Here's a quick lesson Paul gives in Romans 10 for the necessity of sharing your faith. You don't have to get crazy knocking on doors but you do have a responsibility to step the through the doors God opens.
First of all here is the honest truth about the issue of personal faith. No one can be saved if they do not believe. (See John 3:16 and Acts 4:12)
It's impossible to believe in someone you don't even know exists.
No one will know of someones existence unless others who do know, tell them.
No one will tell them if they are not sent to tell them.
That's why we need to, "set apart Christ as Lord (in our own lives, and) Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have" (1 Peter 3:15). And realize that we have all been "sent" to tell others what we know, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:19-20).
When you know about Jesus and have experienced life change because of Him you have an obligation to tell others. If you are silent others will not know that Jesus can change their lives too. If they don't know He can, they will not believe that He will. If they don't believe that He will then they can't be saved.
See you and I are the pins that hold this thing together, if we don't do our job and tell others what is going on in our own lives then the hope that they might be saved is lost. If you and I simply keep our mouths shut people will be lost to hell.
I'm not saying you wear a sandwich sign at Wal Mart telling people to "repent or burn," I'm simply stating that if you and I don't take advantage of the opportunities that God presents to us we may be condemning that person to a lifetime and eternity a part from God. Jesus Christ is the way the truth and life, no one comes to God except through Him, but they have to know who He is and what He can do before they will come to experience the Real Life available in/through Him. We've got work to do.
Thoughts on the Bible, Church, life and living it to its full potential in Jesus Christ!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Let me break it down for you...
Here it is, short and sweet, directly from Paul.
Do NOT:
Do NOT:
- Let sin control the WAY you live. Your actions, functions, means of life.
- Give it to sinful DESIRES. Greed is a sinful desire, hate, lust, disobedience, selfishness, all.
- Let any part of your body be an INSTRUMENT OF EVIL to serve sin. For instance, your eyes could be a tool to serve the sin of lust, your ears could be a tool to serve the sin of gossip.
INSTEAD (meant to be a replacement for the above):
- Give yourself COMPLETELY to God. That means everything, what you do, say, think, see...
- Use your WHOLE body as an instrument to do what is right for God's glory. Let your hands be the tool God uses to care for someone else. Your voice can be a tool to share God's love with others. Your feet can be the tool God uses to take the hope of Jesus to others. Your ears can be tools used to listen to someone who is hurting.
See, when you give your life to Jesus, sin is no longer master in your life. Now, you live and move and exist under the freedom of God's grace. Life isn't about do's and don'ts any longer, it's about get to's and want to's! I get to experience Real Life in Christ, I want to please my Savior because of what He's done for me!
Get it?! See Romans 6
Friday, October 22, 2010
When you know.
Okay, we've been talking about circumstances a lot lately and following Paul through the tail end of Acts and this latest shipwreck, which we find in 28, lands them on the island of Malta. Here's the deal. Have you noticed how cool and collected Paul has been through all this? Luke too for that matter, since he was along for this whole ride! Anyway, Paul just seems to call it then go through it. No big deal.
In fact, once Paul and all the other people, ship's crew, officers and prisoners, etc., get to land (even Paul had to swim for it, no walking on the water here!) they are cold and wet because there is still this storm raging. Paul, either forced or out of servanthood, begins to collect wood for a fire that the locals had made. Nice guy.
But if the shipwreck was enough to make you question whether God really cared about Paul this next item will blow your mind! While Paul was gathering fire wood a viper springs from warming wood and attaches itself to Paul's hand pumping it's venom into his bloodstream. Paul simply, "shakes it off" and continues about his business. No freak out. No screaming. No prayer. No worry. Of course the locals think he must have done something really bad, murder to be exact, since he survived the water and now a snake has sealed his fate.
They waited for his hand to swell... which would indicate the next step, sudden and complete death. And he deserved it! Rotten murderer. But as they watched him continue to gather sticks, sit and talk, whatever, they noticed that his hand didn't swell and he didn't die! Incredible! There were the two marks from the fangs. But nothing happened. They go from believing he is a murderer to assuming he must be a god! Logical leap, right?! Circumstances completely changed their opinion!
But that's not the cool thing here. I think it's amazing that Paul never questions. Never waivers. Never even seems to care about the shipwreck... or the snake bite! Me, I'd be going crazy on God! I can't believe you made me go through that! I thought you loved me and appreciated all the people I continually tell about Jesus! And now a SNAKE?! Come on! Give me a few moments of peace!
