Course Correction

Back in my flying days, part of the pre-flight routine was to make sure my instruments were properly calibrated. If I was making a cross-country flight, I was particularly interested in my directional indicator being correct. On a long flight, it was important to occasionally re-adjust the directional indicator or I would find myself off-course and… well, lost.

Gateway is on a journey. Our journey is for a life-time. Because of the long-distant journey, we must make sure we are on the right course. We must regularly double check our directional indicator. Just a few degrees of course can have devastating effects. There have been moments that we as a church have gotten off course. That is why this past Sunday I took the time to calibrate our church’s compass.

As part of this course correction, we are returning to who we really are as a church. We are body of believers who love God and love people. We love to see God change lives. In fact, this past Sunday we reminded ourselves why we even exist.

Gateway exists to glorify God by equipping people to become passionately committed to Christ.

There are several initiatives we are taking this year. We are going to focus on a few basic, yet crucial areas. I want to lead us to become…

• People of Prayer
• People of the Book
• People with Purpose
• People with Passion

Jesus made it clear what the most important commands were – Loving God with all your being and loving others as yourself. He also gave us his Great Commission – make disciples.

As your pastor, it is my passion that as a church body, we will have a great commitment to the great commandments and the great commission with great passion. When we do this, God will grow Gateway into a Great Church. We must do our part and He will bring the growth!

Do you need some motivation? Then constantly think about the 35,000 un-churched and de-churched people who are within a five mile radius of Gateway. God certainly thinks about them. He thinks about them constantly. And so must we!

O Ark, Where Art Thou?

I remember when Raiders of the Lost Ark hit the theaters in 1981. I loved the movie. I actually met the archeologist on whom the character Indiana Jones was loosely based. The movie encouraged a great deal of interest among Christians. I remember being asked, “What if they did find the Ark?” I remember saying that it really wouldn’t matter if the ark were found. Yes, it would be the archeological find of the millennium, and, yes, it would give additional credence to the Old Testament, but for the believer, it would not change anything. Why? It no longer contains the presence of God, nor His power.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims to possess the Ark of the Covenant of the Old Testament in Axum, a town in northern Ethiopia. However, they will not let anyone verify their claim.

Orthodox Jews believe it is buried somewhere underneath the original location of the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem. However, the Muslims control the temple area and will not allow any excavation.

We do know for sure that the Ark will be seen again. After the seventh trumpet is sounded in Revelation 11, the Bible says:

Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. (Rev. 11:19)

But is this the original Ark that was in the Holy of Holies? No. The OT Ark was a piece of furniture that symbolized the presence of God. It expressed God’s atonement and covenant. It was only a shadow or picture of the heavenly Ark. When sin was paid once and for all by Jesus on the cross, the earthly Holy of Holies was opened up by God when he ripped the curtain. Now at a future date, the heavenly Holy of Holies will be opened and the heavenly Ark will be revealed.

But in the meantime, let me share where I believe the Ark is currently located.

After Christ’s supreme sacrifice something significant took place. Actually, “significant” cannot begin to capture the magnitude of what took place. Momentous, huge, major… none of these capture the depth. How about “this event changed everything about everything for eternity!”

God’s presence is now in the believer and the church. In a way, we are the Ark.

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. (Eph 2:20-22)

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Co 3:16)

Nothing in the Bible is insignificant. Everything in the Holy of Holies had a purpose.

1. The Ark was made of wood – that’s you – and covered inside and out with pure Gold – that’s Jesus. Without Jesus, we are just rotten, dead wood.

2. The manna in the gold pot represents the spiritual sustenance given to us daily by the Holy Spirit. He provides us with all that we need to face the day.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. (John 14:16-17)

3. The tablets with the 10 commandments represent God’s Word.

God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one. (1 John 2:14)

4. Aaron’s rod that bloomed represents your resurrection in Christ.

For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. (Rom. 6:4)

If Indiana Jones is still looking for the Ark of the Covenant… he only needs to talk to a believer.

Never Forget – Our Freedom Came at a Price

While on vacation last week at Pawley’s Island, Mary and I had some friends in for the week from California, Mary and Harold Hunt. Mary and my Mary traveled all over the USA participating in Aspiring Women conferences. Mary Hunt was one of the main speakers and my Mary was part of the worship team. They connected and became fast friends. Harold and I decided to test out the friendship thing because of our wives. We found that we had a similar interest. We both love history.

So a few years ago, we decided to do some “dry run” vacations. We spent time in their home and they spent time in our home. Since Harold is a big Civil War buff, I took him to Charleston to see the confederate submarine Hunley. Awesome.

Our “dry runs” were a great success. So we decided to try Europe. Harold wanted to see World War II sites. Since I had traveled to many of the sites, I put together a two week trip of France, Germany and Austria. We walked along the beaches at Normandy where the D-Day invasion began. We went through German gun emplacements and stood along the cliffs of Pointe-Du-Hoc. We walked broken-hearted through Dachau, the longest running concentration camp of World War II.

We stood silently among the graves at the Normandy American Cemetery. Over 172 acres, there are 9,387 burials of US service men and women. Of this number, some 307 are unknowns. All the graves face westward towards the United States. There are three Medal of Honor winners. Two sons of President Theodore Roosevelt buried side by side – one from World War I and the other from World War II (he is the only WW I soldier buried at Normandy). In addition, there are 33 pairs of brothers buried side by side, including the Niland brothers. They were the inspiration for the movie “Saving Private Ryan.”

So now that brings us to last week at Pawley’s Island.

One day Harold and I decided to explore Georgetown, SC. I have spent very little time in Georgetown… I think it was probably the odor of the paper mill that did it for me. But we had a great day of exploring.

We checked a map guide and found that there was a church whose cemetery had graves dating back to the Revolutionary War. The Prince George Winyah Episcopal Church was build around 1750 with old brick from British ships' ballasts. Prince George Church is one of the few original church buildings in South Carolina dating to the colonial period that is still in use today.

During our Revolutionary War, the British held Georgetown and used the church as a horse stable. Between Georgetown and Charleston is the area that Francis Marion, the Swamp Fox, harassed the British.

As I was walking through the cemetery, I thought of all the men and women who died for our freedom as a nation. My heart was full of deep appreciation. How is it that I can view my freedom so casually when so many gave their lives for that freedom? I must never forget those brave individuals who gave their lives creating a place called the United States of America.

As my heart turns towards the cross of Jesus, I ask the same question. How can I view my freedom in Christ so casually when Jesus gave his very life for my freedom?

Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin had left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow

Don’t let anyone take away your freedom in Christ!