Mike Edmisten Follower of Jesus. Husband of Nicki. Father of Ryan & Brock. Communicator of the Word.

Want To Stay Comfortable?

Then you shouldn't come to ACC this weekend.

Our "How To Survive The End Of The World" series rolls on this Sunday.  Honestly, this is shaping up to be one of the most uncomfortable messages I've ever preached. Seriously, this stuff will mess you up. If you want to remain in complacent comfort, you might as well sleep in on Sunday.

But along with being uncomfortable, I'm believing more and more that this message is powerful. It's a message straight from the mouth of Jesus Himself, so why would we expect anything less?

Your world will be rocked. You will likely shed a tear or two. And most of all, you'll be challenged to stick with Jesus until the end.

Bring it.

T-Day

I post this every so often on Tax Day. Thought it was worth another repeat.

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Today is T-Day. Tax Day 2010. Nobody in their right mind enjoys paying taxes, but maybe a little bit of perspective will help.

In Matthew 22, a group of Pharisees (the religious leaders of the day) came to Jesus to try to trap him with a question. They asked, "Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" (Matthew 22:17, NIV)

The Pharisees were threatened by Jesus. Since they lived under Roman rule, they would have liked nothing better than to trick Jesus into saying something against the Roman government. They thought that Jesus was attempting to establish a political kingdom, therefore he would teach his followers to avoid paying taxes to Rome. But Jesus rarely, if ever, does what people expect him to do. He didn't fall into their trap. Instead, his answer left these religious people speechless.

Jesus said, "Show me the coin used for paying the tax."

They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?"

"Caesar's," they replied.

Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's."

When they heard this, they were amazed. (Matthew 22:19-22, NIV)

I love Jesus' answer. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." Give the government what is due the government. Give to God what is due God.

Interestingly, we are compelled to "give to Caesar what is Caesar's." We have to pay taxes. If we don't, we'll wind in up in room with striped sunlight. We'd rather pay taxes than go to jail. So, largely out of compulsion, we "give to Caesar what is Caesar's."

But do we "give to God what is God's?" God wants far more than our money. He wants our time. He wants talent. He wants our devotion, obedience, and love. In short, He wants us. All of us.

If you skip out on paying your taxes, Uncle Sam will soon be knocking on your door. There will be warnings and threats issued. "You will pay your taxes, or else."

God could take the same approach…but he doesn't. God will not force himself on you. Instead, he'll wait patiently for you to respond to his loving invitation.

When the Pharisees heard Jesus' answer to their question, "they were amazed." I am too. I am amazed that, even though God deserves everything from me, he doesn't take it by force. He would rather me offer my life to him out of joyful gratitude instead of out of fearful compulsion.

Today, as we "give to Caesar what is Caesar's," let's not forget the second, and much more important, part of Jesus' answer.

Unplug

I just spent exactly one week living completely unplugged.

No email. No Facebook. No Twitter. No blogs (writing or reading). No cell phone.

It was glorious.

I will freely admit that technology has added a great deal to my life and ministry.

I read blogs from lots of leaders that I will probably never meet.  But I still get to tap into their wisdom on a weekly (if not daily) basis.

ACC's sermon podcast is accessed all over the world.  I recently got an email from a lady in Pakistan who listens to our podcast every week and shares it with her friends.

I'm in a coaching community right now that is completely internet based. But thanks to the magic of webcams, it's like we're all together in the same room. A few years ago, this wasn't even possible. Now it's not only possible…it's really easy.

Technology blesses me in a lot of different ways. But along with all these pros, there are also some cons.

I am instantly accessible all the time, via cell phone or email. That gets to be burdensome.

Technology is a gateway for criticism. People will say things via email or a blog that they would never say to your face. The internet is a haven for cowards.

The online world is filled with distractions-a-plenty. There are many things that, while not inherently evil, are a huge waste of time.

Last week, it was great to just unplug. And you know what? The world went on during my technological absence. And it would go on if you were to unplug as well.

You should do it.  Seriously. Schedule a week and force yourself to unplug completely.

It will help you toward a greater appreciation of the blessings of technology. And it will also force you to see the negative impact this stuff has on your life.