Paul is so convinced that he is on the exact path God has for him that nothing can deter him from preaching in Rome. Paul is single minded. His circumstances don't convince him God has left him anymore than they convince him He's with him, they just are. So, shipwreck, no problem, Paul gets to preach to a whole new group of people. Snake bite? No sweat! Paul gets the opportunity to heal and preach.
God, give me a single minded focus on what you've called me TO, so that it doesn't matter what I'm going through. Good or bad, let me preach, teach and baptize for Your glory.
In fact, once Paul and all the other people, ship's crew, officers and prisoners, etc., get to land (even Paul had to swim for it, no walking on the water here!) they are cold and wet because there is still this storm raging. Paul, either forced or out of servanthood, begins to collect wood for a fire that the locals had made. Nice guy.
But if the shipwreck was enough to make you question whether God really cared about Paul this next item will blow your mind! While Paul was gathering fire wood a viper springs from warming wood and attaches itself to Paul's hand pumping it's venom into his bloodstream. Paul simply, "shakes it off" and continues about his business. No freak out. No screaming. No prayer. No worry. Of course the locals think he must have done something really bad, murder to be exact, since he survived the water and now a snake has sealed his fate.
They waited for his hand to swell... which would indicate the next step, sudden and complete death. And he deserved it! Rotten murderer. But as they watched him continue to gather sticks, sit and talk, whatever, they noticed that his hand didn't swell and he didn't die! Incredible! There were the two marks from the fangs. But nothing happened. They go from believing he is a murderer to assuming he must be a god! Logical leap, right?! Circumstances completely changed their opinion!
But that's not the cool thing here. I think it's amazing that Paul never questions. Never waivers. Never even seems to care about the shipwreck... or the snake bite! Me, I'd be going crazy on God! I can't believe you made me go through that! I thought you loved me and appreciated all the people I continually tell about Jesus! And now a SNAKE?! Come on! Give me a few moments of peace!
Paul is so convinced that he is on the exact path God has for him that nothing can deter him from preaching in Rome. Paul is single minded. His circumstances don't convince him God has left him anymore than they convince him He's with him, they just are. So, shipwreck, no problem, Paul gets to preach to a whole new group of people. Snake bite? No sweat! Paul gets the opportunity to heal and preach.
God, give me a single minded focus on what you've called me TO, so that it doesn't matter what I'm going through. Good or bad, let me preach, teach and baptize for Your glory.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Who do YOU listen to?
It is human nature to seek advise... from people who we think will agree with us. From the time time began we have asked around until we found someone who supported what we desired anyway. Of course, then we've got someone to blame when things don't work out the way we planned, since, we can't blame ourselves. But seriously, where do you seek advise? Who do you listen to?
This becomes a little tricky when you throw God in the mix. Paul had this problem. He is now on his way to Rome to stand trial before Caesar himself but on the way (late in the fall - storm time) Paul goes to the official in charge of he and other prisoners and tell him shipwreck, loss of cargo and danger to lives awaits them if they continue. The official then goes to the captain of the ship and the owner and asks them what they think, are we in danger of a storm if we continue? The captain and owner think it's a good idea to continue, so they do.
You guessed it. Hurricane time. for 14 days the ship was battered by the storm. The crew did all the right things. They lightened the load by throwing over cargo. They bound the hull with ropes to keep her together. They thew over non-essential gear from the ship. They prayed to their gods. They dropped anchor at one point, at other times they lowered the sails and let the storm drive them. They did everything they were supposed to. But they couldn't stop the storm they could just try to survive through it. 14 days they didn't see the sun or stars. That means they were lost. With nothing to navigate by they were sailing blind. They were lost. They were in danger. They were without hope.
I'll bet the official wished he would have listened to Paul! Though, I have to give him credit, he did learn from his mistake. When the crew was trying to escape using the lifeboat Paul said they would all die if any got off the ship so the official cut the lines and let the lifeboat go. Eventually the ship ran aground and was beaten to pieces by the waves. Oh, by the way, everyone made it to shore but the ship was lost.
When we try to listen to those that support out own thoughts/feelings (like the captain and owner) even when they may be more knowledgeable we often get into trouble. Paul didn't know much about sailing (though he had been shipwrecked at least 2 other times) but he did know God. And God knows. So what does God have to say about your situation? He will never, NEVER, lead you in a direction that is not supported in His Word, the Bible. So always seek out Godly council.
