Life-Story at Netcast Church

I love my job. It is stories like this that get me up in the morning.  

Matt: 

 I've considered myself a Christian my entire life, but I specifically gave my life to Christ in middle school. I knew I was His, but not with as much certainty as I know now. Growing up in a Christian household, attending church on Sundays, learning what it means to put my faith into action on a daily basis, all contributed to a foundational understanding of what it is that Christ's death on the cross accomplished for my life. When I asked Christ to take over my life, I underestimated His promise of hardship and discipline for those He loves. 

Understandably, life presented it's fair share of hardships throughout high school and college. Those hardships enabled doubt to blind me from the reality of Christ's forgiveness. I realize hardships will always be a reality. It's God's way of bringing the focus back to Him. In one sense, being baptized was my way of accepting that reality. I attended the baptism service without intending on being baptized. However, I was consumed by a peace that reassured me it was time I stopped letting doubt paralyze my desire to fully rest in the strength of Jesus Christ. I had no reason to deny any longer what I know to be true about my life. That peace slammed the door on the doubt that has so easily crippled my faith at times, or that has robbed me of an eagerness to serve the One who saved my life. I understand baptism to be an outward expression of what has occurred inwardly; the decision to be baptized was as much of an outward declaration to myself as it was to anyone who witnessed that service. My mom once told me: "Don't forget in the darkness, what you know to be the truth in the light." Being baptized was a way of recognizing and obeying His truth. 

Anyone who desires to make much of the name of Jesus Christ, will inevitably face countless moments where worldly desires and faith collide. While wrong decisions are unavoidable, and repercussions of sin ensue, the realization of Grace in my life is an overwhelming catalyst to my ever-growing faith in Jesus Christ. It is perhaps the single best way I can explain why I know that my life it not my own! I know that being baptized solidified a greater appreciation for the grace I so desperately need each and every day. 

Ultimately, I hope to be a man who praises God when times are bad, just as much as I do when times are good. The water rushing over my body is a moment I'll forever keep frozen in my mind, which helps me fulfill that goal. That image depicts what Christ's love has done to my heart. It renews my confidence that I'm forgiven, and that He is faithful, even when I am not. I try to hold on to that experience, that moment, as a way of preventing doubt from clouding my mind. Some days I'm better at it than others, but that's the beauty of His grace! 

I'm really thankful for the opportunity to be baptized at Netcast. I hope you enjoy your week. 

Take care,

Church Planting... A Great Joy!

As I sit down and begin to think about the journey that the Lord has brought me through over the last few years, it is hard to stay seated. Reflection for me brings about a desire to run around my house like a crazy man screaming the praises of God. There's no doubt that ministry is one of the hardest adventures anybody can ever endeavor themselves in. Interestingly enough, it is also by far the most honorable and rewarding work imaginable.

There's nothing more difficult than trying to deal with the unbalances that come with church planting. The random phone calls, the untimely meetings that are necessary, the family needs, the financial stresses and the burning desire to fulfill what God has called you too. All of those things have the ability to bring upon great amounts of stress. Yet the rewards of seeing just one person having their life absolutely transformed by the grace found in the Gospel of Jesus, trumps any amount of difficulties.

This past weekend I had the privilege of baptizing 11 people in our service, as the rest of Netcast sang loudly their praises to our King. Some of those baptized were very close friends of mine, while others I didn't really know well. Nonetheless, the beauty and power that is found in a life transformed by Jesus continues to fascinate me. When service ended, I rushed into the city of Boston and performed a wedding for two friends of mine, which was beautiful. It was small, intimate and fun. In addition to that, I was able to walk this couple through pre-marital counseling and saw incredible growth in their relationship and walk with Jesus over the past few months.

When I eventually came home that night and laid down in my bed, absolutely exhausted, it occurred to me that in the course 10 hours I witnessed 11 people outwardly demonstrate their identification with Christ in his death burial and resurrection and then I visibly witnessed two people becoming one flesh through the covenant of marriage.

 Honestly, can you think of anything in all of the world that you would rather be doing? I feel like I am literally living a dream.

Sex: I'm Gay & I Love Jesus (Day 6; Post #7)

This post comes from a very brave and Godly young man at Netcast. I commend him for his incredible honesty and faithfulness to the Lord. 

All I Need is You, Lord”...Really? 

I grew up in a Christian home with loving parents. I went to church every Sunday and attended a Christian school. Like all the other boys, I enjoyed sports, Legos, and long days in the backyard with my friends pretending we were police detectives who could travel into outer space. I even had crushes on the pretty girls in my class and in my neighborhood, but was always too shy to admit it!

Adolescence hit around the 6th grade and that’s when the sexual feelings started. Although, oddly enough, my focus was not on the pretty girls, but rather on the handsome boys. It didn’t really bother me at first. I had just discovered my body’s newfound, um, abilities, and I was curious if any of the other boys had found them as well. “It’s just a normal thing. Every boy is curious,” I tried to convince myself. To confuse matters, it wasn’t until 8th grade that my parents told me about the “birds and the bees”. Well, they didn’t actually tell me. Mom left a book on my pillow and hoped for the best.

Apparently this issue was just too difficult or embarrassing for them. Of course, by that time, I had most of the facts of life figured out already. As I entered high school (A good Christian high school, of course), I finally began to become a little concerned that maybe I was gay. My interests still hadn’t changed. It was still the boys I thought about when I was in bed at night. “Maybe I’m just a late developer,” I thought. “If I pray hard enough, God will make me interested in girls. Then I will be normal.”

I met a great girl and we became best friends. She really liked me. We had similar interests and a similar sense of humor. She had been raised in a “good Christian home” like I was. I loved being with her. We had so many inside jokes together that when I saw her down the hall, I’d just start cracking up. We would have made a great couple if I had had the slightest interest in a romantic relationship with her. I kept checking myself... Nope. Nothing. Dang.

High school came and went and it was off to college. Christian college, of course. Now, I’ve heard tons of college stories where the guys in the residence halls enjoy being naked for no good reason. I was disappointed when I found out that my floor was nothing like that. Even the showers were very private with double curtains! So my homoerotic curiosity continued unsatisfied. I’m embarrassed to say that I would occasionally try to sneak peeks at my roommate when he returned from the shower just to see what a naked man looked like. (These were the days before internet porn was there to satisfy every curiosity in its own destructive way. But that’s somebody else’s blog post!) 

Now, at this point, I need to rewind my story a little bit. Ever since I was a young child, I have been painfully shy. My father loved me, but was emotionally distant and didn’t do put much effort into raising a son with confidence. We didn’t do much together. And the older I got, the more difficult it became to interact confidently with people. The teasing in middle school (that everybody goes through) really did a number on me.

When adolescence hit, I started getting depressed because I wasn’t getting any attention at school. I felt completely invisible. When high school came, I started internalizing it so much that I started feeling worthless. When college came, I knew “for a fact” that I was worthless. Especially with my struggle with homosexuality on top of everything else. I lived in a world of self-pity. But the people in college were not like the people in high school. They were kind. They were friendly. And for the first time in my life, I made true friends. It was, without a doubt, the most excited I had ever been about anything in my life. I had friends! Maybe I was worth something! That feeling didn’t last long.

All my newfound hope crashed down when I had to withdraw from school to take a mental break. I was now out of my friends’ everyday world and they were out of mine. I tried to visit the campus and reconnect, but they were getting to know new people and seemed very, very busy. In my mind, they didn’t want me around anymore. To make matters worse, I had just gotten fired from my job. And that’s when I hit rock bottom. It’s hard to know what rock bottom looks like until you get there yourself. It’s a place of absolute hopelessness where you despise every minute of your existence during the day--and the night is even harder because there is nothing to distract you from your thoughts of despair, loneliness, and self-loathing. It was all-out, full-fledged depression and I really didn’t have anybody to talk to about it. Even my prayers to God seemed to bounce off the walls. But “rock bottom” was also when my relationship with God changed. I was a lonely, sick, broken young man and I was desperate for hope.

