The Church: Who Needs It?

“Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.”

– 1 Corinthians 12:27

Perhaps when you were a child, church attendance wasn’t optional in your family. I don’t know about you, but I didn’t dare ask my parents, “Could I just stay home today?” I was taught from a very young age that Sunday is “the Lord’s Day” (the Christian equivalent of the Jewish Sabbath Day). So, when we skip church, we are disobeying the Fourth Commandment: “Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.”

Well, that perspective seems long gone. Gone are the days when the overwhelming majority of Americans were convinced that Christianity and weekly church attendance are inseparable; you can’t have one without the other. In today’s busy world, most Christians view church attendance as optional, and far too often other weekend options (i.e., sports, parties, overtime and rest) take precedence. We are now at a point when some atheists have much better church attendance than Christians. 

In recent years, thousands of atheists across America have discovered something that many Christians have forgotten: attending church is vitally important and even…fun. Over the past five years, atheist churches (usually called “gatherings”) have popped up all over Great Britain and the U.S. And these gatherings are filled with inspirational teaching, singing and loving fellowship.  Sound familiar? It’s quite a paradox: Atheist communities love the church but don’t like God or Jesus. Conversely, many Christians love God and Jesus but don’t like the church.

Could it be that atheists have discovered something that many Christians have long forgotten? I think so. They have discovered that their own stripped-down version of the church is far superior to isolation. Even without Christ, their gatherings meet a need for fellowship and give them a sense of belonging. How much more so is this the case when Christians meet? Without Christ, atheistic churches bring some value to their members. But with Christ, Christian churches bring infinite value to their members.

There are three key metaphors used for Christ’s Church in the New Testament—metaphors that help us grasp how very important the church is. First, the Church is the Body of Christ. In both Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, the Apostle Paul likens the church to a human body. Just as a body is made up of many parts that each serve a specific purpose, so too the Church has many members—each having an important role to fill. The truth is: The Church can exist without you, but it will be the less for it. And you can exist without the Church, but you will be the less for it. Just as an index finger or big toe is severely handicapped on its own, so too is a Christian spiritually handicapped when he isolates himself from the Body of Christ.

Second, the Church is the Family of God. In 1 Peter 2:17, we are instructed to “love the brotherhood of believers.” Christians call each other “brothers and sisters” because, at the point of conversion, each of us is adopted into God’s family. God becomes our true Father, and we become a cherished member of His household. But as in any family, there is occasional sibling rivalry in the Church. These times of quarreling may be uncomfortable and a bit unnerving, but they should never lead us to abandon our brothers and sisters. Many Christians turn on a dime to lock arms with their blood relatives in times of need. How much more should we be quick to lock arms with our Christian brothers and sisters whose adoptions have been secured by the precious blood of Christ?

Third, the Church is the Bride of Christ. In Revelation 21, the Church is called Christ’s bride. Although this statement is true: “Jesus died on the cross for my sins,” it is more accurate to say, “Jesus died on the cross for the Church’s sins.” He spilled his blood so that his bride (all Christians together) could be washed clean and become the pure, undefiled bride of Christ. This powerful metaphor emphasizes Christ’s great love for the Church. To put it simply: Jesus adores his Church…warts, scars, body odor and all. No one knows the Church’s hang-ups and shortcomings better than Jesus. If anyone ever had a legitimate reason for abandoning the Church it would be Jesus. But he never has and never will leave the Church. Why not? Because he loves it as his bride. He is committed to it for better and for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health. In the same way, he calls every Christian to love and stay committed to His Church till death do us part.

Time will tell how long atheistic assemblies will survive. Regardless, the Church of Jesus Christ is the hope of the world, because the Church of Jesus Christ has the most important building block of any life-changing church: Christ himself. Every church has problems. No church is perfect. (If you find a perfect church, please don’t join it, because then it won’t be perfect anymore.) The Church is the glorious Body of Christ, the Family of God and the Bride of Christ. The Church needs you, and you need the Church. Even atheists are realizing this fact.  

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.

Why Christ’s Resurrection Matters

“If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.”