This may sound a bit harsh but, seek marriage advise from couples who make it work, have made it work. Job advise from the guy who's had his for 30 years. Parenting advise from those whose kids are not infants and all have their heads screwed on correctly. I could say it this way. Don't get advise about how to avoid drinking from an alcoholic, talk to the guy whose never had a drop. And most importantly, seek God.
This becomes a little tricky when you throw God in the mix. Paul had this problem. He is now on his way to Rome to stand trial before Caesar himself but on the way (late in the fall - storm time) Paul goes to the official in charge of he and other prisoners and tell him shipwreck, loss of cargo and danger to lives awaits them if they continue. The official then goes to the captain of the ship and the owner and asks them what they think, are we in danger of a storm if we continue? The captain and owner think it's a good idea to continue, so they do.
You guessed it. Hurricane time. for 14 days the ship was battered by the storm. The crew did all the right things. They lightened the load by throwing over cargo. They bound the hull with ropes to keep her together. They thew over non-essential gear from the ship. They prayed to their gods. They dropped anchor at one point, at other times they lowered the sails and let the storm drive them. They did everything they were supposed to. But they couldn't stop the storm they could just try to survive through it. 14 days they didn't see the sun or stars. That means they were lost. With nothing to navigate by they were sailing blind. They were lost. They were in danger. They were without hope.
I'll bet the official wished he would have listened to Paul! Though, I have to give him credit, he did learn from his mistake. When the crew was trying to escape using the lifeboat Paul said they would all die if any got off the ship so the official cut the lines and let the lifeboat go. Eventually the ship ran aground and was beaten to pieces by the waves. Oh, by the way, everyone made it to shore but the ship was lost.
When we try to listen to those that support out own thoughts/feelings (like the captain and owner) even when they may be more knowledgeable we often get into trouble. Paul didn't know much about sailing (though he had been shipwrecked at least 2 other times) but he did know God. And God knows. So what does God have to say about your situation? He will never, NEVER, lead you in a direction that is not supported in His Word, the Bible. So always seek out Godly council.
This may sound a bit harsh but, seek marriage advise from couples who make it work, have made it work. Job advise from the guy who's had his for 30 years. Parenting advise from those whose kids are not infants and all have their heads screwed on correctly. I could say it this way. Don't get advise about how to avoid drinking from an alcoholic, talk to the guy whose never had a drop. And most importantly, seek God.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Do you know the secret handshake, knock, word?
I remember having a club with some friends from the neighborhood in my backyard. We had a secret knock... we had a secret password too. But in order to learn the secrets of the club you had to prove your worthiness to be in the club. Our "test"? The club house was built on top of my dad's storage shed, so the floor and deck was about 10' off the ground. In order to join the club you had to be able to jump from the clubhouse to the ground without killing yourself or breaking anything. Needless to say the club was pretty small.
I think most of us like to be a part of a club even as adults. Maybe it's a throwback to our childhoods or maybe we just like to feel like we are special, different, better than others. So we join country clubs. We're part of book clubs and alliances. PTO and Lions or Moose or Masons... I'm an official card carrying member of Dillons and Blockbuster myself.
In Acts 26:17-20 Paul is facing yet another trial and in his opening defense statement he says that God sent him to the Gentiles that they might "receive forgiveness of sins" and might "turn from darkness to light" and be "given a place among God's people who are set apart by faith." And this is what made the Jews so incredible mad. Why? Because they thought they were in a private club with God. For thousands of years they were the only ones who knew the secret code. Who had been entrusted with the secret handshake. They hated it that Paul was telling other people the password!
Funny how we tend to struggle with this even today. In my club as a kid every time we added another member the code got harder, longer, more complicated. It seemed that once you got in to the club each person wanted to make it harder for the next. I think this happens in church all the time. Once we're in we want to settle in, get comfortable and then make it harder for the next person, like we're somehow super special and no ordinary person could make it in the club with us. So the guests in our churches across the country feel like they have to dress the right way, speak the right way, walk, act, think, the right way in order to pass the test and get in.
But that has never been God's doing. He made it easy. Paul said the secret code is this, "repent of your sins and turn to God... and prove you have changed by the good things you do." It was the same for the Jews. But then they started adding all these other criteria on top, piling it so high that Jesus said of them, "do not practice what they preach. The tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders while they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them" (Matthew 23:4).
Jesus, right before he was betrayed got down on the dirt floor with a bucket and a bar and washed the dirty, stinky feet of His disciples - including Judas - and when He was done He asked them, "do you understand what I have done for you? You call me "teacher" and "Lord"... and that is what I am. And since I have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you and example that you should do as I have done" (John 13:13-15).
