Freedom is Worth Fighting For

The Church as an Airport?

Over the years I’ve heard pastors philosophically describe their churches as:

An Army ready for spiritual warfare or
A Hospital to heal and restore the wounded or
A School to train and equip the saints for ministry and as
A Family of close knit loving and caring relationships

I imagine that most churches have functioned in these roles at one time or another. At the Bridge we have had seasons where our focus was on each one and it’s all been good. However, I’d like to add an additional metaphor to this list, what about the church as an Airport?

It’s our custom to gather for a time of intercession before our Sunday morning service. I’ve discovered this to be a rich and fruitful time; God often speaks to me during these pre-service prayer times. As we gathered for prayer yesterday morning, I heard the Lord refer to us as an Airport, as an International Airport. With that initial thought a flood of revelation entered my mind.

An airport is a gathering place for aircrafts, flight crews and passengers. It’s a place of sending and receiving. It’s not a destination in and of it self but rather a connecting point, a hub, a temporary stop on the way to your destination, your destiny! After all, these people haven’t come to live in the airport. They’ve come to replenish, refuel and catch their connecting flight so they can fly again. Aircrafts were created to fly, not to be parked in hangers or grounded on the tarmac.

The operations manager of an airport doesn’t own the aircrafts or the flight crews or the passengers, he simply has temporary custodial responsibility for them while they are under his care. If he’s doing his job well, crafts, crews and passengers will transition seamlessly and without delay.

So, to play out this metaphor, if our church is an airport, then aircrafts are various types of ministries. Maybe some have the maneuverability characteristics of biplanes or others the capacity of jumbo jets or others still the power of an F-16.

Flight crews would represent leaders, co-leaders and attendants serving the needs of the passengers making sure that everyone reaches their destinations safely and on time.

As the pastor, if I’m the operations manager of this airport than I should rejoice when a flight lands safely AND when one takes off without a glitch. My goal is to see people reach their destinations. My goal isn’t to fill my hangers with grounded aircraft or my terminals with stranded passengers.

The church as an airport… hmm… I think it fits us well and it seems to suit my leadership style. I suspect more insights are yet to come.

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

Supreme Justice

(I found this today on the Elijah List. I personally know Bob to be an extremely credible prophetic voice. I encourage everyone to remember our president in your prayers.)




By Lou Engle and Bob Jones:

Bob shared again the open vision the Lord gave him in July 1999, prior to George W. Bush's election as president. In this vision, he was surrounded by water up to the ankle, which became water to the knee. It represented a time of favor and blessing upon the righteous, but he also knew a time of "troubled waters," was coming upon the nation. Then the Lord told him a "burning bush" would come out of Texas, someone who would incline his ear to the word of the Lord...

Many of you may have read this previously on this Elijah List. However, what is not widely known is the last half of this vision, which I share here with Bob's permission.

In this vision, the Lord showed Bob if George W. Bush got elected to a second term, he would end abortion!!

Bob also confirmed to me what we have concluded from the facts: given the age of the judges on the Supreme Court, three new justices would be appointed during the next presidential term, setting the course of the Courts for decades to come!

The Lord also showed Bob that in his second term, George Bush would open the door to a godly successor who would be in office for two terms and would usher in full-blown, historic revival! America would thus be blessed by sixteen years of mercy and grace.

Should this not occur, our nation will surely face the judgments of God in increasing measure for our sins. Bob made the severity of this word very, very clear to me.

"I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness" 1 Timothy 2:1-2

Winds of Change

Sometimes God speaks to me in the twilight, those last few moments just before I fall asleep or just before I wake. These are the words I heard this morning.

The winds of change are coming. Look for signs in the natural; they will confirm what is happening in the spiritual realm.

Storms, newspaper headlines, etc. will foretell spiritual, economic, employment and relational changes.

Hold lightly to people, possessions and positions. Your hands must be free to catch what is coming on the wind.

The coming surprises, mysteries and riddles are for your enjoyment, let’s play.

Feedback is welcomed and encouraged.

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

Enjoying God

The Westminster Catechism asks: What is chief end of man? The answer: "The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever."

Most of us have some sense of what it means to glorify God and we have at least a conceptual understanding of “forever” But, what does it mean to “enjoy” God?

According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary enjoy is defined as:

1 : to have for one's use, benefit, or lot : EXPERIENCE

2 : to take pleasure or satisfaction in

Is it possible that this is what Dr. Cornelius Burges, Assessor to the Westminster Assembly had in mind when they wrote this Catechism back in 1646? Could it be that they actually meant that one of our primary purposes, one of the main reasons for our existence was to experience and take pleasure in God?

My opinion is YES!

I believe that God created us for the purpose of intimate relationship, a mutually beneficial interaction between us and Him. The bible is replete with relational language. We referred to as God’s sons, daughters, children and bride. All are descriptions of close family relationships.

In Saint Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he prays:

For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Ephesians 3:14-21)

Wow, what powerfully intimate language. In verse 19 Paul prays that we would “know this love that surpasses knowledge”. The Greek word used here is “ginosko”. Strong’s concordance defines it as a “Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse between a man and a woman”. Now that’s an intimate, pleasurable experiential knowledge.

So, when was the last time you enjoyed God? When was the last time you and he played together? Maybe it’s time now?

Lord, I’m convinced that you created us to know you by experience. I ask you for just that. I ask that I may fulfill the purpose for which I was created – that I may glorify you and enjoy you forever through intimate personal experiences, amen.

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

* Picture is a portrait of the Westminster Assembly, artist unknown

Sometimes You Just Need to Laugh

I wish I had half this guys energy!

How many of these dances do you remember doing?

Doin' Laps

As pastor of the Bridge in Kennewick, WA I have regularly challenged my people to go after freedom of expression in worship. And we are getting there. Yesterday morning one of our younger men, Tyler, was exhibiting extreme depths of freedom. As worship began he and a few others started to dance, now, this is fairly common. However Tyler was off in the corner doing hand stands, about 4 of them, if my count is correct. He went from hand stands to sprints, sprinting back and forth across the front of the church, he also did this about 4 times. Then he begins to jog and then run, doing laps around the congregations. After about 8 solo trips, others began to join in, first the youngest of the young children, then a few teens, then some adults. The line of runners grew to 12 or more people and the congregation began to applaud. Nearly everyone watching realized that they were watching a prophetic picture, for Tyler and for our church.

Both in Tyler’s life and in our church, things have been turned upside down, we’ve both experienced sprints and stops and for a season we have run alone. As I’ve told Tyler, if he leads others will follow. Though he may run alone at first, if he doesn’t give up, many others will follow both young and old.

