Hank’s Place

Welcome to Hank’s Place  – 

The Gospel of John is so passionate! Listen to this from John 1:14, 16 to 18 – And so the Living Expression became a man and lived among us! We gazed upon his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father overflowing with tender mercy and truth!

And from the overflow of His fullness we received grace heaped upon more grace!
Moses gave us the Law, but Jesus, the Anointed One, unveils truth wrapped in tender mercy. No one ever before gazed upon the full splendor of God except His uniquely beloved Son, Who is cherished by the Father and held close to His heart.
Now that He has come to us, He has unfolded the full explanation of who God truly is!

Isn’t that lovely? That’s from the Passion Translation and surely speaks of God’s love, mercies, and tenderness toward us.

When John writes, “lived among us,” we understand this is the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14. Jesus Christ – our Immanuel, “God with us.” He is among us in that He was in human form, and now as Colossians 1:27 says He is also within each of us who have received Him. He now dwells within us, and we are in unity with Him. This is too much for me – God IN us?! With us? Among us? No wonder Pauls calls this the mystery of the Gospel!

In verse 14 The Aramaic word, ‘taybootha,’ means “loving kindness or goodness.” The Greek word is ‘charis,’ which can also be translated, “grace, favor, sweetness, pleasure or delight.” This Passion Translation has combined all those concepts in the words ‘tender mercy.’ My friend, Jesus Christ, overflowing with tender mercy and truth, is full of everything that our hearts crave.

Verse 16 can be translated from the Aramaic as “out of His fullness we are fulfilled.” Every believer receives from the fullness or completeness of Christ a divine personal completeness. We are given from Him whatever we require for the perfection or completeness of our character and for the fulfillment of our life’s purpose. How about rejoicing over that bit of Good News dear friend! It’s similar to what is written  in Hebrews:  “Jesus is both the Author and the Finisher our faith.”

Today, let’s receive from Him whatever it is that we require in this life and rejoice as He leads us into a fuller knowledge of God. As we follow Jesus: we’ll — COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

Today I’d like to share some awesomeness of God with you. It’s found in Philippians chapter 3.

In verses 7 and 8 Paul says all of the accomplishments he once took credit for, he has forsaken, regarding them as NOTHING compared to the delight of Experiencing, Experiencing, Jesus Christ as his Lord! Truly knowing Jesus resulted in letting go of everything from his past and throwing all his boasting onto the garbage heap.

Everything else in life is like a pile of manure to him now, he says, all so that he could be enriched in the reality of knowing Jesus Christ, embracing Him as Lord in all of His greatness.

What the world calls “precious,” Paul calls “trash.” Having encountered the right-side up kingdom of God, he rejected the crooked, counterfeit values of this fallen world. And this is an ongoing act of rejection, for the latter part of verse 8 can be translated, “I count as liabilities all those things that get in the way of knowing Christ.” The verb “count” here is in the present tense, meaning Paul is continuing to count anything getting the way of knowing Jesus as a liability – every single day.

In verse 10 Pauls says he constantly longs to know the wonders of Jesus and to experience the overflowing power of His resurrection – working in him. The value of knowing Christ Jesus as Lord is worth more than all things, and Paul wants nothing to get in his way in this!

Many people know about Christ, but knowing Christ Jesus as Lord means trusting Him, leaning on Him, and abiding in Him. It means to know His mind, to sense and be guided by His Spirit, and hear His voice, to receive His love, to feel His presence —My friend, isn’t this the highest point of human existence?

Imagine, deeply KNOWING Christ— walking in fellowship with our Creator, reveling in His love, sharing His life with others – what JOY! It’s what Paul was striving for and the life WE can enjoy here and now.

How do we come to know Christ more, you ask? Spend some time in the gospels and epistles for they reveal the good news about Jesus our Savior. Let’s remind ourselves daily of how good God is and how Jesus reigns as Lord over whatever situation we are facing.

Ask Jesus that you might know Him better. And I would suggest praying often that prayer Paul prayed for the Ephesians, found in Ephesians 3:14 thru 21.

Make it your own prayer to God — you’ll COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place —

Last message I shared a word of caution by the apostle Paul — about not letting anyone judge our level of Christianity — because salvation comes from God. In Christ, we are already saints, already holy, already beloved, and already complete – and all this because of Jesus’ matchless sacrifice at Calvary.

Now we are growing into who we already are, even as a child grows into an adult. We can hasten the process by putting off the behavior of the old man and putting on the behavior of the new creation person, that born-again person. Ephesians 4:22-24.

