I recently had the honor of speaking at “Simply Cyber Con” – the first major tech conference I have spoken at. Even if you aren’t in IT, I think you will find this talk helpful. The event was fully secular and had nothing to do with Christianity, but of course my perspective is as a Christian (and you will notice that quite a bit in this talk!)

Enjoy!

(If you are seeing this in your email, you may need to go to the actual page to watch the video.)

This morning I had the honor of leading the service at the United Church of Garretson. The message was not recorded, but here is a rough manuscript from my notes and study of the passage. I hope this encourages you today.

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In 1728 at Oxford University a student named Charles was struggling with his faith. Like many college students, he drifted away from his faith during his time at college. In his final year, he decided he was ready to get serious about his faith but realized he needed help doing so. He gathered a group of people – including his older brother John – to meet together to learn how to live the Christian faith.

They focused on five main activities: studying the Bible, prayer, fasting, giving to the poor, and visiting people in prison. They were quite methodical about everything they were doing, and actually started being insulted by other students as Oxford. People made fun of them because they were so “radical” about the Christian faith. Does anyone know the main insult people referred to them as? They were called “Methodists” because they were made fun of for how “methodical” they approached the Christian faith in their desire to understand what it means to follow Jesus!

If you know the Methodist church – which many of you of course do – you would know that I am talking about John and Charles Wesley. The entire Methodist church – including the United Church of Garretson – got our start at Oxford University in 1728 when two young men were sick of the status quo of Christianity and decided to go deeper and learn what it really means to be followers of Jesus.

Today, I want us to ask the same question Charles and John were asking in 1728 – what does it look like to move beyond tradition, beyond the status quo, beyond just going through the motions – what does it truly look like to take Jesus seriously today? What does it look like to be a disciple of Jesus; to follow Jesus so closely that we may even be ridiculed and mocked for how “methodical” we are at pursuing the person and work of Jesus Christ?

To do that, we are going to spend our time this morning looking at a letter written by someone who knew Jesus better than almost anyone – his earthly brother named James. After Mary gave birth to Jesus, she was married to Joseph and we see from Scripture they had other children. One of their sons – so Jesus’ younger brother – was a person named James. What is unique about James is he didn’t believe that Jesus was the Savior or Son of God during Jesus’ earthly ministry. Can you blame him? How would you respond if your brother started proclaiming that he is the Son of God and the long-awaited Savior who fulfills all the prophecies of the Old Testament? I would guess you wouldn’t be quick to believe either!

James didn’t become a follower of Jesus until Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead and then appeared to James. James had this realization that if Jesus really did die on a cross and rise from the dead, he must be serious. This Jesus is not just his older brother – this Jesus is the promised Savior who died for the sins of the world and rose from the dead – the same Jesus who will come again to judge the living and the dead.

After James became a follower of Jesus, he became one of the leaders of the Jesus movement. He wrote the letter of James to Jewish Christians who were scattered among non-Jews. Many of these believers were struggling with the very thing Charles and John were struggling with when they started their small groups that later became the Methodist church – what does it look like to take Jesus seriously? Not just go through the motions and say the right words – but to really pursue lives that look more like Jesus and less like the world? This morning I want us to spend our time looking at just 4 verses from this letter. Although these are just a few verses, I firmly believe that if you take these words seriously, your life will become radically different.

I would also encourage you to actually join me in the Bible. I think it’s important for you to see the text for yourself and be able to follow along with the passage. There is a Bible in the seat in front of you – otherwise, you can follow along on your phone with the YouVersion Bible App. Let’s begin in James 1:21

James 1:21
Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

The text begins with the word “therefore” – there is a cheesy Bible Study tip (but it’s quite helpful) that when you see the word “therefore” you should ask – what is it there for? In other words, this passage is connected to everything that comes before it. For the sake of context, let’s quickly read James 1:19-20 –

James 1:19-20
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

So BECAUSE human anger does not “produce the righteousness that God desire” – get rid of all moral filth… – that is the context – so let’s look at the specific command from James. The first point James wants to convey to us this morning is that your greatest enemy is you. It’s not politics, it’s not your job, it’s not your spouse, it’s not your lack of money, it’s not the things you’ve been through – your greatest enemy is you. To extend that even further, the greatest enemy of Christianity is not Islam or Hinduism or Secularism – instead, the greatest enemy to the Christian church is Christians – me and you. Look how James explains this:

