From Death to Life 24 Years Ago Today

The two best things to ever happen to me happened when I was a student at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville – I came to know and love Jesus, and I came to know and love my wife. Needless to say, I have great memories from my time at Northwest, and I praise God for those memories!

The first of those things happened 24 years ago today, and I can still vividly remember that great day. As someone who grew up “in church,” though, why was I a 20-year-old college sophomore before sincerely repenting of my sins and placing my saving faith in Jesus Christ? The simple answer – that is when God chose to open my eyes and my heart to the truth of the gospel.

As Jesus said, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44). While I will not pretend to understand God’s sovereign timing, I have come to trust God’s sovereign timing. He is perfect and makes no mistakes. And, in His perfect plan and timing, He chose to send His Holy Spirit to “convict the world about sin, righteousness, and judgment” (check out Jesus’ words in John 16:5-15).

That conviction of the Holy Spirit, coupled with the preaching of God’s Word by my then-pastor and some other faithful Christian friends, was used of God to stir in me an overwhelming desire to surrender my life to Jesus Christ. Praise be to God!

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching through Galatians 5:16-26 on “The Spirit of Grace.” Who is the Holy Spirit, and how does He impact our lives?

While I had so much to learn on November 4, 1998 (and still have so much to learn), I realize now something that I did not understand very well then – I desperately needed (and still need) the Spirit of grace. How utterly incapable I was (and am) of understanding the gospel, let alone truly trusting the gospel on my own. Praise God for the work of His Holy Spirit!

On Sunday morning, I hope to challenge those in attendance to not only understand the Holy Spirit but also to continually trust the Holy Spirit to do the work of God in your life. You and I are not able to be who God called us to be and do what God called us to do without His Spirit’s help.

The fruit of the Spirit is the evidence that you are walking with Him. Is such evidence clear in your life? How can you trust Him more, grow closer to Him, and better help others to grow closer to Him?

To God be the glory!

To follow Jesus Christ and receive His Holy Spirit, you simply must call upon His name. Learn more by checking out The Story.

From Legalism to Liberty

Until I was a sophomore in college, I always believed that I was “going to heaven someday” because I was a “good person.” Yes, I believed that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, but deep down, it was as if I believed in myself more. While I believed the right things about Jesus, my sincere faith and trust were more in myself. What was I doing? What did I accomplish? What did I earn from God?

Basically, I was living like a modern-day pharisee, legalistically trying to check the boxes and earn my favor with God. Now, please realize, I was far from truly being a “good person.” I was not even close to living according to the Law of God, but I tried my best to “put on a good show” and “look the part.” Because I was, what I considered, “better than most” when it came to obeying God’s Word (even though I failed constantly), I was convinced that my goodness made me right with God.

Oh, how wrong I was!

Legalism is wicked and sinful because it distorts the truth of the gospel and is a mockery of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sins on the cross. Essentially, legalism – adding to the Word of God a works-based burden that none of us can bear – declares that Christ’s substitutionary atonement was unnecessary. When you try to live a moral life for the wrong reasons – to earn God’s favor, rather than serving Him because of the gift of His favor through faith in Jesus, you have no way to actually earn God’s favor and instead will earn His eternal wrath in hell. Harsh as that sounds, it is the truth of the gospel. We need Jesus. He alone can save us from our sins, and He alone can enable us to grow in obedience to God’s Word.

Praise God for His grace! Until I was 20 years old, despite growing up in church and being “confirmed” in a Lutheran church when I was in eighth grade, I wrongfully believed that my standing with God was based on what I could do, rather than on what Christ had already done for me.

Thankfully, He opened my eyes in the fall of 1998 to see the truth. Then, I went from legalism to liberty, meaning I was released from the overwhelming and unachievable burden of trying to be good enough to earn God’s favor. Instead, I experienced the work of God’s grace in my life, realizing and embracing the freedom to trust in Christ’s perfect life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection for my salvation. Praise be to God!

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching from Galatians 2 on “The Work of Grace.” What a great chapter explaining the difference between legalism and liberty! Have you experienced the work of grace in your life?