Up until now, my faith was just “going through the motions” of what I had learned from my mother. But now, it was becoming real. In a very small way, I knew that He was listening. It was time to get serious with Him because I needed Him so badly. One weekend, to my surprise, one of my former floormates gave me a call and wanted to fix me up on a group date with a friend of his girlfriend. “I have to try it,” I thought. “Maybe there will be something there.” I went on the date. There was nothing there. Nothing but awkward. College came and went and it was off to pursue a career. Now reality was setting in. I was gay. There was no denying it. Every single one of my sexual fantasies was about the male form.

The pain that this realization caused was excruciating. First there was the pain of being different. Then there was the pain of being in a people group that society generally looked down upon. And finally, there was a crisis of faith. After all, I was supposedly this fine Christian young man. I can’t be gay. “Homosexuality is forbidden in the Bible!,” I thought. I will never forget the night I “came out” to my friends. It was absolutely the scariest night of my life. I got the college boys back together for a little reunion and we went to one of our favorite outdoor hangout spots--a cool seashore spot covered with huge boulders that the waves crash into. Hanging out on a huge rock overlooking the ocean, I finally told them, without actually saying the words, that I was gay. To my surprise, I was met with nothing but love and acceptance. Telling people got easier after that. Many years later, I was even able to tell my parents. But living with this “condition” didn’t get easier. It was time to fix things.

I went online and checked out Exodus International and Harvest U.S.A. and got myself checked into a local support group. I got involved in a church and had godly men in my life. I read the books that were published at the time, all explaining how I can be freed from homosexuality and fall in love with a woman and get married and live happily ever after. I did all the right things, but nothing happened. I was still a homosexual. Nothing I could do--and no amount of prayers--was changing that. But God had begun His work on my heart--calling me to draw close to Him. To trust Him in my circumstances. To allow Him to be a companion when I was lonely.

It was a very slow road to fully accepting His reality and his care for me. He did begin to answer my prayers for companionship, and through some odd circumstances when I was in my mid 20’s brought me to an amazing church where I became part of a family. God used these people to give me a sense of belonging. I quickly got involved in various ministries and a sense of purpose began to grow within me. I learned more about God’s love for me and got excited about joining God in the things he was doing on our planet. I learned to live outside myself and see what it was like to serve others instead of constantly being focused on my own needs and shortcomings. New life was rising out of the ashes of brokenness.

I did ministry in that church for twelve years. It wasn’t always without complication. In fact on a few separate occasions, I essentially “fell in love” with certain men in the church. These guys were my friends and we had bonded emotionally. And that led to physical desires as well. But each guy was straight, so nothing happened--except for the emotional torment of desiring somebody I knew I couldn’t have. This was just as painful, if not more so, than when I hit rock bottom during college. I ended up having to go on anti-depressants because my heart was so hungry for love (or what I thought was love) and so distraught that my desires could never be met. But even through those excruciating times... even through the times I was literally screaming mad at God for making me this way. He never let me go. I wanted to walk away. I wanted to give up. But I couldn’t. His love for me and His call on my life has been so unmistakable that I could never live without Him.

I still struggle with same-sex attraction today. I have made the choice to not enter into a gay relationship based on what I believe God’s will for me is through study of scripture. (Other gay Christians conclude their study differently.) But He is making me stronger and more confident in who HE is. Who I am is becoming less and less important. My story is becoming less and less important. I’d rather be a part of His story. And I’m learning from my married friends that a spouse doesn’t meet you in the deepest places of your soul’s longing. Only the pure love of Christ and the presence of the Holy Spirit can do that. The love that was displayed for all to see when he stretched out his hands and died for us. The love that made a way for us to be with Him in perfection forever. The love that washes us clean of everything we’ve done wrong. It’s an amazing love. It’s an undeniable love--not always with our emotions--but with a deep-seeded satisfaction that it’s the truth.

I will probably never get married. I will probably never have sex. I will probably never have a romantic kiss. I will probably never hold somebody’s hand. Isn’t that sad? NO! Because there is greater freedom in walking with my heavenly Father and following his best plan for my life. Instead of putting my hope and trust in the love of another person, I’ve had to put my hope and trust in Him and Him alone. In the Father, I’ve found a nurturing dad who wants me to grow up big and strong. A dad who has big plans for his son, who is priceless, not worthless! In the Son, Jesus Christ, I’ve found a friend who never leaves me, even when I come home to an empty house. A confidant who knows what it’s like to face struggle, loneliness, and temptation. And a partner and guide on an adventure to change the world! In the Spirit, I’ve found an indwelt intimacy that surpasses the love of any man or woman. He is continually inside of me representing the abolition of my worst fears and lies about myself. When I turn to Him, my spirit unites with His, and His power becomes my own. I am empowered to view this life not as a series of difficult struggles and circumstances, but as a specific plan that was drawn up by the Father. 

If you have same-sex attractions, being alone for the rest of your life might seem an impossible, heartbreaking outlook. But with the nurture of a caring Father, the example of the Son, and the spiritual intimacy of the Holy Spirit, anyone in my situation can go forward into tomorrow knowing that your life has a purpose, a plan, and the support you need to make it a rewarding journey. At some point you need to accept the fact that your story doesn’t look like everybody else’s. But that doesn’t make it less valuable. Sure, you might occasionally feel very alone, but remember that your alone-ness was His call to make, not yours. Because the truth is that you’re not alone. Surrender your life to Him and realize that He is all you need. Trust Him to bring people into your life who will encourage you and keep your focus Him and not yourself. There is so much freedom to be found when we can shift our energy from what we want to what He wants.

Scripture that has encouraged and strengthened me in my journey: 

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have the power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Ephesians 3:14-19 

Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. Psalm 61:1-4 

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?… No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8:35, 37-39 

To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

Lesson through Divorce, Dating & Jesus. (Day 5, Post #6)

This is a post written from an incredibly Godly and dedicated woman at Netcast. 

I was married for 6 years, in my 20’s, and then was in a 9 year relationship, in my 30’s. And, even though we did get engaged, thankfully, we did not end up getting married. Both relationships were sexually broken.

First of all, getting physically involved too soon, definitely stunted the growth, in other areas of these relationships. I was too embarrassed to talk to friends or family and got very good at denial . Dealing with infidelity and lack of trust, can truly take a toll. After much prayer and reflection, I realize I was just as much of the problem. There is no excusing their actions, but it was up to me, to standup and respect myself. I was afraid to fight or have conflict , and didn’t really know how to address the issues in a healthy, mature way. Ultimately, both relationships ended.

I decided a number of years ago, to stop doing it my way, and committed to the Lord, that I would not live with, or sleep with another person, unless I was married. I can tell you, based on that decision, the peace and contentment I feel has made a huge difference in my life. I don’t know if I will ever marry again. But, am living my life determined to make it the best it can be, either way.

I wish I had heard a message years ago, like the one that Pastor Matt shared, this past Sunday. I would like to think, that it would have saved me much heartache. I am not that same person, in so many ways. God really changed me, and for that I am so thankful.

Having Fun through Theology, Intimacy and Sex (Day 3)

The story of 30 years of loving Jesus while having fun and enjoying the pleasures of marital intimacy by an anonymous couple at Netcast.

Having Fun through Theology, Intimacy, and Sex 

Being intimate for us encompasses much more than a physical act with each other. It is us not being afraid to reveal and share ourselves with each other. In the Garden, when God created man and woman, they experienced a level of intimacy with each other that caused Adam to sing with joy as he finally felt complete in a way he had never felt before.  

"Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" (Genesis 2:23 ESV) 

Before the Fall, they enjoyed such intimacy with each other and with God, that they had nothing to hide from Him or from each other emotionally. Before the Fall, they were unaware that they were naked and they had nothing to hide physically. And then quickly, with both of them complicit, it all changed.  

"Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself." (Genesis 3:7-10 ESV) 

In one terrible act, their intimacy with God was lost. And, perhaps, their intimacy with each other was damaged for ever as they began to blame each other and their circumstances for their shortcomings.  

"The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate." Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." (Genesis 3:12, 13 ESV) 

It's interesting that their first action, as a couple with lost intimacy with God and with each other, was to hide their sexual organs.  

"Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they ... made themselves loincloths." (Genesis 3:7 ESV) 

It was clear that things weren't going to be much fun after that: there is lots of toil, sweating, and pain that is described as a consequence of the lost intimacy with God. In the garden after the fall and as a result of sin, ALL things became work and toil, sex included. What was once effortless and always perfect, now intentionally needs to be maintained. As a result of sin and lost intimacy with God, even sexual relations with the partner that God created for you can be flawed, can be work and require effort to maintain. ALL of creation, formerly perfect, was damaged by the fall. But for us, marriage and sex has been one of our most cherished gifts this side of heaven.

What began in college with a "flirt", was quickly followed by a first date, friendship, romance and ultimately marriage. It's totally crazy, but we knew after four months of dating that we wanted to get married; highly bizarre even to us. In anticipation, we started buying married people "stuff" like dishes, pots & pans and the like and hid them away. After what we thought would be an acceptable time to our parents, we asked their permission to marry. All were excited, everything was cool.  

Fast forward three years to the wedding... 

No joke, we had to wait THREE YEARS for one of us to finish college so they didn't have to pay their parents back for the education. That was the deal: if married or dropped out of school before the diploma was in hand, it was payback time. These parents were serious and really weren't kidding! The wedding was phenomenal, over the top, and what many people only dream of. All we cared about though was the wedding night. Waiting for sex was a long haul and we almost didn't make it. We were the LAST ones to leave our wedding reception because it was so fun to talk and spend time with friends. Finally at the hotel, life was good. A lingering first bath together in anticipation of much more to come that evening, well really, it was early morning by then. Little did we know "more" would come, but in the form of siblings and their spouses bearing champagne, and sitting all over the our bed! Not kidding, how ever did they find us , let alone get in? (story for another time though)!

Anyway, between the bath and the sibling arrival was the culmination of three years of waiting for sex. Two virgins, madly in love, naked and not ashamed! It really was amazing to become one physically for the first time, after developing intimacy in other ways for three long years. Neither of us had prior experience or other sexual relationships intruding on our first night of sexual intimacy. It wasn't that it was long and drawn out, but tender, slow, romantic and ALL about the needs of the other. It was a "perfect" first time.

Amazingly enough though, the real beauty wasn't really that night but in the months, years and decades that followed. We can now look back and know that we guarded and protected a very special gift that has and always will belong only to us, given and honored by God. For us, now married couple for more than 30 years, having fun with each other begins with being transparent and unashamed with each other, and with a desire to return to the garden in true intimacy. It requires being intentional about emotional and physical intimacy with our partner and best friend. We were made as physical and sexual beings to enjoy each other, and if there is something between us (like clothes), then we can't (fully) enjoy each other. But it also means we can't have emotional stuff between us, and that means being honest about ourselves, each other and what we like. It also means that we look for things we enjoy doing together, because once we have emotional intimacy then the physical intimacy is so much better.

Three years of developing emotional intimacy led to an amazing physical intimacy. But now, sometimes it's reversed. As we enjoy physical games together, we laugh, create memories and develop deeper emotional intimacy. Memories like naked hide-and-seek, with all the lights out. While the hiding and the seeking are fun, the finding was even better. Memories like strip pool - you miss a shot and off comes a piece of clothing. Memories like "Lose a bet, become my sex slave". (This last requires some explanation - sex slave doesn't mean degradation and domination. It means your partner is totally committed to doing what makes you feel good. You make me feel good, and I GUARANTEE you will feel good). Memories like a dice game: roll a six, and kiss something round. Roll a seven, and I rub your back. Roll a twelve, and you pick the body part I have to massage. Roll a three and tell me the happiest memory from the last year. (Making our own rules for both physical or emotional intimacy for each number is still part of the fun.). Memories like having sex in every room in the house, and then remembering which room was best.

Part of restoration back to the garden, through the blood of Christ, is that we can live life without guilt. Nothing is off limit for us when it comes to sex, because we love and respect each other. God created us to enjoy each other, He doesn't tell us what we can and cannot do for our enjoyment, except to say we have become one. We enjoy giving kisses to all parts of our bodies. We enjoy giving and receiving oral sex. We enjoy tickling each other with feathers when one of us can't move. We enjoy trying different positions in different locations: inside, outside, in the garage during the middle of the afternoon. But sometimes an experiment doesn't work. It's not pleasurable, one of us feels uncomfortable, it's not the garden experience of intimacy. So - we laugh, we stop, we say "That was really not fun." - and we don't do it again!

When we were married, two became one. We love each other as we love ourselves, and over 30 plus years, we enjoy our oneness without guilt on how we do that sexually. Some ways we build intimacy are physical, some are emotional but all are aimed at making us more "one". That's particularly true when we intentionally make plans together. We then get to enjoy the physical aspects of intimacy three times: during the planning, during the doing, and during the remembering. After 30 plus years of marriage all three are great!

Staff-Led Prayer & Worship: This Thursday

 

Just a reminder that THIS THURSDAY morning we are hosting our monthly "Staff-Led Prayer and Worship". 

Prayer and worship are inextricably linked, but we are used to practicing them as separate activities. Staff led prayer and worship is the 1st Thursday of every month from 6am - 7am. This is an incredibly powerful time for us to gather as a family to combine worship and prayer into an hour long encounter with God's presence.

Join us as we approach God in faith, guided by the Holy Spirit, asking Him to release more of His glory throughout our region. Come to worship, pray, and discover the prayer warrior that resides within you!

Location and Time
Beverly Church of the Nazarene.
556 Cabot St. Beverly, MA 01915
6:00am - 7:00am

Porn and Grace (Netcast Sex Post #1 Day 1)

Author: Anonymous Netcast Couple

We are a dating couple.  We love Jesus, and we love each other.  We have something to say that many of you need to hear.  



From the man to the men: Guys, I know your secret.  I know your secret because it was my secret too.  I know many of you are addicted to pornography.  I know the pit in your stomach that you feel right now. I know because I've been there.

The greatest power pornography had over me, is that I kept it a secret.  Satan had convinced me that I must fight this battle alone, that if anyone else (especially a woman) ever knew this secret, that I would be unloveable.  This is a lie, perhaps a bigger lie than the lie that tells you that porn will satisfy you.



You see, the reason porn is such a useful tool for Satan is that is an easy avenue to something every Christian feels at some point: shame.  I would succumb to temptation, but the real damage would be done after the fact.  My shame felt unbearable, and this shame sent me further into secrecy.  My secrecy yielded powerlessness.  And because I was powerless, it was only a matter of time before I started the cycle again.

When we started dating, I told my girlfriend that porn was a thing of my past in the hopes that it would raise the standard, and I would meet it because I cared about her.  But it was a lie.  I was unable to be honest and say that I was addicted, and that I wanted to get better.  So months went on, and I kept it to myself just like I was used to.

Our relationship became more serious, and I felt worse about my addiction, but still did not act.  I broke down during Christmas, when we were visiting my family.  I had given her pieces of the truth, but not the real truth.  The Holy Spirit did a mighty work in me, and I was able to actually be honest; I told her that I was still struggling with porn, and that I had been the whole time.  She reacted in a way that I didn't even know how to expect: with grace, forgiveness, and compassion.  I felt a freedom I had never known.  I didn't just feel like I didn't want to look at porn again, I felt like I didn't have to go back to it.