We're all in the same boat. Come from the same place. All have sinned and fallen short and God extends the password to us all just the same, believe in the one that He sent. We have no more right to make it harder for others than Jesus did, than we have to tell Jesus how He "should" have done it. We are not special as Christians. We're simply forgiven. Shouldn't that same forgiveness and Real Life be extended to everyone just the same? He made the rules, our responsibility is to follow them, just the same for all.
I think most of us like to be a part of a club even as adults. Maybe it's a throwback to our childhoods or maybe we just like to feel like we are special, different, better than others. So we join country clubs. We're part of book clubs and alliances. PTO and Lions or Moose or Masons... I'm an official card carrying member of Dillons and Blockbuster myself.
In Acts 26:17-20 Paul is facing yet another trial and in his opening defense statement he says that God sent him to the Gentiles that they might "receive forgiveness of sins" and might "turn from darkness to light" and be "given a place among God's people who are set apart by faith." And this is what made the Jews so incredible mad. Why? Because they thought they were in a private club with God. For thousands of years they were the only ones who knew the secret code. Who had been entrusted with the secret handshake. They hated it that Paul was telling other people the password!
Funny how we tend to struggle with this even today. In my club as a kid every time we added another member the code got harder, longer, more complicated. It seemed that once you got in to the club each person wanted to make it harder for the next. I think this happens in church all the time. Once we're in we want to settle in, get comfortable and then make it harder for the next person, like we're somehow super special and no ordinary person could make it in the club with us. So the guests in our churches across the country feel like they have to dress the right way, speak the right way, walk, act, think, the right way in order to pass the test and get in.
But that has never been God's doing. He made it easy. Paul said the secret code is this, "repent of your sins and turn to God... and prove you have changed by the good things you do." It was the same for the Jews. But then they started adding all these other criteria on top, piling it so high that Jesus said of them, "do not practice what they preach. The tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders while they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them" (Matthew 23:4).
Jesus, right before he was betrayed got down on the dirt floor with a bucket and a bar and washed the dirty, stinky feet of His disciples - including Judas - and when He was done He asked them, "do you understand what I have done for you? You call me "teacher" and "Lord"... and that is what I am. And since I have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you and example that you should do as I have done" (John 13:13-15).
We're all in the same boat. Come from the same place. All have sinned and fallen short and God extends the password to us all just the same, believe in the one that He sent. We have no more right to make it harder for others than Jesus did, than we have to tell Jesus how He "should" have done it. We are not special as Christians. We're simply forgiven. Shouldn't that same forgiveness and Real Life be extended to everyone just the same? He made the rules, our responsibility is to follow them, just the same for all.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Circumstances, Shmirckumstances.
Are you controlled by your circumstances? More often than not I am. If things are going well I am happy. If the bills are due, the tires are flat and the cupboards are empty I'm NOT happy. I can be having a great day and then something crummy happens and I'm depressed. I hate it. My mood, my feelings, my circumstances, my downfall. I don't know how Paul did it. Once again in my reading I'm amazed at his consistency in following Christ regardless of what is going on around him.
It happens in chapter 24 of Acts. Paul gets arrested in Jerusalem and taken to Caesarea where he stands trial under Felix. Felix likes listening to him so he keeps Paul under house arrest (he has some freedom but not a lot) until the captain of the guard from Jerusalem can come and fill him in on the details of Paul's arrest. Anyway, a couple verses later we read that Paul was there, in custody for TWO YEARS waiting for this guy!
That would be enough to get me all kinds of upset with God! Paul was doing exactly what God wanted him to do and even while in jail Paul continued to write to the churches to encourage them, he would meet with groups and teach them in the house he was in and over and over he got to meet with Felix and other high-ranking officials to tell them about Christ. One would think God would be happy with Paul! One would think God would want to bless Paul, get him out of jail, set him up in a big house with a fat paycheck and nice car... um, Chariot! Instead, Paul sits in jail for two years and then when Felix is replaced and some dude named Festus comes to power Paul is left in jail as a favor to... the Jews!
So Paul did everything (as near as the text describes) right and still his circumstances were crummy at best. It would have made anyone else "feel" rejected by God and frustrated with doing the right thing and not getting any earthly reward. But it didn't seem to matter to Paul. Remember he's the guy who said, "if I live the name of Christ is honored through my life, if I die, it will be great gain for me to be in the presence of my Savior." Paul didn't care about his circumstances because they changed all the time. He recognized that what was going on around him was not as important as what was happening in and through him as he followed God's plan for his life.
