A New Home

Here is the first article I wrote for the Oakland Independent. It was published the first week of July, 2015.

Hello, my name is Mike Sechler, and I am the new pastor at Oakland Evangelical Free Church. I recently moved from Litchfield, a town in south central Minnesota, where we have lived and ministered for the last 10 years. My wife, Traci, and our four kids with us are now calling Oakland our home. While Traci and I have lived a number of places in our lives, this is a big change for our kids who really have only really remember one hometown. We hope to live in Oakland many years and get to know you and love you in the same way we love the people of Litchfield. No matter how long we live in Oakland though, it will always only be a temporary home for us. 

In fact, no matter how long you and your family have lived in this area, Oakland and Northeast Nebraska is really only a temporary home for you too. You see we are all just passing through somewhere here on this earth, because we are all going to spend eternity somewhere.

Jesus said, “I go and prepare a place for you . . . that where I am you may be also” (John 14:2 & 3). My hope is to really love my temporary home here, but to live for my eternal home with Jesus. A couple of years ago, I sat with my 11 year old son, Micah as he left this earth, and went to live with Jesus. Micah is now in his true home. This event has even made me see the temporariness of this earth, and makes me long for my true home even more. I suspect if you too have lost someone close to you, that it has also caused you to see how temporary this life is. 

The Apostle Paul in his letter to the Philippians said, “For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” He loved the people here on this earth, but he loved Jesus even more and desired to me with Him. My hope and prayer while living here with you, is that we can learn to love one another, and that you will see Christ in coming from our family, so that you too might desire to join Him in the eternal home that He is preparing for those who love Him. Then, we can learn to live on this earth even more abundantly as we live for Jesus, because we know our future is secure with Him.

Don’t Just Have Faith

Here is another article I wrote for the local paper, the Oakland Independent.

A few years ago, I watched a good movie, “The Bucket List,” about two older men who were dying of cancer who team up to accomplish their bucket list items before they die. Edward, played by Jack Nicholson, is a rich, skeptical loner, while Carter, played by Morgan Freeman, is a middle-class family man who believes in God. At one point they have a conversation about God, and Edwards declares that he just cannot believe, while Carter declares that you have to have faith.

Unfortunately, while this is a touching scene, it expresses a view of faith that is common today, but that is not the same type of faith that is expressed in the Bible. Today, faith is often defined as believing something without evidence or sometimes in spite of the evidence, which is why the skeptics like Edward have trouble believing. This kind of blind faith is more about the sincerity of the person believing then it is about the trustworthiness of God. This kind of faith does not lead you in any direction because it is primarily about the feelings of the individual, rather than whether the person or object can be trusted. Therefore, people of many different religions can have this kind of faith, but believe in contradictory things. So if you “just have faith” you might end up believing something completely different than your neighbor who “just has faith” in something else.

In the Bible faith is not defined as believing without evidence, rather faith is about trusting God in the future because He has proven himself trustworthy in the past. John tells us he wrote to give us the details of the life of Jesus so that we might believe or have faith (John 20:30-31). Rather than a blind leap of faith, he gives us lots of details about  Jesus so that we might come to the same conclusion to which he came, namely that Jesus is Savior and Lord and is therefore worthy of our trust.

Therefore, Christian faith is not about a blind leap into the dark, but rather it is a leap into the arms of God who has proven Himself time and again. My encouragement to you is not to just have faith in general, rather spend time studying the scriptures and the world to see that God is worthy of your trust.  A faith that is grounded on solid evidence is the kind of faith that will stand up even in the hard times.

Over the next couple of articles, I will share some of the reasons that I have faith in Jesus, and it is this type of faith that has carried me through times of great doubt and times of great sorrow. He is faithful and will carry you too if you have faith in Him.

Where do you pledge your allegiance?

Here is the article I wrote for the monthly newsletter at Oakland EFC.

This week we will celebrate the birth of our nation, and that leads to the question of where we should place our allegiance? Because of the news this last week we need to consider how to behave when our country which was founded with Christian ideals is becoming increasingly hostile towards those same ideals? I want to lay out some biblical principles that may help guide us as we face increasingly difficult circumstances.

1. Pledge your allegiance to Christ first. Matthew 6:33 tells us to “seek first the kingdom of God,” and not worry about the physical stuff of life. Joshua challenged the Israelites to “chose today who you will serve (Joshua 24:15).” The trials and pressure may not be great today, but if you do not consider what you believe and why in the good times, you will not be prepared in the bad times.

2. Be a good citizen. Paul in Romans 13:1-7 tells the church to be good citizens even of a non-Christian pagan government. We should respectfully participate in the process of government and teach our kids to respect the authorities, while teaching and showing them that all things are done to give glory to Christ.

3. Expect persecution when following Jesus. We have been blessed for many years with a government that was influenced by Christian principles, but that has not been the norm throughout history nor it is the norm in the world today. In Matthew 5:11-12, Jesus told us to expect persecution, and the history of the church starting in Acts and continuing into the present day is one of persecution for proclaiming the good news about Jesus.

4. Love your neighbors and your enemies. Jesus tells us to love our neighbors (Matt. 22:39, and even our enemies (Matt. 5:44). He came and died for those who were his enemies, which includes us. Our mission to a lost and hurting world does not stop because they hate us, call us intolerant, or do not want to hear the message. We can in many ways show the good news of the gospel by loving people. You do not have to compromise the truth about Jesus to invite your neighbor over for a barbecue, visit someone in the hospital, volunteer at community events, or any number of other ways we can show people we (and God) care about them.