“Get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent…”

What “moral filth” and “evil” is James referring to? It’s easy to immediately think he is referring to the “moral filth” and “evil” out in the world. We automatically assume that passages in Scripture condemning things such as “moral filth” is referring to a place like Las Vegas – notoriously known as “sin city” – and for good reason! Friends, James is not saying that our job as Christians is to condemn the world around us. Instead, our job is to look inward – elsewhere Scripture says that judgment begins with the church.

Consider again the example of John and Charles Wesley on the Oxford Campus. They didn’t meet in a small group so they could discuss how sinful the rest of campus was. No, instead the purpose of their meeting was to confess their own sins and seek to follow Jesus closer themselves. True revival begins when Christians take the call to follow Jesus seriously – not when Christians condemn everyone around them who believe or behave differently.

And look at what James says about this “moral filth” and “evil” – he says it is “prevalent” IN the church – in us! Consider the 12 step program in Alcoholics Anonymous. Does anyone know the first step? Basically to admit that you have a problem that you are powerless to overcome on your own. This is the same first step we need to take if we are going to take the Christian message seriously – it’s the first step Charles and John Wesley took when they started the Methodist movement.

My question for you is have you taken this step? Do you recognize that you have sinned against a holy and righteous God and you deserve his just wrath? Do you recognize that you are powerless on your own to fix this issue? You cannot be forgiven of your sin by trying to be a “good person” – your good will never outweigh the “moral filth” and “evil” that is prevalent in your life. No amount of religion, attending church, or giving money can cleanse your sin. You are absolutely hopeless on your own. We don’t share this part of the message often in church but the good news is only good news if you understand the bad news – and the bad news is that, apart from Jesus, you are a sinner and deserve the full wrath of God because of your sin.

That leads to the question – how?! If we are powerless on our own to “get rid” of the moral filth and evil that is in us, what do we do? How do we get rid of it? Let’s look at what James says:

“… and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

James introduces us to something he calls the “word.” He commands us to “humbly accept it” and that it is able to “save” us – specifically, from the moral filth and evil that is so prevalent in us. What is the “word” he is talking about? It’s the “word” of the Gospel. As you may know, the word “Gospel” literally means “good news.” Here’s the message of the Gospel that our faith is built on. You and I are born into this world as sinners. We have rebelled against a holy and righteous God – the “moral filth” and “evil” spoken of above is prevalent in our lives – and we are deserving of God’s judgment and damnation. The good news is that God so loved the world that he took on human flesh and literally become one of us in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life – unlike us, he never sinned or rebelled against the Father. He then died a brutal and horrible death on a cross – a death we deserve to die – and on the cross he paid the penalty for all of our sins – past, present, and future. Jesus was buried and on the 3^rd day he rose from the dead, showing that the check cleared. He then ascended to the Father and will return again to judge the living and the dead. All who put their faith in Jesus will be forgiven of their sin and are invited into a relationship with God – not on the basis of their good works but rather on the basis of Jesus’ finished work on the cross – that’s the “word” James is referring to.

By extension, he is also referring to this book – the Bible. As Christians we believe that the Bible is God’s Word to His people. It is through these pages that God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, continues to speak to His people today. James instructs all of us to “humbly” accept this word – but how do we do that? That’s the question James answers in our remaining verses – how do we “humbly” accept this word which is able to save our souls? Let’s read the rest of the passage.

James 1:22-25
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

First James says how to NOT receive the word humbly – James is quite clear – merely “listening” to the Bible by reading it or hearing sermons is not going to transform your life. Instead, it’s going to have the opposite affect – you will deceive yourself. I would argue many of those in the Christian church today are deceiving themselves into thinking they are followers of Jesus because they wake up on a Sunday morning, listen to a sermon about a Bible verse, and then assume all is good in their relationship with Jesus – even though their life looks nothing like Jesus and they spend no time studying the Bible outside of a Sunday morning.