– 1 Corinthians 15:19

A young boy ran into his pastor at the grocery store. Since Easter had just recently passed, the pastor asked the preschooler, “Billy, do you know why we celebrate Easter each year?” The little boy’s face lit up as he said, “I sure do! Jesus went to Jerusalem, rode a donkey and they waved palm branches at him.” He continued, “But then he got in trouble. He was beat up, yelled at, and then they nailed him to a cross.” The pastor liked what he heard. “What else, Billy?” The little boy became more serious as he said, “They put Jesus in a tomb and put a big rock in front of it. But three days later he got raised and got out of there.” The pastor was delighted that his church’s Sunday School program had taught Billy so well. But he was taken aback when Billy added enthusiastically, “Jesus walked out of the tomb, looks around, and if he sees his shadow there’s six more weeks of winter.”

Sadly, Billy is not alone in his confusion. Our nation is filled with millions of men and women who attended an Easter church service a week ago but missed out on its meaning to their lives. The honest truth is: Many people believe that Jesus rose from the dead on Easter morning, but they don’t understand its relevance. They recognize that the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection is overwhelming; they don’t discount that it happened. Rather, they discount that it has any bearing on their day-to-day lives. But allow me share with you five convincing reasons why Jesus’ resurrection matters to you.

#1: Jesus’ resurrection proves that he is the Son of God. In John 10:18 Jesus told his followers, “No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again.” Consider this: Any martyr could claim to have the authority to lay down his/her life for a cause. But none of us—not even an angel in heaven—has the authority or power to raise ourselves from the dead. Only God can do that. Therefore, Jesus’ resurrection proves that He is—in fact—God in the flesh.

#2: Jesus’ resurrection confirms that the Bible is true. There are several Old Testament prophesies claiming that the promised Messiah (Christ) would rise from the dead. For example, King David wrote in Psalm 16:10, “You will not abandon me to the grave, nor will you let your Holy One see decay.” The prophesies in the Bible are 100% accurate, 100% of the time. And Jesus’ resurrection offers further proof that even the prophesies in Scripture that seem impossible to fulfill are proven to be accurate time and again.

#3: Jesus’ resurrection paves the way for our own future resurrection, giving us great hope. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:19-22, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead…. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” Bottom line: Jesus’ resurrection from the dead blazed the trail for you and me to live forever. Because Christ conquered death on Easter morning, we have this unshakable hope: This life is not all there is. The best is yet to come.

#4: Jesus’ resurrection proves that Judgment Day is coming. While speaking to a group of Greek philosophers, Paul said in Acts 17:30-31, “God commands all people everywhere to repent. For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.” Sadly, Jesus’ resurrection isn’t good news to everyone. You see, because Jesus is alive, he will hold us accountable for our sin. That’s the purpose of Judgment Day—to declare our innocence or guilt before our holy God. For those of us who are found guilty of rejecting Jesus Christ on earth, God will reject us in eternity. Sadly, there will be hell to pay.

#5: Jesus’ resurrection empowers us to live lives that please God. Let me ask you: What do you think the chances are of you, on your own, living a life that pleases God? Slim to none? How about just plain—None! The Bible proclaims that on our own, our good deeds are like filthy rags compared to God’s holiness. On our own you and I cannot live lives that are good and righteous. It can’t be done. It’s impossible. But with Christ, the impossible becomes possible. Only the risen Christ can help us live lives that truly please God.

Unlike the little boy in the grocery store, I don’t think you’ve ever confused Jesus with a groundhog. But perhaps you’ve unknowingly lumped the resurrection into the same category as a marshmallow Peep: fine for the holiday but irrelevant to your day-to-day life. Now that we've passed the one-week anniversary of Easter 2017, I hope that you are continuing to be impacted and transformed by the power of our risen Savior. He is the death-conquering Son of God. He is the culmination of Biblical prophecy. He is the hope-giving trail blazer for eternal life. He is the guarantor that Judgment Day is coming, and he is the only one who can help us be God-pleasers. So, does the resurrection of Jesus Christ matter? You bet it matters—much, much more than you may have ever realized. 