“No one is justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. And we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no human being will be justified” (Galatians 2:16-17).

For so many years, I was trying to be justified (made right with God) by being good enough – by trying to obey the law, but I just kept failing and failing.

Well, I still fail, but now my sincere faith is in Jesus and what He did. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:19b-20).

Not ironically, I am actually more obedient to God’s Word now than I was when I thought I had to earn His favor. That is not because I have somehow figured things out and am a better person. Rather, it is because of the work of grace in my life. The same grace of God in Christ Jesus that saves me is the grace that changes me every day. Thank you, Jesus!

Are you trusting in Jesus alone to save you from your sins and enable you to follow Him each day? If not, check out The Story and turn to Him today.

Zoe’s Testimony & Baptism

A few weeks ago, I had the amazing privilege of baptizing Zoe and my sister Ashley. Praise be to God! Below, you can see their testimonies and baptisms (first video) and/or just watch Zoe’s testimony (second video).

Never have I been more proud to be Zoe’s dad and Ashley’s brother than when they publicly professed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord by sharing their testimonies and being baptized. What a blessing and privilege it was to get to baptize them!

What changes will cure your doubts?

“If God is all-loving and all-powerful, why do so many bad things happen?“

“If God is in control, why is there so much injustice in the world?“

“If God really cares about me, why do I feel so far from Him?“

“If Jesus is the perfect Son of God, why is so much evil done by those who claim to follow Him?“

Those questions and so many more are and have been asked often. While the purpose of this post is not to give adequate answers to those questions, there are adequate answers to those questions. Of course, you and I might not be the ones to give such answers, especially when it comes to specific situations, but God certainly can and will. To a degree, He already has, and to the ultimately-satisfying degree, He will when Jesus Christ comes again.

All of those questions (and more) were ones I struggled with before coming to know the Lord. With great joy and thankfulness, I can honestly say those are not a struggle for me anymore, though. That does not mean I never have doubts or that my faith in God is perfect. Far from it! Like all Christ-followers, I am a work in progress and am far from where I need to be.

Still, I am grateful that by the grace and mercy of God, I have been changed. The change is not my doing but His doing. If you, too, have come to know the Lord, you understand what I am saying. If not, I highly encourage you to check out The Story by clicking on the picture below.

The change that occurs when we turn our lives over to the One who Created us is a change that affects every aspect of our lives, including how we deal with doubt. Again, this does not mean we will never have doubts. This does not mean we have all the answers to life’s difficult questions. This does mean, though, that we can move “From Doubt to Change,” as I will discuss in my message from Matthew 16:21-24 on Sunday morning, Lord willing. Instead of being consumed by worldly doubts, we can experience and rejoice in biblical change.

In your spare moments, what is more likely to consume your thoughts – God’s goodness or the world’s problems? In times of difficulty and discouragement, what is your source of comfort – the Spirit of God or the hopes of humanity? When you long for more happiness, what do you long for – more of Jesus and His church or more of health and prosperity? When you need answers, where are you more likely to turn – the Word of Christ or the winds of culture?

Your doubts that ultimately come from sin and the world cannot be cured by our sin and the world. God alone can cure our doubts. He alone can take away our sins. He alone can satisfy our needs. He alone can give us the purpose, hope, meaning, joy, fulfillment, and peace that we truly desire. Are you looking to Him for change? Are you seeking Him through His Word? Are you trusting Him? Let’s go from doubt to change!

To experience the only change that will last and endure the trials of life, turn to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Learn more by checking out The Story.

My Tithing Testimony

Really, I do not remember when I began tithing, but I have no memories as a young Christian in college when I was not tithing. Since the beginning of my personal relationship with Jesus Christ, I was convinced that tithing – giving the first ten percent of my paycheck back to the Lord – was “the right thing to do.” At some point, people modeled and taught this to me, and their examples, coupled with the truth of Scripture, were enough to convince me. I praise God for that because, like most people, I have always struggled with at least some sense of entitlement, pride, selfishness, and greed.

“This is mine. I worked hard for this. No one else can tell me what to do with my money!” Those words, whether said out loud or not, have been spoken by all of us at least once (if not many times), right?