In Philippians 2:12 Paul shows another facet of this ALREADY ARE state of being by urging the Philippians to “…work out their salvation with fear and trembling.” It may sound scary, but the good news is that working out our salvation means to “work out in our lives the REALITY of our salvation.” It does not mean “work FOR salvation,” because salvation is a gift from God. It’s Ephesians 2:8 that says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the GIFT of God.”

What God has worked in, we need to work out. We do that by ALLOWING the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us. We appropriate by faith the good things that are ours in Christ. I am confident this is the correct interpretation because of what Paul says in the next verse: “God is at work in you.”

Salvation is more than the forgiveness of sins. Salvation includes healing, deliverance, and wholeness. If you are not experiencing these blessings in your life yet, I suggest it may be time to WORK OUT your salvation – and you do that by FAITH.

Part of this is by resting in Jesus (that takes faith) and allowing Him to reveal Himself in you and through you. You don’t need to fast and pray for 40 days to discern the will of God. Just lean upon the Lord.

Part of it is stepping out in faith, in words and/or deeds. Faith can be scary. Risky. What if I fall on my face? What if God doesn’t come through? Fails to show up? Faith does not come naturally and is often accompanied by fear and trembling.

How do you think Abraham felt as he was about to plunge the knife into Isaac? What about Daniel in the lions’ den? Or Rahab when she welcomed the spies of Israel into her home?

Today, let’s work out our salvation, with the fear and trembling associated with TRUSTING in GOD and not ourselves: we’ll — COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place —

In Colossians 2:18a it says, “Let no one keep DEFRAUDING you of your prize….”

Other translations say, “Let no one DISQUALIFY you from your prize” or “Let no one CHEAT you out of your reward.”

This sounds like an important warning, but what Paul is saying? What is the prize? And how can we be disqualified?

First, take a deep breath – RELAX – remember that since God qualifies us, Colossians 1:12, no one can disqualify us. We are saved, and kept by Jesus. No one can snatch us from His hand.

Second, in the original text, there is no word for “prize” or “reward.” The verb Paul uses, katabrabeuō, pardon my Greek, means “to judge against.” In other words don’t let anyone act like an umpire or judge deciding against you. He repeats this in Colossians 2:16 to emphasize this point.

So what’s Paul saying? Don’t let anyone tell you that you are a sinner because you don’t share their religious views. Don’t let anyone suggest you are a poor excuse for a Christian because you don’t do what they do or want you to do. Don’t let anyone insist you must earn God’s love or complete the good work He is doing in you. In Christ, we are already saints – Colossians 1:2, holy – Colossians 1:22, beloved – Colossians 2:10, and complete – Colossians 3:12.

Today there are many voices out there seeking to have us follow them. Voices such as social media influencers, big mouths, conspiracy theorists, self-appointed experts, all trying to steer us away from simple faith in Jesus.

Paul is saying don’t follow those who do not themselves possess a simply faith in Jesus. I recently read about a race, people running, where the lead runner took a wrong turn. About twenty other runners followed him up onto a busy highway. Thankfully, nobody got hurt, but none of those runners finished on the podium. What a way to lose out!

How about you? Are you stressed, anxious – going nowhere these days? Maybe you have gone off course with the Gospel by following a narrative contrary to the gospel of grace.

Your salvation is not in danger, but like those confused runners, you are not on God’s path of love, joy, peace and acceptance in the Beloved.

Paul gives us a simply remedy: Colossians 3:1 “Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.” Reject voices stressing self-discipline, self-denial, or self-improvement. Live from the reality of “Christ in us.”

Fix your eyes on Jesus. Trust your Father to lead and guide you through the trials and challenges of life.

Do that. YOU’LL — COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

Last week I spoke about people not asking God for help largely out of a confidence in their own capabilities. And having a friendship with the world and relying on worldly wisdom, rather than God’s amazing grace.

I have been there, as a Christian. Here’s an example. Years ago Mary and I were leading a Young Adults group. There was a widow in the church with a lovely but very overgrown back yard, full of weeds, vines, sticker bushes. We volunteered the group for a Saturday morning massive cleanup. We were helping God out. After all Scripture said pure and undefiled religion was helping widows and orphans.

Yep, helping God out. I believe we began with a prayer and then jumped into action. As young people it was vigorous action. Mine certainly was, with a big electric hedge trimmer. I was whipping through those thick vines and bushes like no tomorrow! I was strong. I was able. I could do it and be an example for the others!