It was The Gospel, lived out for me, right before my eyes that set me free.  Her ability to look at my junk and forgive me pointed me straight to Jesus.  In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul talks about boasting in weakness to make much of Jesus.  And as I confessed my weakness, I felt Jesus say to me "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9).  Hallelujah, peace like a river.



To experience this, you must come out of your shell.  You must be courageous, and face what you are most ashamed of.  IF YOU HEAR NOTHING ELSE I HAVE SAID, HEAR THIS: NOTHING YOU HAVE DONE HAS PUT YOU OUTSIDE OF THE LOVE OF GOD.  There is hope for you, sinner.  You will be made a saint if you give up your act, confess that you are dirty, and desire to be made clean.





From the woman to the women: As my boyfriend and I have walked through this journey, I have learned a very clear lesson. My response to forgive when he comes to me in confession has nothing to do with porn, and everything to do with sin. As girls, it is so easy to look at a man’s struggle with, or addiction to pornography and to think ‘shame on him.’ That response, honestly, is what almost every man expects from us. That response is also the reason why men feel so driven to keep this sin from us. The church and the culture that comes alongside the church has taught us that the sin of struggling with pornography, when confessed in a genuine repentance demands a response that says ‘shame on you.’ My response to this ‘shame on you’ reaction is, how dare you? Shame on you, church, for this reaction.

When we are dating men in the church, and when we are married to them, it is so easy to forget the first role that they should play in our lives. We coin them our crushes, our boyfriends, our fiancés and our husbands so easily. In resorting to these phrases, we forget that they are first our brothers in Christ, and members of our church community. When he came to me in an honest repentance and shared his struggle with me, I had to turn to my Bible and to my God to learn how to react to him. When I turned to prayer and scripture, I came up with two very clear answers that were supposed to dictate my response. I was called to forgive and to love.

The actual definition of ‘forgive’ in the dictionary means ‘to give up resentment of…to cease to feel resentment against.’ This is modeled in Matthew 18:27 when Jesus explains forgiveness and explains that the Master ‘let him off, erasing the debt.’ By erasing, Christ is explaining that forgiveness means removing the sin so that it can no longer become a part of your future relationship, or future conversations, including arguments. If I was called to forgive him for a sin, I was called to give up the power that I could hold over him through his repentance. When I spoke the words “I forgive you,” that meant that I was committing to not use his sins in future arguments. It meant that I could not use his sin to manipulate him to do things for me. It also meant that I could not use his sin as an excuse to feel sorry for myself, or play the victim. I was called to look at him, to tell him I forgave him and to force my actions to show that every time he stumbled.

As much as I was called to forgive, I was called to love. To not see him differently for his sin. It is so easy to look at a confession of addiction to pornography and to blow it out of proportion. It is such a scandalous word in the church that when people hear of an addiction to porn, they typically place it in the category of hard drugs, pre-marital sex and drunkenness. They view it as a ‘worse’ or ‘bigger’ sin than the others, like fibbing, cheating or gossiping. In reality, sin is sin. Period. I had to learn that when God heard the confessions of what my boyfriend had seen, and when God heard the confessions of my ungrateful heart, God was as disgusted with my actions as He was with my boyfriends. God did not view his sins as worse than mine. God did not view my sins as better than his. Sins are sins and they are all equally vile and revolting in the eyes of the Lord.

Understanding his sins and forgiving him created a deeper awareness of my own brokenness and my own need for Christ. I had to learn that I AM CALLED TO IMITATE THE FORGIVENESS OF CHRIST AS HIS SISTER IN CHRIST. IF HIS SINS WERE NOT BAD ENOUGH TO CAST HIM OUT OF THE SHADOW OF LOVE OF AN ALL KNOWING GOD, AND THEN HIS SINS WERE NOT BAD ENOUGH TO CAST HIM OUT OF THE SHADOW OF MY OWN LOVE.

When I learned this lesson, I learned the depths of my brokenness and the depths of my Saviors own love for me.

LADIES: PLEASE HEAR THIS -learning to forgive true repentance taught me the forgiveness of my Savior in a deeper way than I could have ever dreamt of. I learned how hard it was to forgive and how good it was when I did. My relationship with my boyfriend and my relationship with my God have never been stronger, and I fully believe that is because of my obedience to be willing to forgive in the same way God forgave me.

PLEASE, do not short-change yourself in learning about the relational intimacy that is experienced through forgiveness just because you are prideful. You will never regret it if you choose to forgive. 



We leave you with what we will pray over this post:



Ephesians 3:14-21
"For this reason, I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven derives its name.  I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.  And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge - that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.  Now to him who is able to do immeasureably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

Good Friday...and why was it good?

 

Good Friday...
and why was it good?

Today we celebrate Good Friday which is traditionally celebrated as the day Jesus died on the cross. All day, Catholics and Protestants across denominations and nations will observe the day with services, Scripture readings, prayer, and retellings of Christ’s death on the cross. Some families choose to have a service of remembrance at home. Although God does not require us to celebrate Good Friday, but it can be a powerful practice to intentionally remember the pain Jesus went through both before and during His crucifixion. It can also be a preparation for the joy that comes when we will celebrate Easter together on Sunday.

One thing that I never understood was “why do we refer to it as 'good' Friday?” Although there was nothing good about the day when Jesus suffered and died, the outcome certainly is! It was the day Jesus became the perfect, sacrificial Lamb who shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins (Romans 5:8; 6:23; 1 Peter 3:18). This was the greatest act of love known to man, God the Father sent His Son, Jesus, to die in our place. And because of the resurrection, we who place our trust in Him believe in a living Savior, not a God who is dead. (John 14:1–3).

Although Netcast is not in a position to gather today for service, I do want to encourage those of us who call Netcast their home. Be intentional today; talk about Jesus, talk about His death and look forward to Sunday when we gather together to celebrate the miracle of His resurrection.

Here is an outline of what the past 24 hours would have looked like for Jesus... 

Jesus' last moments with his disciples. 

• The Last Supper 
(Matthew 26:20-30; Mark 14:17-26; Luke 22:14-38; John 13:21-30) 
• In the Garden of Gethsemane 
(Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-45) 
• Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested 
(Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-11) 

Jesus is taken into custody. 

• Jesus Stands Trial Before Pilate 
(Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-37) 
• Jesus Sent to Herod 
(Luke 23:6-12) 
• Jesus Returned to Pilate 
(Luke 23:11) 
• Jesus is Sentenced to Death 
(Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; Luke 23:23-24; John 19:16) 
• Jesus is Led Away to Calvary 
(Matthew 27:32-34; Mark 15:21-24; Luke 23:26-31; John 19:16-17) 

Jesus is Crucified on the Cross

• Luke 23:34 - Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." 
• The Soldiers Cast Lots for Jesus' Clothing 
(Mark 15:24) 

Jesus is insulted and mocked 

• Mark 15:31 - The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. 
• Luke 23:36-37 - The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. 
• Luke 23:39 - One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him. 

 Jesus speaks. 

• John 19:26-27 - When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, "Woman, he is your son." And he said to this disciple, "She is your mother." And from then on this disciple took her into his home. 
• Matthew 27:46 - And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
 
• Jesus said, "I am thirsty."A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 
• John 19:30 - When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!" 
• 
Luke 23:46 - Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. 

Events following Jesus' death. 

• Matthew 27:51-52 - At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 
• The Centurion - "Surely he was the Son of God!" 
(Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:47) 
• The Soldiers Break the Thieves' Legs 
(John 19:31-33) 
• The Soldier Pierces Jesus Side 
(John 19:34) 
• Jesus is Laid in the Tomb 
(Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42)

The day that forver changed my life.