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.

The Secret of Contentment

“I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

– Philippians 4:12

The story is told of a Quaker who offered a piece of property free of charge to anyone who considered himself content. When a man came to claim the parcel, the Quaker asked him, ‘If you’re content, why do you want my land?” Realizing that his actions betrayed his hidden discontent, the man turned and walked away.

To be “content” is to be satisfied with what you have and are—not needing more. Sadly, as we leave our homes and go into the world each day, we are surrounded by people drowning in discontent. Worse still, contentment is an elusive, rare jewel that many Christians never discover. Perhaps God had this sobering reality in mind when He inspired Paul to conclude his letter to the Philippians by highlighting four secrets to contentment. If you—like most Christians—want to be content with the life God has given you, take these four great secrets to heart. 

The 1^st Secret: Be confident that God always provides for His own. Consider Joseph. Although he was rejected by his brothers, sold as a slave, falsely accused of rape and thrown into a dungeon, God always provided for him. God saw to it that the circumstances and situations were put in place so that His purposes could be carried out in Joseph’s life. The same held true for Paul. Even when he was whipped, beaten, shipwrecked and hungry, God saw to it that Paul’s needs were met and Christ’s Kingdom was advanced. Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe says it so well: “Life is not a series of accidents; it is a series of appointments.” There is great peace and contentment that come when we take a deep breath and embrace this powerful secret: God always provides for His own.

The 2^nd Secret: Understand that the amount of stuff we own has nothing to do with contentment. Paul writes in Philippians 4:12, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.” Over the course of several years, Jesus Christ taught Paul that contentment doesn’t stem from being nicely dressed, well fed or pampered. If anything, the stuff that normally surrounds a materially-blessed person is a distraction. You see, the amount of stuff we own is irrelevant. To be content is to be thankful and satisfied with what God has given you—be it little or much. We’d be wise to meditate on the words of Chuck Swindoll: “The good life exists only when we stop wanting a better one. The itch for things is a virus draining the soul of contentment.”

The 3^rd Secret: Believe that God’s strength empowers you to be content in any situation. Philippians 4:13 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This is a marvelous verse, but we dare not forget the context of the verse—contentment in all circumstances. Whether Paul was well fed and comfortable or hungry and sitting in a jail cell, Jesus Christ empowered him to be content. Whether Paul was liked and appreciated or hated and beaten, Jesus Christ still empowered him to be content. Paul learned to be content in all circumstances through Christ who gave him strength. And Christ gave him that strength from the inside out. Instead of turning to stuff around him to find contentment, Paul turned to Christ who was living inside him. Therefore, if you are a Christian, consider this: No matter what situation you find yourself in—be it good, bad or ugly—your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. So, God’s Spirit goes with you wherever you go. And He is ready and willing to empower you to be content in any and every situation you face.

The 4^th Secret: Focus on meeting others’ needs, trusting that God will meet all your needs in Christ. In this world where most people are preoccupied with themselves, Paul was preoccupied with others. And that was one of the secrets to his contentment. He took his eyes off his own needs and focused on others’ needs. And having personally experienced the consistent provision of his great and awesome God, Paul confidently wrote in Philippians 4:19, “My God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” When it comes to God’s need-meeting, here is an important insight to remember. If you are “in Christ,” God promises to meet your needs—not your greeds. As Warren Wiersbe says so eloquently, “When the child of God is in the will of God, serving for the glory of God, then he will have every need met.”

Christian, you may not live in a mansion, drive a 2017 BMW or take annual vacations to Hawaii, but consider how rich you are in Christ. You have been blessed with riches that money can’t buy: forgiveness, reconciliation with your Creator, deliverance, love, hope, peace, purpose and joy. And God has consistently met your basic needs for material possessions time and again. So, why on earth are you discontent? Stop looking for the “good life.” You already have it in Christ! You don’t need a brand new car, the latest gadget or a better-looking spouse to be content. The secret to contentment hasn’t been right under your nose all this time. In reality, it’s been even closer. The secret of contentment is living inside you, and His name is Jesus.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. Join us for Easter Sunday!

