Humankind: Born righteous? or evil?

As we've been studying the book of James over the past couple months, I'm reminded that there's much to work on in my faith.  I'm reminded that my heart tends to gravitate toward those things that go against the nature of God - tends to gravitate toward what is instinctively inside of me.

Which leads to the question:  Are we born righteous (good) and some evil comes out from time to time?  Or, another way to ask this question is:  Are we born evil and righteousness is seen from time to time?

From my understanding of what God has done for me, I understand that I am a person whose natural inclination is to curse, not bless; to fight, not seek peace; to satisfy my desires, not place others above myself.  Why do my eyes gravitate to the beauty of other women when my wife is just as beautiful and more loving?  Why do I want to rush to be first in line at the supermarket with a cartload of groceries when the person behind me has two items?  Why do I put the blame on someone else for the mishap when I was clearly the one at fault?   I could keep going on, but I think the point is made. 

Humankind is not born righteous.  We can only be made righteous through the repentance of our sins and misdeeds in the name of Christ's blood.  My natural tendencies are to do what is good for me.  God's tendencies, that He wants to see lived out in me, is to do good for others.

James 3 makes it very clear that man's (all humankind) nature seeks to devour and curse his neighbor, but out of the same person comes praises to God.  James says this can't be.  He says a grapevine bears grapes; a fig tree bears figs; a salt spring produces salt water.  But the problem is when humans believe they are basically good, they fail to realize that the only way they can be made good (righteous) is through Christ alone.  And once Christ's nature enters a person, there is a battle that must be fought daily between the natures.  Who will win out -  the sin nature we're born with, or the Spirit nature we're born again with? 

The battle between good and evil exists within all of us.  We start evil - we start selfish.  We can end up good by taking on the nature of the very Christ who saves us.  James says in chapter 3, verse 17 - "But the wisdom that comes from Heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere."  James makes it very clear that these attributes come from Heaven, not within man.  And the only way these attributes can become part of us is to ask Jesus to make them part of who we are.  And the only way these attributes take over and win the battle for the nature in our lives is to nurture and practice them daily.  

Humankind:  Born righteous? or evil?  Well fortunately, God makes the path to righteousness for us through His Son Jesus Christ.  The evil nature within all of us doesn't have to win out.  It only does when we give it permission to do so.  So let's fight for the nature God desires in all of us - "the wisdom that comes from Heaven....."

1st Outreach of LHCH

Wow!  What a day!  Everything from having my 1985 Ford F150 overheat on the way to the Hedgesville Elementary PTO Carnival at 7:50 AM to spending the evening in a misty cold climate watching my two sons play a double header in baseball, in which they won both.  My day has been full, yet so fulfilling, even with all the bad stuff that happened.

Today, was the first of many to come of what LifeHouse Hedgesville is all about.  And it was so exciting to see Christ's servants come out to serve a community in which there are no ties other than sharing the love of Jesus Christ. 

For me, church is expressed in many forms, and today we did church.  We worshipped God, not with song or preaching, but rather by honoring Him through our willingness to reach out to the community God has called us to minister to.  It was so exciting to interact with children and their parents.  What a great turnout!  We only hope and pray that our light did so shine that people who are searching for Christ will remember LifeHouse Hedgesville and one day give us the opportunity to share His love with them.

I had so much fun!  And I was extremely proud of my "possie" who were there from start to finish with smiles on their faces.  Today they used their talents to further invest in the Kingdom.  And I know God is smiling on their efforts.  Thanks for everything!

Thanks to the PTO for giving us the opportunity to come along side them and partner with them in raising funds for the important work they do for the school.  We hope it was a huge success.

Thanks to Hedgesville Elementary for giving us the opportunity to reach out to the children and parents of the Hedgesville community.  We hope the approximate 120 biodegradable watter bottles we gave as free gifts to those participating in the carnival are a reminder, everytime used, that we love them with no strings attached.

So, today was a great day!  Thank you Jesus for allowing us to serve you!  It is the greatest joy in all the earth.

Love Your Neighbor

Wow!  What a tough message to give this past Sunday, but truly a message that is clearly one of God's favorites.  Why?  Because, Jesus summed the Law into two commandments.  The first and greatest command is that humans are to love the Lord their God with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength.  The second is like it:  humans are to love their neighbors as they love themselves.

