But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matt 16:23, ESV)

Wow. According to this verse, whenever we set our focus on (direct our mind, seek for, side with) the things of man we are in fact supporting the enemy, and not our Lord. Paul reiterates this in Colossians too:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is,seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (3:1-3, ESV).

So, in what areas are you setting your mind not on the things of God, but of man? What things are you doing in God’s name or for His glory, that are in fact according to man’s way? All I know is, I would much rather hear “Well done My good and faithful servant” then “Get behind Me, Satan”. How about you?

I wanted to reflect on the real meaning of why we celebrate Christmas, and what it has meant to Brittney and me.

First, the story of Christmas is more than that of a virgin birth, a manger, wise man and shepherds; inasmuch as the tip of an iceberg is not the complete structure. Rather, Christmas is the manifestation of something that had been building for millennia.

Here’s one of many verses that summarize the story of Christmas:

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. (1 Timothy 1:15, ESV).

If the bible could be summarized in one word, it would be redemption. This is the same theme of Christmas. A loving yet just God sends His son to earth to become the ransom payment (literal meaning of redeem) so that those that put their trust in His righteousness as payment and not their own may be saved.

Sound familiar? John 3:16 chimes this tune as well. The point is, Christ became a physical, literally, fleshly human being while remaining fully, divinely, and soverignly God. The price of our sin required blood (going back to the Law), and it was Jesus’ spotless and perfect blood that was poured on the mercy seat in Heaven in order to redeem our souls.

Were it not for the blood of Christ spilled on the cross, a baby, even the Son of God, born on Christmas day would not have held the meaning for which we celebrate. In fact, I would venture to argue that Christmas is only significant in the light of the sacrifice on the cross. The blood of Christ was the only thing that could satisfy the just wrath of God. But, in order for the Law to truly be forever fulfilled, the blood must be of the same nature as its transgressor - human, not animal or even supernatural. Thus Christ, the Word of God (John 1:1-4), had to take on human flesh and blood in order that His blood might be shed for our sins.

For this reason and purpose alone we celebrate Christmas; the mysterious event that allowed for our sins, thirty-three years later, be once and for all PAID IN FULL!

Our response?

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” (Rev 7:11-13, ESV)

Therefore, may we truly find peace and joy in the fact that regardless of the circumstances we go through in this short life, Christ our Redeemer has become our curse, defeated death, and now sits at the right hand of God as our High Priest (Heb 2:17) where soon and very soon, we will dwell with and worship Him forever and ever and evermore.

On that note, Merry Christmas.

When I realized what had happened, I was amazed at the resemblance to Christianity. God has provided the life giving water through His Son, Jesus.

Jesus said to her, ”Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14, ESV)

Even now, the tree stand has been filled to the brim with water for the past few days, yet in order to receive the life it needs the sap has to be removed.  It’s literally dying from a self-inflicted suffocation to the very thing that would give it life. The Bible tells us people have been blinded to the truth of Christ by the god of this world, Satan.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. (2 Corinthians 4:3-5, ESV).

This was also emphasized by the Lord himself, saying,

Indeed, in their case the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says: ‘You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. For this people’s heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.’ But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. (Matthew 13:14-16, ESV).

We, like the tree, are dead in our sins and while provided with the ability to be saved, are unable to remove the sap that ensnares us by our own ability. Praise be to God for taking us in and allowing us to receive the life purchased by his Son.

For he says to Moses,”I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. (Romans 9:15-16, ESV)

And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:30, ESV)

As it is written: ”None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Romans 3:10-12, ESV)

[Side note: I did some reading online that by putting hot water in the base it may loosen the sap and allow the tree to get water. So, I spent last night sucking all the water out with straws and refilling it with hot water.... we'll see if it works ]

Now, I’m going to alter your paradigm view on the drop down box. From henceforth, be it known that this tool is really called data validation. Let me explain by showing the need for drop do.. er… data validation.

Say you want to create a spreadsheet that is shared among coworkers, and will be a log of their daily activities. You will calculate summaries each day based on the category of their activities. In order to make sure you don’t miss any activities in the cracks (due to misspelling, synonyms, etc) we need to provide a way for the user to validate their submission by the preset values you want. Hence the term data (something we’re gathering) validation (making sure it’s correct).

You can actually validate data in many ways; the method most used is the List option (aka drop down). You can either enter the allowed values manually, or enter the values in your spreadsheet and reference them in the data validation tool (the best method).