This my testimony of becoming a Christian. Unlike some, my story can be linked to a day and time. I know exactly when God did the redeeming work in me and adopted me as a son. I understand that not everyone is like that and has that story.

By my senior year of high school, I was being recruited to many different schools around the country…..mostly on the east coast. So my dad and I took a trip from NJ to Vermont visiting different colleges. We looked at state schools, private schools, a Christian college, a catholic school, all different types of colleges. I remember getting to the one school called Eastern Nazarene College and sitting down with the Director of Admissions and he began to tell me that this school was much different than other schools that I had visited. At this college there was No Smoking, No drugs, No alcohol, No sex, No girls in our dorms, and all these other rules that I thought were crazy. You have to understand….I was a kid that had never been to church in my entire life, and all of the things that I was looking forward to do in college, this guy is telling me that I cant do them at his school.

With all of that being said this is the college that I decided to go to. The fact that I chose this school was crazy when I think back because I wasn’t given any scholarship money or financial aid and other schools were offering me better packages. I get to this school and immediately, I thinking that Christians are crazy. They sing songs to God, they go to chapel 3 times a week, they pray (and not just before meals).

My roommate was the craziest of them all because he would try to share Jesus Christ with me. He actually told e one time that his church back home was praying for me and I was on their prayer list. If you ever want to terrify a lost kid, that's one way to do it. Eventually, I became friends with Ricky Grant. Ricky was a Christian but didn’t try to convert me, preach to me or tell me how terrible of a person I was. Rick simply focused on being my friend. We had a lot in common, growing up in broken homes and loving basketball. Rick and I were the two freshman who were actually fight for starting positions on the team.

Eventually Ricky and I became best friends and found ourselves doing everything together. One day on my way to a practice, I noticed that I had an infected gland in my groin area. My gland blew up to the size of a golf ball and hard as a rock. My coach dropped Ricky and I off at the hospital and we waited in there for the Doctor to get me. Finally my name was called and Ricky said, “I’ll pray for you while you're in there”. I thought to myself, "whatever".

I go into the patient's room and the Doctor is taking all kind of tests and cant figure out why the gland was so infected. Their taking blood, checking my prostate, EKG, urine test, etc. The Doctor finally comes back in and starts asking me questions about my sexual past. At this time I’m all freaked out because I was sexually active at a young age. After I answer all of his questions, he leaves and I’m sitting there in the room all alone.

That was the very first time I ever prayed. It was the type of prayer that we all pray when something bad is going on. It's something like” God, why is this happening to me? I promise that I will never do anything wrong again. Please help me.” As I was praying though, something in my heart began to shift. For the first time in my life, I realized I had a need that I could not fill. Almost at the same exact moment, I also received an overwhelming feeling of love, comfort, peace. It was a feeling that I had never felt before and haven’t felt since. I was just sure that everything was going to be OK.

After a few minutes, the nurse comes into the room and tells me to get dressed and I can leave….they would have the final test results in a few days. So I get dressed and go out to the waiting room where Ricky is laying there fast asleep. I go over, shake him and he gets up and we leave. When we get outside, he’s asking me what the the doctor said and how it went; so I’m telling him. Out of nowhere I look at Ricky and ask him “Ricky, What’s it mean to be saved?” (Being at a Christian school you hear people talking about being saved and praying for the lost.) So I said “What does it mean to be saved?”

Never in my life have I seen a black guy turn white in the face but Ricky did. He looked at me with this confused look and said, "What did you say?” So I repeated my question. He looked at me and said. “If I told you what just happened, you wouldn’t believe me.” Now I'm really confused, so I said, "What?" Ricky said, “When I was sleeping in the waiting room, God came to me in a dream and told me that you were going to ask me that exact question and that I needed to be prepared to answer it.”

At that moment, Ricky walked me through the gospel. He told me about sin, separation from God, Jesus incarnated, the cross, the atonement, salvation, obedience, etc. It was a lot to take in and all of it was stuff I never heard before. Then he asked me a question that forever changed my life, he said, “Is that something that you feel God is calling you into?" Not knowing how this works, I asked “Do I need to go to church and do this? Do I have to go and have holy water thrown at me?" I was literally clueless.

Ricky's response was incredible...He said “Nope, all you have to do is believe. You can do this right now; Just believe and God promises to be faithful to finish the work in you.” That night September 11, 2000 I believed the Gospel of Jesus Christ and entered into a lifelong relationship with my Savior. Since then God has continued to fulfill Phil 1:6 and is doing a progressive sanctifying work in me. I am grateful to Christ for pouring his grace onto me and Ricky being an ambassador of reconciliation and a mouthpiece for Jesus. To God be all glory, honor and fame.

Netcast: Our Incredible Team

As I have traveled these past few days, I have noticed that our team has really developed over the past year. I have noticed 4 specific things that have characterized us as we have evolved. For us, these are incredible traits and ones that have come natural. I praise God that even though leadership development has not been something that we have had too much of an emphasis on; we continue to grow as leaders. It is incredible how the Lord has brought great leaders to our team and how well we seem to gel together and learn from each other. Here we go…...

1. Flexible

Over and over again, I see all of us working together for the common good. It is obvious to me that you are flexible with your lives for the sake of the mission. We step up for each other when we need it. We carry the weight of others when necessary. We do things that are not fun and are ok when we are pushed out of our comfort zone. When things don't go as planned, we work together to press on and don't get too carried away or overly frustrated. I am so grateful for how flexible our team has become. I know that being in a growing ministry isn't easy. Our responsibilities at times grow and we have to re-alaign our lives in order to stay ahead. However, we have always stayed flexible and worked together as a team.

2. Communication 

One of the most frustrating things that we have had to go through over the past 2 years has been communication through technology. We don't have office space, many of us have other jobs and family responsibilities; yet everyone has worked extremely hard to keep good and clear communication. Beyond that, I have notices when things have not been communicated well, we go the extra mile to address those things. We communicate respectfully to each other and think the best of one another, which is hard when you are reading a screen. One day I pray that this won't be as difficult as it has been, but we are doing a great job with our communication.

3. Humility 

One of the sad things within teams is power trips among the players. At Netcast it is obvious that we are not dealing with these issues. I have seen us serve each other, take the lower role for the sake of others, honor opinions that are different than ours and pursue humility. Of all the great characteristics that our team has, this is by far the greatest. God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble. This week while in Cali, I was confronted by a very proud man. He was asking me questions by making statements. This man was well versed, theologically sound and bold. Yet, his proud persona was extremely ugly. At the end of my meeting with him, he said he was both excited for us and frustrated. Excited at how we were being used by God, but frustrated because he wasn't being used in similar ways. Pride was seeping out of every sentence he spoke. And in the end, his own personal confession was clear…"God isn't using me." Here is a man who is intellectually solid, but his character was flawed. Pride will hinder God's favor and hand on our lives and ministry. Lets continue to look to the cross for our humility. He must increase, we must decrease. Lets continue to honor each other and fight for righteousness rather than fighting to be right.

4. Responsible 

Being gone for two weeks for most church planters and pastors would be a terrifying things. Not for me. I could not be more confident in our team. I know with all my heart that you love our ministry, our God, our mission and each other. You take responsibility for the things that you commit to. You work hard and you work unto the Lord. I can always trust that if we say we will do something, it will get done. I never have to worry about people pulling a no-show, neglecting tasks, or blaming others for mistakes. You have shown incredible responsibility in your efforts to see Netcast become a Kingdom minded influential ministry. When you see things broken, you fix them. When you notice flaws, you work on them. I am so bless to have this team with me. I am so blessed to serve along side of you. I am so blessed to be counted as one of you.

