Bible

A Glowing Witness

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“The more I have read the Bible and studied the life of Jesus, the more I have become convinced that Christianity spreads best not through force but through fascination.“

Shane Claiborne

I believe in evangelism. Right after Bible college I joined SOS Ministries as a full-time evangelist. I was there for three years living in a ministry house in the Mission district. We did high-visibility street work, preaching and leading teams to various parts of the City. This was in the 1980s and the City was pretty challenging.

I was primarily a street preacher and a team leader.

San Francisco is a city of 800,000 people. The work was intense. I remember once I was leading a Church team on Haight-Ashbury, and I was punched in the face by a backslidden Christian who strenuously objected to the Gospel being preached. I tried to respond in humility and kindness, even though I thought my nose was broken. (It wasn’t.)

Over the years I have come to see that the most powerful witness is a joyful and loving character that’s submitted to Christ.

Walking through the dusty roads and journeying into the small villages of Judea we read of the incredible hold that Jesus had on the hearts of men. They were fascinated by Him. People came face to face with God’s presence and it grabbed them. They traveled great distances to meet Him.

“And all the people were amazed, and said, “Can this be the Son of David?”

Matthew 12:23; see also Luke 5:26

As we submit to His Spirit we begin to understand this same amazing dynamic. It’s not us, it’s Him. And it will always be Him. The fruits of His presence are becoming very visible. Jesus is living inside of us!

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

Galatians 5:22-23

I remember visiting a Christian commune in the early 70s. I was a young believer with a ton of questions. I recall the peace, humility, and joy I saw on the faces of these brothers and sisters. I instinctively knew that I was encountering Jesus. And it shook me in a good way, a deeply supernatural way.

Please do not remove the presence of Jesus from your evangelism.

If you ask me, I will tell you. Jesus is still fascinates, and it’s His residence in you that still touches people. Evangelism is far more than the ability to recite facts and good arguments. It’s something far more.

And yet I still believe in high visibility evangelism. God’s word must be proclaimed openly and without compromise. But 40 years have passed now,and I have come to see that our faith spreads best through our example.

Perhaps He must be seen as well as to be heard?

“Soon we shall be up there with Christ. God did not mean us to be happy without Him; but God would first have us to be witnesses for Him down here, to hold out as much light as we can.”

    G.V. Wigram

Braided Up With God Himself

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wait_bench_ocean

“Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.”

Isaiah 40:31

The particular word “wait” is a force to be reckoned with. It’s not used passively in the Scriptures. It does not mean to be apathetic or lazy. Sometimes we wait in line at the grocery store, or maybe we’re waiting for a phone call. We regularly wait all the time, we don’t even realize it.

The Hebrew word for ‘wait’ is special. It’s qāvâ. It means, ‘to bind together by twisting.’

It will sometimes mean to work like a fisherman who repairs his nets to get them ready for tomorrow’s task.

(There are always holes to mend after a long night’s work.)

When I truly wait on God, I realize that I’m actually repairing myself for His heart and for His work.

  • Seeing His face
  • Hearing His voice
  • Keeping pace with Him, whether He moves or doesn’t

It’s a fascinating way of describing something, isn’t it? Sometimes, when we think of waiting only in the context of the English language, it can become a frustrating delay. This often causes us to miss out on the true meaning of ‘wait’.

I strongly believe that the Holy Spirit wants us to understand this. Sadly, we are often held back by our own definitions, rather than embracing the definitions found in God’s Word.

“The LORD is good to those who WAIT for him,
to the soul who seeks him.”

Psalm 27:14

For those of us who are sick – in body or mind – being told to “wait on the Lord” can be difficult to accept. It’s common for us to feel frustrated with this because we don’t fully grasp the true meaning of ‘waiting.’ We get close to understanding it, but we never quite reach that simple word.

“WAIT for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
WAIT for the LORD!”

Psalm 27:14

He is now the strong cord I am braided into. (Perhaps this is how He imparts strength to His people?) We need this, and the Lord is quite eager to lead us into this new kind of intimacy.

“The LORD is good to those who WAIT for him,
to the soul who seeks him.”