Many Christians have essentially vaccinated themselves against the real Christian message. Consider how a vaccine works. If you get the flu vaccine for example, you are getting a weakened version (or sometimes a “dead” version) of the flu virus injected into you. There is enough of the flu virus that it causes your immune system to develop antibodies so that when the real flu virus comes along, your body is already immune to it from the little bit of virus it has experienced.

In the same way, many people who attend church every Sunday have been vaccinated against the call to become serious followers of Jesus. People hear just enough of the Bible, just enough about Jesus, to assume they are already disciples of Jesus – but fail to actually read and take the teachings of Jesus seriously. Every aspect of your life belongs to Jesus – your marriage, your time, your money, your job, your children, your “free time” – all of it. If you call Jesus your Lord but do not submit every area of your life to His leadership – you are deceiving yourself. You are merely “listening” to the word.

So what’s the proper way to approach the Bible and the teachings of Jesus? Well, James is quite straight forward “do what it says” then he uses a really helpful analogy – here’s the big idea. The Bible is a mirror, not a window. I want to say that again – if you miss everything else I really want you to remember this one sentence – the Bible is a mirror, not a window.

Many people have been deeply hurt by the church and Christianity because we have forgot this reality. We have used the Bible as a window – we use it to condemn all the people outside of the church. We use it to decry the “wickedness” and “sin” in our culture. Friends, the Bible is instead a mirror. As we read it, it reveals to us the true condition of our souls. It will reveal that you are far more broken and far more sinful than you realize. It will, at the same time, reveal that Jesus offers you far more grace and mercy than you could ever believe. It was this experience that led another person from the 1700s named John Newton to write a little-known hymn called Amazing Grace which begins with these words:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind but now I see.

Grace is only amazing when you look through the mirror of Scripture and realize that God, in his grace, saved a wretch like you and me. That’s the “word” that started the Methodist Church. That’s the word that can transform your life. Let’s pray.

I recently purchased the Quest 3 headset to explore the strange world of virtual reality (also known as the “Metaverse”). This isn’t new to me – I had a Quest 2 before this headset but have mainly used these headsets for exercise and some light gaming with friends. For those new to this technology, these headsets allow you to enter into virtual reality; you can speak, interact with, and play games with people all over the world as if you’re actually there with them – it’s quite remarkable.

Last night, I decided to venture into one of the social aspects of this strange technology – an application called “Bigscreen VR.” It advertises itself as a virtual movie theater and it’s quite neat – you can join up to 15 other people watching live events and movies. There are also rooms dedicated to conversations and socializing (even karaoke!).

During my recent foray into this strange universe, one of the rooms caught my attention – “Mormon Chat.” I had no plans to argue about religion as I have learned that simply leads to anger – especially on the internet! Instead, I was simply curious what the room was like. I used the menu option and “teleported” into this room.

When I arrived, there was a a young adult (in their 20s) asking a Mormon honest questions about Jesus, the Bible, and what it means to know God. The Mormon gave answers consistent with the Mormon faith (which – to be clear – is radically different from historical/Biblical Christianity). I didn’t want to be rude, so simply sat and listened to the conversation for about 15 minutes. As the Mormon began explaining their understanding of salvation, to my surprise, they simply disappeared! Either their headset died, they lost power, or their internet went out (I like to think God silenced them so the other person could learn about the real Jesus!).

This left me 1-on-1 with this person seeking answers about spirituality and the things of faith. I took my opportunity to speak up and learned that this person’s full-time job was in IT. When I shared that I literally hack companies for a living as an ethical hacker, they were quite interested in my story. As our conversation continued, I had the opportunity to share how I came to know Jesus and provided them with a biblical view of Jesus and salvation – while explaining why the Mormon faith is not historical Christianity.

Since I have a YouTube channel where I explain ethical hacking concepts, this person was able to connect with me on YouTube. I then shared my Discord information so they could directly message me any questions they had as they continued to explore spirituality.

I’ve shared my faith many times in the real world; this is the first time I was able to share the Gospel with someone in virtual reality. The great irony is that it was done in the “Mormon Chat” room!