Yet, as is clear in 1 Chronicles 29 and throughout the Bible, God is the owner of everything, including our time, money, gifts, resources, and lives. Thus, we own absolutely nothing. With that right, biblical perspective, giving back to God at least the first ten percent of anything we make is really quite simple. By the grace of God, I have believed that since the very beginning of my Christian walk, and by His grace and mercy, I have been a tither, convinced that I should honor God with at least the first ten percent of every paycheck, and give more, when possible, for the sake of missions, helping the needy, etc.

Please realize, I do not share this to boast, as I know that I would be completely incapable of this kind of commitment if left up to my own selfishness, stinginess, and foolishness. But, God – in His mercy and grace – saw fit to convict me of this from the beginning, has demonstrated His faithfulness, provided me with a wife who has the same convictions, and overwhelms me with the continued desire to give.

Not tithing (as a bare minimum) has never been an option. Marsha and I have never entertained the idea, and I sincerely believe that is due to God’s provision – not only God’s provision for us to have our physical needs met but more importantly to have our spiritual needs met. Not honoring Him with at least our first ten percent has never been an entertained thought because He has protected us, by His grace, from having such a desire.

When I was a young, immature follower of Jesus in college, I had a conversation with a friend about tithing. He said that, because we had very little money and made very little money, surely God did not expect us to tithe due to our financial strains. I was not convinced that my friend’s argument was right, so I decided to keep tithing from my gross income (gross, meaning pre-taxed amount and gross, meaning most would be less than impressed).

Thanks be to God, I made it through college with no loans and no debt. Times were often tight, but God certainly met all my needs, and then some. Not coincidentally, I believe, my aforementioned friend struggled a lot more than I did.

When I was getting my master’s degree in seminary, Marsha and I were newly married and had more financial struggles. Again, though, we believed that if we continued to honor God with at least the first ten percent, He would meet our needs. We definitely wanted more at times, but we never needed more than we had. In fact, we often had (and still do have) more than we need/ed. Praise the Lord!

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I will be preaching from Hebrews 7:1-10 on the first recorded tithe (as explained first in Genesis 14:17-24) and why honoring God with at least the first ten percent is biblical.

Health and wealth are never promised to us by God, not in this life. “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided for you” (Matthew 6:33). When Jesus said that about “these things,” He was referring to our needs according to God’s perfect plan and provision. Trust and depend on Him by honoring Him with your first fruits, your best, your life. As has been shared by so many others, including some recent Sunday morning testimonies by our church family, you will never regret obeying the Word of God.

Before you can obey the Word of God, you have to know the Son of God. To learn more about having a personal relationship with Jesus, check out The Story.

Silas and Sahari follow Jesus!

This past Sunday morning, I had the amazing privilege of baptizing our son Silas and niece Sahari. Praise the Lord! Also, our dear friend Preston Thompson got to baptize his daughter, Charli. You can watch the testimonies and baptisms below (or skip ahead to any particular one by clicking HERE and following the linked notes from the video)…

The Visible Difference between the Righteous and the Wicked

There are several differences, of course, between those who know God and those who do not. God points out a very distinct difference, for example, in Malachi 3: “So you will again see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him” (verse 18).

SERVING AND NOT SERVING

Many claim to serve God but really just go through the motions, not really serving Him at all. What a dangerous trap that is, especially when people assume they will be counted as righteous, only to find out they are among the wicked.

When I was a teenager, for example, I considered myself to be a Christian. In fact, I considered myself to be a devout Christian. I was in church services every Sunday and Wednesday. I was actively involved with our church youth group. I read my Bible often. I prayed even more often. I talked and sang about Jesus.

I was serving God, right? No, I was not. I was not following Him and thus certainly could not be serving Him. Sure, some people may have thought I was. I even thought I was. But, everything I did was for myself. I was going through the motions in hopes of impressing girls, pleasing my parents, and getting what I wanted from God (not what God wanted from and for me).