Lamentations 3:25

The promise in Isaiah 40:31 talks about getting new strength, like an eagle’s wings, a holy energy. This verse is important for us, we need this kind of strength right now. I just want to inspire you during your prayer time to become consciously and purposefully connected to the Lord.

It’s only then can we can put our nets back together again.

“Waiting for God is not laziness. Waiting for God is not going to sleep. Waiting for God is not the abandonment of effort. Waiting for God means, first, activity under command; second, readiness for any new command that may come; third, the ability to do nothing until the command is given.”

    G. Campbell Morgan

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Sitting on God’s Couch

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“The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”

Psalm 25:14

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.”

Deut. 29:29

What I need to share with you is privileged information, profoundly insightful yet delicate in nature. Not every believer will understand or resonate with the depths of this revelation. Some will readily agree with the truths I will unveil, finding comfort and clarity in them, while others might struggle to grasp the significance of the message. This is a secret but not secretive; it is an invitation to explore a deeper relationship with the divine. Every Christian can enter into this profound understanding if they choose to open their hearts and minds. Some will accept this call willingly, embracing the journey of discovery, and some won’t, perhaps choosing to remain within their comfort zones, unaware of the profound impact this knowledge could have on their spiritual walk. Yet, for those who are willing to seek, an incredible path of enlightenment and connection awaits them.

“Then Jesus strictly warned them not to tell anyone about Him.” Mark 8:30

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3

Learning His secrets–

  • Intimacy with God: Seeking Him personally, not just intellectually. 
  • Fear & Awe: Having reverence and respect for God (Psalm 25:14). 
  • Dependence on the Spirit: Relying on the Holy Spirit for understanding, as humans cannot know these things on their own (1 Corinthians 2:10-12). 
  • Faith & Surrender: Trusting God’s revealed truths and surrendering to His will, even when answers are withheld. 

To understand His special things is not automatic. I encourage you to come and sit, read and pray. And listen. It will come to you by grace through His blood.

When God Became a Man

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“The central miracle asserted by Christians is the incarnation. They say that God became man.”

C.S. Lewis

Incarnation, the central Christian doctrine that God became flesh, that God assumed a human nature and became a man in the form of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the second person of the Trinity.

Christ was completely God and fully man at the same time. This teaching is clear and I honestly can’t wrap my mind around it. Becoming man did not diminish God–if anything it was an addition and not a subtraction.

Now it’s true that Jesus voluntary set aside all of the prerogative of being God–He chose to lay His deity aside. Please think these verses through–let them sink deeply into your hearts. It really is an awesome passage.

Though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 

Philippians 2:6-8, ESV

Have a blessed Christmas. Know deep down that He has come for you, He holds you and cares for you. He will never, ever leave you!

Never, ever.

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Maker of the Universe

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Who understands this mystery? Even the angels are baffled!

The Maker of the universe
As Man, for man was made a curse.
The claims of law which He had made,
Unto the uttermost He paid.

2

His holy fingers made the bough
Which grew the thorns that crowned His brow.
The nails that pierced His hands were mined
In secret places He designed.

3

He made the forest whence there sprung
The tree on which His body hung.
He died upon a cross of wood,
Yet made the hill on which it stood.

4

The sky that darkened o’er His head
By Him above the earth was spread.
The sun that hid from Him its face
By His decree was poised in space.

5

The spear which spilled His precious blood
Was tempered in the fires of God.
The grave in which His form was laid,
Was hewn in rocks His hands had made.

6

The throne on which He now appears
Was His from everlasting years.
But a new glory crowns His brow.
And every knee to Him shall bow.

“The Maker of the Universe,” lyrics by Phil Keaggy, 1986

He Came for Us!

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by Pastor David Taylor

“The central miracle asserted by Christians is the incarnation. They say that God became man.” 

CS Lewis

John 1:1-5

One of my favorite places to fish in Alaska is Kodiak Island, where I tried to catch silver salmon with some friends. Just as we were setting up camp, the sun disappeared, and the temperature dropped quickly. While we struggled with our tents, the wind joined in. Then, it started pouring rain—like someone dumped a bucket of water on us! I woke up at midnight to strong winds flattening my tent, making me wonder if fishing Kodiak was really worth it. 😁

But in the morning, the storm had moved on. The sky transformed into something gold! The sun shone brightly, making the world come alive. The night gracefully stepped aside, allowing the darkness to fade away and make room for a new, vibrant day.

