Who Do You Think You Are?

 “He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”
 – John 1:27

During Super Bowl 39, a mortgage company sponsored a really creative 30-second ad. A husband comes home with a bag of groceries and a bouquet of flowers. Obviously he wants to do something really nice for his wife. He walks in, says “Hello!” to his fluffy white cat and immediately begins making dinner. He puts a pot of spaghetti sauce on the stove, and as it simmers, he sets the table, where he places candles and arranges the flowers.

But as he’s cutting up vegetables with a large knife, the cat jumps on top of the counter and tips over the pan full of spaghetti sauce. Then, the little white furball brilliantly leaps into the middle of the red puddle on the floor. Trying to keep a bad situation from getting worse, the guy picks up his sauce-drenched cat with one hand while still holding the large knife in the other … just as his wife walks through the door. To her, it looks like “Friday the 13^th: Cat Edition.”

At that point the commercial flashes the tagline: “Don’t judge too quickly. We won’t.”

In Jesus’ day, plenty of people judged too quickly. Some jumped to the conclusion that Jesus was just an ordinary guy from an ordinary town. They were wrong. Some people jumped to the conclusion that John the Baptist was the Christ—the promised Messiah. They were just as wrong. In John 1, John the Baptist set the record straight about who he was, and who Jesus Christ is.

The Jewish leaders wanted to know what this rogue preacher, John the Baptist, was up to. So the Jewish authorities sent a group of priests and priests’ assistants (Levites) to find out who he was, what he was doing and why he was doing it (v. 19).

When they arrived, John the Baptist knew they wanted answers, especially to this question: “Are you the Christ—the promised Savior and King of Israel?” So, he jumped right in and confessed in verse 20: “I am NOT the Christ.” That answer cleared things up a bit, but not completely. The priests and Levites asked if he was Elijah, or the great Prophet foretold by Moses in Deuteronomy. John said, “I am not” (v. 21). After being 0 for 3 guessing who John the Baptist was, his questioners threw up their hands and asked, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” (v. 22). In other words, they looked John the Baptist straight in the eye and asked: “Who do you think you are?”

John responded by quoting Isaiah 40:3-4, saying, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord’” (v. 23). Not satisfied, they asked an important follow-up question: “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” (v. 25). John took this opportunity, once again, to point to Jesus: “Among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” (vs. 26-27).

The very next day, Jesus emerged from the crowd and walked toward John the Baptist. And John knew EXACTLY who He was. So John the Baptist announced: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the One I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me’” (vs. 29-30). And in case that wasn’t clear enough for everybody, in verse 34 John the Baptist said loud and clear for all to hear: “I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.”

Here are three important life lessons we can learn from John the Baptist’s example:

Life Lesson #1: Fulfilling God’s will for your life isn’t just about knowing who you ARE. It’s also about knowing who you AREN’T. John the Baptist was one of the most effective followers of Christ in the New Testament, in part because he knew exactly who he wasn’t. Time and again some of his most devoted followers wanted to make him out to be something much bigger than he was, and every time he refused to be put on a pedestal. Do you know who you are? And do you know who you aren’t? Stop trying to be someone you’re not. Don’t pretend to be greater than Christ has called you to be. But just as importantly, don’t pretend to be less than Christ has called you to be. Know who you are. And know who you aren’t.

Life Lesson #2: The greatest Christian leaders are those who use the spotlight to shine a brighter spotlight on Jesus. When the crowd looked at John the Baptist and became attached to him, he redirected their attention, crying out, “Don’t look at me! Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” If you are a leader, it’s natural for your followers to like you. But do you lead them to like Jesus more? As you lead, some followers of yours may think too much of you and think too little of Jesus. One of the signs of a great Christian leader is how effectively he/she can direct the spotlight back to Jesus.