I want to be free from slavery to my circumstances. I want to follow and trust God in spite of what is going on around me. My hope should be in the Lord, who made heaven and earth! My circumstances don't control my emotions or feelings. Nor do are they the determining factor as to whether or not I am doing what God has called me to. They are just circumstances. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. All the time useful for the Kingdom of God if I allow myself to be used regardless of my circumstances.
Circumstances are NOT indicators of God's favor. Live for the ultimate goal of life eternal, not for the momentary ease of your present situation.
It happens in chapter 24 of Acts. Paul gets arrested in Jerusalem and taken to Caesarea where he stands trial under Felix. Felix likes listening to him so he keeps Paul under house arrest (he has some freedom but not a lot) until the captain of the guard from Jerusalem can come and fill him in on the details of Paul's arrest. Anyway, a couple verses later we read that Paul was there, in custody for TWO YEARS waiting for this guy!
That would be enough to get me all kinds of upset with God! Paul was doing exactly what God wanted him to do and even while in jail Paul continued to write to the churches to encourage them, he would meet with groups and teach them in the house he was in and over and over he got to meet with Felix and other high-ranking officials to tell them about Christ. One would think God would be happy with Paul! One would think God would want to bless Paul, get him out of jail, set him up in a big house with a fat paycheck and nice car... um, Chariot! Instead, Paul sits in jail for two years and then when Felix is replaced and some dude named Festus comes to power Paul is left in jail as a favor to... the Jews!
So Paul did everything (as near as the text describes) right and still his circumstances were crummy at best. It would have made anyone else "feel" rejected by God and frustrated with doing the right thing and not getting any earthly reward. But it didn't seem to matter to Paul. Remember he's the guy who said, "if I live the name of Christ is honored through my life, if I die, it will be great gain for me to be in the presence of my Savior." Paul didn't care about his circumstances because they changed all the time. He recognized that what was going on around him was not as important as what was happening in and through him as he followed God's plan for his life.
I want to be free from slavery to my circumstances. I want to follow and trust God in spite of what is going on around me. My hope should be in the Lord, who made heaven and earth! My circumstances don't control my emotions or feelings. Nor do are they the determining factor as to whether or not I am doing what God has called me to. They are just circumstances. Sometimes good. Sometimes bad. All the time useful for the Kingdom of God if I allow myself to be used regardless of my circumstances.
Circumstances are NOT indicators of God's favor. Live for the ultimate goal of life eternal, not for the momentary ease of your present situation.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Right and Wrong get blurred...
In today's christian culture we are made to believe that if we are right with God or right where God wants us then all will be right with our lives as well. Like, the closer we get to God, living like Christ, less sin, however you want to say it, our lives should get increasingly better.
Job's friends believed that since things were going wrong in his life, there must be wrong in his life. I know that sounds weird, right. But they assumed that he must be sinning somehow (wrong) because there was bad stuff happening to him. Today it seems like the only way to get people to give God a chance is to say, "everything will get better in your life if you follow Jesus, do what He wants." But I just can't buy that. You see, if following God made your life better, everyone would do it! If by making Jesus the Lord of my life I "get" stuff, better car, bigger house, higher-paying job, etc. then everyone would be jumping on the Jesus bus!
But I see no where in the Bible where that is promised or plays out in the biographies of the Apostles. Let's take Paul.
In Acts 21-23 Paul is on his way back to Jerusalem, because he believes (correctly) that God wants him to go back there. In chapter 21 it is prophesied that he will be bound and chained when he gets there - but that doesn't stop him. In chapter 22 he meets with the leaders/Elders of the Jerusalem church and they try to keep him from being discovered but that doesn't work. In chapter 23 Paul is beaten and arrested and put in jail. And while there God speaks to him and tells him not to worry because God is making a way for him to take the Gospel to Rome.
It seems like the exact opposite of what some popular religious speakers of today tell us! When we do what God wants things should get better in out lives (right should be rewarded with a better life). But in the Bible the more right things the apostles did the more wrong (persecution) they suffered! How do we reconcile this?!
My prayer today was this, that whether in plenty or need I would be right where God wants me. Our circumstances in life do not determine God's blessing or curse. They are simply by-products of the world we live in. It is better to be right with God then wrong with the world.