I realized then that’s the way of Christmas. 

We have an Advent hope. The light doesn’t negotiate with darkness; there’s no struggle. The darkness retreats when the light arrives. Plain and simple.

Advent hope seems slow, but honestly, it’s unstoppable.

When Jesus came into the world, nothing could stop Him. His birth is recognized during Advent. His arrival was predicted in the scriptures. Jesus came to take away our sins and offer us eternal life.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus is God in the flesh, fully divine and fully man, who came to save us from our sin. This is basic Christianity.

One: The Word Who Always Was, (vv. 1-2)

“In the beginning” reminds us of Genesis, where God created everything (Genesis 1:1). Through the Spirit, he shows that he has taken an important step towards us with the arrival of Jesus. He is dedicated to saving us.

God created us to know and enjoy him (Gen 3:8). We must understand that sin entered the world and screwed everything up. Jesus came to sacrifice Himself to secure our salvation, restoring his image in those who trust him. 

Jesus Christ restores all that we lost because of our sin.

In the beginning was the Word. The Word did not come into existence in Mary’s womb but He always was. The Word is eternal. Before it all began, he was there, and he was coming for us.

The phrase “the word was also with God” indicates that the Word is from God but is closely connected to Him (Mk 6:3; 11:4; 2 Cor 5:8; 1 John 1:2). The Word is also God and represents the eternal Son of God, who is both with God and is God. He is the Word and the Son, distinct yet unified with God.

Two: The Word Who is the Creator, (v. 3)

Everything we see was made through Jesus, and nothing exists without him (see Col 1:16-17). The Old Testament says that God created the heavens and the earth, while the New Testament shows that the Word is the true Creator. This highlights Christ’s key role in creation and his divine nature. Both Testaments emphasize the relationship between God the Father and Jesus, confirming that all existence is intentional and meaningful. 

Recognizing Jesus as the Creator enhances our understanding of his authority, showing us that all things were created through him and find their purpose in him.

Three: The Word Who is the Light, (vs. 4-5). 

We must understand that we’re born spiritually dead and blind. But that can change.

Jesus is the light and every one of us is spiritually blind to truth and beauty and glory (John 17:24). Jesus overcomes our darkness and now gives life. Jesus does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. His love is seeking us.

The word, the gospel, brings forth life and light so that we are born again, literally born from above, and so we see (John 3:3). The light shines into our darkness and the darkness leaves us.

From a sermon given at Community Christian Church, December 7, 2025

David Taylor has been a follower of Christ since 1983 and a pastor since 1988. He moved from Los Angeles to Homer, Alaska in 2004.

The Church of Many Colors

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“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose that he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ephesians 3:10-11

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children because he was the son of his old age. Also, he made him a tunic of many colors.“

Genesis 37:3

The word “manifold” is a very curious word. In the Old Testament, this particular word is used to describe Joseph’s coat of many colors. I can only imagine that it was striped like a rainbow, (or maybe even tied-dyed?) Whatever it was, Joseph was quite distinctive as he wore his colorful coat.

Joseph’s coat

Paul in Ephesians 3, intentionally borrows this word to explain “the manifold wisdom of God.”

Paul uses this dramatic imagery of Joseph’s coat to describe God’s wonderful wisdom that has saturated the Church. There is something variegated in this wisdom (balance, comprehension, understanding) that infuses His Church.

First of all, we are people of diverse colors. There is a wisdom given to each believer. This defines us and portrays us to a color-starved world. God’s own wisdom, defined quite incredibly in our hearts and spirits, describes our coloration and hue.

Some are merciful, and other believers are bold. Some are kind, others are discerning.

Some are gentle, and others are prophetic and sharp. Some are artists, while others know how to roof a house properly. A few are discerning, and others can endure much. But our personal coloring should never threaten another. Those who see only blue– should never be shaken when another sees yellow.

Our fleshly attitudes would militate against this understanding. We seem to insist that everyone be green, or yellow even. But this isn’t how God through the Holy Spirit comes to our spirits. We should receive each brother and sister, in the wisdom that God has chosen, to flow and grow and give. It seems we are each a prism that reflects a certain light.

