What God CAN'T do.

FAITH.

It's a mysterious thing for so many. For others, it is a well studied language that seems to move their lives forward in ways they never imagined even for themselves.

I move and live in faith...MOST of the time. I believe God for things I can't see because I believe HE sees them for me. I have to. It's part of the gig, right? What good is a pastor without faith?

I have believed God for things that seemed unreasonably unattainable at the time and have seen Him come through for me, my family and my church time and time again. In fact, I am starting a 7-week sermon series on FAITH this Sunday at church! I am always working to grow in my faith just like I want to grow in my ability to love or forgive.

But, want to know a secret? I still have doubts. I wrestle with faith. Just like you, I feel my faith waver from time to time. 

Why? Because like ANYONE who believes God repeatedly for healing, miracles and vision for the future, there have been times when I have believed God...in faith...for something, but He didn't answer me.

He didn't show up like I expected Him to.

This leaves any reasonable person with a shadow of doubt. In time, several of these experiences pile up on our faith and leave our confidence in our prayer life or ability to hear God...well, shaken.

For many people, too many faith failures lead to a lack of confidence in God, not just their faith.

So what do you do with that?

In Isaiah 7 there is the story of Ahaz, king of Judah. He ruled in a time of great distress for God's people and the account in chapter 7 tells us that Judah had a pretty good reason for distress. The kings of neighboring countries had taken up arms against them and were on there way to blow Judah away for good. The king and all the people had been asking God for help, but they hadn't seen it the way they expected it to come. So naturally when he got the news, King Ahaz flipped out (along with ALL of Jerusalem) over this bad news.

God tells the prophet Isaiah to find King Ahaz and deliver the message that God would fight their battle and destroy the enemy that had mobilized against them, so don't worry about it!

He also says something that completely rocked me...to. the. core. Isaiah says,

"Unless your faith is firm, I cannot make you stand firm." (Isaiah ch.7 vs. 9)

WHAT?!? Did you catch that?

However you read that, Isaiah is saying that neither the prophet or God Himself could help Ahaz stand firm if his faith was firm.

So did Isaiah just answer the question about God making a rock so big even HE can't lift it?

More importantly, what are we to do when our faith is well...shaken?

To be honest, I know the religious answers or the pat answers that Peter Pan faith people will fling around to bolster their faith when they don't get the job they want or they can't find a parking spot close to the door after they asked God for one.

Honestly, I've thrown those verses around too. I won't offer glossy throw pillow scriptures or theological-blanket-fortress kinds of responses to great questions of faith and doubt.

What I will do is offer what God is showing me about faith because, well...my faith has been shaken. Not a while back, either. I have led people to faith while my own faith was under attack. I want to be transparent. I want to be honest because I believe you deserve that honesty.

I also believe that the only way to help others is to be honest about my own experiences. God has shown me so much and I can't wait to share it with you!

Until I do,

I wonder if any of you have had your faith shaken?

What did it do to your prayer life or relationship with God?

Are you talking to God about it or have you written Him off?

Do you believe that your faith can ever stand firm again?
Leave a comment and share your story! You never know how others might benefit from knowing that they are not alone with matters of faith and doubt!

jeremiah

What God's Been Up to Since Forever.

Historians tell us that the temple of Solomon was one of the most impressive buildings ever created by man. So what if God was building something? How amazing would that be?



I've been thinking and praying a lot about the eternal, spiritual temple that Peter tells us about in 1 Peter chapter two, starting in verse four...

Living Stones for God’s House

4 You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. 5 And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests.[a] Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 6 As the Scriptures say,

“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,[b]

    chosen for great honor,

and anyone who trusts in him

    will never be disgraced.”[c]

7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him.[d] But for those who reject him,

“The stone that the builders rejected

    has now become the cornerstone.”[e]

8 And,

“He is the stone that makes people stumble,

    the rock that makes them fall.”[f]

They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.

9 But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests,[g] a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.

10 “Once you had no identity as a people;

    now you are God’s people.