Hebrews 12:1-3 comes to mind…

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Run Tyler, Run!

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

The Rest of the Story

Over on Nadine’s Blog she is telling her version of how we met. One of these days I will have to give you all the rest of the story – my version. Two weeks from now Nadine & I will be on an Alaskan Cruise celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary. Honestly folks, the lady deserve a medal! I love her so. It’s awesome to reach this milestone together. We’re very excited to be able to celebrate our special day out to sea. We’ll be aboard the Celebrity Mercury. You can check out the ship here and our itinerary here.

So, why don’t you head over to my wife’s blog site and tell her I sent you!

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

Three Articles by John Paul Jackson

(Here is a taste of three excellent articles by John Paul Jackson. I found them timely and significant. You can read the full articles by clicking the link. Be blessed!)

Discovering a Holy Imagination
By John Paul Jackson

Whenever we start to reach beyond ourselves and begin to grow, we encounter terrain that we have never before experienced. The uncertainty we experience in taking that next step of growth requires us to enter an arena that is not as stable as many would like. It is an arena tilted more toward intuition than toward logic- a world of shifting subjectivity rather than the firm footing of the linear thought processes we have been taught would protect us. It is here that we find a panorama of options requiring more faith than certainty (To read the rest of this article click here and then scroll down)


Heavenly Portals
by John Paul Jackson

God delights in revealing Himself to those who love His appearing and to those who watch for His coming. One of the marvelous mysteries of God is the existence of portals -- doors and passageways -- leading to and from the heavenly realms. When you are standing in a portal, it feels like an open Heaven. A heavenly portal is a spherical opening of light that offers divine protection by which angels and heavenly beings can come and go, without demonic interference. God has designed portals to begin in the third Heaven, travel through the second Heaven, and open upon Earth. (To read the rest of this article click here)


The Church's Pecking Order is About to Topple
by John Paul Jackson

The pecking order presently seen in the Church today is about to topple. Its collapse is already in motion and a whole new order in God is going to be established.

Early this past spring, the Lord spoke to me and said, "The pecking order in the Church is about to topple. I am going to start promoting unknowns to the fourth row." I shared this with my staff at Streams and have been praying through the implications. I am now convinced it is time to release this word. (To read the rest of this article click here)


Copyright © 2005 John Paul Jackson, Stream Ministries International. All rights reserved.

Greater Things

Here’s a quick peak into Sunday’s sermon…

In John chapter 14 verse 12 Jesus says to his disciples

“I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”

Here are a few questions to consider when studying this verse:

1. What’s the context of Jesus’ statement?
2. What do the words “I tell you the truth” indicate?
3. What has Jesus been doing?
4. Define the word “greater.”
5. In practical terms what will our doing “even greater things than these” look like?
6. How does this impact our freedom in Christ?

Your answers and comments are welcomed.

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

Red Alert, Red Alert!

I’m a fan of Star Trek, anytime there was a threat to the Enterprise the captain would announce a red alert and say “shields up!”

Today I’m announcing a red alert and calling for the shields to be raised. Every once in a while I get a warning from the Lord. Today is one of those days. I can sense that there is a threat, a serious threat to our enterprise. These are the areas being targeted and the weapons he’s using.

Relationships – especially marriages & friendships; false accusations and unreasonable suspicions seem to be the enemy’s weapons of choice.

Physical Illness – fatigue and pain creating a distraction from what God is doing, from what the enemy is doing and from what we have been called to do.

Confusion & Lies – concerning those you labor with both on the job and in ministry.

Temptation to Run, Quit or Hide – There is an almost overwhelming desire to withdraw from family & friends and go into hiding.

To be forewarned is to be forearmed. Please take this warning seriously. Here are some practical suggestions…

Repentance – keep short accounts with God & man. Specifically repent of any judgments you made against others.

Forgiveness – forgive those who have falsely judged you or made accusations against you.

Pray for Protection – for yourself and your family & our President

Focus – Determine to look past your circumstances and fix your eyes on Jesus

Draw near to one another - isolation is dangerous at this time.

I believe that we are under attack because we are doing what the Lord has called us to do. Stand firm my friends, stand firm.

Shields Up!
Battle Stations!

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

Unreasonably Faith-filled

As Americans we’ve been conditioned to trust logic and reason above all else. For most of life this seems to serve us well. Unfortunately this western world view mind set doesn’t make accommodations for faith or creativity.

In one of Ted Dekker’s earliest works “A Man Called Blessed” the main character Caleb metaphorically defines faith as “jumping off of a cliff”. This is a great word picture, accurately defining true faith, what some might refer to as saving faith.

Imagine yourself standing at the edge of a high cliff, faith tells you to leap but logic and reason is screaming in your head… ARE YOU CRAZY!

John Wimber, founder of the Vineyard movement was fond of saying that faith is spelt R-I-S-K. Praying to see the sick healed, casting out a demon, reaching out to the lost, loving the unloved or prophesying require faith, there’s risk involved. It can feel very much like jumping off a cliff – it’s risky.

Here’s my point if we want to be people who live in the fullness of freedom that Christ won for us we will have to be people who live by faith. We will have to become accustomed to choosing faith over logic and reason. We really can’t serve two masters. At the very least we will need to submit reason and logic to faith. If not we’ll never find out if God will catch us or give us wings to fly.

I’ve decided to take a risk and share publicly the spiritual experiences I’ve been having. The risk involved is my respectability, so be it… I’d rather fly!

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

(Photo of the Aurora Borealis titled Angel Wings over Yellowknife, Canada. Photographer unknown)

Clarity vs. Cost

I have the privilege of being an instructor for Streams Ministries - Institute for Spiritual Development. This means I can teach their courses:

101 – The Art of Hearing God
102 – Advanced Prophetic Ministry
104 – Reaching Your Destiny in God
201 – Understanding Dreams & Visions
202 – Advanced Workshop in Dream Interpretation

One of the principles we teach is that the greater the clarity of revelation the greater the cost of it coming to pass. For example a mild impression from the Lord would have a small cost associated with it while an angelic visitation announcing the purpose of God would incur a great cost.

I’ve heard John Paul Jackson explain it this way; if God tells you to move to Texas, you can move to any city within the state. However, if the Lord tells you to move to Dallas, Texas there’s less grace, you have to not only move to Texas but to the city of Dallas in the state of Texas. To take it a step further, if God says move to 123 Main Street in Dallas, Texas… you had better do whatever it takes to move into that address. The greater the clarity or more specific the direction the great the cost associated with the direction. The more specific the Lord is with us the less wiggle room we have, there is less grace.