We can see the “gifts of the Holy Spirit” in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

They are carefully distributed, but definitely never dumped. They come out in many ways through many different personalities and backgrounds. But it seems we are slowly learning that each believer has a definite place and purpose.

I suppose that pride confines us into something that is restrictive. We prefer ideas and proclivities we can control (or maybe label).  Perhaps, it is we that need to be adjusted. We should see the incredible broadness of God’s grace, and how each one is touched and shaped.

The Church is now God’s unique reservoir of wisdom and grace for the world.

We gleam with the certain light of His presence and goodness. Each believer radiates an aspect of grace from the heart of God to others. We are indeed the “Church of many colors.”

“The complaint that church is boring is never made by people in awe.” 

RC Sproul

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We Serve, First of All

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servant-king

“But it is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant.”

Mark 10:44

I admit that I’m processing something right now, and it isn’t easy.

I suppose its implications could turn everything ‘upside down,’ at least for me anyway. Some scientists have postulated that our planet is due for a complete magnetic switchover. This is when the north becomes south and vice versa. My issues at this moment are not quite that cosmic.

There are 7,000,000,000+ people now alive on this planet.

Sometimes I wonder if many of my issues come from not seeing this. It seems that there’s an intoxication of success when we become increasingly confused over ‘who’ we are. We think it’s about our efforts, our giftedness. Pride drives us, even among supposedly mature Christian believers.

3 “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. 5 You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.”

Philippians 2

Jesus was not driven like we seem to be.

We, on the other hand, think we need to be assertive, (at least the Christian version of it) and push our way forward. However, Jesus’ message and teaching were all about emptying Himself of being God and becoming a servant of servants. This is the arresting fact we fail to consider–

Jesus did all of this while wearing a towel, not a crown.

John 13:3-5

He could have done a ‘teaching’ on servanthood, or maybe direct a symposium on “slave theory” and I’m certain it would have been more than sufficient. But instead, Jesus put ‘skin on His words’ and actually got down on His knees to wash dirty feet. His disciples freaked out when they saw him do this. You and I, witnesses of this, would pretty much do the same.

It was something they could never unsee, nor ever forget.

6 “Though he was God,
    he did not think of equality with God
    as something to cling to.

7 Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
    he took the humble position of a slave
    and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,

8  he humbled himself in obedience to God
   and died a criminal’s death on a cross.”

How can we not do this, and why is seeing Him serving like this so brain-flipping?

This is a hard question to ask, but to be perfectly honest, does our discipleship include emptying ourselves daily? Can we find peace and fulfillment by becoming an unknown? Is this what we’re missing in becoming Christlike? These are very hard questions.

“Humility is perfect quietness of heart, It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me.”

“It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.”   

Andrew Murray

(All verses in this post are from Philippians 2, NLT, unless noted.)

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Furnace People Understand

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The Furnace

“I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.“

Isaiah 48:10

“Once we have come through the ‘furnace of humiliation,’ desperately, fearfully clinging to Christ for all He is worth, then we are fully equipped to march into somebody else’s furnace.”

Becoming a real person starts with the responses that we’ve made in the presence of Jesus. Amazingly, this simple faith becomes the prerequisite, granting us the right to enter into the promises of the Lord. If you have those promises you may enter. However, without faith in those promises, you won’t find anything real.

You will not be able to handle the Kingdom of God unless you’re walking out of a life of brokenness and humility!

Furnace people will often recognize those without any real and tangible connection with God’s work. There are furnace promises, but many, without truly understanding will walk around in unreality. Often ‘they get religion.’ These are those who land on “the rocky soil.” They become ‘quasi-disciples’ who will do and say things that they really don’t really understand.

But furnace people have a connection to that which is honest and true. The Holy Spirit refuses to give up. These people can’t tolerate anything false or manipulative.  Their own hearts are being transformed by the fire, and it seems only then are qualified to minister God’s grace. Only furnace people can enter. You will know them by their scars.

The Church has a tremendous need for those who have withstood the furnace of humiliation.

After we endure its ugliness and its great evil, we’ll discover that we’re in an altogether different place than when we first started. The Church is waiting for those who went in and then come out on the other side.

