Was Jesus Married?

A recent finding of a piece of extra-Biblical text has once again brought up the question of Jesus' marital status.  Read more about this discovery here.  The contemporary book, The Da Vinci Code, stirred the pot pretty well in recent years as well.  Simply put, it is very unlikely that Jesus was married.

Firstly, there is nothing in the Bible that indicates Jesus is married.  The New Testament refers to Jesus' other family members, so if he was married, we would expect to see some mention of his wife.  Because of the absence of any mention of a wife, we can safely conclude he was not married.  It is highly unlikely the Bible would have left out such an important detail of Jesus' life.

Secondly, there are many who have pointed to extra-Biblical texts (such as the Gnostic gospels) in order to claim many kinds of false truths about our Lord.  This is not a new strategy, and there will continue to be some who will look for ways to say untrue things about Jesus.  The idea that Jesus was God-in-flesh simply doesn't sit well with some.

But, what if Jesus was married?  Would a marriage damage his divinity?  Would a wife negate the salvation of Christians throughout history?  In a word, no.  Marriage is not sinful.  Sexual relations within the context of marriage is not sinful.  Therefore, if Jesus was married, the salvation we find in Him is not affected in the least.

As Christians, we have much more important things to concern ourselves with than Jesus' marital status.  Let us continue to focus our attention to God's Word instead of texts that fall outside the canon.  Let us continue to focus our time, energy and resources on living out God's Word and being light and salt.  Do not be distracted from what God is calling you to do in your own life!

The Summer Blues

The local church culture in our country has a very interesting seasonal mentality.  This is the time of the year when attendance at Sunday worship services begins to decrease as people find more reasons to spend their Sunday mornings doing other things.  I know of churches that even cancel many of their ministries during the Summer months.


Honestly, I don't get it.  I don't see anything in Scripture that gives us the freedom to take a break from being committed to the local church.  In fact, Scripture actually warns us about this very issue.


And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV


The obvious danger in the seasonal mentality is that it is disobedience - plain and simple.  Now, I'm not imposing a legalistic view on Sunday worship attendance and Life Group attendance.  We all have our vacations planned.  We all have work schedules that conflict from time to time.  We all get sick or have sick kids that prevent us from being where we want to be.


The problem lies in our priorities.  If we intentionally begin to place other priorities ahead of being with our church family on a regular basis, we are in sin.  We have fashioned an idol in our minds and placed it ahead of our God.  We are no longer loving God with everything we are, but saying, "I'm committed to God (and, therefore, my church), but just not right now."


What message are we sending our children when we tell them through our actions and decisions that something else is more important than God's will for our lives?  Our children should know beyond a shadow of a doubt that there is no sport, no extra-curricular activity, no other priority that is more important than obeying the Word of God.  The decisions we make are sending clear messages to those around us, and they will have great impact on the lives of our children.

Happy Anniversary Carrie

Today, I celebrate thirteen years with my bride, my companion, my friend, my wife. This blog post is dedicated to you, my beloved Carrie...

Our marriage is a testimony to the greatness of God's mercy, the abundance of His grace and the fullness of His love for us who seek Him and His ways in spite of our brokenness. Our Lord introduced us as friends when our hearts were still being made whole. He opened our eyes when we were ready to see and not before. He kindled the flame in our hearts and fanned it into passion. Every day, He stokes the fire in my heart for you.

These thirteen years have not been easy. We've had wonderful, memorable moments together. We've also experienced our share of difficult times, which have only made us stronger in our commitment to one another and God's plan for our family.

You, Carrie, are the love of my life. God has equipped and empowered you perfectly to be my helper. I could not accomplish nearly what I do without your love, support and prayers. Thank you for the forgiveness you've showered upon me mercifully. Thank you for the strength you speak into and over me. Thank you for the respect you give to me time and time again - even when I don't deserve it.

I look so forward to the next thirteen years! God will continue to give us an excitement for one another as well as for the future He has for our family. I adore you, and I love you more than words could ever express. Happy anniversary!

I Love Doing What I Do

Just a few reasons why I love doing what I do...