When God speaks to us in our dreams they come with built in grace because dreams by there nature are subjective and non-specific. Visions or visitations on the other hand tend to be more objective and more specific, thus there is less grace built in.

Since November of 2005 I have had a regular stream of supernatural experiences. I’ve been discovering the truth of the cost versus clarity principle. This has caused me to trust in God to a greater degree. The word of God is true, apart from Him I can do nothing (Jn.15:5) yet I can do all things in Christ who is my strength (Phil. 4:13). Truly, when I am weak, He is strong (2 Cor. 12:9).

I am eternally grateful that the Lord has allowed me these experiences. They have stirred humility rather than pride. Saint Paul’s words to the church at Corinth ring in my ears:

Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

I’m convinced that God has called me not because of my strengths but because of my weakness. Whatever is accomplished through my life will be to His glory. Whatever the cost, it’s worth it all.

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

Discovering the Limitless God

(Here is another excellent article by John Paul Jackson, enjoy!)

Discovering the Limitless God
By John Paul Jackson

Most of us truly, desperately want God to be all in all in our lives. We want to want His good and perfect will to be done, even if we have to die in the process. We want to do whatever He asks of us -- to be perfect for Him, to spend ourselves for Him.

Obviously, nothing is wrong at all with this passion; however, it can occasionally cause some problems, because we, being human, often try to survive on our own willpower. We have the tendency to try to make things happen in our own strength. So saying, Christians can live in extreme guilt if we feel we don't measure up to "the divine standards" of God.

The scary realization that we have issues -- issues that might even include keeping God at a distance -- can be difficult for well-meaning Christians to live with. But here's the rub: The walls we've unconsciously, or consciously, built to protect ourselves from injury do not make God mad at us. He is not disgusted or disappointed by the walls we've thrown up or by the signs posted to keep Him out. Our boundaries do not condemn us. We will live trembling, terrified, unproductive lives if we believe that our salvation rests in our strength instead of God's. This is why trusting Jesus' love and free, grace-full salvation is so important -- because it sincerely is a matter of trust, even when we feel like all is lost. Is He who He says He is? This is the question of our existence.

It is hard for human beings in a fallen world to comprehend the Father's heart -- the true-blue, romantic, passionate, fatherly, brotherly, motherly love of God. He completely respects us in all regards, including our walls. This next statement flies in the face of traditional Christian teaching, but -- it's okay to have boundaries with God. He wants what is real from us. He doesn't want lip service. He is willing to wait for as long as it takes in order to have our hearts. If all we can give Him right now is a glance from across the room, then He'll take that glance and patiently wait for the rest.

If all we can give Him is a mere sliver of our true self, He'll take that piece, no matter its size . . . and patiently, lovingly wait for the rest. To quote a man long remembered for his romantic nature, "Love is not love which alters when it alteration finds" (Shakespeare, Sonnet 116). Do you know -- sincerely know in the depths of your heart -- how true this is of your Father? Your walls don't send Him on a pity party. Your wrong choices don't scare Him away. Whatever you're going through right now, He knows. He understands it even more than you do, so don't think that what you're dealing with might make Him angry at you. Don't be afraid of making mistakes. Don't worry about your runaway emotions. Don't worry about the things that scare you in the deepest parts of your soul. Don't be afraid of God. There is nothing in Him to condemn you. He knows, and He loves, and He fights for you more than you could imagine.

(For more information about John Paul Jackson or Streams Ministries chick here)

Church Shopping

OK, that drug induced nap messed me up and now I can't sleep.
So, just for the fun of it.
Can anyone else relate to this?

(ht to Ysmarko)

Still in Pain

Yesterday was an interesting day. My back is still hurting. I had hoped to tough it out until Monday and contact my regular doctor but the pain was too much Friday night & Saturday morning.

I used Saturday morning to work on my Sunday sermon. In the process I had another powerful experience with the Lord. It was about an hour long experience. I hope to write about it later in the week.

For those of you who are wondering, no, I wasn’t on any pain meds for my back during this experience (grin).

By the afternoon I had endured all the pain I could and my wife took me over to our local medical quick care facility. They disagreed with the chiropractor and seemed to think my back pain is muscular. He gave me a script for an anti inflammatory, a muscle relaxant and some pain meds. I took the first two and left the pain meds (vicodin) aside, they still kicked my butt and I slept for 2 ½ hours. No dreams or visions while I was drugged (grin again).

For all you blog-o-maniacs out there, please send up a pray that my back heals up, this is getting old. Thanks.

PS. Happy Mothers Day!

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

Thick Skin

(Occasionally I stumble upon an article that articulates my heart better than I can. This is just such an article, enjoy)

Thick Skin
by Ted Dekker
April 21, 2006

I remember my agent once telling me that I would have to develop a thick skin if I hoped to succeed as a writer. This was before I was first published and I wondered what on earth he was talking about.

Many years have passed and I now know what he meant. Writing is an art form, and like all art forms, subjective. There are always those few who hate what you do, and have no problem shooting their arrows. If a writer doesn't quickly develop a thick skin, they will soon fall to those arrows.

Every writer I've ever talked to carries deep wounds with them. Maybe a Publisher Weekly review written eons ago that characterized them as hardly more than a preschooler with a crayon. Or that one novel that an extremely conservative Sunday school board boycotted. Could even be the response of class mates to your very first short story, which you thought was pretty good, despite all their smirks.

I've often compared writing a novel to rowing a bathtub across the Atlantic, an metaphor taken from the industry. There's something terribly heart-wrenching about rowing that bathtub across the Atlantic, expecting to be met by a cheering throng, and instead being met with a mob of natives with bows and arrows.

What is especially disconcerting about the experience is that it happens every time! I've never yet arrived at the end of my long, exhausting journey across the Atlantic of storytelling and not been met by at least one crowd full of advice on how I should have rowed faster, or taken such and such a route, or arrived in a different bathtub, or not bothered rowing at all. The arrows always fly as I near the shore. Yet I have no choice by to land the tub, dodge the arrows and run to safety. Fourteen times now I have taken this journey. I'm a walking pin cushion.

My skin has grown thicker than it once was. Recently some angry soul wrote (and continues to write) numerous ugly reviews of House on Amazon.com under the guise of many different names. Oddly enough, I find it interesting more than disturbing. Even fun in a strange way. These arrows don't penetrate as they once may have, but others still do on occasion, and when they do, they hurt as much as that very first one.