To set up validation, select the cell(s) you want to become validated. Go to Data -> Data Validation. The following popup will appear. Under Allow, select List. Make sure the two checkboxes are selected. Now, under Source, simply enter the range that contains your values. If you want to enter the values manually, simply enter them in (without an ‘=’ sign) and separated by commas (again, not recommended).

Other sheets?
Excel does not allow you to reference cells as a source that are contained on another sheet. However (of course) there is a workaround. Simply create a named range for the cells you need and then in the source enter =NamedRange.

Dynamic ranges
Sometimes you may have a range of values that could grow (i.e. you or the user can add more values later on). You can set the range to be x number of cells more than you need, but then it will show up as extra options in the drop down. So, a workaround I use all the time is to use the OFFSET() formula to automatically generate the range. It looks like this..

The OFFSET() formula uses this syntax:
=OFFSET(reference, rows, cols, [height], [width])

Our function for the validation will use this syntax:
=OFFSET(CellWithFirstValue,0,0,COUNTA(ColumnOfValues)-1,1)

CellWithFirstValue (reference)
The first possible cell that contains a value to use in your validation. It is assuming all other values will come directly after this one with no gaps.

0,0 (rows, cols)
This is saying go 0 rows across and 0 columns down to get to the first value.

COUNTA(ColumnOfValues)-1 ([height])This will return the “height” of our range. It’s a simple count or counta of all potential values in that column. Subtract one if you have a header row, or any values that are in cells above the reference one (above).

1 ([width])
This makes our “range” 1 column wide.

If you want values on another page, put this formula into a named range and then use in the source. Otherwise, you can entire the entire formula into the source box.

Next week (part 2), I’ll show you how to use the advanced features of data validation (i.e. input and error messages, bulk modifications) and how to make the values in the data validation change automatically based on a value in another drop down box.

Download this spreadsheet to review the content in this lesson.

Enjoy!

The truth of the Gospel is constantly bombarded by false ideas that have been influenced through worldly (humanistic) mindsets from the media, books, websites, and even well meaning Christians. We may think we are working (particularly in missions) to serve the Lord, but in all reality it is more to make the human condition a little better through spiritual methods. This is a slippery slope, and one we must guard against in our own motivations. I’m always challenged by the truth Paris presents in this sermon, and I hope you are too.

Paris Reidhead devoted his life to communicating the message of the Gospel in America and throughout the world. A student pastor in the rural Minnesota at age eighteen, Mr. Reidhead felt led of the Lord to overseas mission work. In 1945, Paris Reidhead and Marjorie, his wife of two years, traveled under the auspices of the Sudan Interior Mission to the Sudan-Ethiopia Border where they surveyed and analyzed tribal languages in preparation for evangelism and education in this area. (from Sermon Audio)

If you can’t see the player above, you can listen to the sermon here.

Feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on the subject. Thanks!

=RANK(number, ref, [order])

number
This is the number you are testing… typically a cell in the row of the formula.

ref
This is the range of cells that contain the numbers to determine the rank from (should always be absolute references if you are copying the RANK() formula to other cells).

[order]
Optional: the direction to rank from. 0 is the default value which sorts largest to smallest (descending). 1 would sort smallest to largest (ascending).

Now, if two numbers are the same RANK() assigns the same rank as well, and then skips the next one. This may be fine, but if I wanted to lookup the values based on their rank, I would get an error for the omitted placement (3). See below..

So, I have developed what I call a True Rank – a rank that will account for duplicates and still provide a position for each number even if it ties with another. In the example above, it would assign 3rd place to team Green, because it comes after the first instance of score 42.

Here’s the logic on how it works.

1. IF the number has occurred  more than once up until this cell (aka duplicate)
2. THEN calculate the rank as normal, but add to it the number of prior instances (if the rank should be 2, make it 3)
3. ELSE calculate the rank as normal

This is the Excel way of writing that:

=IF(COUNTIF(rangeOfNumbersUpToThisCell,thisCell)>1,
RANK(rangeOfNumbers,thisCell)+COUNTIF(rangeOfNumbersUpToThisCell,thisCell)-1,
RANK(rangeOfNumbers,thisCell))

rangeOfNumbersUpToThisCell
This can be confusing if it’s your first time working with absolute values. Basically, make the first cell absolute (by hitting F4 or inserting a dollar sign “$” before the row and column indicator) and then enter the “:” key. This will duplicate the cell reference – just make this this one is not absolute (i.e. $A$1:A1). What this allows for is that if I drag the formula down 5 rows, my range would look like this: $A$1:A5.

rangeOfNumbers
This is the entire range where your numbers are stored. Both the start cell and end cell must be absolute (i.e. $A$1:$A$10)

I use this concept quite frequently when looking at the true rank of numbers. To see the actual formulas and how I used them in Excel, download this spreadsheet.