What’s the takeaway? Well, I think it’s a good reminder to keep this passage in mind – even in virtual reality:

“Worship Christ as the Lord of your life. And if someone asks you about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way… ” – 1 Peter 3:15-16

Hi everyone!

I wanted to share a quick post on some of the places I will be speaking this Fall. I’d love to have you join me at one (or many) of them! Most of these are at a weekly Bible Study I have started in Garretson. We are currently working verse-by-verse through the Gospel of Luke. This is open to everyone, and you are invited to join us if you live near Garretson!

Tuesday, September 26th:
Community Bible Study (8pm – 9pm) — 639 N. Main Avenue – Garretson, SD

Tuesday, October 3rd:
Community Bible Study (8pm – 9pm) — 639 N. Main Avenue – Garretson, SD

Tuesday, October 10th:
Community Bible Study (8pm – 9pm) — 639 N. Main Avenue – Garretson, SD

Tuesday, October 17th:
Community Bible Study (8pm – 9pm) — 639 N. Main Avenue – Garretson, SD

Sunday, October 22nd:
Preach at The Rescue Church (10am) — 300 East 2nd Ave – Flandreau, SD

Sunday, November 5th:
Preach at the United Church of Garretson (10:30am) — 501 Essex St – Garretson, SD

Tuesday, November 7th:
Community Bible Study (8pm – 9pm) — 639 N. Main Avenue – Garretson, SD

Wednesday, November 8th:
SimplyCyberCon (10:30am) — Virtual Tech Conference on Mental Health in Pentesting

Tuesday, November 14th:
Community Bible Study (8pm – 9pm) — 639 N. Main Avenue – Garretson, SD

Sunday, November 19th:
Preach at The Rescue Church (10am) — 300 East 2nd Ave – Flandreau, SD

Tuesday, November 28th:
Community Bible Study (8pm – 9pm) — 639 N. Main Avenue – Garretson, SD

In this message, I explain how the Christian church has often perverted the message of Jesus as a means to elevate political issues and national interests above the Kingdom of God – while demonizing and attacking those on the “outside.”

In one message, I share about:
– Native American genocide
– Black Lives Matter
– The January 6th insurrection
– Systematic Racism
– and more…

This was a difficult message to share but I hope it helps you see Jesus with greater clarity 🙂

— We are told if we have a family, we will finally be satisfied.

— We are told if we have a successful career, we will finally be satisfied.

— We are told if attain a certain educational pedigree, we will finally be satisfied.

— We are told if we finally reach the “American Dream”, we will be satisfied.

But… we see those who have everything we can imagine — those who are wealthy, famous, and beautiful – becoming disillusioned because the fame and success did nothing to satisfy the deeper cravings of their soul. We see seemingly beautiful marriages disintegrate in betrayal and tragedy. We see those at the pinnacle of what WE wish we had fall apart, because inwardly they were depleted and empty.

Jesus once spoke about “living water” that, if we drink it, will not only quench our thirst but become a spring that flows into the lives of others.

What was he talking about?

Well… that’s what I will be preaching on this Sunday at the United Church of Garretson. The service is at 10:30am and I’d be honored to have YOU join me — regardless of your religious views or church background. There is Children’s Church during the message for those with young kids. I also have the honor of giving a short message for the kids before they are dismissed for Children’s Church

(For those unable to attend, I will be recording the message with video & audio and will post it online after the service).

In this live stream, we continued our journey through the Gospel of John by studying John 4 together.

(If you are reading this in your email, you may need to click the actual post to be brought to the video).

In this live stream, we will continue our journey through the Gospel of John by studying John 3 together.

Hey everyone!

See below for the video from my live stream this past Sunday night. In this stream, we walk through John 2:1-24 and seek to understand what this passage teaches us about Jesus. I hope you find this beneficial in your faith journey!

Hey all —

In my original YouTube channel, I teach cybersecurity and ethical hacking.

I have created a second YouTube channel which will be dedicated to teaching theology and the Scriptures. You will be able to find messages I share at various churches as well as a live stream every Sunday night where we study the Bible together.

Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPgld34ZBTH9rJPRLn69neg

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPgld34ZBTH9rJPRLn69neg