This is the hardest part of being a writer. Skin only grows so fast and so thick. Just being honest -- I hope you don't mind me being so on this site.I have a novel called Saint that comes out in a few months and I am giddy about it. It's my best work, I'm sure about that. The story makes me grin every time I dwell on it. Surely everyone will agree!

Everyone except that one mob gathered on the far right, staring out to sea with squinted eyes, looking for my bathtub as it approaches so they can inform me of what could have been better this time.

But then, it's the same with all of us in our respective walks of life. We all need thick skin to survive this brutal world, don't we? We all face our mobs.

Question: How thick was Christ's skin?

(For more about Ted Dekker check out his website by clicking here)

Freedom’s Responsibility

There is a responsibility built into freedom - to remain free. Saint Paul stated it this way in his letter to the Galatians “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” Like a fruitful garden freedom requires maintenance. The weeds of slavery remain a constant threat.

I believe that inherent to the fall is man’s propensity to bondage. Church history seems to bears this out. We repeatedly choose controls and structures. The church has consistently preferred the old wine over the new. Thank God every generation has had a remnant with a passion for freedom, a passion powerful enough to make the price worth it all.

As one who has pursed the fullness of freedom, I’ve discovered that the price of freedom in this generation is ridicule, accusation, suspicion, misunderstanding, gossip an even slander. To be honest, I really can’t complain, in centuries past I would’ve been burnt at the stake in the town square. So be it, if this be my lot, I’m willing to pay this price.

I’ve decided I’m willing to push the envelope, buck the status quo, pay the price and boldly live outside the proverbial box. Why, because we are still light years away from living out the full freedom Christ won for us on Calvary’s cross. It’s actually not much of a risk because I trust my heavenly Father. In Luke’s gospel chapter 11 verses 11-13 Jesus said:

Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

I have repeatedly asked the Father for the fullness of the Holy Spirit and He has lead me to the outer fringe of Christendom. I’m convinced He hasn’t brought me out here to give me a snake or a scorpion! If my brothers and sisters in Christ are having trouble understanding my journey, I’m OK with it, I really am. Maybe one day their children can walk unhindered upon a path others have cleared for them.

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

(To create your own newspaper click here.)

[For anyone curious, I did see the chiropractor & received another adjustment but he recommended I see my MD and have my kidneys checked. Oh joy, oh bliss]

Pain Tolerance Level

My back still hurts, bummer. I’ll see the Chiropractor again later today.

One of the few comfortable positions I can find is sitting in bed… so, I’ve set myself up in my king sized Tempur-Pedic with my laptop and the TV remote, hey what else does a man need?

While sitting here I went to Google and typed in the word “pain”, it seemed appropriate. The first site to come up was “this”. While checking out the www.pain.com site I discovered their glossary page. I clicked on it and typed in the word “pain”. I found this definition: An unpleasant sensory or emotional experience …seemed like fairly accurate to me. A little further down the page I saw the term “Pain Tolerance Level”. They defined it as:

“The greatest level of pain that a subject is prepared to tolerate”

I would add to it …until they’re willing do something about it. Most of us are willing to endure pain (unpleasant sensory or emotional experiences) up to a point. At that point we’re moved to action.

Sometimes that action is to withdraw as in removing our hand from the proverbial fire. Sometimes that action is grabbing for the bottle of Tylenol to manage the pain. Other times that action is to seek the necessary help in order to deal with the pain. That help may come from a trusted friend. If the pain is significant enough we may seek out the assistance of a skilled professional, in my case a chiropractor. I’m sure there are other options but let’s stay with these three for now. Withdraw, manage or seek help.

What do you do when your sensory or emotional experiences become unpleasant beyond the point you’re willing to tolerate? As I discovered and addressed in yesterday’s post, ignoring the problem doesn’t work. So, how about you… do you withdraw, manage or seek help?

I suspect that we do all three. We choose what seems like the easiest option first and move our way through the options until we find something that works. Unfortunately this means we may go around the same mountain again and again until we eventually deal with the real issue. Heck, I’ve been around some mountains so many times I’m dizzy!

When you think about it pain is a blessing. It’s a sign that something needs to be dealt with. So, where do you hurt? Why? And what are you going to do about it, withdraw, manage or seek help?

A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he leads justice to victory. Matthew 12:20

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

Pain

About a month ago I was moving an extension ladder, placing it on the roof rack of my Ford Explorer. As I lifted it above my head I felt something pull in the middle of my back. Oh the joy of being in my mid forties. It has been bothering me ever since. Like most men, I thought if I ignored it long enough if would just go away by itself… alas, I was wrong. So, my wife graciously made an appointment for me to visit her chiropractor, he has been very helpful to her in the past.

I arrived on time for my appointment, filled out the obligatory paper work, was interviewed, examined and adjusted. The doctor made some adjustments realigning my back and hips, I immediately felt better. Unfortunately yesterday I was once again in pain, today it’s even worse. Actually, I’m in more pain now than before the office visit.

Hmm… so what profound lessons are there to be learned in all of this? Glad you asked. I’ve discovered that even when the needed adjustments are made to realignment my soul and spirit, there may be some residual pain. Change, even beneficial change isn’t pain free.

Pain let’s me know that further adjustments are needed, that more work needs to be done. What will I do with the pain? Well, I’ve already discovered that ignoring it doesn’t work (grin). I could medicate myself and mask the pain; however that will not resolve the cause of the pain and could actually allow me to cause greater damage.

Logically, the best course of action is to deal with the cause of the pain, resolve the real issue and strengthen the surrounding areas so as to prevent future injury. Easier said then done. The problem is that when I’m in pain I’m not very logical. In fact I’m usually emotional and all I want is for the pain to stop.

Lord, you know my heart. You know my pain. Come; adjust me until I’m aligned with your Spirit. I submit myself to your hands. Amen.

Jesus said, "I am the Bread of Life. The person who aligns with me hungers no more and thirsts no more, ever. John 6:35 The Message

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

Open Hand

Back in the nineties I planted a church in North Central West Virginia. At the same time I worked for an aerospace defense contractor to pay the bills. The aerospace company was great at providing training for their employees. While attending a management training seminar I heard an instructor make this statement “We need to learn how to hold on tight with an open hand”. Wow, holding on tight with an open hand, what a great leadership philosophy. I recall thinking to myself how well that statement applied to ministry. As a pastor this was how I needed to treat my people.