Life Lesson #3: People will be more likely to listen to what you have to say about Christ when you are humble and transparent. Don’t pretend you have all the answers, because you don’t. Don’t pretend you weren’t a fool before you became a Christian, because you were. Don’t pretend to be anything or anyone you’re not. Just be the humble, sincere follower of Christ that God created you to be. You’ll find that more people around you will listen to what you have to say about Jesus.

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join us at our great NEW worship location in Apple Valley (16209 Kamana Road) at 9am and 11am. You can also join us livestreaming online at Facebook or YouTube. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

Pray For Your City

“Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” - Jeremiah 29:7 

About a month ago, my family and I adopted a sweet little Welsh Corgi puppy named Finley. In this turbulent year, he’s been a breath of fresh air. For many of us, 2020 has been one of the hardest years of our lives. And honestly, some of us have been freaking out. But Finley doesn’t have a care in the world. Finley’s not worried about COVID. He’s not worried about paying the bills or keeping food on the table. And he won’t be any more stressed out on November 3rd than he’ll be on November 2nd. He doesn’t CARE who wins the Presidential election. He’s oblivious to all of it. At times I’ve found myself thinking, “It would be kind of nice to be Finley.”

Wouldn’t it be great to be oblivious to all of the problems and stressors in our world today? Of course it would. But you know what? God has something even better planned for you and me: Peace and prosperity without needing to be oblivious.

In Jeremiah 29, the people of Judah had been exiled to Babylon where, basically, they were prisoners of war. It was the hardest thing they’d ever endured, they felt as if God had abandoned them. But through Jeremiah, God gave His people a fresh perspective on their captivity. They felt their situation was hopeless, because they had taken their eyes off of God and were instead focusing on their problems. All they could think about was how to get out of Dodge as quickly as possible.

But God wanted His people to understand that they were in Babylon because He had PUT them there. And He had put them there for a reason, a reason that was going to take a number of years to carry out .... 70 years, to be exact. So, God tells them in verses 5-6 to “build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too my have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.” While 70 years in Babylon must have sounded like a downer, it was actually a message of true hope, because it was part of God’s master plan. And God’s plan is always the BEST plan for us.

In verse 7, God urges His people to get on board with His plan: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” It would have been natural for the exiles to feel bitterness and unforgiveness toward the Babylonians, because those are all parts of our old sinful nature. But the Jewish exiles were God’s people, and as such it was high time for them to stop living according to the flesh and start living according to the spirit. And the same goes for you and me.

When we have the Spirit of Jesus Christ living inside us, there is no room in our lives for bitterness, resentment, hatred or unforgiveness. There is no room for blaming everyone else for our problems. Instead of criticizing and blaming those who have made our lives difficult, God calls us to pray for their peace and prosperity. Some of us are harboring bitterness and resentment toward family members who have treated us like crud. Others of us are harboring bitterness and resentment toward political leaders who make decisions that we passionately disagree with. But let me ask you: Are you praying for them?

If you aren’t praying for them, why not? And if you’re praying for them to be arrested, or to get sick and die, that doesn’t count. Those are terrible prayers! God says, “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

You may not be crazy about the city you live in, whether it’s Victorville, Adelanto, Apple Valley, Hesperia or Phelan. But it’s where God put you, so you need to pray for it. If our hometown prospers…we too will prosper. Like many, I’m not too jazzed with California's Governor, Gavin Newsom, right now. I think he should declare all churches as “essential” and let churches in the High Desert get back inside their buildings. But regardless of how frustrated I am with him right now, that doesn’t change God’s command to me to pray for him and to seek his peace and prosperity. Because if Gov. Newsom and California prosper … we too will prosper.

Who ends up in office is important. But how Christians RESPOND to who ends up in office is even MORE important. It is both in our best interest and in God’s best interest that we seek the peace and prosperity of our city, our state, our nation, and the leaders who lead them. If America and its leaders prosper, we too will prosper. So this Tuesday, when new city council members and state and federal leaders are elected, there will be some new leaders you’re not crazy about. Who cares? Whether you like them or not is irrelevant. It doesn’t change God’s command to you to PRAY FOR THEM and seek the peace and prosperity of our city, our state, and our nation. Because if they prosper, you and I will also prosper.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Please join us for our live outdoor worship service Sundays at 9 a.m. at 17746 George Blvd. in Victorville. Or, join us online at 10 a.m. on our YouTube channel (Impact Christian Church) or on Facebook.