 Worship services are at 7 am and 10 am. Questions? Visit www.fccvv.com .

God’s Antidote to Worry

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

– Philippians 4:6

Have you ever lost sleep worrying about something? Of course you have! At some time or another all of us have lost sleep worrying about our health, our marriage, our job, our debt, or any of a hundred different things. And sadly, worry robs us of much more than just sleep. Worry robs us of our health, erodes our faith and, most tragically, strips us of our joy in the Lord. Thankfully, Philippians 4:4-9 reveals God’s antidote to worry.

In Philippians 4:4, the Apostle Paul unveils a bold command that seems impossible to follow: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Consider the implications of this command. When you’ve just left your spouse’s graveside, rejoice in the Lord. When you’ve just received an eviction notice, rejoice in the Lord. When you’ve just been laid off and have no other household income, rejoice in the Lord. This call to rejoice at all times and in all circumstances—be they good, bad or ugly—sounds impossible. But with God…all things are possible.

Yes, when our joy is solidly grounded in our great and awesome God, we truly can rejoice in all circumstances and at all times. You see, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is just as good in our valleys as He is on our mountaintops. He is just as faithful when we’re sick as when we’re healthy. He’s just as merciful, gracious, loving and strong when our circumstances stink as when they’re all rosy. So, if our joy is firmly grounded in God, we can rejoice no matter what comes our way.

The reason we worry so much is because our minds are consumed with thoughts of stuff instead of being consumed by thoughts of God. Simply put: If you have a small view of God, you will inevitably struggle with a big amount of anxiety and worry. But if you have a big view of God and flood your mind every day with the pure truth from His Word, you will inevitably deal with very little worry. It boils down to this: Big and frequent thoughts of God lead to little worry. But small and infrequent thoughts of God lead to much worry.

And with that in mind, the Apostle Paul reveals God’s three specific antidotes to worry in verses 6-9.

Antidote #1: Right praying. In verse 6, Paul writes, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” When our anxiety starts to rise, our first response should be to turn to God in prayer. And according to Paul, our prayers should contain three parts: prayer, petition and thanksgiving. “Prayer” refers to adoration and worship. When we pray, we should spend some time worshipping God for His holiness, His goodness, His grace, His mercy, His justice and His power. Next, we should “petition” Him for our specific needs. As a loving Father, God loves to meet our needs and answer our prayers. Finally, we should “thank” God for answering our prayers in the past and even for His future answers to our prayer. 

Antidote #2: Right thinking. One of the reasons you and I get so stressed out is because we don’t think right. We are very quick to view the glass as half empty but slow to see it as half full. In verse 8, Paul urges us to flood our thoughts with what is true—not with what is untrue or speculative. Paul asks us to think about what is noble and right, not what is disgraceful and sinful. He instructs us to fill our thoughts with the things of God that are pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy. Honestly, when we spend a few moments considering this marvelous list of anxiety-busting thoughts, we’re quickly reminded of how undisciplined and off track our thoughts tend to be.

Antidote #3: Right living. You and I can’t expect to be free of worry if we pray and think right but don’t live right. The pursuit of God’s peace is both inward and outward. Paul writes in verse 9, “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.” As we worship God with our thoughts, we must worship Him with our deeds. As we thank Him in our prayers, we must also thank Him with our lives. As our thoughts are consumed with God-honoring thoughts that are noble, right, pure and admirable, our decisions must be noble, right, pure and admirable.

Because our great and awesome God loves us, He has graciously supplied us with these three antidotes to worry. The Lord never intended for us to carry the weight of the world’s problems on our shoulders. That’s Jesus’s job, not ours. So, when we realize that our thoughts are being flooded with many worries, it’s time to reach for God’s worry-busting remedies. We must pray right, think right and live right. And God’s peace that surpasses all understanding will come rushing in. 

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. Join us for Good Friday at 6 pm and for Easter Sunday at 7 am or 10 am. Questions? Visit www.fccvv.com .

The Amazing Race

“I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me

heavenward in Christ Jesus.”