My people… hmm… that’s the issue isn’t it. Are they really MY people? They may have been entrusted to my care for a season, but they’re God’s people, not mine.

For me, holding on tight with an open hand means that I will love the people God has entrusted to me for as long as they are in my care. And when it’s time to let them go… I will let them go. You know, I don’t own anybody and I surely don’t want to control anyone’s life, heck I’m lucky if I can control my own life.

Maybe it’s because God has moved me around the country, I’m not sure but if he can move me across the country why can’t God move a member of my church across town? You know what, he can and he does. It is freeing for both me and “my” people to let them come and go as the Lord leads them and bless them in the process.

Maybe some will stay a long time, maybe others will only spend a brief season. Either way I hope their time with me leaves them encouraged, inspired and free.

~ For My Friends ~

Come, eat at my table
Drink of my wine
Let us laugh together
And let us cry together
Let’s battle together
Celebrating all our victories
Mourning all our losses… together
And when the time has come
Let us embrace in love
And part in peace


Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006


Christ has set us free to live a free life So take your stand Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you

Galatians 5:1 The Message

Caricature

Why are we so afraid to be who we really are? Maybe it’s because we’ve experienced too much pain and too much rejection. The logic goes something like this… if I pretend to be what others expect me to be; maybe they’ll like me and won’t reject me. The problem is that they may not like fake you anyway and if they do, it’s not really you.

As I mentioned before I’ve been a Christian for the past 30 years and a pastor for the last 20. Over these past few decades I’ve discovered that church goers are great at playing this game. We hide ourselves behind a veil of religious jargon and performance hoping that no one will notice the broken and wounded person behind it.

As a result we become caricatures of who God created us to be. Pastors are especially susceptible to this. We’re the “professionals” we’re expected to have it all together, us and our families. So we play the game, it’s sad but true.

I’m trying to be more and more real… more genuine everyday. As I have undertaken exploring creativity the past few months, I’ve discovered or should I say rediscover an artistic side of me I had lost beneath the veil.

Most of the world, including the church rewards left brain thinking. These organized, methodical, problem solving managers are rewarded and promoted. Right brain thinkers on the other hand are… tolerated and appreciated only after their unconventional concepts bear fruit.

For years I’ve suppressed my right brain because people liked my left brain better. I’m discovering that God created both sides of my brain and said it was good.

So, after all there years maybe, just maybe I’m become less and less a caricature and more and more who God intended me to be.

(On a much lighter side, if you like the graphic above you can make your own at Vista Print. Caricatures belong on paper, not on our hearts.)


Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006


I deliberately kept it plain and simple: first Jesus and who he is; then Jesus and what he did--Jesus crucified. I was unsure of how to go about this, and felt totally inadequate--I was scared to death, if you want the truth of it-- and so nothing I said could have impressed you or anyone else. But the Message came through anyway. God's Spirit and God's power did it, 1 Corinthians 2:2-4 The Message

Blog Widow No More

(Today I have a treat for you, a guest contributor to my blog, my lovely wife, the one and only Nadine, enjoy!)

Tom suggested I start a blog. That’s really not my cup of tea. Instead today I’m his guest blogger. I told him that I don’t have that many interesting things to say, some might argue that point (okay maybe I'm the only one who could argue that point, but I’m still part of “some”).

It's possible that I was against having my own blog because up until now, I was a blog widow. You know what I mean, the lonely, beautiful wife waiting patiently (okay maybe not so patiently) for her husband to finish writing his latest article, only to be sadly disappointed because he took too long! What has changed, you ask?

A laptop

That’s right my friends. Tom purchased a laptop so… instead of writing in his office he can write in whatever room I’m in. I’m a happy woman.

(Side note: Tom couldn’t wait until I finished to read this. So at this point he suggested I should mention that I’m a youngest child and that it’s really all about me. I told him he’s not writing this blog, I am. He thinks he’s funny, but not so much today.)

So after 28 years together and almost 25 years of marriage you might think that I would be tired of him and welcome a break now and again. This is where you’d be wrong. . . I think he’s still cute after all these years and I can never get enough of him. . . enough time that is. Am I the only person out there who got married because they actually wanted to spend the rest of their life with the man they said “I do” to?

Since Tom is a pastor (which is almost like being married to a doctor but without the money) he keeps weird hours. I work full time and it sucks the life out of me, the time I have left I want to spend with him. I know, I know it’s weird, but what can I say love does strange things to perfectly normal individuals. So for me, the laptop is the best invention ever (okay I know that there’s been better inventions, some that even save lives, but I’m a simple woman and maybe Tom’s right it really is all about me. (grin, grin) So if you’re a blog widow, my simple solution for you is this, buy a laptop.

I end with this, which needs to be said but doesn’t have anything to do with being a blog widow. As far as our church goes, I love our people because quite frankly we have a great church. These people rock! Tom and I are blessed in many ways. We’re surrounded by people who love us as much as we love them. And don’t let me get started on the teens in our church. I want to be just like some of these girls when I grow up.

© Nadine Zawacki 2006

Creativity

For the past few months I’ve been exploring creativity in various forms and I’ve encouraged the members of my church, The Bridge to do the same. The challenge has been to enter into His Presence and then create what you’ve experienced. While surfing the web I stumbled upon a gifted artist who is doing exactly that!

David Costello is that artist.

I’m extremely impressed with his work; especially his interpretation of the Days of Creation, Holy Ecstasy and Longing. Actually his entire portfolio is impressive.

Check out his website, be inspired and explore creativity yourself!

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006

I Have A Dream

(Every time I read this speech or watch or listen to a recording of that day, I’m inspired. This man had a passion for freedom and an ability to articulate it like no other. Take a few moments, read through Dr. King's speech and let it inspire you. )

"I Have A Dream"
by Martin Luther King, Jr,

(Delivered on the steps at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963. Source: Martin Luther King, Jr: The Peaceful Warrior, Pocket Books, NY 1968)

Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity. But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not free.

One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land.

So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. In a sense we have come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir.

This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.

So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.

The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.

We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.

I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive.

Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Driving Home

Some random thoughts… I was driving home from Seattle yesterday afternoon. I spent the last day and a half visiting my son. My son Tom is a 20 year old graduate of the Art Institute of Seattle. His ambition is to become a film maker. He’s very talented and a very hard worker. I’m extremely proud of him. You can check out some of his work on his website http://www.tomzawacki.com/ . I miss him a lot and hadn’t seen his since he was home for Christmas, so I drove over and we had a great visit.