Again, the furnace of affliction will have done its work.

I was thinking today about Joseph, and his ordeal, as found in the Book of Genesis chapters 37-50.  He was a rare kind of person. Perhaps, one in a thousand. You may emulate but never exceed his faith. His confidence in the Lord was true and came from his lousy circumstances.

Furnace people have the ability to function gracefully at this particular stage.

Furnace people are sovereignly brought to a place where they can minister the grace of God into desperate situations. We must convince ourselves, that furnace people have a gift.  They have been through the worst.  They may be battered and bruised.  But they still stand.  We must look to those who have become the gracious agents of a loving God.

Our brothers and sisters have carried the Word with wisdom and grace. They come to us, through the fire.

But will we receive them? I hope so.

My hope is that you will personally grasp what God has worked for you. That really is your truest calling.  The things good or bad, that have happened are part of how you’ll understand grace. He waits for you to respond.  Will you come to Him, through the grace you find in flames?

Frequently the most gracious people you’ll ever meet are those who endured God’s furnace.

 “He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.”

Malachi 3:3

***

His Love Persists, Psalm 136

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Psalm 136

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.”

Psalm 136:1, ESV

Repetition is when a single word or phrase is used multiple times in short succession for effect. It can help emphasize a point. This Psalm certainly does that.

Since this post is pretty much about repetition, I’m going to share some different versions that different translators have interpreted the last phrase of all 26 verses. Keep in mind the last phrase is used is repeating itself word for word in each translation.

Now here are seven different English translations of the end of every verse.

AMP: …for His lovingkindness (graciousness, mercy, compassion) endures forever.

NASB: …for His faithfulness is everlasting.

KJV: …for his mercy endureth for ever.

NCV: …His love continues forever.

CJB: …for his grace continues forever.

MSG: …His love never quits.

NET: …for his loyal love endures.

The word, translated in these different ways, is “hesed” in Hebrew. It means a forever love, loyalty, faithfulness or kindness. It is something everlasting or eternal that’s based all on covenant. Yes, every translation is different, but the same.

I suppose this repeated phrase (26 times) may seem a bit redundant. I for one am prone to skip Psalms 136 because of that, I mean it seems boring. Just repeating this over and over I start to wonder if there’s something better to read.

But we dare not make this mistake.

If we respectfully dismantle this phrase we find it deals with seeing God as eternally steadfast. We are called to state out loud His love for us that never wavers or ends. A “steady” forever love that will not change, flicker, or diminish. It just goes on and on and on.

The phrase then moves even deeper than that. “Endures forever,” shapes the whole thought. You might say that these two words extend or amplify the complete verse and strengthen the entire Psalm.

O.K. Here’s another bone to chew on.

First, I need to point out that the first part of each verse states the unique circumstance that declares what exactly has been done. For instance notice the wonder and power of each verse. This is verse 15, for example,

“He overthrew Pharaoh and his host in the Red Sea, (the unique phrase)
    for his steadfast love endures forever.” (the repeated phrase)

The first part describes a miracle of deliverance from Egypt. The second is that same repeated phrase we find in all 26 verses. First the unique phrase, and but then comes the repeated one. But let’s add even more flavor. We must teach ourselves to remember. You must consider each event He has led you through to be a testimony to others.

You then must tell your children about your own personal experiences with God.

We forget these miracles unless we consciously recall what God has done. Miracles, healings, provisions, and His amazing grace. Never disremember these things. Bring them to mind, over and over again. You should never forget those “God-things.” They’re uniquely yours. He has done distinctive and tremendous things for you alone.

I guess the main point of this post is to emphasize to you to value those unique miracles that you’ve experienced in your own life.

In life it seems we remember what is important to us. What He has done for you is your own unique testimony. It’s yours, and yours alone. What you’ve experienced is completely your own testimony.

When we enter a forever kind of an endless eternity that each of us will have amazing stories to tell each other about God’s special touch, His miracles and all of the grace and forgiveness that He uniquely loved us with. We all will have our own unique and singular stories. What we share will be our evidence of His love.

That’s pretty amazing when you think about it.

But please remember.

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony,”

Rev. 12:11, ESV