each year that passes in these lives of ours, brand new opportunities to trust God will unfold. In those new moments, we must rely on God. He has a throne of grace where he dispenses mercy and grace to help us in our time of need, but we must come to him with confidence (Hebrews 4:14). We must run to our Father and call out to him for his power and might.3. Remember God's Resurrection PowerThird, Paul remembered that God raises the dead. Here, the resurrection of Christ, which makes possible the ultimate resurrection and renewal of the dead, is in view. Paul took those truths and applied them to his current situation. If God is so powerful as to have the ability to raise the dead, then my situation, one which might need a little resurrection experience, is also within his grasp. God is not overwhelmed. God is able. Trust him and his resurrection power.QuestionsWho in your life requires resurrection? Have you allowed despair and hopelessness to overwhelm your heart? Don't. Believe and trust in the God who raises the dead.What responsibility in your life needs a resurrection? Has deadness and dryness overtaken the vitality which once existed? Go to God, the one with resurrection power.What burden in your life cannot be lifted without the resurrection power of God? Has God placed a people or project or church or ministry on your heart for which only his power will suffice? Run to him, the great resurrector, and trust in his ability.Time and time again, we must learn, as Paul d

"For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." (Romans 15:4)While writing to the church about the proper handling of liberties, Paul encouraged his readers to develop a lot of dead friends. What I mean is, he thought the endurance required for the Christian life requires a relationship with the characters of the Old Testament. He saw the pages of his Bible as a limitless source of encouragement for the modern life of faith. It "was written for our instruction," he said, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."Whenever I teach believers about a character from God's word, my hope is for that character to become an everlasting friend to my hearer. I want the congregation to draw upon the people of Scripture, and their faith and failures, for modern life. Here, Paul had precisely the same goal. He wanted, especially in the context of how to treat one another, the believers in Rome to consider the Scriptures, to allow those Old Testament friends to become a rich source of encouragement for the rigors of life today.Here are some friends of mine...Noah: Life Of FaithAs a pastor, writer, and father, Noah's life speaks to me on a million levels. For one, he was tasked by God with a job that seemingly never ended. I mean, it did end, but it took a long time to complete the work. People talk of working on the important, rather than the urgent, but Noah walked out that concept. For decades, he built that ark. Rain wasn't even a thing yet. But he trusted in God's word and created something in preparation for a future time. I love his life of faith. He had endurance, an I-gotta-keep-going-ness that I admire. I want this Noahic faith to fill my work as a pastor and writer, but also as a man of God as I build into my wife and children.Abraham: Trust GodAbraham is the great father of faith, and you don't get a title like that just sitting on your butt your whole life. No, this guy heard wild and massive promises from God and actually believed them! He stood up, packed up, and moved out in faith. His faith was not always a perfect one -- he moved only so far and feared quite often -- but it was a faith God loved. Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness (Romans 4:3, Genesis 15:6). God made a covenant with this man, and his entire network of relationships and all nations were forever altered. When I look at Abraham, a guy who went out "not knowing where he was going," but sure in the God he followed, I become motivated to step out in faith with my Lord.Moses: Know GodMoses was a thousand things. A Hebrew, but raised as the prince of Egypt, he thought himself, in his younger years, Israel's logical freedom fighter. He needed a time fo humbling, however, and was sent into the wilderness until he was eighty years old. I don't know everything that went on in his heart during those wilderness years, but I'm sure his confidence in God's plan for his life waned. But when the bush burned and didn't, he took off his sandals and heard the voice of the Lord calling him, speaking to his heart. He went on to deliver Israel from captivity, bring them out of Egypt, and receive the law of God for this new nation, but that moment at the burning bush became emblematic of his entire life. He always sought -- and knew -- God. He talked to God as a man speaks to his friend. When I read of Moses' life, I am compelled to press into the great access I have been given to God by the blood of Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16).Joshua: Victories With GodJoshua, Moses' eventual replacement, was a man of victory and might. He took Israel where Moses couldn't, into the Promised Land. There, a fight awaited them, so Joshua expressed his faith in God by leading the charge. It was God's judgment on the people of the land, for one, but also a way for his people to demonstrate their faith in God.