Today, I’m going to discuss the Choose() function. I came across this a few months ago, and noticed its potential from the get-go. Choose is a selection function that works similar to an IF. Here’s the syntax:

=CHOOSE(index_num, value1, [value2])

index_num
This is input parameter and must be a whole number between 1 to 29.

value1
A value you want to select. At least one is required, and can go up to 29 options. They must be in numerical order. [Notice the brackets around value2... this means the parameter is optional].

The Choose function will look at the index_num and then select the valueX, where X equals the index_num. It’s pretty simple but incredibly useful.

Here’s an example… how many times have you wanted to use the MONTH() function and instead of returning 12, get “December”? Now, technically you can format a date with either the TEXT() or cell formatting to only display the month, but I’m wanting to actually display name of the month in my spreadsheet.

One method is to do an IF() like below.

The problem is that we can only have 7 nested IF statements and there are 12 months. Another option (which I have used before) is to make a table that has the month values and the names, and use VLOOKUP() to get the name.

This does work, but would be much simpler if we didn’t have to reference another range to get the result.

Enter the Choose() function!

Here is how you could use the function with the month name. Set the index_num parameter to be your month number. Then, beginning with January (month = 1), add the month names as the values in order.

This is a nifty little formula that can harness the power of the IF() without the limitations of 7 statements, as long as your parameter is a number. Feel free to download this spreadsheet to review the formula yourself.

Enjoy!

Waiting on the Lord should be the easiest thing we do… but it often seems the hardest. It means denying control over your life and entrusting it into His care. Why is it so hard? because we are impatient, sinful creatures who by nature want to be the lord of our own lives. There have been many things in Brittney and my life together that have caused us to trust God by waiting on Him. It’s not been easy (and still isn’t to this day) but there is a peace we’ve come to know and an echo in our soul….so that we can sing, it is well (to quote Chris Tomlin’s hymn).

There’s really two things required of us in order to truly be able to wait on God. First, we have to trust that He really is in control and orchestrates life to the kind intention of His will (Eph 1:5, NASB), knowing that ultimately all things work together for good (Rom 8:28). Second, we have to be content with the place we are today such that we’re not looking to the future (when God will “favor” our plans) for hope, being fully willing to continue on even if the circumstances do not change.

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. (Phil. 4:11, NASB)

But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. (1 Tim 6:6-8, NASB)

If we have these works of the Spirit in us, it is possible to truly wait on God for His provision, timing, and guidance. A good song that characterizes that is While I’m Waiting, by John Waller (known from the Fireproof movie).

What are you waiting on God for? if it’s really difficult, are you trusting and finding contentment in your situation?

*Read about advent here: http://christianity.about.com/od/christmas/qt/adventwreath.htm

Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30, ESV)

Paul and co were thrown into prison for sharing the message of Christ in Philippi. However, that night while worshiping God, they were miraculously released from the chains and cells, to the utmost horror of the jailer. It was then he asked the question above – What must I do to be saved. How many countless people have asked this same question since then.. and unfortunately, received an inaccurate response. That’s really the sole question of humanity – and is attempted answered by Islam, Buddha, the government, etc.

Put your place in Paul’s shoes. What would you have told the jailer? More than likely if he asked it today, the response would have been “bow your head, and repeat a prayer after me to ask Jesus to come into your heart.” The interesting thing is that I have yet to find an instance in the Bible of someone asking Christ in their heart.. in fact, praying isn’t really on the list either.

Lets look at Paul’s reply:

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” (v31)

Believe. So much power in the word.  It’s the Greek work Pisteuo, and means to think to be true, to be persuaded, to credit, to place confidence in, to entrust a thing to another. It speaks of putting your trust and confidence in the ability of Christ to save you and literally entrust eternity into His hands. It is not a one time act, but a daily walk by faith.

In not so many words, the church would have told the jailer to perform a work  in order to receive salvation, whereas Paul instructed him to position his heart in line with the truth of the work Christ had already accomplished. Notice the difference? However pure the intent may be, most modern alter calls lack the scriptural backup or tradition we see the apostles use.

On what are you basing your salvation? a prayer you prayed once or true belief in the work of Christ?