Try 20/20 Prayer in 2020!

“This, then, is how you should pray.” – Matthew 6:9a

It was a little over 20 years ago. I had been a pastor for only a month or two, and I remember saying to myself, “Dane, what were you thinking when you took this job?”

I didn’t say that because I wanted to jump ship. This church was great. But the reality had hit me: I was 25 years old, trying to teach God’s word to a group of people, most of whom were older than myself. And many of them had been Christians twice as long as I’d been alive! How could I possibly teach them anything?

Good question. And God gave me an even better answer: “No matter how old someone is in the church, I am much older. And no matter how wise someone is in the Church, My Word is wiser. So if you stick to prayerfully teaching My powerful word, your age will be irrelevant.”  What a marvelous insight that was to this young, insecure pastor. And it was during that early season of ministry that God taught me to pray—really pray. Learning to lean on God through prayer helped me do a task that was far too big and far too hard for me to do on my own. As a bonus, my relationship with God became much closer and more meaningful.

Do you long for that? Do you want to partner with God to do things that you could never accomplish on your own? Do you want your relationship with Christ to be closer than it’s ever been? Well, prayer is the key.

Not sure how to pray? Just take a look at Jesus’ prayer in Matthew 6:5-15. It’s usually called “The Lord’s Prayer,” but a more fitting name for it would be “The Disciples’ Prayer,” since Jesus gave it to us as an example to follow. And there’s a simple recipe based on this prayer that you can use right away to make your personal prayer times more enjoyable and more impactful. It’s easy to remember because it’s spelled out in four little letters: P-R-A-Y.

The “P” in PRAY stands for PRAISE. We all have times when we’re in crisis and don’t have time to pray anything but “God, help! Help!” But as a rule of thumb, just as The Lord’s Prayer begins with praise and adoration, so too should our prayers. Before we get into the “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!” petitions within our prayers, we should spend some time praising God for who He is and thanking Him for what He’s done.        

The “R” in PRAY stands for REPENT. Honestly, confession and repentance are almost non-existent in our prayers. When we DO remember to ask for forgiveness, we say something very short and vague like, “Lord, forgive me for my sins.” Well, that’s a start. But if our personal prayer times are going to be more powerful, we can’t be vague or half-hearted when bringing our sins to God. He takes our sins very seriously, and so should we. We know that in Christ, our sins are forgiven. But that’s beside the point. As we talk with God, we should grieve for our sins—our foul language, our bad tempers, our lustful thoughts, our lack of love and respect to our spouses—in order to truly repent.

The “A” in PRAY stands for ASK. Most of us are pretty good at asking. But we don’t always remember to think about the needs of those around us. So, let me suggest to you that you incorporate three kinds of asking into your prayers: 1) Ask for your church; 2) Ask for your community; 3) Ask for your family and yourself.

The “Y” in PRAY stands for YIELD. In the Garden of Gethsemene, when Jesus knew that his arrest and beating and crucifixion were just minutes away, he cried out in prayer, “Father, let this cup pass from me! But not my will, but Yours be done.” In the same spirit, Jesus teaches us in the Lord’s Prayer to ask, “Your will be done.”

Praise, Repent, Ask, Yield: Four critical pieces to the prayer puzzle. You don’t need to be eloquent; you don’t need to have the perfect words. God’s idea of a “good” prayer is much different from ours. God isn’t impressed by longwinded prayers filled with flowery language and religious jargon. He is drawn to the humble, simple prayers of His followers who come to Him in their helplessness with hearts drawn to His. So, just go to God and talk with Him with your own unique voice in your own unique way. And as you talk with Him, praise Him, repent of your sin, ask Him to meet needs, and yield to His will. That’s it! That’s 20/20 prayer for 2020.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of Impact Christian Church. Join us for worship every Sunday at 10 a.m. at the new Dr. Ralph Baker School in Victorville. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.