I recently sat down with a pastoral friend of mine to catch up. During the course of our conversation, we began talking about various ministries and events coming up in each our lives. Since Christmas, at the time of the conversation, was right around the corner, he began asking me about our Christmas Eve services, so I told him about the teaching rhythm I've landed on for both that service and also Good Friday.His interest and follow up questions caused me to think that other pastors and church leaders might like to hear about what we do. It's not the only way, but I have found it fruitful for our fellowship, so I thought I'd write about our Good Friday service here, with a small note at the end about Christmas Eve. If you are interested in my thoughts about Easter, I've written about it previously at nateholdridge.com.Our Good Friday service has only been in existence in its current format for the last eight years or so. I have always loved to celebrate the cross uniquely that evening. The gathering has grown over the years, and at this point, we offer multiple services to accommodate everyone who desires to be there. When we first began, my message was a cross-focused message declared with full passion and joy about the implications of the cross of Christ. My sermons were typical of a Good Friday, and I would choose typical passages from which to declare the gospel. The seven sayings of Christ on the cross, Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and other similar passages were the types of Scriptures I chose to teach. I loved these messages because I felt they gave me a chance to get back to the heart of it all and resoundingly and declaratively celebrate the cross of Christ.But then something happened. I got better at preaching and declaring the cross of Christ every...single...week. I began noticing that my Good Friday messages and my regular Sunday messages were not all that different.And another thing happened. I realized how stressful it was for me to select an Easter and Good Friday passage. Here's a note about me: I am not good at making decisions. I mean, the choices I make are usually good ones, it just takes forever for me to make my mind up and make a call. So I'm sure there are guys out there who can select a Scripture or two in a matter of minutes, but not this guy. I deliberate and weigh and think and reconsider over and over again.Putting those two conclusions together, one Good Friday a few years ago, I decided to try something different. Instead of a classic sermon where I choose a text and expound on it for a set number of minutes, I decided to simply retell the events of the entire last week of Christ's life in my own words to the church, intermixing the story with various songs and a time of communion. Let me explain.The FlowThe night starts with a word of welcome by our worship pastor, and then the band begins to play. When they start, I am up there with them (with my mic muted for reasons which would be evident to you if you heard me sing). Instead of standing behind a pulpit, I sit on a stool without any notes or papers or tables of any kind. It's just my Bible and me.I sing along with the band and congregation for a couple of songs, and then the music fades.With that, I begin, "On the Tuesday night before Jesus died on the cross, Jesus and his disciples gathered in the house of Simon, along with Lazarus' family, for a meal." I then tell the story of what transpired on that night, and how Jesus' rebuke of Judas' theory that Mary's alabaster flask should have been sold and the proceeds given to the poor was the moment Judas went out to make a deal to betray Christ. In my own words, often paraphrasing or quoting various Scriptures directly, I tell them about the events all the way through the Passover meal. Then, I stop talking, and the band takes up their music and they lead us into a time of praise. Since the first movement starts with Mary's anointing of Jesus and ends with the last supper, It is usually during this

“Yet you did not call upon me, O Jacob; but you have been weary of me, O Israel! You have not brought me your sheep for burnt offerings, or honored me with your sacrifices. I have not burdened you with offerings, or wearied you with frankincense. You have not bought me sweet cane with money, or satisfied me with the fat of your sacrifices. But you have burdened me with your sins; you have wearied me with your iniquities. I, I am he who blots out your transgressions for my own sake, and I will not remember your sins." (Isaiah 43:22-25, ESV)The Lord wants to move his people forward, upward, onward. He has a plan for each one of you. Recently, I've seen this in a fresh way in my own life. The fruit of the Spirit is love -- and there are many outworkings of that love (Galatians 5:22). I believe the Spirit wants to produce heightened joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control in me. And in you. He wants to move us forward, to take us further into the work and fruit of his Spirit.On a recent Sunday at Calvary Monterey, I asked a friend of mine, Josh Blevins, to come and share the word with us. It was the first Sunday of 2019, the first teaching of the new year, and I had a sense he would bring a refreshing and robust word to the church. True to form, Josh kept his message centered upon Christ and a personal relationship with him. He taught from Isaiah 43 about the God who moves all things forward to his desired will and conclusion.In the middle of his teaching, he came to Isaiah 43:22-25. As an aside, he asked the congregation to note the ways Israel went from the Spirit to the flesh in those few short verses. It is a passage which details how they devolved from walking in the Spirit to total carnality.I thought it insightful and wanted to share those five downward steps with you. I've been thinking about each one of these steps in my own life, wanting to make sure I am on an upward trend. Since I had been thinking about