Back in The Saddle

The blogging saddle, that is.

I'm back at it after a week off.  New posts will kick off starting tomorrow. Comments are back on now.

I missed you all.  I would ask if you missed me too, but I'm wary of asking a question when I might not like the answer!

Vacation

I'm taking a few days off this week.  No cell phone. No computer. No emailing or blogging. Nothing electronic whatsoever. I can't wait!

I'll get back to my normal blogging next week.  In the meantime, why not go check out another blog?  Many of our staff members are also bloggers.  I've also listed several other bloggers who are worth checking out.  Look for all the links on the right side of my blog page.

Comments on my blog are currently disabled.  See ya in about a week!

Easter Reflections

Some thoughts from an incredible day yesterday…

• Attendance was bumping yesterday. We had two services and packed them both out. Love it!
• Seeing someone baptized into Christ never gets old. Such a beautiful act of submissive obedience to Jesus. Congrats Nikki! I love your excitement and passion to start your new walk with Christ.
• Our band was on fire yesterday!  Seriously…yesterday might be the best I've ever heard them.
• Scott Smith was at church yesterday! If you don't know Scott, we've been praying for him for months. He just returned from a stay at the Mayo Clinic. The doctors at Mayo said that if Scott had arrived 72 hours later, he would have died. Instead, he is recovering and was well enough to come to church yesterday. Answered prayer!
• I thought I died and went to heaven when I heard our band playing a Johnny Cash song on Easter Sunday. They took his song, God's Gonna Cut You Down, and lit it on fire! Blew me away!
• I met a ton of guests yesterday. So many encouraging conversations. God is expanding our church's influence in our area everyday.
• The gospel still works. I took a very simple approach to my message yesterday. I just straight-up preached the gospel. No frills. No fluff. Just the gospel. And it worked.

Does the Resurrection Matter? – Part Four

If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, we are still in our sins.

That's pretty much exactly what the Bible says.  "And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins." (1 Corinthians 15:17)

Jesus' death on the cross paid the debt that we could not pay. He was the perfect sacrifice we needed for our sins.  But through His resurrection, death was finally defeated. The power of sin and hell were conquered.

The death and resurrection of Jesus are a package deal.  One without the other is incomplete and useless.

This is what makes our baptism so special and significant.  When we cross the line of faith and are baptized into Christ, here's what the Bible says happens.

"Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection." (Romans 6:3-5)

When we sink into the waters of baptism, we die to our old life. When we rise from the waters, we rise to a new life. In God's eyes, we unite with both Christ's death and resurrection.

These four posts are far from an exhaustive look at the significance of Jesus' resurrection, but I hope it has helped you put some things in perspective.  Anytime you hear someone trying to marginalize (or flatly deny) the resurrection of Christ, you need to know the truth.

"Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:32)

Easter 2010 at ACC

I am STOKED about Easter at ACC this year!  I had planned to pump it up here on my blog, but Brian said it better than I could.

Wanna know what's coming this weekend? Wanna know why you should invite people like crazy?

Here you go.

How To Survive The End Of The World – Brian Morrissey

Does the Resurrection Matter? – Part Three

If Jesus didn't rise from the dead, then He was a failure.

It is widely accepted that Jesus was crucified.  Religious and secular historians alike agree that there is overwhelming evidence that Jesus died on a cross.

But if Jesus didn't also rise from the dead, then He is the most spectacular failure to ever live.

We have to understand the cross in its cultural context.  Crucifixion was reserved for the lowest of the low. Only the worst of offenders were crucified.  To be crucified was a mark of ultimate shame.

The Roman government wouldn't even crucify its own citizens (unless they were traitors to the government).  They reserved crucifixion for people that they didn't even believe were fully human…like the Jews.  And like Jesus.

In our culture, we can't adequately understand the disdain and the horror associated with crucifixion. And yet that is how Jesus died.  From a first century perspective, the cross would be the ultimate mark of Jesus' failure. And, if it were not for the resurrection, that perspective would be correct.

But Jesus did rise from the dead.  The Bible says, "Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:54b-57)

The resurrection turned a mammoth failure into the ultimate victory.  That's the Jesus that we worship.  Not deflated and defeated, but victorious and alive!