– Philippians 3:14

Some sixty years before Abraham Lincoln fought to abolish slavery in the United States, William Wilberforce was fighting to do the same in Great Britain. Wilberforce devoted fifty years of his life to the fight against slavery, and at times, he felt like giving up. At one point about ten years into his fight, he felt very discouraged. But his spirit was reinvigorated as he read a note in his Bible from John Wesley. Wesley wrote, “If God be for you [in the fight against slavery], who can be against you? Are all of them together stronger than God? Oh, be not weary of well-doing. Go on in the name of God, and in the power of His might.”

With a newfound passion, Wilberforce continued his fight. And it paid off. In 1807 the slave trade began to be dissolved, and over the next thirty years slavery was systematically eliminated throughout England. Wilberforce died on July 30, 1833—almost fifty years after he had begun his fight. And two days after his death—on August 1, 1833—British parliament voted to abolish slavery in Great Britain. William Wilberforce fought the good fight, and he finished the race. And so should we.

In Philippians 4:12-16, the Apostle Paul uses a wonderful sports analogy to describe his personal pursuit of Christlikeness. And along the way he makes it clear that it should be our pursuit as well. Just as an Olympic marathon runner musters every bit of his energy and grit as he strains toward the finish line, we as Christians should give our full effort to being conformed to the image of Christ. Remember that sanctification is the process of becoming more and more like Jesus. It’s the main reason that God saved us from our sins. Christlikeness is God’s goal for our lives. Therefore, it should be our personal goal as well.

And in Philippians 4:12-16 Paul lists six vital steps in our race toward Christlikeness. For the sake of space, here are three. #1: Pursue Christlikeness with maximum effort. Paul writes in verse 12: “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.” Any successful pursuit of Christlikeness must begin with spiritual dissatisfaction. You and I can’t be content to stay where we are spiritually. If we think that our spiritual growth is “good enough,” we’ll never cross the finish line. But our dissatisfaction must grow legs. We must give the pursuit of Christlikeness our full effort. Just as a sprinter persistently presses on toward the finish line and the hunter doggedly pursues his prey, so too must we as Christians press on toward the goal of speaking, acting, loving and prioritizing like Christ.

#2: Pursue Christlikeness with focused concentration. Paul writes in verse 13: “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.” Pastor John MacArthur summarizes Paul’s teaching very well as he writes: “A maximum effort without focused concentration is useless…. Believers cannot live on past victories, nor should they be debilitated by the guilt of past sins.” Very well said! One of Satan’s schemes is to get you to dwell on the past in order to distract you from the growth God has in mind for you in the present. At times, Satan throws our past failures in our faces in the effort to drown us in guilt and fear. And at other times, he throws our past successes in our faces to get us to rest on our laurels and embrace complacency. But spiritual growth requires our focused concentration on the finish line ahead.

#3: Pursue Christlikeness without giving up. Paul writes in verse 16: “Only let us keep living up to what we have already attained.” Paul emphasizes that we should never let up on our efforts to become more and more like Jesus. Until our dying day we must keep striving to become like our sinless, selfless, God-honoring, life-transforming Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must lock arms with other Christians and pursue this goal with everything we’ve got. The stakes are very high. And we have no time to spare. The world can’t afford for us to take a vacation from our holy pursuit.

At the base of one of the Swiss Alps, there’s a marker honoring a man who fell to his death attempting to ascend the mountain. The epitaph reads simply, “He died climbing.” If you ask me, this should be the epitaph of every Christian. On our ascent to the ultimate goal of Christlikeness, we died climbing.

Here on earth, will we ever become thoroughly Christlike? No, we won’t. Our character won’t be completely like Christ’s until he grants us that perfection on Judgment Day. But here on earth we can get very close to Christlikeness—just like Paul. So, our Lord Jesus Christ has made our mission clear: With Christlikeness as the finish line before us, we must keep running with maximum effort, keep focusing our eyes on the finish line and keep refusing to give up. Paul did it. William Wilberforce did it. And you and I can do it as well.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 am.