Once you received no mercy;

    now you have received God’s mercy.”[h]

Peter was speaking under the unction of the Holy Spirit here, but there is no doubt that this "building project" was something that Jesus spoke about in private as He and Peter sat by the fire together. It's like getting the chance to be a "fly on the wall" while Jesus shared the secrets of the Kingdom with His closest earthly friend and successor. This passage is, undoubtedly, Peter sharing one of the "private lessons" on the Kingdom of Heaven that He received from the King Himself.

Peter quotes the prophets and scripture several times in this passage. He tells us that Jesus is the Cornerstone of a spiritual "temple" that David (the planner of God's earthly temple in Jerusalem) prophesied about along with Ezekiel, Isaiah and many of the other prophets. This living temple has been God's building project since the Garden of Eden. It has been on His heart since the beginning of time and He is still skillfully creating it out of people like you and I.

Jesus is the first stone of that temple that God placed in human history. Like looking through eclipse glasses, Noah, Abraham's Covenant and even the earthly temple Solomon built was just a shadow of what God was really up to behind the scenes. Everything prior to Jesus was God laying the spiritual groundwork for His living, beautiful and eternal temple that could not be torn down or destroyed. The law, Tabernacle and temple were all like blueprints, communicating the Father's intentions in building this temple that could never be defiled. This Temple is also called the Church or the Kingdom interchangeably and Jesus is the living Cornerstone of that building project.

Peter goes on to say in verse five that we are "living stones" placed carefully by God, finding our orientation and purpose in Christ alone. The Cornerstone was laid when Jesus was murdered and then cheated death 3 days later in Jerusalem. That was the culmination of God's redemption plan and until that time, God's spiritual temple was more of a tabernacle. Until Jesus was literally (and figuratively) laid in the ground as the chief stone that every other "living stone" would find it's orientation from.

The picture Peter draws out for us is that each generation of disciples becomes and addition or new wing of God's eternal temple that He has had planned since the beginning of time. Even now, you and I are chosen by God to hold our place in space and time, saved by grace to be a testament to what God's love and power can do!

This purpose became clear to us when we recognized Jesus as our Cornerstone, aligning ourselves (with the persistent help of the Holy Spirit), to God's will for us as sons and daughters. This gives us our new identity and family along with every other living stone. We have become "priests" and "living stones" in God's eternal temple along with the redeemed of EVERY generation from Adam until now. 

What an amazing God we love and serve!!

Crossing the Threshold (August 13th, 2017)

Leaving the house gave me extra pause this time.


I have crossed this threshold countless times for everyday errands, visits and ministry. Today it was different. Not because I forgot my keys or coffee cup, but because I could sense that I was doing more than just leaving my house. I was crossing the threshold into something more than just an everyday adventure.

God has spoken very clearly to me that I must go on a journey like the prophets we read about in the Old Testament. Just a destination. No back up plan or extra cash. Just trust. So I am leaving my home, my family and what I know to experience God in a new way and hear His voice more clearly regarding my purpose, call and the next season of my life and ministry. I did more than leave my house this morning...I crossed the threshold into a new reality. I am leaving my pre-conceived ideas of God behind and chasing after what He wants.

Father, lead me and direct every step and action. I trust you for provision!

 (From journal on August 13th, 2017)

Road Trip with the Holy Spirit

On the Road Again...Ohio today, who knows tomorrow :)

This time of year always seems to find me on the road to somewhere I've never been.

I should probably just start planning these things at the beginning of the year, but I also love the spontaneity and dependence on the Holy Spirit these road trips bring about in my life. The goal, as always, is to hear from God regarding my life, family and ministry in a new, fresh and deeper way. I do this because in ministry it is often very difficult to discern the voice of God amidst the voices of so many others that you care about (including family, friends and ministry partners).
For those of you that don't know, I am planning to spend a week or two in Ohio, Missouri and Kansas City to pray, read scripture and talk to Him about who He wants me to be. He called me to it and I trust Him for provision. If you are reading this, I would love your prayers and happy thoughts during the course of the next two weeks! As much as there are miracles, provision and revelations on these trips, there are often frustrations, fears and inner turmoil that surfaces while God is speaking.