If Jesus stressed the importance of loving our neighbors, should we not take it seriously?  I know that this thing called "faith" is merely expressed in relationship:  a relationship with God that is to be first and foremost in our lives, and then relationships with the no-so-perfect human neighbors God brings into our lives.  And the hard part for us to grasp is this:  How we treat our neighbor is how we treat God.  We can't say we love God, but hate our neighbor.  Instead, by loving our neighbor, we prove and show God we love Him.

So, I personally feel it's much more important for me to show my love through actions than to simply express my love through words.  And the best way to show this love is in how I treat my neighbors, even those who hurt me.

Prayer Support

Hello everyone,

Here's my 2nd go round.  Lost the 1st one minutes ago.  Makes you sick to your stomach when you lose time and there's not a lot of extra to go round.

Hope all are doing well.  Caroline and I can't thank you enough for your prayers and support in this mission of planting a church.

Here are some items to continue praying over.

1.  May 14th (May 21st raindate) - Hedgesville Elementary Parent Teacher Organization Fundraising Carnival - 12 - 3 PM at Hedgesville Elementary 
Met with PTO a week ago.  I told them we would provide the following:  15+ volunteers to serve and man different stations throughout carnival; pay for moon bounces so that they can use extra money to continue doing good for the students; and provide a free gift from the church to all parents attending carnival.  Meet again on March 22nd to discuss more details.  They are completely thrilled to have our help and were taken back by our offer to pay for $700 worth of moon bounce rentals.  This offer led them to thank us by mentioning LHCH in their next newsletter.  You see, you do what's good and right, and God provides free advertising:)

2.  March 27th - Second Informational Meeting on LHCH - 9 AM in Theatre 1.
Will discuss more thoroughly what the service will look like, and begin to develop ministry teams.  Please feel free to invite friends from LHE whom you think would desire to join us on this mission.  Feel free to invite people from your sphere of influence; work, school, neighborhood.
 
3.  March 20th - Message by me at both services
Pray God would go before me to soften hearts to hear a truth on love that is probably one of the most difficult things to do:  Love Your Neighbor.  Ask that God use me to proclaim truth that will inspire those who hear to take action in living out this command.

4.  Continue to pray for laborers.  Ask God to send us persons with humble hearts and whose talents are to be used in connection with this ministry.  The two most visible ministries that are in need are children's ministry and sound/worship, though there's always room for growth in every ministry as we will create teams.

We're not just here to do ministry - to say that it's done.  We're here to do ministry for the Lord, which means well and with our best effort.  Remember, this is not about any of us.  If it is, then we miss our purpose and God's favor.  Our mission is merely to bring honor and glory to God through our words and our actions.  Our mission is to show people what God really looks like.  It's when we do this that we see good overcome evil and find people being attracted to a loving God who wants what is best for them.

Thanks again for your prayers and support.  Looking forward to what God's going to do!!!!!

In Christ,
JD 

1st Informational Meeting on LifeHouse Church Hedgesville

If interested in viewing the vision and direction of the church in regard to outreach, discipleship, and children's ministry, email me at the link below and I will forward the presentation to you.  Thanks.

Connect with JD

Prelaunch Timeline

Pre-Launch Timeline

Date                                  Time                Meeting                       Location
Sunday, March 6      6:00-8:00 PM      Life Group                  Cardwell home
Sunday, March 20    6:00-8:00 PM      Life Group                  Cardwell home
Sunday, March 27    9:00 AM          2nd Informational Mtg.   Leitersburg, Th 1
Sunday, April 3        6:00-8:00 PM      Life Group                  Rich home
Sunday, April 17      9:00 AM          3rd Informational Mtg.   Leitersburg, Th 1
Sunday, May 1         6:00-8:00 PM      Life Group                  Cardwell home
Saturday, May 14
(Raindate: May 21) TBA       Student Celebration Outreach   Hedgesville  Elem
Sunday, May 15       6:00-8:00 PM      Life Group                  Rich home
Sunday, May 22       9:00 AM          4th Informational Mtg     Leitersburg, Th 1
Sunday, June 5         6:00-8:00 PM      Life Group                  Cardwell home
Sunday, June 19       6:00-8:00 PM      Life Group                  Rich home
Sunday, June 26       10:30 AM       1st Preview Service         Hedgesville Elem
Sunday, July 17        6:00-8:00 PM Canvassing Hedgesville  TBA
Sunday, July 24       10:30 AM        2nd Preview Service        Hedgesville Elem
Sunday, August 7     6:00-8:00 PM Canvassing Hedgesville  TBA
Sunday, August 14  10:30 AM        3rd Preview Service        Hedgesville Elem
Sunday, August 21   6:00-8:00 PM Canvassing James Rumsey TBA
Sunday, August 28  10:30 AM        4th Preview Service        Hedgesville Elem
M-F, September 5-9 N/A               Week of Prayer & Fasting N/A
Saturday, September 10 TBA            Celebration Picnic         TBA
Sunday, September 11 PUBLIC LAUNCH!