Then the Holy Spirit spoke to me, “You are going to cut yourself.” Talk about God’s grace! But rather than listen, rather than stop, I replied, “No I am not (after all, “I know what I am doing!”). The Spirit said, “No, but you are.”

Before I could ponder those words or stop my actions, I swung that hedge trimmer through vines so thick they ripped the trimmer out of my hands, but not before it slashed one of my fingers. Had I not been wearing heavy gloves it likely would have severed the finger!

The blood was pumping out of that finger. Whoa! Had an artery been cut? A muscle? A tendon? Fellow young adult Rick Rudnick came to my side. He reminded me he had a supernatural gift of healing, and immediately placed his hand upon my blood spurting finger and called upon Jesus. Instantly, and I mean instantly, the bleeding stopped! When he took his hand away the deep laceration looked more like a cut on its way to healing. A few days later all that remained was a scar in the shape of an Ichthus, the ancient Jesus fish symbol Christians used to identify one another.

I learned several lessons that day! Like listening and responding to God quickly! That putting my worldly abilities ahead of trust in Him can lead to bad outcomes. And that God’s grace and mercies are not dependent on our performance.

God, merciful God, gave grace — I did not lose my finger. What a lesson. I share it in hope you will place you confidence fully upon Jesus and sever any friendship with the world.

As you do, dear friend, YOU’LL — COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

Where I’ve been reading the book of James! James is an unusual book because, unlike the other epistles, it was written to the 12 tribes dispersed abroad, not gentile Christians. James 1:1. Some of those Jews were Messianic but many were still in need of Jesus. James knew he had two very different audiences for his letter — no wonder this book sounds so different!

My point for today comes from the 4th chapter. James begins describing worldly behavior. Must be for those unbelievers, right? But then he says, “You do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, so that you may spend what you request on your pleasures.” Hmmm. Is he correcting believers?

Why are they not asking? They don’t ask because they are too proud. They say, “I’ve got this.” But they don’t. “I can do this.” But they can’t. “I don’t need God.” Yes, they do. Or if they do ask, it is only for selfish reasons so they do not receive.

Now verse 4: “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Whoever wishes to be a friend of the world MAKES HIMSELF an enemy of God!”

Is he reaching out to Jews or believers? Or both? The passage goes on to speak of the greater grace God gives. Grace not for the proud, grace for the humble. To get this grace we submit to God and resist the devil who is tempting us to be friends with this world.

A friend of the world doesn’t have to be a murderous Cretan. Could be a Christian! It is someone who makes life choices from a worldly point of view instead of walking by faith. Relying upon human effort and knowledge instead of resting in God’s grace.

As I pondered this I realized I’ve been there. Thinking God could really use me because I had certain talents and abilities and knowledge. Imagine, wanting to help God out with what I’d learned from the world. Then running ahead without checking in with God.

My friend, that’s a form of misinformed pride. Leaving God out of our ‘helping God out’ thinking. It’s not that we have to fall on our faces and pray until we hear from heaven about every decision, but it IS about asking for wisdom. And understanding. And heaven’s knowledge. And having a listening ear for His replies. That’s what James is referring to in verse 6, “But He gives a greater grace.”

If you have already made a mess, it’s not too late. Don’t reach for the fig leaves of, “I can fix this” thinking. Acknowledge your mistakes, and humbly ask God for grace.

His grace is extravagant. His grace causes us — COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

Hebrews 12 begins with the encouragement that we have a great cloud of witnesses, men and women of faith, who have gone before us. Their witness encourages us, Hebrews says, to let go of every wound that has pieced us and resist the sin of unbelief, for unbelief can prevent our receiving God’s promises.

Then, verse 2, urges us to look not on the natural realm around us, but instead to look to Jesus. Here’s how it reads in the Passion Translation:

“We look away from the natural realm and we focus our attention and expectation onto Jesus, who birthed faith within us and who leads us forward into faith’s perfection.” Or “He is the author and finisher of our faith.”

The verse goes on. In the NASB it says of Jesus, “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross….” Let’s hear it in the Passion Translation (I love this translation for it expresses the PASSION of God). It says, “His example is this: Because His heart was focused on the joy of knowing that you would be His….” What does that mean?

It is the joy of OUR salvation. The Passion notes explain that Jesus placed before His eyes the bliss we would forever share TOGETHER WITH HIM, which empowered Him to go through His agony. Instead of remaining in heaven’s glory with the Father and all the angels, He chose YOU and me as the joy set before him. He desires US to the point of laying down His life and being God for all eternity — to be with US.