The goal of these two weeks away would be that I would find:

1) Greater clarity regarding the ministry God has called me to
2) New vision for the church He has given me to serve
3) Personal breakthrough regarding faith and health
4) More love for people so I can be an even better pastor, father and husband

I will be keeping a REALLY low profile on social media while I am gone. I will not be on Facebook very much at all, but I do plan to post regularly to my instagram with pictures and updates to let people know what I am up to. If you want to follow my instagram account, search for the username ADAMSRESCUE1 and pray for me as often as I come to your mind.

Much love to you all!
jeremiah

The Call to Greater Things!!

I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your commitment to our church body at the Intersection Church. Because of your faithfulness in giving, the Intersection has had an almost 30% increase in attendance over the past year from Easter 2015! The playground continues to bring new families into a relationship with Christ, and our kid’s wing has been getting regular upgrades to make the most of the space we have. With many commitments made to follow Jesus, and new leadership being added each day, we are poised to make the largest impact on our community that we have yet to see! We have seen God’s faithfulness again and again to the vision He has given Cori and I for our little corner of the Kingdom. Will you consider teaming up with Cori and I to do amazing things again?

On May 1st, we will be receiving our first ever Heart of the House offering at each of the three Sunday services at the Intersection church. I want to take a minute to describe to you what the money raised from this annual giving event will be used for.

We have two goals that we would like to meet with this $100,000 offering. The first goal is to secure drawings of our current facility to bring it into the future plans that we have for this building. The second goal is for us to make a sizable down payment on the remaining 17 acres that is left to purchase on our corner.

THE FIRST GOAL, an investment in the architect’s drawings, will bring our present building into the 21st century, including improved crowd patterns and updated handicap accessibility that will better serve our growing church community. Our plans will also include the addition of an office suite and counseling rooms for our growing staff (many of which have been without offices since the beginning)!

THE SECOND GOAL, a down payment up to $100,000  will ensure that the Intersection has the first chance to purchase the rest of our corner (17 acres) when the time is right.

We know that $100,000 seems like a lot of money for a single family or individual, but we never want our prayers to be too small as a community! Why are we asking for that amount? Why do we need more land? To be honest, it’s because we have only begun pouring into our community at the the level God intends! God has given Cori and I more vision than just a community playground and church on this property and with your faithfulness, that dream will become a reality and families across our county will be the beneficiaries of our sacrifice. This isn’t about building bigger buildings, but about strengthening people!!

The next ten years’ vision will include delivering a message of authentic community and God’s love to the county, the state, the nation, and the world through many facets of ministry that are only in the beginning stages right now.

• We believe God has asked us to bring more of what is happening on the inside of our current building to the outside with an inclusive playground for disabled adults and children so special needs parents can interact with their kids!
• We believe God has asked us to begin writing and developing a dinner theater about God and Country that will impact tourists with the message of God's love and His heart for this nation.
• We have a desire to establish an area to help the growing population of homeless in our community.
• We want to finally provide a home for our flourishing Center of the Arts
• A new church sanctuary which would double as the theater throughout the week, allowing our church to continually be used to show and share God's love with its growing influence in the community!

The first six years have revealed our contribution to the city and county, but I believe that the next ten years will reveal the Intersection’s contribution to the state and even our nation! If you would like to speak with Cori and I about the plans we believe God has given us, you can text or call me at (717) 398-9072 and set up a time to chat. We LOVE sharing the vision God has for His 31 acres at the intersection of 15 and 97!!

Will you and your family make a contribution? Cori and I rarely ask people to give, but I am hoping that we will see 100% involvement in the Heart of the House offering we will be receiving on May 1st. Whether it’s $1 or $100,000 your gift is important and necessary for us to reach our goal for this year. All you need to do is bring your gift with you to church on May 1st and mark a “♡” on the memo of your check and envelope so that we can clearly see what was given.