 I love you all more than you could ever know. I love your families more than you could ever understand. Thinking of you reminds me of Paul's words to the Philippians when he wrote:

Philippians 1:3-7 I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace.

Merry Christmas...2012

I just wanted to say Merry Christmas…

If you would have asked me 5 years ago what I would be doing on Christmas morning of 2012; I never would have been able to accurately answer that question. However, it is an incredible honor to be in Beverly MA, the pastor of your church and more importantly, your friend. I pray that the Lord gives us many more Christmases together as we seek His face and change the world together. 

Merry Christmas and I look forward to 2013 with you. 

 Until all have heard, 

 Matt and The Chewning crew...

A "Thank You" video from Netcast Church

Thank you to everyone who has believed in Netcast, supported Netcast, partnered with Netcast and has prayed for Netcast.

May we see even greater things in 2013.

All for the Glory of our King, Jesus!

Generosity starts with correct thinking.

Sadly, statistics would tell us there is no difference between the way a Christian views generosity and the way the secular world views generosity. As believers in Christ, we believe that we serve a generous God who has given us a generous gospel. In the gospel, our Lord Jesus Christ emptied himself of all his riches and walked among us, becoming like us in every way. Then on the cross, our great God gave himself for us by becoming our sin offering and extending his righteousness to all who would believe in Him. Jesus is a generous God!

Romans 12:2 says “Do not be conformed to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind...” 

In this text, it is clear that the key that worship begins with accurate thinking, not necessarily accurate actions. In other words, the ability to worship Jesus through generosity has less to do with what we do with our resources, and everything to do with how we think of our resources.

In 1 Chronicles 29:1-14 we learn that “Everything under heaven and earth belongs to the Lord” and by Gods grace, we have been entrusted with the responsibility of managing some of the Lords resources. A faithful manager, manages assets for the owners benefit and carries no sense of entitlement to the assets that he manages. But rather, it is his or her job to find out what the owner wants done with his assets and then carry out his will.

Biblical generosity starts with being able to grab a hold of the beauty of Jesus Christ. Jesus is so incredible, so powerful and so beautiful that our only response to Him should be...“Everything under heaven and earth is your.” By “thinking” in this way, we will become incredible worshipers of God and generosity will flow out of us like never before. Generosity will become a response of seeing how incredible Jesus is and how massive his mission is in comparison to our mission. And generosity no longer becomes a duty, but can now be a reflective reaction of understanding who we are in light of who He is.

If everyday of every week believers would see how great Jesus is, how powerful Jesus is, how glorious Jesus is, how victorious Jesus is, how majestic Jesus is; then who knows how God may use a church like that. "Yours, O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours." Therefore, may we be faithful managers of His stuff. And may we worship Him well.

Thankful for Jesus. Thankful for You.

It is my prayer that this Thanksgiving you are able to add one more thing to your list of things you are thankful for. This year, I am overwhelmed with gratitude and thankfulness for our Netcast family and the way that Jesus is displaying his magnificence among us. Every week I look forward to my favorite time of the week which is worshiping Jesus as I gather together with those who I love.

Here is another thing to be thankful for: God's Inexpressible Gift to us: Jesus Christ 

1. Is there a power to love? 
2. Is there a power that can really change people? 
3. Is there a way to have eternal life? 
4. Is there a way for sins to be forgiven?
5. Is there a way for your deepest longings to be satisfied? 
6. Is there a way to know God personally and be his friend? 

The answer is a resounding yes....And that yes is Jesus Christ, God's inexpressible gift to you this Thanksgiving season. 

If you have never personally received Jesus as the Lord and Savior of your life, I commend him to you. And I urge you to trust him and call upon him for all the help you need. "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved" (Romans 10:13). Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!

excerpt from desiringgod.com

Gordon College: Human Network

Gordon College's human rights club is hosting a Hunger Banquet for faculty, staff and the community. At this event we will look at issues of world hunger, poverty, and wealth distribution and will have an opportunity to interact with them and discuss our experiences. The Human Network at Gordon would like to welcome Netcasters.

If you have questions about the event tonight, email Rachel.Henderson@gordon.edu

Friday, Nov 16th 6pm - 7:30pm on Gordon's Campus.

Why we Spontaneously Baptized 49 people yesterday...

Yesterday will go down as an incredible day within the life of Netcast Church. That being said, I know that there are some controversial thoughts on Spontaneous Baptisms, so I feel it is necessary to give some understanding of "How" and "Why" we did this. Before I share an argument for "Why" let me explain some of the things that happened behind the scenes pertaining to "How".

1. Each person was questioned by a pastor at Netcast in the back room to test and see if they knew the gospel and have trusted in Jesus. Netcast never waters down the gospel. 
2. We preach sin, repentance and belief in Christ and yesterday was no different. We praise God for the response. 
3. We thoroughly explain the meaning of baptism to each individual. It is made clear that baptism is not a means of justification; but an act of obedience for those who trust in Christ. 

Here is a video that helps you understand where our tension was.
Also, Here is an article (by JD Greer) that may help someone understand how we biblical and prayerfully came to the conclusion that we were comfortable in doing this.

Failing to determine whether someone understands their profession of faith before you baptize them is, in my view, recklessly irresponsible. Declaring someone “saved” when they aren’t not only gives them false assurance, it makes them that much more immune to future calls to repent and believe. God help us never to put the excitement of large numbers ahead of the safety of people’s souls. My ego is not worth someone else’s eternity.

For this reason, many pastors require a waiting period between a profession of faith and baptism–attendance at a class, etc.–before they will administer baptism. Some won’t baptize children growing up in their churches until adulthood because only then can they be sure that a sound decision has been made. I believe this to be a well-intended, but unbiblical and dangerous, solution to the problem.

First, unbiblical: every single baptism we have on record in the New Testament, without exception, is spontaneous and immediate. John the Baptist invited his hearers to show their repentance by baptism, an invitation received most notably by Jesus himself (Matt 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11). Peter baptized 3000 on the spot in Acts 2 after one sermon (Acts 2:40-41). Philip baptized the eunuch after their first conversation, (Act 8:36-38), and Ananias baptized Paul “immediately” after meeting him (Acts 9:17-19, cf. 22:16). Paul baptized the Philippian jailor and his household “at once” (Acts 16:31-34). “But things are different today,” I am told, “we have a culture saturated with easy-believism” (which is true).

Furthermore, they say, many things in Acts are exceptional. The early church held all possessions in common (Acts 2:44). They practiced a full variety of sign gifts, struck people dead in church and smote false prophets with blindness. These are not normative for churches today, at least not in the way they were for the early church.

Fair enough. Yet, in each of those things we can see a development in Acts which points toward the normative, a normative firmly established by Paul’s epistles. For example, some of the miraculous signs are dying down by the end of Acts, and Paul even reports leaving a companion sick in Miletus (1 Timothy 4:18). Paul’s instructs the rich in his congregations to be generous and to share, not to turn over all their property to the church like they did in Acts 2 (1 Timothy 6:9-19). In other words, the reason we allow divergence from patterns in Acts is because we see clearer patterns established elsewhere that help us see the distinction between the extraordinary and the normative. No such development can be demonstrated with baptism, however. Every single instance of baptism, from beginning to end, is immediate. The baptisms toward the end of Acts are as immediate as those at the beginning. The plots on the graph form a straight line, and it’s not hard to see where future points on that line should lie.

Demanding that we delay baptisms to ensure against false professions is to pursue a good objective in an unbiblical manner. Those who do this have allowed concerns over false professions to trump biblical patterns. Whenever we develop a theory from some biblical data that conflicts with other biblical data, that’s a sign our theory has gone wrong. Much of our reasoning from the Bible is deductive: from biblical data we deduce principles (known as theology) that we use to develop ideas not directly addressed in the Bible. This is good and right. The biblical data should always function like a tether, however, showing us when our “theology” has gone mutant. When our theory puts us in conflict with the Bible, we should expand our theory, not curtail the data. We see examples of mutant theologies everywhere.