Really, I was worshiping myself and my happiness. The lords of my heart were my pleasures and my dreams and my goals. All the while, I claimed to be a follower of Jesus and claimed to belong to Him. I did not, however, “fear God and have high regard for His name” (Malachi 3:16). Rather, I feared what others thought about me and had high regard for my own name.

Although I thought I was considered righteous by God because I was a “good person,” I was headed straight toward hell with no earthly idea.

WHO KNEW?

Living in mid-Missouri, I do not often see many of the people I knew as a teenager in north central Iowa. I cannot help but wonder, though, who knew I was living a lie? Who knew I was going through the motions? How many people did I actually fool?

Of course, I cannot accurately answer those questions, but I am confident that any genuine followers of Jesus who truly knew me then surely knew I was not who I claimed to be. I wonder why no one told me, though? Why did no one challenge me with the truth? Perhaps they tried, and I just would not listen.

One who definitely did know that I was counted among the wicked and not among the righteous, was God Himself. He knew, and, thankfully, He put people in my life during my college years to reveal His Truth to me. For the first time, as a sophomore in college, I heard and understood the gospel. I turned from my sins and asked Jesus to forgive me and take over my life.

Finally, I was made right with God in and through a personal relationship with His Son.

JESUS IS THE DIFFERENCE-MAKER

The truth is that none of us is righteous. Not on our own anyway. None of us can do a single thing to make ourselves right with God. “As it is written: There is no one righteous, not even one. There is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away; all alike have become useless. There is no one who does what is good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-12).

This is terrible news! And, the terrible news is for all of us.

“But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us!” (Romans 5:8). That is the good news.

Jesus is the difference-maker. He is the One who made a way for us to be righteous – counted righteous today and made righteous for eternity. If you have yet to experience the joy of knowing and following Him, would you consider surrendering your life to Him today? Check this out for a helpful summary of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

There are very few things I believe differently today than what I believed as a selfishly wicked teenager on my way to hell. What I do and how I do what I do with my beliefs, though, are drastically different. Not because I “have arrived” or figured out the tricks. No, I am different because Jesus is the difference-maker. Jesus has changed me.

I am no longer content to go through the motions and call that “serving God.” If and when I do go through the motions, God’s Holy Spirit convicts me to repent and follow Him faithfully. Daily I need His help, His guidance, His provision, His leadership, His grace, and His compassion.

On Sunday morning, Lord willing, I hope to preach on our “Great God of Compassion” from Malachi 3:13-18. I pray that I can encourage and challenge you to believe in and be changed by the Greatness of God.

The orphans blessed us!

During our mission trip to Guatemala June 1-8, we expected to be an encouragement and blessing to the children of Casa De Mi Padre, an orphanage and ministry of Child Rescue. Well, we might have been somewhat of a blessing, but it truly was the orphans who were a blessing to us. This was the common sentiment among our team of 17 who went on the trip. Praise the Lord for how he has delivered these children from some horrifying situations and placed them into a Christian home with people who love them, care for them and disciple them in Christ!

You can see photos from our trip HERE and even more HERE.

This past Sunday, Noah shared a brief testimony during our morning worship service, explaining some of the highlights from our trip. You can listen to the testimony HERE (best sound quality) or watch the video below.

Are you interested in going on a mission trip to Guatemala June 1-8, 2019? If so, you will have the amazing privilege of ministering to orphans, doing evangelistic outreach in public schools and the local community, worshiping and serving alongside a local church, and growing in your faith in Jesus Christ. Contact Richland Baptist Church for more information.

Noah & Levi’s Baptisms

In the past year, Noah and Levi have both publicly professed their faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Although the gospel and discipleship in Christ have been regular discussions and processes since they were little, Marsha and I made clear that they each had to make individual decisions of faith and repentance. Because they made those decisions, have a clear understanding of what it means to follow Jesus and expressed their desire to be His disciples, I (Nick) had the incredible privilege of baptizing each of them in our local church.

Below are their short testimony videos and baptism videos. Praise God for His work of salvation in their hearts!

 
Noah’s Testimony

 
Levi’s Testimony

 
Noah’s Baptism

 
Levi’s Baptism