With gas prices being so crazy high I decided to take my wife’s Grand Am instead of my Ford Explorer. When I take a long drive I usually bring some worship CD's and some teaching CD's with me. So, early Tuesday morning I grab a CD by John Paul Jackson titled “Keys to Receiving God’s Justice” and what I thought was a CD by Paul Keith Davis titled “Releasing Breakthrough Revival”. I know my wife listens to worship in her car so I didn’t grab any worship CDs. I hit the road at 7:00 AM filled up with gas, drove through McDonalds for some breakfast and off I went.

The first thing I did was listen to John Paul’s CD and it was excellent. At the end he leads the group in prayer and I kept on praying long after the CD was finished. After a bit I thought I would see which CD's were in Nadine’s car. I found only one! She had cleaned me out! Bless her heart! At least she left me a good one: The Selah Project: “Heavens Are Open”. By the time it was finished I had arrived at my son’s apartment.

We had a great visit and I hit the road home at about 2:00 PM Wednesday. This time I thought I would start with some worship and then listen to Paul Keith Davis’ CD. Worship time was good; I especially liked the first and last tracks “Not Unto Us” sung by Rayme Whalen and “Umbrella” sung by Brian Whalen. I pulled out the case with Paul Keith's disc and inserted it into the CD player only to discover that it was a DVD and not a CD. It wouldn’t play, bummer.

Now, I’ve already listened to the only worship CD I have twice and I’ve already listen to John Paul. Add to this, the radio doesn’t work in Nadine’s car. I’ve got about two hours to go and no tunes or teachering CD's. I decided to use this time to communicate with the Lord. I could categorize some of the communication as prayer. Some of it would more accurately be categorized as complaining and heck, some of it was just plain whining. But all of it was real and from the heart. I took the next two hours just pouring my heart out to God and it felt good. I talked to him like he was sitting in the passenger’s seat next to me.

Tuesday night I had a great heart to heart conversation with my son, we were up until 3:00 AM. Driving home I had a two hour heart to heart with my HeavenlyDad. Those were two of the best, most honest and real conversations I’ve had in a long time. Hey, the next time you have a long drive by yourself, turn the CD player off and talk to your Dad, it will do your heart good.

Copyright © Tom Zawacki, 2006

The DaVinci Code & the Gospel of Judas

(I know this is a very long post, my apologies. With the release of the DaVinci Code and all the recent talk about the Gospel of Judas I thought you might Find Rick Joyner’s take on both topics valuable. Blessings…)

MorningStar Ministries Special Bulletin #3 - May 1 2006
The DaVinci Code and the Gospel of Judas by Rick Joyner
The DaVinci Code is an important book that we need to understand. This book may be a well-written suspense thriller, but for historical accuracy it is hard to imagine one that has so twisted and distorted the facts. Even though it is a compelling read, it is taken too seriously by many, which is a statement about our times that we need to understand.

In this book, the author very cleverly uses characters who are supposed to be esteemed experts and historians to make bold and authoritative declarations about the church, its history, and the Bible which are not only false, but are either extreme exaggerations or outright fabrications. Is this acceptable just because it is a novel? Usually even novels that are based on historic events are held to a high standard in its representation of them. Why isn't this one? There is an obvious agenda in The DaVinci Code that we need to understand. What is it? Why does it matter?

There is a reason why this book is regarded by an increasing number of people to be one of the most demonically-inspired books of our times, with a profoundly evil agenda. This book is a regurgitation of the ancient Gnostic doctrines, as well as the promotion and glorification of paganism, while undermining Christianity and faith in the Bible. This is not a new deception, but is actually rooted in the original deception of the serpent in the Garden.

Gnosticism was a heresy that arose in the first few centuries A.D. when Christianity was spreading throughout the world, and it claimed to be Christian, but was not. It was rather a very basic departure from Christian truth, and promoted a salvation that was more of an elevation of the soul, through a secret knowledge rather than through the atonement of the cross.
Gnosticism was considered by some to have been the very deception that the Lord prophesied would seek to deceive even the elect (see Matthew 24:24). For the first few centuries of Christianity, this deception was effective in deceiving many new or unstable believers and even some of the leaders. It seemed especially prone to pick off those who were on either the extreme of having a low self-esteem or the opposite extreme of being driven by selfish ambition, because it fed on the pride of its converts that these two kinds of people are especially prone to embrace.

It is important for us to understand why this same heresy is surfacing again today in The DaVinci Code, and the timing of the discovery of The Gospel of Judas, which is no accident. It is probable that The Gospel of Judas manuscript discovered is probably authentic as far as being old, but it was not written by Judas, as it is being promoted. We know that this "gospel" existed because it is referred to a number of times by the early church fathers, but always as a heresy, just like the other Gnostic gospels that painted a very different picture of Jesus than the biblical testimony. Just because something is old does not make its teaching true.

With a brief scan of the web, you will find a growing number of studies that have and are being done on The DaVinci Code by serious historians and even art critics. From just a cursory examination of these, they all seem to be united in declaring the assertions in this book to be anywhere from inaccurate to outrageous. In fact, I could not find one that verified the implications made by this book. The author does not even get the architecture correct on the prominent buildings used in the novel, which could have easily been done with a little research through the Internet.

We will look at a few examples of the kind of distortion of history that is found in the assertions of this book, especially those which are used to attack Christianity or the Bible. Because Gnosticism is obviously being resurrected in our times, we should keep in mind that there have always been the two main assaults of Gnosticism:

1. To undermine Christianity by attacking its most basic truths—the deity of Jesus, His death, resurrection, and exaltation.
2. To attack the validity of the Scriptures.

The very first lie of Satan was an attempt to get Eve to doubt God's word. This is why there is such a massive and continuous assault on the validity of the Scriptures. If the "scientific" methods and standards used to determine authenticity of ancient writings are applied to the Scriptures, there are almost certainly no writings on the planet that pass these tests better than the Bible. However, science almost always uses a double standard when it comes to the Bible, accepting as fact that which attacks it even if it is the most flimsy of evidence, and rejecting a mountain of verification if it confirms the Bible.

We need to understand that Gnosticism seems to be an especially interesting parallel to the first forbidden fruit that brought all of the death into the world in the beginning. Satan seduced Adam and Eve into eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil by asserting that this knowledge would make them "like God." Gnosticism comes from a root word that means "knowledge," and it actually purports to lead those who acquire the secret knowledge to become like God. This perverted doctrine did much damage to the early church, and it is obviously being resurrected to do the same in our time.

