In this case, one is two.

Paradoxes are fun. There’s a “permanent press” setting on the clothes iron. Apartments are stuck together. The Greek Parthenon is actually curved to make it look straight. Funny, huh? The Apostle Paul writes about another paradox where he implies that two things are actually one: “Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).

In this chapter, Paul explains his impressive spiritual pedigree. In the end, he calls it garbage, and he admits that he still has so far to go to “gain Christ.” He is in process. But here is his one thing (but is it two?): forget what’s behind and strain towards what’s ahead. While he lists two things, they are so intertwined that they must be considered together. It’s futile to forget but not press forward, and insane to press forward without forgetting. They are like ham & eggs. They just go together.

If Paul had not reached the finish line, then I must be way back in the pack. But, I must do this one, two-part thing too. If I have any past victories or failures, forget them. Tis not the day to wallow or celebrate the past. But right on it’s heals, I press on. This is not a flesh thing I do on my own. I forget/press by what Christ has already given me. If the forget/press thing does not happen, that is truly a paradox, for I am missing what I most strongly desire: Jesus Christ.

Images: from head to heart

Our past sermon series at Zion will go down as one of my favorites. We have covered God’s images of the church: Bride, Temple, Body, Priesthood, Flock, and Family. These are not inventions of the church itself. They are how God himself view us. To say they are profound truths smacks of gross understatement.

Like much truth, it’s not enough to know it. Our world thinks that if we just educate people, they will be better people. But, we post warning labels on cigarettes and fatty food and extension cords, but the information does not make people better. As the metaphor states, there is a huge difference between head and heart knowledge. These images of the church must be more than just facts. Their implications are galactic.

Besides what we have said on Sunday, each image conveys power and responsibility. Every church and every church member needs to see the significance of this power. We can always use a wake up call.
o We know that as the bride, Jesus is working in us to present us holy to himself.
o As a family, we should have trust and intimacy. Let them not be abused.
o We know that we are a body, so why treat others or act like cancerous cells?
o We know we are a Temple, so we cannot build outside of the foundation of Jesus. We can topple if we build structures, systems, and plans outside the footprint.
o We know we are a flock, so we should listen to the Good Shepherd instead of the thieves.
o And, we know we are priests, so why not open our mouths and be ambassadors for our God?

Too many churches and Christ followers can identify these images on a doctrine test. But, do they recognize the impact they have on a church or other Christ followers?

Pastor Joe

Faithful with the little things...

Over the past few weeks, I have been plagued with things breaking…mainly computer issues but even my calculator broke. My frustration level has been rising, but God still speaks without a keyboard.

Matthew 25:21, “His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'”

I often hear this passage applied to financing and tithing. Those are accurate applications. But, in recent weeks, it keeps coming to mind with my attitude. If a computer glitch is going to ruin my day, I’m not very faithful when the little things are the problem. Yes, it’s frustrating to see the “blue screen of death,” but there are other things that should get my attention and fill my mind: daily concern for the church, the lost, hurting/struggling families and individuals. So, if my faith breaks under so-called glitches in my day, can I then be entrusted with the major stuff of life? The key is not just letting the little things get you down but recognizing what is a little thing and what’s not.

Pastor Joe

ZPV September Prayer Letter

September 16, 2009

Dear Friends,

Thanks so much for praying for the Olkowski’s over Labor Day weekend. Jessyca moved in to Northeastern University with little trouble. She is settling in and becoming active on campus. Some of her classes are hard and others are review (so far!). I remain convinced that this is a good fit for her, and I look forward to seeing what God will be doing in her life.

Fall is a busy season for churches! Things are slow during the summer, but once school starts, look out! Zion of Petroleum Valley is no exception. Here are some things to pray for:

• Workers! We can always use workers for our kids and youth. If our teams for Sunday morning were larger, we could have more rotate upstairs. Also, it would be good for us to turn over the teen duties. I like it, but there are those who connect better with students.
• One day, we should not go to church so we can serve our community. Well, that day is Sunday, September 20 at both Zion campuses. It’s called One Day. We will spread out to various places in our community just for service in Jesus’ name. On one hand, we don’t want attention or fanfare, but on the other hand we would like people to see that our motivation is serving Jesus and them.
• Our new EQUIP classes started on September 15.
• Fifth Quarter begins on September 18 after the Karns City Varsity Football home game. We hope to fill ZPV with students after the game so they have some place to go and we can get to know them.
• Keep praying for the men of the Petroleum Valley. For those who already know Christ, we need to be serious and active with our faith. For those who do not know him, they need to. These men are tough to reach.
• ­ And speaking of prayer, we need to see the value and participation of prayer raised in our community and churches.
  