Don’t Board the Complain Train!

“Do everything without complaining or arguing.”

– Philippians 2:14

The story is told of a little girl who wanted more than anything to become a great pianist. Unfortunately, no matter how much she practiced, the only tune she could play was “Chopsticks.” Her parents saved their money and arranged to have a great maestro give her lessons. A few days later they arrived at his mansion, and the maestro’s butler escorted them to the parlor where the little girl sat down at the grand piano and started playing her most enthusiastic rendition of “Chopsticks.” Her parents almost died of embarrassment as the maestro walked into the room. But to their surprise, he quietly sat down on the piano bench beside their daughter, placed his hands on the piano keys and began adding chords, runs and arpeggios. In all their lives the parents had never heard such a beautiful duet, and amazingly enough, the central theme of the music was still “Chopsticks.”

The maestro reminds me a lot of Jesus. You see, God created our lives to be harmonious duets. So, unless we allow our heavenly Maestro, Jesus Christ, to place his masterful hands on our lives and shape us, our character will never become more and more like his. He is the only true Virtuoso who can make our lives sing. Without him, our lives will be an embarrassing, monotonous tune of “Chopsticks.”

Speaking of monotony, there are few things in life more monotonous than grumbling and arguing. In Philippians 2:14, God’s Word urges us to “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” Now, that’s a tall order! We live in a culture where, in the view of many, complaining is as American as apple pie. We grumble and complain about our boss. We grumble and complain about our kids. We grumble and complain about our pastor. And we grumble and complain about our President. Whaaa! Whaaa! Whaaa!

We can’t be growing Christians and, at the same time, live lives marked by complaining. The Greek word translated as “complaining” in Philippians 2:14 can also be translated as murmuring or grumbling. Time and again in both the Old and New Testaments we find evidence that God hates complaining. One of the clearest examples of this reality is found in Numbers 14. As God was leading the Israelites to the Promised Land of Canaan, they broke out in a chorus of grumbling: “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt? We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

God was infuriated by Israel’s complaining, and His punishment was severe. Except for Joshua and Caleb, not a single adult Israelite who was delivered from Egypt was allowed to enter the Promised Land forty years later. Every single adult died in the desert. Only the younger generation entered “the land flowing with milk and honey.” So, is complaining a big deal to God? You bet it is! Especially when God is the target of our complaints. When we murmur against God, it demonstrates an emotional rejection of His good plan and provision for our lives. That being the case, complaining can be an attack on God’s character. And that’s a serious offense for anyone, especially for a Christian.

Similarly, we can’t be growing Christians and, at the same time, live lives marked by arguing. The Greek word translated as “arguing” in Philippians 2:14 can also be translated as disputing or criticizing. Sadly, many Christians are known for being argumentative and critical. Why is that? If we are commanded to love our neighbors and consider their needs more important than our own, how can we allow ourselves to become our neighbors’ greatest critics? When we criticize our church, don’t we realize that we are indirectly criticizing the Lord who spilled his blood for our church? And when we criticize our spouse and kids, don’t we realize that we are indirectly criticizing the One who gave us our families? Without a doubt, many of us criticize our Good Provider and malign His character without even realizing it. That is unacceptable.

It is a sin of the mind and heart to level self-centered criticism against God. When we criticize the Lord, we are implying that He is not good or trustworthy, and we are proclaiming to a listening world that His plans are flawed. Therefore, like complaining and grumbling, it is an attack on God’s character. Once again, the people of Israel serve as an example of what not to do in this regard. They were perpetual God-critics, and they paid dearly for their criticism.

So, if you choose to partner with God to transform your character, that’s fantastic! But don’t sabotage your good efforts by making a habit of complaining against or criticizing God or people. Even when the hands of our Maestro are hard at work in our lives, the music of our lives will be unpleasant if our mouths are seeping verbal sewage. There’s no way around it. We can’t be growing Christians and at the same time be grumblers and critics. Our community is chock-full of men and women who can play “Chopsticks.” What we desperately need are Christians whose lives make beautiful music with the Maestro.

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sunday at 10 am.