Blessings!
Jeremiah and Cori Herbert

First Ever ARC Prayer Meet Up in Gettysburg PA!!

Hey Pastors!!

Prayer in Relationship With One Another Can Change Everything!!
Matthew 18:19

As you know the ARC is all about relationships and on Thursday I want to PRAY in relationship with ARC pastors from around our region. We will be joining 36 cities around the country, praying for revival! I am writing you to see if you have decided which ARC meet up you are attending on Thursday. If you have not decided yet, I want to personally invite you to join me at 1pm tomorrow in Gettysburg at the Intersection Church for a special hour and a half of prayer for you, your family, your church, your city and our region!

If you can join me, I would LOVE to see you and pray with and for you! I am here to help in any way I can, so let's meet up tomorrow and grow in relationship with one another!

Hope to see you there!! Here is some of what we will be praying about!

- National

    - Revival & Spiritual Awakening

    - Church Leadership

    - Government Officials

         (be sure to avoid sounding politicizing, but simply focus on praying for our nation’s leadership)

    - Military

    - Economy

    - Basic Morality

- Regional & Local

    - Revival & Spiritual Awakening

    - Students and School Faculties

    - City and State Officials

    - Church Leadership

    - First Responders

    - Any Needs Specific to Your Area

    - Church and City Relationships

The address for the church is 1980 Baltimore Pike Gettysburg PA 17325

Don't do ministry alone!

Under New Management

Face 2 the Wall

Under New Management

2 Chronicles 29

What do you do when you’re back is to the wall?

“About that time Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah son of Amoz went to visit him. He gave the king this message: “This is what the LORD says: ‘Set your affairs in order, for you are going to die. You will not recover from this illness.’” When Hezekiah heard this, he turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭38:1-2‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We are looking at the life and decisions of King Hezekiah in the Old Testament.

Last week, we looked at him in contrast to his father, King Ahaz, so that we could set a foundation for our discussion.

We saw that King Hezekiah had a trend of surrendering to God when hard times and hard decisions came his way. 

His father did everything he could to run from God and ended up closing down the temple in Jerusalem because of his bad decisions. 

But there is a new king in town in 2 Chronicles 29...

2 Chronicles 29 New Living Translation (NLT)

Hezekiah Rules in Judah

1 Hezekiah was twenty-five years old when he became the king of Judah, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother was Abijah, the daughter of Zechariah. 2 He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight, just as his ancestor David had done.

Today, we are going to look at the very first moments of Hezekiah’s reign in Judah. Starting in verse 3...

Hezekiah Reopens the Temple

3 In the very first month of the first year of his reign, Hezekiah reopened the doors of the Temple of the Lord and repaired them. 4 He summoned the priests and Levites to meet him at the courtyard east of the Temple. 5 He said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites! Purify yourselves, and purify the Temple of the Lord, the God of your ancestors. Remove all the defiled things from the sanctuary. 6 Our ancestors were unfaithful and did what was evil in the sight of the Lord our God. They abandoned the Lord and his dwelling place; they turned their backs on him. 7 They also shut the doors to the Temple’s entry room, and they snuffed out the lamps. They stopped burning incense and presenting burnt offerings at the sanctuary of the God of Israel.

8 “That is why the Lord’s anger has fallen upon Judah and Jerusalem. He has made them an object of dread, horror, and ridicule, as you can see with your own eyes. 9 Because of this, our fathers have been killed in battle, and our sons and daughters and wives have been captured. 10 But now I will make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, so that his fierce anger will turn away from us. 11 My sons, do not neglect your duties any longer! The Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him, and to lead the people in worship and present offerings to him.”

Hezekiah’s very first initiative as king was to reverse what his father, King Ahaz did.

He opened and repaired the doors so that people could come in again.

He reinstated the Levites to clear out and care for the Temple and the worshippers who came in.

Look at verse 7 again...

7 They also shut the doors to the Temple’s entry room, and they snuffed out the lamps. They stopped burning incense and presenting burnt offerings at the sanctuary of the God of Israel.