  Drop me a line or an email sometime, joe@zionlife.com. And, you can find me on Facebook too.
  
  Pastor Joe
  Zion of Petroleum Valley

Sermon titles

One of these days, we should record our conversation about picking a sermon title. Usually, it's pretty straight forward. But, once in a while, we think of a title that's a little edgy or just too funny. This Sunday at ZPV, I will be preaching on grace. So, I thought of the following titles: Lavish Grace, Extravagant Grace, or Chocolate Covered Grace. So it's not a big surprise, I went with the first option. But consider this: Do we really live like we believe in God's grace when it comes to ourselves, our new life in Christ, our interaction with fellow Christ followers, and with a world that is not exactly laying out a red carpet for the church? So, let's start chewing on those ideas now.

And while the "Lavish Grace" title won out, there may be a treat this Sunday anyhow.

In Christ,
Pastor Joe

ZPV August Prayer Letter

August 19, 2009

Dear Zion of Petroleum Valley Prayer Partners,

In just a few weeks, school opens, and we wrap up another summer. Continue to pray for ZPV as we are almost in the middle of our second year. And by the way, thank you for all the support as the Olkowski’s celebrated our second full year at Zion. God is working here, and it’s our privilege to be part of it.

Here are the prayer needs for ZPV:

• Our combination meeting, DRIVE, with both campuses is August 30. Please pray for continued unity for both sites.
• As school starts, so will our youth meetings at our home and after Friday night Karns City High home football games at the church. Pray for God to impact these students.
• Our new EQUIP classes start on September 15. We will have two (yes, we’ve doubled our number of classes!) offerings this year for the adults: Bible story 201 (OT Testament with poetry and prophets) and a Beth Moore study on the fruits of the Spirit for the ladies.
• On September 20, we won’t go to church (ok, we will for a bit). We have our first ever One Day event where we will go out and bless our community with work projects. Both Zion campuses will participate.
• As a whole, Zion would like to see the commitment to pray rise in our church and in the area. We have some ideas, but the best way is for God to convince us! We want to trust Him to work and not just us doing things on our own. Pray for the mission and vision of Zion as a whole.
• For the Olkowski’s, our first birdie leaves the nest over Labor Day weekend. Trish and I will take Jessyca to Boston while she attends Northeastern. Ally’s (sophomore) volleyball season will start soon as well as Mike (8th grade) in football. We are excited about the school year for all three kids.
  
  You receive an update from me each month, but feel free to let me know how you are doing. You can email me at joe@zionlife.com or directly to ZPV’s address.
  
  You are a blessing to us!
  
  In Christ,
  
  
  
  Pastor Joe
  Zion of Petroleum Valley

HG Wells' fiction

H.G. Wells cornered the market on new ideas. In terms of science fiction stories, aliens, time travel, mutations, and space travel are common themes. One could argue that Wells thought of these things first. Every sci-fi movie and book owes a nod to him. However, he also thought traditional ideas kept mankind primitive and from evolving (yes, Wells loved Darwin). Back in the early 1900’s, he shook the world with radical ideas of sexual freedom (he had an “open” marriage), birth control, and especially faith in mankind to grow and improve through education and technology. It sounded good until that pesky WWI started. Wells tried to preach his gospel again, but WWII and Hitler crimped his style. At the end of his life, he was frustrated that no one listened to him.

Wells offered a band-aid for terminal cancer. The cure is beyond ideas. Jesus offers a solution that touches our very nature. Since mankind hit the earth and abandoned God, he has tried new things, but he has needed a nature transplant all along. Jesus said, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" So, rather than pass death along, we believe in Jesus, and he changes us at the source. We do not just live radically different or adopt a radical philosophy. New social rules or technology or education will not improve us personally or as a race. We become radically different only when our core nature changes. In fact it’s so different, we splash living water on everyone around us.

Pastor Joe