Some Calvinists hold certain verses of the Bible hostage to a theory they have developed off of other verses. Some Arminians do the same. Rather than broadening their theories, they ignore or explain away certain passages because they don’t fit in their system. Those who tear down gender roles in the Bible take a valid biblical principle (the equality of the sexes) and hold other clear biblical passages hostage to it. Paul’s clear instruction that only men are to be church elders (1 Tim 3:1-5) is abrogated by the biblical idea that the sexes are equal. I’ve had many Presbyterian friends do the same with baptism. They can explain with ruthless logic why the whole trajectory of biblical thought points toward baptizing babies. Yet, such a practice is clearly absent from the New Testament. Rather than re-examining their theories, they ignore the evidence.

Those who condemn immediate baptisms seem, in my view, to do the same. Their theories on how to protect against false conversion stand in clear contrast to the only inspired pictures the Holy Spirit gave us of what baptism is to be and who it should be given to. And how is this dangerous? God’s patterns are always best. In keeping certain believers from baptism, we have removed from them one of the primary resources God intended to catalyze their maturity. Baptism is the catalyst to spiritual maturity, not the sign of it. Baptism is an important moment that stands as a witness to ourselves and the enemy powers that we belong to Christ. In moments of weakness, when we are under assault from our enemy, we need to be able to retreat back to what was declared over us by Christ in our baptism. We see Paul doing this often in the epistles (Romans 6:1-5–and I paraphrase): “Do you grasp the new reality declared at your baptism? Won’t you live out of that now?” If we have withheld baptism from believing children, have we not robbed them of a great refuge in a time of trial–their solidarity with Christ’s church and his declaration over them?

Furthermore, presenting someone with a choice to be baptized forces them to make a decision. So many sit in our churches each week as consumers, going along with Jesus but never deciding “for” him. Baptism crystalizes the offer they must receive or reject. I grew up in a church that gave a targeted, intentional altar call at the end of every service. While there were many unhelpful side effects of this approach, one thing it did was force people to consider where they stood with Jesus. I think that’s what you see both John the Baptist and Peter doing with baptism.

We should be concerned with people who make false professions of faith in baptism. But we should not protect against that by robbing genuine believers of a resource God intended them to have. Baptism is, again, not the marker of spiritual maturity, but the sign that faith has begun in the soul. Even in the days of the Apostles converts sometimes fell away from their baptism (e.g., Simon the Magician, Acts 8:9-24). That doesn’t mean something is wrong with the process. We must deal with the apostate as Scripture instructs us. To improve upon biblical patterns is to suppose we are wiser than the Bible and to subject our hearers to potential spiritual ruin. Needless to say, we are not wiser than the Bible, and our plan, no matter how spiritual-sounding, is not superior to God’s plan. We must subject all our ideas, including our well-developed theologies, to the canon of Scripture. When our theology conflicts with biblical data, it’s time to tweak our theories, not ignore the Bible.

I sometimes wonder if the majority of theological problems come from a pride in our theories that keeps us from submitting ourselves to other biblical data. We must be diligent to make sure, as the Apostolic community did (Acts 8:36), that our hearers understand the gospel. But we should not unnecessarily delay or encumber their baptism. To sum up: we should be diligent to ensure that the person being baptized can make a credible confession of faith. In other words, they should be able to articulate the gospel and explain what baptism means and why they want to do it. What we do not need to verify (indeed cannot verify) is the sincerity of that confession or confirm that it has led to life change before we baptize. The apostles did not do this, and nor should we. While baptism ought never to be disconnected from a life of discipleship, it is given to those who, on face value, make a credible profession of faith.

Here’s a question to ponder:
Biblically, does baptism go with (a) the initial confession of faith or (b) after a proven period in which we verify the reality of that confession (i.e. discipleship)? My contention is that, biblically, it goes with the confession of faith. When you baptize, the reality of the confession of faith is still untested. Someone baptized Simon (Acts 8) and he turned out to be a fraud, but this did not mean that their baptism methodology was flawed.

Big Bang Theory; Literal Interpretation and more

A close friend of mine recently asked my opinion on the Big Bang Theory, and my view on a Literal Interpretation of the Bible. Below are some of my thoughts as well some thoughts of others who have helped me work through this in my own head.

It is hard not to see the evidence for the Big Bang as a stunning example of where science and theology intersect. Astrophysicist Dr. Robert Jastrow phrased it this way in his book God and the Astronomers (New York, W.W. Norton, 1978, p. 116): “For the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak; as he pulls himself over the final rock, he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.” Why? Because, as Jastrow explained in a subsequent interview, “Astronomers now find they have painted themselves into a corner because they have proven, by their own methods, that the world began abruptly in an act of creation to which you can trace the seeds of every star, every planet, every living thing in this cosmos and on the earth. . . .That there are what I or anyone would call supernatural forces at work is now, I think, a scientifically proven fact” (“A Scientist Caught Between Two Faiths: Interview with Robert Jastrow,” Christianity Today, August 6, 1982, pp. 15, 18).

If Christians are to have objections to the Big Bang theory, it should only be in the atheistic presuppositions that often go along with the theory. The idea itself, that the universe came into existence due to an explosion, is not necessarily incompatible with the biblical creation account. As one Christian theologian has stated, "I am not necessarily opposed to the Big Bang theory. Rather, I know who banged it."

Now, pertaining to a literal interpretation of scripture. The short answer to the question of whether we at Netcast believe in a literal interpretation is “Yes”. But, it isn't that simple.

Interpretation occurs when someone reads the Bible in a language they can understand and determines the meaning of the verses they read by the enablement of God the Holy Spirit who also inspired the writing of Scripture. Each text of the Bible has only one true interpretation and so we must be careful to read the truth out of the Bible rather than reading our beliefs and desires into it. A common question arises at this point: is the Bible to be interpreted literally? The answer is yes....but let me explain. There are plain-literal and figurative-literal portions of the Bible. We begin by assuming the plain-literal meaning and if that seems absurd then we go with a figurative- literal interpretation. A figurative-literal Scripture teaches a truth in a poetic way and often uses the words “like” or “as” to tip us off that figurative language is being used. But even when figurative language is being used, it is still communicating a literal truth.

For example, in the poetic Song of Songs, the man says to his beloved, “your eyes are doves” (1:15). In this figurative language, the man is communicating a very literal truth. He likens her eyes to doves, which come in pairs, and when their tail-feathers flutter they appear like eyelashes. Doves have just one faithful mate throughout their lives, possibly indicating that her eyes are focused on him alone. The dove is also a symbol of peace and purity, alluding to her virginity. Similar figurative thoughts can accompany the creation story and many areas in the bible.

For me personally and Netcast as a church; our official stance would be that we accept the Bible as the written Word of God. The Bible is an essential and infallible record of God’s self-disclosure to mankind. It leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Being given by God the Scriptures are both fully and verbally inspired by God. Therefore, as originally given, the Bible is free of error in all it teaches. Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in living power. All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and diligently apply them to their lives. The Scriptures are the authoritative and normative rule and guide of all Christian life, practice and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded or changed by later tradition, extra-biblical revelation or even worldly wisdom and science. Every doctrinal formulation, confession or theology must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in Holy Scripture.

In the end, I struggle with what these type of conversations produce. I have really been challenged in recent years about what Paul tells Timothy about this.

2 Timothy 14-26 
Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. 15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. 16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene.…... 

23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.

Pertaining to our hope in life, joy on earth and love for each other; these conversations rarely produce anything significant to our lives. If the conversation is about proving a point, taking a side, winning an argument or debate, or just trying to convince myself of how bright I am; I have no real desire to engage in the conversation. However, if my joy is at stake and conversations are heartfelt with the intentions of growing in my love for Jesus...I love those discussions.