So, You Want to Be Great?

“For it is the one who is least among you all who is the greatest.” – Luke 9:48b

Just about every sports expert agrees that Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest boxers of all time. His joint records of beating 21 boxers for the world heavyweight title and winning 14 unified title bouts stood for 35 years. Sports Illustrated ranked him as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. And ESPN ranked him as the third greatest athlete of the 20^th century.

But as famous as he was in boxing, Muhammad Ali was best known for his trash talking. Before rap and hip-hop became mainstream, he would rattle off taunts and verbal jabs that were sheer poetry. Before fighting George Foreman, he said: “I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee. His hands can’t hit what his eyes can’t see.” And here are a few of his other classic lines: “I’m so mean, I make medicine sick!” “If you even dream of beating me, you’d better wake up and apologize!” And one of his most famous quotes of all was, “I am the greatest! I said that even before I knew I was!”

Let’s just say that Muhammad Ali was not what you’d call a humble guy, and that made him really entertaining. But when that kind of arrogance is carried out by followers of Christ, who are supposed to be humbly serving others, it’s downright tragic.

And in Luke 9, it would appear that humility wasn’t on the minds of Jesus’ disciples. Luke tells us in verse 46 that the 12 disciples got into an argument “as to which of them would be the greatest.” Now, because James and John had just seen Jesus gloriously transformed a few days earlier on the Mount of Transfiguration, and because we read in Matthew 20 that a few weeks later James and John came with their mommy to ask Jesus to give them the best seats in heaven, I think it’s safe to say that James and John were instigators of this argument. In short, some of the apostles were dealing with what I like to call “Muhammad Ali Syndrome.” They had over-inflated views of their own self-worth.

But Jesus put a stop to their chatter with a classic response. He brought a little child to stand beside him and told them, “Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. For he who is least among you all—he is the greatest” (v. 48). Writing about this incident, Chuck Swindoll said, “The response by Jesus is priceless…. He rebuked [his disciples] by embracing a child, someone too small, too weak, too helpless to be great. With the little boy standing with Him, Jesus rearranged the worldly pecking order. He upset the normal conventions of hierarchy in leadership. His speech was simple, consisting of three statements.”

And what were those three statements? 1) Whoever welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me. 2) Whoever welcomes me welcomes God the Father. 3) He who is least among you all is the greatest. And Mark offers us this powerful addendum to Jesus’ teaching in Mark 9:35: “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.”

We call this style of leadership “servant leadership.” And surprise, surprise, in the past 40 years, secular management gurus around the world have come to the conclusion that servant leadership is the most effective way for any CEO to lead. We lead others most effectively by serving others. Our greatness is not defined by how much we get others to serve us, but by how much we serve others.

Jesus’ definition of greatness is so different from the world’s definition of greatness. But sadly, far too many Christians choose to pursue greatness in the eyes of the world instead of greatness in the eyes of God. Far too many Christians pursue prestige, power and fame. But Jesus calls us back to a humbler, simpler Christianity—a Christianity marked by putting others’ needs above our own, by getting our hands dirty loving those whose lives are messy and undesirable, and by being the first to volunteer to be last.

On the heels of seeing Jesus in glorified form on the Mount of Transfiguration, what should have humbled James and John actually had caused their heads to swell. Jesus’ teaching about humbly serving others completely escaped them. It didn’t sink in. They so wanted to be great, but they just didn’t get it. They were still clueless about what true greatness looks like in Jesus’ kingdom. At this point in time, they were clueless, but in the days following Easter Sunday, their eyes would be opened. They would finally understand the truth, and they would be changed forever.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church of Victorville and the author of "Holy Huldah! Lessons You'll Never Forget From Bible Characters You Never Heard Of." Visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com, and join us for our Worship Celebration Sundays at 10 a.m.