This verse paints a bleak picture of what the once thriving Temple of God had been reduced to. 

This was the same temple that Solomon dedicated to the Lord with a rare appearance of the Shekinah glory in attendance.

This was the same temple that had been the center of the universe for every Israelite in the kingdom for many years, but now it sits covered in cob-webs and filth. Dark and dank.

What does a dusty, broken down temple have to do with us?

“Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:19-20‬ ‭NLT‬‬

We are the temple

We bear the responsibility when our lives are in disrepair or suffering from neglect and indifference.

Like King Ahaz, many of us have closed the doors to our relationship with God. Many of us have turned the lights out on that place in our heart that still carries His presence. Still more of us have become indifferent to the fact that we are meant to be living temples, displaying the presence and power of God wherever we go!

How do we reverse the damage that has been done to our temple?

Look at verse 15...

15 These men called together their fellow Levites, and they all purified themselves. Then they began to cleanse the Temple of the Lord, just as the king had commanded. They were careful to follow all the Lord’s instructions in their work. 16 The priests went into the sanctuary of the Temple of the Lord to cleanse it, and they took out to the Temple courtyard all the defiled things they found. From there the Levites carted it all out to the Kidron Valley.

Under New Management

It’s almost like King Hezekiah put a HUGE banner across the front of the temple saying, this temple is “UNDER NEW MANAGEMENT”

The best thing that could happen to Judah happened when the temple came under new management!

The best thing that will ever happen to you is when your heart, your life comes under new management.

There are four things we must do to bring our temple, our lives, under new management and they are found in vs. 11...

Come in (from the outside)

“The Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence…”

The levites and congregation couldn’t stand in His presence until they repaired the doors of the temple.

The doors were broken which made it impossible for anyone to go in or out. Because the doors were broken, it was impossible to stand in the Lord’s presence so the only way they could come in from the outside was if they did two things:

1. Repair the doors
2. Clear the junk out

Think about it...the temple was filled with junk that kept it from fulfilling it’s purpose because the junk took up all the room that the levites and congregation were meant to fill. So the levites began the process of restoring it and clearing it out.

“...Remove all the defiled things from the sanctuary.”

Cardinal sin: Trampling through the house with mud.

• “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.”
  ‭‭Acts of the Apostles‬ ‭3:19-21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Look up

...to minister to him

• “Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name. And don’t forget to do good and to share with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.”
  ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭13:15-16‬ ‭NLT‬‬
  

Focusing on what God wants causes us to lose our selfishness.

Don't make your faith about you.

Ask yourself whether your faith plan truly ministers to God.

Reach out

“...to lead the people in worship”

How do you worship?

• “David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the Ark of the LORD —to invoke his blessings, to give thanks, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel.”
  ‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭16:4‬ ‭NLT‬‬
  

Reach out from the inside

• “When I am with those who are weak, I share their weakness, for I want to bring the weak to Christ. Yes, I try to find common ground with everyone, doing everything I can to save some. I do everything to spread the Good News and share in its blessings.”
  ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭9:22-23‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Others should want to honor the God you honor.

Live Face Down

“...and present offerings to him.”

The people’s offerings to God required them worship face down.

They recognized God as their source and their offerings helped them live a life of humility before Him.

This posture of worship is something that we desperately need to practice with our hearts as we come to God.

If you want to avoid a face to the wall experience, keep your face to the ground.

" A clean heart is a free heart."

~Mother Teresa

If you want to bring your life under new management, pray this prayer today...

"Jesus, I need you to come and sweep through my life. Help me clear out the clutter and junk. Heal the brokenness in the temple of my heart and come, live in me. I want to know your presence and feel you near in the place of the distance and awkwardness I feel between us now. I humble myself with my face to the ground so that I won't have to live with my back against the wall anymore. Give me a fresh start, in Jesus name. Amen"

If you prayed that prayer today, I would love to know! Email me at adamsrescue1@gmail.com and let me know what God did in your life today!