The DaVinci Code seeks to make heroes out of secret societies and groups like the Templars, but you can be sure that secret societies, or groups that have secret rituals, will be used for evil. If we are abiding in the light then anything we do should be able to be exposed to the light or openness.

There have been societies, or orders, in church history that have done much good for the faith, but they were never secret orders, and were always very open about what they did. One of these would be The Order of the Mustard Seed that was founded by early Moravians and was instrumental in the conversions of John and Charles Wesley. We should beware of any secret society or order, and can assume that if something has to be kept secret it is in darkness.

This book also asserts through its characters, who are supposed to be esteemed and celebrated intellectuals and historians, that the Roman Emperor Constantine at the Council of Nicea (in the early fourth century) forced on the church the doctrines of the deity of Jesus, and his own desired canon of Scripture. The facts are that the canon of Scripture was not even on the agenda at this council, and the "close vote" on the deity of Jesus was 300 to 2. Does that sound like a "close vote" to you? This may actually reflect the degree of accuracy that the rest of the "facts" stated in The DaVinci Code actually have.

The characters in this book also state that this council threw out the "80 some" additional "gospels" that disputed His deity, keeping only the four that confirmed Jesus' deity, which Dan Brown states (always through his characters) that neither Jesus nor His first disciples held to. Again, the canon of Scripture was not even addressed at this council, and the "80 some other gospels" mentioned in this novel are another exaggeration. There were others, but the actual number is about 20, so the exaggeration of this was only by a factor of 4 to 1, which seems pretty good by the standards of accuracy set throughout the rest of this book.

The canon of Scripture was established centuries later. The reasons given for epistles or "gospels" that were not canonized varied. Some were not canonized because they had been written later than the first century, and therefore were not considered eyewitness accounts. Even the standard of justice established in the Law demanded that the testimony of any witness had to be an eyewitness account, not hearsay, and it was expected that the New Covenant should not have a lower standard than the Old Covenant. Some were not canonized because it was believed that they were redundant to the four gospels that were chosen. Others were not acceptable because they contained obvious Gnostic heresies.

Contrary to the statements of the "experts" in this novel, these heresies were almost universally understood by faithful believers to be heresy, and a diversion from the truth of the gospel. These Gnostic heresies were not corroborated by any of the writings of the early church fathers (leaders of the church who lived between 70 A.D.and 150 A.D.), but are disputed vehemently by them all.

Contrary to the assertions made in The DaVinci Code, the New Testament actually has an abundance of "scientific proof" backing up both its authenticity and its dating. The fact that the writings of the early church fathers took place between 70 A.D. and 150 A.D. is well established and is not disputed in its dating. The early church fathers included some who were direct disciples of those who walked with the Lord Himself such as Peter, John, and the other apostles. From these writings, there are some 30,000 references to what is now considered the canon New Testament. From these well-established authentic writings, you can reconstruct the entire New Testament with the exception of just eleven verses! This testifies quite overwhelmingly that what we have in our New Testament today is the same which was actually penned by the authors, though of course some translations may differ on some phrasing.

Even so, epistles that were not mentioned by the early church fathers were not necessarily considered spurious, or fraudulent, or that they contained false teaching. Many of these writings were considered good and edifying, but that did not pass the high test required to be considered canon Scripture. The many errors that later entered the church were not the result of rejecting epistles that should have been included in the canon, as The DaVinci Code purports, but were the result of neglecting the canon Scriptures.

In any case, the evidence that what we have in our New Testament today is that the authenticity of the writings is quite overwhelming, in contrast to the assertion of Dan Brown through his authoritative characters that the New Testament was repeatedly changed, and modified, and is very different from the original. This is not true, and there is abundant evidence that it is not true.

Other glaring flaws in The DaVinci Code really include almost every statement about the Bible or early Christian practices including the fact that neither Constantine nor the Council of Nicea were responsible for changing the Christian meeting day to Sunday or establishing the celebration of Christmas. That Christians had begun to meet on the first day of the week rather than the Jewish Sabbath is apparent in the New Testament, as well as the writings of the early church fathers. The celebration of Christmas also began well after Constantine. There is also not a single Christian writing included in the Dead Sea Scrolls, nor even a mention of Christ in them.

Brown's biggest distortion of the truth is the assertion that neither Jesus, nor the first Christians, considered Jesus to be deity. The Gospel of John begins by asserting His divinity, as does the first two chapters of Hebrews, the first chapter of the Gospel of John, and an abundance of other statements such as Romans 1:1-4:

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God
which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures,concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (NKJV).

There have now been books written on the inaccuracies, misstatements, and exaggerations of The DaVinci Code, and it does seem that every single point about Christianity in this book was not just distorted, but greatly distorted. Even other minor details that had nothing to do with faith were also amazingly inaccurate, such as the one that I'm sure irritated every pilot—a B-58 Baron is not a turboprop, but a light twin piston powered plane, which no one could walk around in as asserted in this strange novel.

From a Christian perspective, his agenda of attacking Christianity, promoting pagan worship and other rituals that are associated with satanic worship are quite obvious. When one serves Satan, the "father of lies," you will become like the one you worship. This book is full of lies. Historical novels are generally held to a very high standard of conforming to the truth when it comes to actual historic events. Why isn't this one?

The publisher of this book, and Hollywood, will obviously defend the book by saying that it is a novel, and Dan Brown is just taking some artistic liberty. However, this book crosses some very basic lines with its flagrant distortions of history obviously intended to be an attack on Christianity, and it should offend every true Christian. I would not encourage anyone to be slimed by reading this novel, or watching the movie, regardless of how entertaining it may be. There are lines that we, too, as Christians need to draw, and this is one of them.

Even with this being a very well-written and exciting suspense thriller, that its bazaar premises and message would allow it to be the bestseller that it has become says a lot about the present state of the world in our times. Truth, and the love for truth, is certainly becoming rare. Just as these same Gnostic heresies deceived and led astray many weak and unstable Christians in the first few centuries, we can be sure that it will do so again if the true shepherds do not protect those they are entrusted to watch over by warning them of these things.

The good that has come from this novel is that many Christians have been provoked into checking out some of the attacks made on basic Christian truth in this novel, as well as historic facts, and have resolved to strengthen their own foundations. We are coming to the time of the ultimate conflict between good and evil, between light and darkness, between truth and error. Good will always win over evil, light will always cast out darkness, and truth will always prevail over every lie. This we can be sure of.