The Ultimate Workout

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” – Philippians 2:12

I’d be lying if I said that every truth proclaimed in Scripture is easy to understand. There are many paradoxes—seeming contradictions—in our Christian faith. Here are a few examples: God is One, yet He is also Three. The Bible is God’s Word, but every word was written by men. Jesus never sinned, but he became sin for us. Huh?

And in Philippians 2:12-13, the Apostle Paul highlights another great paradox: The process of making Christians more like Christ is God’s responsibility, but at the same time, it’s our responsibility. This transformative process is called “sanctification.” Sanctification is the process of becoming holy; it’s the process whereby we become, over time, more and more like Christ . At the point of our salvation, the blood of Christ cleanses us from all sin. But let’s be honest: When we are first saved, our thoughts, words, actions and priorities don’t look anything like Christ’s. Sanctification changes that. Sanctification is a transformative process that requires both God’s work and ours.

In Philippians 2:12, Paul focuses on our part in the process. He identifies five truths that you and I need to understand and embrace if we ever hope to mature in our faith. For the sake of space, I’ll highlight just three of them. Truth #1: We must understand obedience. Having just urged his readers in verses 3-11 to follow Christ’s example of being a humble servant to others, Paul urges us to “always” obey. Without fail, we will hit a road block in our sanctification when we stop obeying God. We can’t expect to be growing if we’re engaged in sexual sin, neglecting God’s Word, skipping church, inflating our egos, and/or refusing to forgive. Obedience is an indispensable ingredient in our sanctification.

Truth #2: We must understand our personal responsibility. Paul urges his readers to obey God’s Word “not only in [Paul’s] presence, but much more in [his] absence.” Paul’s message to us is crystal clear: When we are spiritually stagnant, we shouldn’t play the blame game. Instead, we should look in the mirror. If we aren’t growing, our pastors and spiritual mentors aren’t the biggest culprits. We are! Spiritual growth is much easier when we have mature Christian mentors who are with us face-to-face. But regardless of whether they are present or absent, our spiritual growth should not be allowed to stagnate.

Truth #3: We must understand the fear of God. Over the years, many Christians have misunderstood what Paul means when he writes, “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.” Is Paul saying that we can somehow earn or merit our salvation? Not at all! Instead, he is making it clear that our God-given salvation is active. It’s a salvation that is fleshed out. And we flesh it out with a healthy dose of “fear and trembling.”

Many Christians wrestle with the notion that we are supposed to fear God. But both the Old and New Testaments make it clear that God is to be feared in much the same way that a child should fear the consequences that come when he defies Mom and Dad’s rules. Christians should have a healthy fear of offending God. We should have an awe and respect both for Him and for His laws. One of the reasons why many “Christians” in America live lifestyles that are indistinguishable from those of unbelievers is because there is little fear of God in them. And without a healthy fear of God we will not experience consistent spiritual growth.

Without a doubt, sanctification is a process that requires our active participation. But if we don’t allow God to actively participate in the process, sanctification is impossible. In Philippians 2:13, Paul reminds us, “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.”

So, here’s how this whole sanctification process works: While we are working “out” our salvation, God is working it “in.” God energizes us on the inside to obey and serve Him faithfully on the outside. The Bible is clear that on our own, we can do nothing holy. Just as we are powerless to save ourselves, we are powerless to sanctify ourselves. Only God can wash our sins away on “day one.” Similarly, only God can conform us to the image of Christ every day thereafter.

Therefore, sanctification is a process that requires a dynamic partnership between you and God. If you want to have a Christlike attitude, it’s going to require God to work on your attitude on the inside while you work it out on the outside. If you want to love God, forgive your enemies, serve the hurting, and bring much honor and glory to Christ, it’s going to require God to transform your heart while you transform your actions. You and Jesus. Jesus and you, working hard together to make you more like him. That’s sanctification. And since it pleases God so much, it should be our greatest desire. 

Dane Davis is the Lead Pastor of First Christian Church in Victorville. For more information,

visit www.fccvv.com  and join us for worship Sundays at 10 a.m.