He pursued us, not seeing our weakness and failures but what we will be. He can see what we will be in the end from the beginning. This was the JOY that prompted Jesus to become a man. He endured the agony of the cross and conquered its humiliation. He thought nothing of its shame, and now sits exalted at the right hand of the throne of God!

This might help your understanding. Suppose you are a parent with young children — at Christmas you scrimp and save and do without personally, going the extra mile, just for the JOY you will see on your child’s face when they open that extra special gift. It’s THAT JOY that made your sacrifice worthwhile to you.

And it is the JOY of our salvation – the JOY we experience in realizing we are united with Jesus for all eternity — without reference to sin or performance — that prompted Jesus to become a man and endure the agony of the cross.

My friend, won’t you share salvation’s joy with someone today — they may COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

John chapter 4 features an awesome, insightful story of Jesus encountering a woman at Jacob’s well in Sychar, Samaria.

The conversation begins about water – moves on to living water, – and moves further to worship. Our mountain in Samaria or in Jerusalem of the Jews, says the woman. “Who is right,” she asks.

Jesus responds in verse 21,“Believe me, dear woman, the time has come when you will worship the Father neither on a mountain nor in Jerusalem, but in your heart.” Passion Translation. He adds, “From now on, worshiping the Father will not be a matter of the right place – but with a right heart. For God is a Spirit, and He longs to have sincere worshipers who adore Him in the realm of the Spirit and in truth.”

A matter of the heart — hear that? The heart, not a building, not a pilgrimage to a distant location. We can worship any place, at any time, for worship comes forth from our hearts!

There’s even more great news here. The woman goes back into the village and says, “Come and meet a man at the well who told me everything I’ve ever done! Could He be the One we’ve been waiting for?” Hearing this, the people come streaming out of the village to see Jesus. No doubt, this woman was the talk of the town. Having had five marriages, she was well known. For her to say these words was an honest confession of her past. There is a miracle here in that the people believed her and went out to see for themselves!

Then they asked Jesus to stay with them and He stayed two more days, and many more came to faith in Him because of His message. They told the woman, “Now we’ve heard Him ourselves. We no longer believe just because of what you told us, but we’re convinced that He really is the true Savior of the world!”

Think about it. The woman with a ‘difficult’ past is the first New Testament evangelist, and she wins an entire city to Christ. WOW!

Maybe you have had a ‘difficult’ past as well. But you have met the Savior of the world, haven’t you? Our past does not prevent us from telling others about Jesus, God’s son, our Savior. We can all be like this woman: honest to tell others that Jesus knows everything we’ve ever done and He still loves us!

So today, may you tell someone YOUR story of the Savior so they — may COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*

Welcome to Hank’s Place — 

Here at Hank’s Place I like to remind everyone that it is the grace of God that makes the Good News, GOOD NEWS!

1 Peter 5:10 reads, “After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.”

In this earthly life all of us will experience sufferings, but they are temporary and fleeting compared to eternity. Here Peter refers to the God of all loving grace. All love and grace originates — with God. Grace is what the unconditional love of God looks like from our side. He reigns from the throne of grace where we receive mercy and grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16.

Did you notice in this verse that it says God Himself will perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish us. We are saved, kept, strengthened and established by GRACE.

Mary and I have received His mercies and grace in time of need, countless times, praise to our Lord Jesus! How about you? Remember, God is gracious towards us because He loves us, not because we get things right.

Most Christians know that it is on account of God’s grace that we are saved. That’s Acts 15:11, Ephesians 2:8, and 2 Timothy 1:9.
By grace we are also forgiven, Ephesians 1:7.
It is by grace we are justified, Romans 3:24 and Titus 3:7.
And Ephesians 2:5 declares we’ve been made alive with Christ.
There’s more. Ephesians 1:3 says ALL of God’s blessings come by grace.
His grace builds us up. That’s found in Acts 20:32.
It empowers us to do good works, Galatians 2:9.
Grace makes us fruitful, Colossians 1:6.
It prospers us, 2 Corinthians 8:9, gives us hope 2 Thessalonians 2:6, and enables us to reign in life. Romans 5:21.
God’s Grace is for all of us, every day.

This passage also says He Himself will perfect us, that is, bring us to completion. Religion says we have to fix ourselves, but the gospel of grace says we can trust the Lord to complete the good work He has begun in us, Philippians 1:6.

Let’s have faith in God and give Him the glory today for His amazing grace — we’ll COME ALIVE!

NEW BLOG NOTIFICATION

Be notified when a new blog posts

Thanks for joining Hank's Place!

Name

Email*