© 2006 MorningStar Publications
All Rights Reserved

What's Coming

As part of last Sunday’s sermon preparation I took time to sit and listen. I’ll often ask the Lord what he wants me to say to his people. I was surprised and a bit overwhelmed with the rush of revelation I was given.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, I believe that a day is coming when we will HAVE to live by the Spirit. It will no longer be a luxury, it will be a necessity. The revelation I received speaks of the days when we will need to live by the Spirit. Most of it did not have a specific time frame attached to it and all of it can be influenced by intercession.

The Lord revealed to me changes that are coming internationally, nationally, regionally and locally. Admittedly some is this is generic. I’ve chosen not to add to it but give it as I got it.

International
I see dramatic changes ahead, catastrophic changes internationally, like a chain reaction of events. I saw a new war erupting in the Middle East as Israel’s enemies strengthen and align against her. We need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. I understand it doesn’t take much revelatory gifting to see war in the Middle East however, I saw this as a significant first domino in a chain of events.

National
I saw changes in the political landscape of the United States, first slightly to the left and than hard to the far right. Both were mistakes.

I saw a new terrorist attack on US soil, not nuclear but biological. I’m not certain specifically where this attack would take place but I know that the Pacific Northwest is vulnerable.

To add to the fear and confusion this attack would happen in concert with an outbreak of disease, either a pandemic bird flu outbreak or a similar disease.

This will cause economic collapse, a cascading domino effect, first in Asia, then Europe and finally in the United States. There are no natural defenses or resources to overcome this. But we do have at our disposal supernatural defenses and resources. And we need to learn how to utilize them, now is the time to learn.

Regional
By regional I’m referring to the Pacific Northwest. I see changes in leadership ahead. Key corporate, government and church leaders are about to be replaced. For some it is God strategically setting the right people in the right places. For others it is the work of the enemy.

I see a large chess board superimposed over the Pacific Northwest, the impact of these strategic moves will be felt throughout the Pacific Rim but the game is being played here. I also see smaller chess boards over the Northeast, the Southeast, the Midwest and the Gulf Region. The side of light is motivated by love; the dark side is motivated by an evil spirit of politics.

Local
By local I’m referring to the Tri-Cities, Kennewick, Richland and Pasco in Southeastern Washington State. I see industrial changes. Those with the ability to navigate these changing currents will prosper, sensitivity to the Holy Spirit is essential.

I see Power shifts between the Tri-Cities of Pasco, Richland and Kennewick. Here is a riddle for you…the first shall be last and the last shall be first. The humble will lead and pride comes before a fall.

I saw racial concerns becoming headline issues.

I saw the churches in the Tri-Cities as fading colors in bucket about to be discarded. The churches in the Tri-Cities are becoming less and less relevant but that’s about the change as the colors of the Spirit return. I saw that there will be an almost 100% turnover of pastors in the next five years.

The Bridge
For my local church what I saw was that we live on the fringe of Christendom. As we explore the fullness of freedom that is ours in Christ Jesus we’re often scoffed at, mocked, gossiped about and ridiculed. So be it. This I know, God is rising up an army of supernatural warriors armed with the power of His love to overcome all the power of the enemy. And we’re invited to be part of that supernatural army.

Soon the power to…
- Multiply food like Jesus did in Matthew 14
- Transport like Philip in Acts 8:39 or Jesus & Disciple in John 6:21
- Remain immune to deadly diseases/ poisons like Paul in Acts 28:5.
- Heal the sick, like Jesus & the disciple through the New Testament.
- Raise the dead Like Jesus in John 11 and Peter in Acts 9 or Paul in Acts 20
…will be in demand! We’re in training to live naturally supernatural.

My sense was that one of the tactics of the enemy against us is to strike the shepherd and scatter the sheep. I’m concerned that the strike will come as another round of cancer. Please remember me in your prayers. The purpose would be to take me out and significantly damage our community.

Many will come to faith in the US; genuine revival is coming because all the false gods will have toppled like so many Asherah Poles, the gods of self sufficiency, mammon, power, success and control. The darkness will be so great that people will be drawn to the genuine light.

Our Dual Citizenship is coming into play, though we live in the world we are not of the world. Our citizenship truly is in Heaven. You might want to research these verses: 2 Cor 10:3, 1 Peter 2:11, Eph 2:19 and Phil 3:20.

Now What?
So, what do we do with all this? I encourage two things, the first is prayer. We need to intercede, stand in the gap and repent for the sins our Nation. Next we need to cry out for mercy that repentance may come some other way.

Second we need to personally practice, experiment, learn and explore “Living by the Spirit” that we might be ready… just like those five wise virgins whose lamps were filled with oil.

Your questions and comments are welcomed and encouraged.

Copyright © Tom Zawacki, 2006

Live by the Spirit

One of my favorite chapters in the bible is Galatians 5. It resonates with my passion for freedom… “it is for freedom that Christ has set us free. I have a passion to see the church walking out that freedom in fullness. The question is, how, how do we get from this place to a place of full freedom?

Verse 16 says “So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature”. I’m convinced that central to our experiencing that full freedom is learning how to live by the Spirit.

Here’s a question for you. Are you a physical being with occasional, temporary spiritual experiences or are you a spiritual being living a temporal physical reality? Whether you’re a Christian or not, you are going to live forever, it simply a matter of location, what will your eternal address be? We are Spiritual beings, the 70-80 years we live in this physical realm are a drop in the ocean compared to eternity. This natural existence is temporary, the Spiritual realm is permanent. The Spiritual realm is the real reality. This is a challenging concept for the American church to grasp. I suspect that this question of the real reality was part of the appeal of the Matrix movies. It touched an arena of truth with us.

Maybe you don’t want to consider the question of which reality is more real. Than how about this, as a follower of Jesus Christ to believe you have reached the zenith of your maturity and spiritual development in the faith? Do you still have room to grow? Do you believe that God still has more for you? Any honest person would quickly examine themselves and offer a resounding yes! Of course God has more for us, I want that more. Beyond that, I believe we are entering time in human history where we need that more, we need to be able to “live by the Spirit”.

We are presently living in the lull before the storm. The Lord has revealed to me some things that are about to take place. I’ll write about them tomorrow. The season we are in right now is a kin to training camp, boot camp or the pre-season. It is time for us to practice, experiment and explore so we will be ready when it time to enter the field of battle.

To use more biblical language, we want to be like to the five wise virgins whose lamps were filled with oil (the Holy Spirit), ready for the bridegroom when he comes.

Father, take us out of our comfort zones; blow up our artificial controls that box us in and you out. Set us free from fear and the limits of the natural realm that we might live fully free by your Spirit, amen.

Copyright © Tom Zawacki 2006