1 - Because people are taught the Word of God

One valuable way to teach God's Truth is to teach the Scriptures verse-by-verse. Loving the history and culture of the Scriptures like I do, teaching the passage in the Book of Revelation like I'm doing in this particular teaching series is an absolute blast for me! I love teaching the meaning of Scripture to people.

2 - Because people are taught to apply the Word of God

In addition to teaching the meaning of Scripture, I spend considerable time focusing on life-applications. This is where I really love "to live" in teaching the Bible. It does us no good to simply know and understand Scripture unless we're going to apply it to our lives.

3 - Because people are changed by the Word of God

This should be obvious, but the local church's responsibility in fulfilling the Great Commission is to introduce people to Christ and empower them to begin a relationship with our Savior. I've heard people say they don't believe the Sunday worship service should be used for that purpose. I couldn't disagree more! We, as Christians, should use every opportunity we have to proclaim the Good News in order for the Holy Spirit to convict hearts.

Transforming lives is another responsibility in fulfilling the Great Commission. Jesus didn't call us to make converts. He called us to make disciples. Disciples are born out of transformational moments like we have on Sunday mornings at City on a Hill Church.

4 - Because the power of God's Word takes over

I'm so thankful that God uses me to communicate His Word to the people at City on a Hill. I'm even more thankful that the power of God's Word is much more effective and not reliant on the power of my preaching abilities. My prayer every Sunday is to get out of the way of God, so people can encounter Him and not me.

Miracles in Awakening

City on a Hill Church is in the midst of the 21-day event called Awakening. We're partnering with churches all over the globe for a time of awakening in our prayer, fasting and personal devotions with God.

It's no surprise then that we should be hearing of and experiencing miracles. It's no surprise then that we should be experiencing spiritual attacks. It's no surprise then that we should expect God to move in mighty ways in and through our lives!

On Sunday, I heard two testimonies of the great things God was doing.

One lady in our church family was faced with an unexpected hospital bill and medical expenses amounting to nearly $20,000. She asked me to meet with her and her husband to discuss and pray, so we met last week. The situation seemed overwhelming for the family, and there didn't seem to be any way out of the predicament as their insurance didn't cover all that was expected. We worked like it depends on us (developed a strategy to negotiate and establish a payment plan) and prayed like it depends on God. On Sunday, she told me that her husband received an unexpected check in the mail that was an extra $20,000!

Another lady in our church is currently receiving treatment for a horrible experience she endured recently. She's away from her family, on the other side of the country. When she arrived, the doctors told her that she would be there for a month. This weekend, she called her husband to tell him that God has supernaturally healed her and she's coming home this weekend!

I love our God!

New Territories

A few months ago, the leadership of City on a Hill Church were faced with some challenging questions about what God was doing in our church and where He was taking us. We had meetings, discussed at length what we thought was going on, but God showed up and led our entire church family into a 40-day fast - to seek His understanding and His direction. During this time, God made it clear that He was laying the groundwork for our future and that our future would include new territories in this coming new year. One new territory is the land on which our church building sits.

That's where we are today. The Lord has brought us to a decision point as a church. We have the opportunity to move into a seven-year period with plans to raise funds to purchase land, build a new church building and position ourselves for not just the near-term, but for generations to follow.

This Friday evening at 6:30pm, the Elders and I will present the opportunities God has set before us. We invite everyone who is a part of COAHC to join us, hear and see the information, and ask questions.

As Pastor of COAHC, I can't possibly explain in words how excited I am. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve! There's so much anticipation in my heart and mind about what God is going to do. I'm excited because really no one can truly anticipate God's blessings. Even though the Elders and I have diligently worked out plans for the next seven years, we can't see the amount, the description or the intensity of God's blessings through 2018. We can't quantitatively or qualitatively describe His blessings on a spreadsheet or a PowerPoint presentation!

Even though the numbers make sense on paper, God never leads you to something great without a measure of faith being involved. Before crossing into the promised land, the Jews had to demonstrate their faith in the God who not only promised them the land, but who also led them to its borders. I'm certain that God will call us to walk by faith in this new territory as well.

Join us this Friday evening at 6:30pm for a glimpse into God's blessings and for the first step of a seven-year journey of faith for City on a Hill Church.