moving more into the fruit of the Spirit, a warning on how to avoid the works of the flesh caught my attention. What follows are the points Josh drew out, along with some of my comments about them.1. They Stopped Calling on GodGod said, "You did not call upon me" (Isaiah 43:22). Jacob, Israel, had ceased crying out to the living God. Their relationship with him had dried out. Individuals, then the whole congregation, stopped praying, seeking, searching for him. What was once a rushing river turned into a dry stream, for their national praise of God had devolved into a shadow of its former passion.The personal prayer and devotion to God of every believer is under attack. We are often discouraged from going to him. However, we must pray, seek him, and enjoy him. God has saved his people that his people might partake of him, but when we don't, when we stop calling on God, our souls dry out, and lifelessness ensues.I have always sensed my personal walk with Christ is of utmost importance. The battle between my flesh and Spirit, the fight to press on, is often won or lost in those quiet times before God. I need his help -- daily -- but am often tempted to be slack in my time with him. Alas, I cannot afford to let down my guard. Too much is at stake, and I need him. Desperately, we must call on God.2. They Felt God Was a BurdenGod said, "You have been weary of me" (Isaiah 43:22). Israel had come to a place where they'd begun to think of God as a burden, a trial, a difficulty. No longer was he the delight of their lives. They ceased feeling blessed to be the apple of his eye (Deuteronomy 32:10). Instead, they felt God was a taskmaster, an onerous burden upon their lives. He, they had come to believe, was the ultimate kill-joy. He kept them from so many of the delights and passions they craved. To them, he was a burden, so they became weary of him.The temptation to see God as a burden exists today, but Christ has not come to kill our joy but to make our joy full (John 15:

Ruts to Avoid When Leading Small Group DiscussionAt Calvary Monterey, we emphasize our small group ministry, believing it necessary for Christians to gather together outside of the large weekend meeting. Though Sundays are of immense importance, nothing can replace the wonderful one to another ministry that occurs when we get together in small groups. Homes, coffee shops, restaurants, parks, hiking trails, and other public spaces should be filled with believers who have decided to gather together for fellowship, prayer, accountability, and Scripture.One way we have tried to help facilitate the above is through sermon-based small groups, which means a center point of the group is the discussion of the previous weekend's text and teaching. Fortunately, our church has adopted an expositional style, so, though the sermon is part of each group's discussion time, the Bible text the sermon was based on is the real focal point. The hope, of course, if for the bright light of the word of God to shine upon our hearts, individually and collectively.Leaders of these groups facilitate the discussion. Sometimes these discussions are lively and edifying, other times they are not, but at all times the leader has a huge task in front of them. Recently, Pastor Matt Kehler led a training night for our leaders on how to lead the discussion, and he focused on a few ruts a leader ought to avoid when taking his or her group through a discussion time. What follows are his points, with some of my thoughts about them.1. Do Not Fill Every Awkward SilenceAs a pastor and long-time member of a church, I like to say that I collect awkward moments. The convergence of various cultures and generations and backgrounds into one in the body of Christ is bound to create moments, large and small, that are cringeworthy. One such moment often occurs when the small group leader asks a leading question and...the...response...is...chirp...chirp...crickets. Every group leader wants the conversation and encouragement to flow. We all want to sense the Spirit moving. We all want to help in any way we can, a relational oil which helps get the parts moving.Matt's point, however, was that God is sometimes working in the silence. Every group has those who are quick to speak and, perhaps, slow to listen, but some members of the body take a little more time to get going. If someone is shy, they might rest easy letting the more extroverted members take over the conversation, but silence gives them space to eventually step forward and share. If someone is wrestling with a subject or sin, a quick word by the leader might rescue them from speaking. But it shouldn't. And, at times, the entire group needs to sit with a scripture or point or question for a little while, allowing the Spirit to interject. Perhaps the silence simply gives the group time to reflect on the fact they had not reflected on the text or message at all during the week, and no one in the group will rescue them from their lack of preparation.2. Teaching Instead of FacilitatingWe have gone out of our way to make sure Bible study teachers and leaders do not lead our groups. It is fine, and even helpful if they are equipped to do so, but the point of the discussion time is not to have a secondary teaching time. In the group I attend, I try to stay quiet as long as possible, and when I do share, I try not to teach and instruct, for I have already done that during the sermon. Instead, I want to answer the homework questions and share from my life with the group.But leaders often slip into this rut, finding it necessary to bring insights and teaching into the discussion time. Armed with their leader guide, it is tempting for the leader to unload lots of information on the group. Certainly, in one sense, it is simpler to teach than to facilitate, but it is good to focus on getting people talking. It is in the discussion that struggles become unearthed, sins are confessed, weaknesses are expressed, and the group begins to