Locations and times are subject to change. Updated information will be posted through facebook and email. Please contact JD if you would like to subscribe to updates.

CARDWELL HOME
JD & Caroline Cardwell
181 Burdette Drive
Martinsburg, WV 25404
H: 304-262-1685
C: 304-261-3269
E: lifehousechurchhedgesville@gmail.com

What is Truth?

Is truth real? Can truth be defined as absolute? Is it something that is only relevant to the person and the circumstance he/she is in?

In the Bible, John 4, Jesus was talking to a Samaritan woman who had divorced 5 times and was now shacking up with another man. He exposed her sin by telling her this fact about herself. She didn't like the way the conversation was going so she began to argue over the fact that the Jews saw the Samaritans like people view West Virginian's today (uneducated hillbillies, living in shacks with vehicles jacked up on concrete blocks, who worship with snakes.) She said to Him, "Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." His response to her was: "A time is coming and has now come (referring to himself) when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for these are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth."

So what is truth? Truth is understanding that God is spirit and we are designed to worship Him in spirit and in truth. God has shown Himself to us through His word and through our own personal experiences. He has shown us some things which we love, and some things which we find painful. He has shown us that He is holy, loving, caring, and compassionate. He has also shown us that He hates sin, is just, and will one day judge all of humankind. But one thing that can never be forgotten is that God is patient with us and grants us grace. If He were not, we would all have burn marks on us from the lightening bolts He would strike us with everytime we mess up.

Jesus was asked this same question, "What is Truth?," some 2000 years ago in John 18:36-38. But let's take Pilate's question and paraphrase it into something we can understand because we've probably thought or asked the same question ourselves: "Jesus, you're talking about truth. But what makes your truth more absolute than mine? You're just a man like I am a man. How can you, or any of us, claim to know what is truth?"

The answer Jesus gave actually came prior to Pilate's question when He said, "Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."

Take for example this story by Frank Peretti about a neighborhood summer playground if you take the absolute truth from the picture.

Posted on the fence of the playground are some rules: "No hitting. No profanity. Only age ten and under on the monkey bars. Only age eight and older on the basketball court. Ten-minute limit on the tetherball court." The rules work well because mingling through the crowd of children is Mrs. Kravitz. She has a keen eye, and if you misbehave, she will give you a pink slip. Two pink slips and you're out of the playground for the summer.

But take Mrs. Kravitz out of the picture. How long do you think it will take before the rules begin to be violated? "Hey, he hit me!" "She spit on me!" "Hey, get those kids of the monkey bars! Little kids are getting hurt!" "Hey, he cut the tetherball off!"

Who will soon rule the playground? The biggest, the strongest, the most antagonistic. That's what is happening in our society, because there is no regard for the rules. The Ten Commandments are no longer obeyed, and the Bible is no longer respected as a source of authority in our culture. You take away the absolute truth and chaos takes its place.

If we want to know truth, then there is only one source - the Word of God. Yea, some can say that the Bible is not valid for us today. Well, if that's the case, then we no longer have Mrs. Kravitz to provide order on the playground. And without her, we see fear, discouragement, lack of esteem, hopelessness, etc. because there's a "new sheriff in town" called self - the bully.

Think about it this way. Truth for the bully is to beat a person down to get what he wants. Truth for the adulterer is to lust after another woman because he's allowed. Truth for the murderer is taking life for the mere pleasure of power. And truth for you and me is nothing more than getting what we desire. Add everyone's truths - their wants and desires together, the sum is pure chaos.

So what is truth? It's merely listening to Jesus and doing what He says.