Our mission to a lost and hurting world is becoming more clear, and the cost of following and sharing Jesus is becoming more clear as well. Jesus deserves our allegiance because of the love He has shown us, and as we put Him first, we will be better friends, neighbors and citizens.

Allow God to transform you.

Here is another quote from Dallas Willard's book, Divine Conspiracy, p. 112

We must recognize, first of all, that the aim of the popular teacher in Jesus’ time was not to impart information, but to make a significant change in the lives of the hearers. Of course that may require an information transfer, but it is a peculiarly modern notion that the aim of teaching is to bring people to know things that may have no effect at all on their lives.

This concurs with one of my main goals in preaching which is that it should be transformational, not just informational. (See 2 Timothy 3:16) Hopefully, as I have studied the Bible and I have listened to the Spirit of God as He has spoken through the written Word, then the information will reveal more about the nature of God, humanity and the world.  I attempt to use the gifts that God have given me, to develop a message that helps to bridge the gap, between the message and the hearer. Finally, as the hearers are open not just to be entertained or informed, but to hear from God, then His message will impact their hearts causing them to reflect upon what He is saying to them and in fact changing their attitudes and actions.

My encouragement to others and myself is to be open to a transformational message from God when listening to someone else preach, reading the Word or reading another book by another Christian. The delivery of the message may not always be exciting, but our attitudes as hearer/readers can make the difference between just taking in information and being changed by the message because you have really connected with God in that moment.

Great Quote from Dallas Willard

Here is a great quote from Dallas Willard in his book, Divine Conspiracy, which I think accurately describes how many modern "Christians" live.

P. 90 The idea of an all-encompassing, all-penetrating world of God, interactive at every point with our lives, where we can always be totally at home and safe

Read Isaiah with me

Over the last few weeks I have begun to preach from Isaiah. At the same time I have been reading through Isaiah in my personal time with the Lord. I generally only read one chapter a day, but I am finding it so rich. Isaiah has so many applicable lessons for me. If you come to Harvest, I want to encourage you to read it with me. Write out one (or more) lessons from each chapter.

Here are a few of my notes from the last couple of days.

Today, I read chapter 30

15 For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength
(Isaiah 30:15 ESV)

I had just prayed for strength when I read this verse. I wrote this note:

Wow I just prayed this. Lord please be my strength. Let m me sit in quiet at your feet.

In chapter 29, this section struck me:

 13 And the Lord said:
“Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
14 therefore, behold, I will again
do wonderful things with this people,
with wonder upon wonder;
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hidden.”
15 Ah, you who hide deep from the Lord your counsel,
whose deeds are in the dark,
and who say, “Who sees us? Who knows us
(Isaiah 29:13-15 ESV)

I wrote this in response:

Secrets from God

When we hide our hearts from God, He hides his message from us. Probably rather, when our hearts are far from Him, we won't even hear when He roars! Think of the dwarves in The Last Battle.

That is a reference to a C.S. Lewis book, The Last Battle, where some dwarves are brought into heaven but refuse to believe because the "won't be taken in."

In chapter 28 I read:

14 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers,
who rule this people in Jerusalem!
15 Because you have said, “We have made a covenant with death,
and with Sheol we have an agreement,
when the overwhelming whip passes through
it will not come to us,
for we have made lies our refuge,
and in falsehood we have taken shelter”;
16 therefore thus says the Lord God,
 “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion,
a stone, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:
‘Whoever believes will not be in haste
(Isaiah 28:14-16 ESV)

In response I wrote:

A standard

The leaders thought they could make up their own rules, but God had established a standard upon which they will be judged. The same is true now. We think we can make it up as we go along but we eventually run up against reality. 

What is God teaching daily?

The Great God

I have been reading/ praying through a book of Puritan prayers, called Valley of Vision. Here is one that really hit me. I have highlighted several lines in particular that meant a lot to me.


The Great God

O Fountain of All Good

Destroy in me every lofty thought,
     Break pride to pieces and scatter it to the winds,
Annihilate each clinging shred of self-righteousness,
Implant in me true lowliness of spirit,
Abase me to self-loathing and self-abhorrence,
Open in me a found of penitential tears,
Break me, then bind me up;
Thus will my heart be a prepared dwelling 
     for my God;
     Then can the Father take up his abode in me,
     Then can the blessed Jesus come with healing in his touch,
     Then can the Holy Spirit descend in sanctifying grace;
O Holy Trinity, three Persons and one God,
     inhabit me, a temple consecrated to thy glory.
When though are present, evil cannot abide;
In they fellowship is fullness of joy,
Beneath thy smile is peace of conscience,
By the side no fears disturb,
     no apprehension banish rest of mind,
With thee my heart shall bloom with fragrance;
Make me meet, through repentance,
     for thine indwelling.
Nothing exceeds thy power,
Nothing is too great for thee to do,
Nothing too good for thee to give.
     Infinite is thy might, boundless thy love,
     limitless thy grace, glorious they saving name.
Let angels sing for
     sinners repenting,
     prodigals restored,
     backsliders reclaimed,
     Satan’s captives released,
     blind eyes opened,
     broken hearts bound up,
     the despondent cheered,
     the self-righteous stripped,
     the formalist driven from a refuge of lies,
     the ignorant enlightened,
     and saints built up in their holy faith.
I ask great things of a great God.