Goals for 2012

Goal-setting is like knowing the destination when you're on a trip. If you don't know where you're going, you'll simply travel around, see a lot of different places but never arrive where at the spot where you're supposed to be.

I do agree that the journey is sometimes more important than the destination, but God does want us to have destinations. He wants us to be with Him for eternity. That's a destination. He has a purpose and plan for our lives. That's a destination. He wants us plugged into a local church, serving in ministry. That's a destination.

As an athlete, I used to write my goals in places where I would frequently see them: notebooks, shoes, and pieces of paper taped to the bathroom mirror or refrigerator. By writing them, I can remind myself of them throughout the year.

Below are some goals I've set for myself, my family and my church for this upcoming year. I hope reading these will encourage and motivate you to set some goals as well.

1) Spend more time with my family. I won't die wishing I had spent more time at work or at the church. I would like to have one date with my wife at least every other week. I would also like to take each of my children on a separate date at least monthly.

2) Pray more. In my quiet time with God, I spend the majority of my time reading and studying. I need to continue to develop my intimacy with God on my knees.

3) Lead City on a Hill Church in growth in three major ways: increase in quantity of people who are committed to our church; increase in physical territory we occupy for God's Kingdom; and increase in quality of horizontal and vertical relationships. I believe a church should always be striving to grow. A growing church is a church who is reaching more people and increasing God's Kingdom. I hope to plant a new church this year (or be well along in that process) in a foreign land. God is taking me to Guatemala and Zambia this year. Opportunities exist in both places. I also hope to lead COAHC into solving both short-term and long-term issues with regard to facilities/property. My goal is to lead us into a seven-year plan (or shorter) that gives us permanent property to build upon as well as a "bridge-property" to get us from where we are now to where we need to be. More importantly than numbers or property are the relationships our people have with God and with one another. I hope to lead our people into a relationship with God that enables God's shaping power in our lives as well as authentic relationships with one another that go beyond the surface level.

4) Be more deliberate about the little things. I feel as though I've been running through this last year, focusing on the big picture. While that's important, I've recognized that I've missed a lot of the details that need my attention. I want to spend more time initiating meaningful conversations with my kids about Christ. I want to spend time with more people from COAHC simply having fun - not "doing" ministry. I want to surprise my wife with some delightful plans for an evening. I want to spend time enjoying and exploring the community of Culpeper and the surround Piedmont area.

5) Develop deeper relationships with other Pastors in Culpeper. For the last three years, I've pursued "virtual" relationships with Pastors via blogs, conferences and social media. God is revealing to me that there are local Pastors who have something of value to offer me and I've got something that they need. I want to befriend, partner and pray with my local brothers and sisters and enjoy true relationships that stretch beyond the monthly Ministerial Association meetings.

6) Read more books. It seems I spend more time these days reading articles on the internet than I do actually reading books. The number of books I read in 2011 outside of the Bible isn't reflective of what I need to be feeding myself as a Pastor, leader and Christian. I need to get back to reading books that will engage me on levels and a duration that I don't experience from reading articles and blogs.

7) Read the Bible at least once cover to cover. This is an annual goal of mine that I seem to accomplish without any difficulty. I believe every Christian should have this goal every year.

8) Develop a more deliberate discipleship ministry at City on a Hill Church. Evidence has demonstrated that Life Groups are not as effective as everyone once thought in their discipleship. There's no substitute for one-on-one discipleship. Busy people have to make time in their schedules though. It's about maintaining the right priorities and keeping the main thing the main thing. We can't forsake the Great Commission for our personal agendas, work schedules and/or weekly programs.

9) Be a better leader. God has shown me that I haven't personally invested enough time into the ministry leaders at City on a Hill Church. I want to establish methods of imparting into them on a regular basis and raise up more effective leaders within our church.

10) Spend more time with my family. No, I'm not experiencing memory loss. I just can't state the importance of this enough. I want to take little trips and excursions with my family so we can really stay connected. As "PK's" my daughters are at high risk of being forgotten and forsaken for the ministry. In turn, their own relationship with God will suffer. As a Pastor's wife, Carrie can easily feel replaced by others. I can't overstate the value in ensuring that I live out my first callings as a husband and father before my calling as a Pastor.