Drinking and The Holy Spirit

Text: John 7:32-39

In John 7, Jesus stands up and says to the audience in the temple, (I'm paraphrasing...) “If you believe in me, I will fill your heart with a water that will forever quench your thirst. This water will not just quench your thirst, but it will so fill your heart that it can potentially lead to seeing others quenched as well." This was a profound statement to make. But, honestly what does it mean? In the next verse, John answers that question. In the next verse, John says that the quenchable water is something Super-Natural; it is the supernatural gift of the Holy Spirit.

Many of us, when we look at our lives and churches we don't see much that is “Super” or “Natural”. Much of our lives and churches are instead, “Mediocre and Planned.” And worse of all, we tend to be pretty content with that. But this is NOT how life was meant to be lived. Jesus tells us that if we believe in Him, then God the Holy Spirit would come to live in us and our world would be opened up to things unimaginable.

As a Christian, a natural question would be “How do I receive a deeper measure of the Holy Spirit?” Our tendency will be to think that the measure in which the Holy Spirit is poured out is through how holy we behave. But, the gospel says that in Christ, you are as holy as you will ever be. You have Christ's perfect holiness (2 Cor 5:21) which was given to you at salvation. And so to tap into the Holy Spirit's power, is to simply pause long enough to believe by faith, that you have access to all the power that God intends for you to have, through Christ. Not because you are so awesome, but because the God who lives in you, through Jesus, is so awesome.

If you're thirsty; Have a drink.....

New at Netcast Invite...This Sunday.

Knowing that we had a crazy influx of people who are fairly new to Netcast (or have just recently visited), I thought I would throw this up on my blog and invite anyone at Netcast who feels new to our New at Netcast get together this Sunday. At a new church, it can sometimes be hard to get plugged in and feel connected. I'd love to invite everyone to grab the family, a friend or whoever, and join us for a free meal. There will be plenty of fun stuff for kids to do while we all get an opportunity to connect with new people, meet the staff, ask questions and relax.

It will be this Sunday, September 9th @ 1:30pm located at 17 Parsons Hill Rd. Wenham, MA.

Also, you don't have to register, but it would help with our food planning to fill out the form at http://www.netcastchurch.org/form.php?pageID=41 or just email me back.

Hope to see you there,

Pastor Matt

Marriage and Paul Tripp

After performing my very first wedding this past weekend, I was reminded of some of the basic truths that I wish someone would have taught Beth and I before marriage. Often times we forget the unavoidable realities that come with marriage and its God ordained purpose. Marriage has always been God's design in helping to point us to Jesus. Marriage is God's greatest design to continually reveal to ourselves that we are sinners and desperately need grace.

There is no relationship on earth that will more expose your brokenness and need for grace than the marriage relationship. Because this is true, marriage should be a relationship full of authentic and transparent communication and grace being extended. Not using grace as an excuse for hurting one another, but rather as a way of extending love towards one another. We are all sinners and we all need grace. Praise God for sending Jesus who paid the penalty for my sin and continually extends grace to me. It is His goodness that leads me to repentance, not his wrath. He is patient and kinda, extending grace to the multitudes. Lets resemble that in our marriages.

Here is a short Q&A from Paul Tripp that has been revolutionary in my relationship with Beth.


Q: You write that all couples enter marriage with some unrealistic expectations. Isn’t this something you resolve in premarital counseling?

Paul David Tripp: I wish it were that easy! But it’s almost as though each potential husband and wife is motivated to dismiss the truth about what they will inevitably face. In the midst of the power of premarital romance, it is very hard to get yourself to want to take a hard and honest look at reality. You are in love, and you are sure that everything will work out right.

Most couples are simply not interested in being realistic.

Q: What perspectives can we keep in mind in order to keep our expectations of marriage (and life!) in check?

Paul David Tripp: There are three wisdom perspectives from Scripture that enable us to have realistic expectations for marriage:

· First, you are conducting your marriage in a fallen world. This means we all face the same thing and your marriage will be touched every day by the brokenness of our world.

· Second, you are married to a sinner. We just don’t get to be married to someone perfect. Your life will be affected by the sin, weakness, and failure of the person you are living with. And at some point you will sin against your spouse.

· Finally, you must remember that God is with you. You are not alone in your struggle. Yes, you live in a bad neighborhood (fallen world), and the two of you are less than perfect (sin), but in all this you are not left to your own resources.

Q: Is every marriage destined for struggle?

Paul David Tripp: It happens to everyone. It is the unavoidable reality of marriage. Somehow, someway, every marriage becomes a struggle. Everyone’s marriage becomes something they didn’t intend it to be. Spending time together is radically different from living together. Reasons for attraction now become sources of irritation. At some point you need something sturdier than romance. You need something deeper than shared interests and mutual attraction. You need something more than marital survival skills. In every marriage either giddy romance wanes and is replaced with a sturdier and more mature love, or the selfishness of sin reduces the marriage to a state of relational détente.

Q: So what do we do when this inevitable point of disillusionment collides with our expectations?
Paul David Tripp: Both the problem and the solution can be summed up in one word: worship. I have become more and more persuaded that marriages are fixed vertically before they are ever fixed horizontally. We have to deal with what is driving us before we ever deal with how we are reacting to one another. Every relationship is victimized in some way when we seek to get from the surrounding creation what we were designed to get form God. When God is in his rightful place, then we are on the way to putting people in their rightful place. I am convinced it is only in the worship of God in our marriages that we find reason to continue.

Being a worshiper means that you attach your identity, meaning and purpose, and your inner sense of well-being to something. You either get these things vertically (from the Creator) or you look to get them horizontally (from the creation). This insight has everything to do with how a marriage becomes what it is. No marriage will be unaffected when the people in the marriage are seeking to get from the creation what they were only ever meant to get from the Creator.

Q: Tell us more about the power of worship in marriage.

Paul David Tripp: This is the bottom line: the war for our marriages is a war of worship. The fundamental problem of every marriage is misplaced worship. The cure of every marriage is renewed worship of God. Does it wound too simple? Well, it is and it isn’t. Although this principle is true of every marriage, the war and the cure look different for every couple.

This may not sound very romantic, but my intention is not to disrespect romance. I love romance. On the vast continuum of what defines maledom, I am way over on the romantic end. But a good marriage doesn’t grow out of the soil of romance. No, the soil in which a good marriage grows is the soil of worship, and the fruit that a good marriage produces is sweet, long-term, mutually satisfying romance.

Q: What do you say to the couple who says “we’re just too different to make it work.”
Paul David Tripp: First of all, don’t run away in fear. You haven’t made a horrible mistake. What you are dealing with is part of the plan. And it really is a gorgeous plan; in your marriage God will take you where you never though you would go in order to give you what you could not achieve on your own. He is working on something that is very good—lasting personal change—and he is with you during the process. He is giving you what you need to be, what you have been designed to be, and to do what you have been called to do. Now, that is a reason to be encouraged, even on the days that are difficult.

Q: Explain how praying for your marriage, and praying together, can affect a marriage relationship.
Paul David Tripp: The Bible reveals that we are kingdom-minded people, and we either live in service to the kingdom of self to serve the kingdom of God. So when you are hurt, angry or disappointed with your husband or wife, it is not because he or she has broken the laws of God’s kingdom, and it really concerns you. No, you are most often angry because your spouse has broken the laws of your kingdom. And the problem is that our spouse does the same thing. So, it will just be a matter of time before the carnage begins as our little kingdoms of one collide.

Reconciling your marriage begins when you begin to reconcile with God. It begins when you begin to pray this radical prayer: “Your kingdom come, your will be done, right here, right now in this marriage as it is in heaven.” Good things happen as a result of that prayer!