Be Strong and Courageous

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

- Joshua 1:9

I’ll never forget the day I first became a father. After a couple of trips to the hospital and several hours of difficult labor, the doctor broke the news: The baby would have to be delivered by C-section. And after we welcomed our first baby girl into the world, my wife Christine spent some time in recovery while I waited with our girl. At last mama and baby were settled into her room … and I was getting really hungry. So, with Christine’s permission, I made a quick trip to the drive-through and picked up a burger to celebrate. Half an hour later, I was back at the hospital with my wife and new daughter, enjoying my tasty meal.

Fast-forward two and a half years. Once again, we were in the O.R., having our second baby delivered by C-section. And after our new little girl was all cleaned up and placed in the nursery, Christine was still in recovery. But now I was an experienced dad – I knew the way things worked, and I knew I had at least 30 to 45 minutes before my wife would be out of recovery. Plenty of time to grab that burger … right? But when I returned with my fast-food bag in hand, Christine was waiting alone in her room. My heart dropped. She’d been sure I wouldn’t leave her and the baby. She gave me an earful, and I deserved it. It was a defining moment in my marriage, and suffice it to say I didn’t make the same mistake with daughters #3 and #4.

Yes, over the years I’ve had my fair share of foibles as a husband and as a father. This makes me so very grateful for the godly examples of husbands and fathers in Scripture—men like Joshua. Clearly, the LORD had special plans for Joshua. And as the Israelites reached the promised land, his faith was put to the test. Of the twelve spies Moses sent ahead to check out their new home, Joshua and Caleb were the only two who had faith in God. As a result, they were the only two who didn’t die of a plague that God sent on the other ten spies. And they were the only middle-aged men who were allowed to enter the promised land. Every other man who was at least twenty years old when the Exodus from Egypt began died in the desert. Joshua understood a lesson we all should remember: There is no need to fear men when the LORD is with us. So walk by faith, not by sight.

Then, after forty years of faithfully serving as Moses’ right-hand man, Joshua was assigned to embark on a mission that would have completely intimidated most men. Moses died at the ripe old age of 120, and God chose Joshua to be Israel’s next leader. His first task? To lead the Israelites in the conquest of the promised land. The walls around the enemy cities were tall and thick. The residents of the cities were big and intimidating—after all, Goliath’s ancestors lived there. But when push came to shove, the only thing that really mattered was the truth that God revealed to Joshua: “No one will be able to stand up against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5). So, with that truth settled, the only thing left for Joshua to do was to courageously obey. When we are in the center of God’s will, there is no room for fear. There is only room for strength and courageous obedience.

Joshua did all that God commanded him to do. Over the next fifty years or so, Joshua courageously led the Israelites in conquest of the promised land. They took possession of the land flowing with milk and honey. And at the ripe old age of 110, Joshua’s life was about to end. So, he called the tribal leaders together for one last pep talk. Joshua knew that the people of Israel would continue to be tempted to turn their backs on God. So, as this group of influential men gathered to listen to their wise old leader, this is what Joshua said to them: “Now fear the LORD and serve Him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

Throughout his entire adult life, Joshua had faithfully served the Lord. But he understood something that many other men in Scripture didn’t understand. It’s not just about ME serving the Lord faithfully. I must do my very best to lead my FAMILY to serve the Lord faithfully. Many Christian dads wonder: Should I require my family to pray and read the Bible together? The answer is…YES. Should I make my kids go to church with me, even if they’re teenagers? If they live under your roof, then YES. Should I restrict my teens from watching movies, visiting websites and listening to music that is filled with profanity and mocks God? ABSOLUTELY!

You see, we only have a short time to shape our kids’ character before they move out and begin lives of their own. So, like Joshua we should say, we MUST say, “As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” Taking this stand could be your next defining moment.

Dane Davis is the Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information, visit www.YourVictorvilleChurch.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 a.m.