Job's friends believed that since things were going wrong in his life, there must be wrong in his life. I know that sounds weird, right. But they assumed that he must be sinning somehow (wrong) because there was bad stuff happening to him. Today it seems like the only way to get people to give God a chance is to say, "everything will get better in your life if you follow Jesus, do what He wants." But I just can't buy that. You see, if following God made your life better, everyone would do it! If by making Jesus the Lord of my life I "get" stuff, better car, bigger house, higher-paying job, etc. then everyone would be jumping on the Jesus bus!
But I see no where in the Bible where that is promised or plays out in the biographies of the Apostles. Let's take Paul.
In Acts 21-23 Paul is on his way back to Jerusalem, because he believes (correctly) that God wants him to go back there. In chapter 21 it is prophesied that he will be bound and chained when he gets there - but that doesn't stop him. In chapter 22 he meets with the leaders/Elders of the Jerusalem church and they try to keep him from being discovered but that doesn't work. In chapter 23 Paul is beaten and arrested and put in jail. And while there God speaks to him and tells him not to worry because God is making a way for him to take the Gospel to Rome.
It seems like the exact opposite of what some popular religious speakers of today tell us! When we do what God wants things should get better in out lives (right should be rewarded with a better life). But in the Bible the more right things the apostles did the more wrong (persecution) they suffered! How do we reconcile this?!
My prayer today was this, that whether in plenty or need I would be right where God wants me. Our circumstances in life do not determine God's blessing or curse. They are simply by-products of the world we live in. It is better to be right with God then wrong with the world.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
In case you forgot.
Just a quick post today.
Yesterday I shared about Paul's message in Athens that God has a purpose and desire for us to find Him easily. In today's text I read that God spoke to Paul while things were difficult for him and this line from God stuck out, "For I am with you."
Life is difficult right now. Church is difficult. There are struggles and obstacles and opposition coming at us so fast and from so many different directions it's hard to even focus on one of them. At times it feels like I'm floating in the ocean... like on one of those movies... just me, treading water in the middle with no one around. No land. Nothing to rest on or hold on to. Just water, water everywhere. I ask God to throw me a life-preserver, something to allow me to rest a bit and catch my breath. But He doesn't and I wonder why.
I am with you.
We often want God to get us out of our predicament, even if we got ourselves into it. We want Him to come to the rescue and throw us a line!
I am with you.
I want God to show up, guns blazing and wipe out everything and everyone who is opposing me. But He doesn't. And maybe it's because He's not sitting in heaven looking out at those whom He could chose to rescue and those He will let flounder for a little while longer. Maybe, as hard as it is to understand, maybe He's with us. Maybe He's going through the same garbage with us. The only difference is He knows what's over that next wave. He knows what's coming around the next corner or over the next hurdle. He knows in what direction the land lies.
I'm guessing He's pointing. He's coaching. He's encouraging. He's prodding, "keep kicking a little bit longer... you're almost there!" All I want is a life-preserver to rest and catch my breath, but He's using the opposition to build muscles I didn't even know I had.
Yesterday I shared about Paul's message in Athens that God has a purpose and desire for us to find Him easily. In today's text I read that God spoke to Paul while things were difficult for him and this line from God stuck out, "For I am with you."
Life is difficult right now. Church is difficult. There are struggles and obstacles and opposition coming at us so fast and from so many different directions it's hard to even focus on one of them. At times it feels like I'm floating in the ocean... like on one of those movies... just me, treading water in the middle with no one around. No land. Nothing to rest on or hold on to. Just water, water everywhere. I ask God to throw me a life-preserver, something to allow me to rest a bit and catch my breath. But He doesn't and I wonder why.
I am with you.
We often want God to get us out of our predicament, even if we got ourselves into it. We want Him to come to the rescue and throw us a line!
I am with you.
I want God to show up, guns blazing and wipe out everything and everyone who is opposing me. But He doesn't. And maybe it's because He's not sitting in heaven looking out at those whom He could chose to rescue and those He will let flounder for a little while longer. Maybe, as hard as it is to understand, maybe He's with us. Maybe He's going through the same garbage with us. The only difference is He knows what's over that next wave. He knows what's coming around the next corner or over the next hurdle. He knows in what direction the land lies.
I'm guessing He's pointing. He's coaching. He's encouraging. He's prodding, "keep kicking a little bit longer... you're almost there!" All I want is a life-preserver to rest and catch my breath, but He's using the opposition to build muscles I didn't even know I had.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The God of Closeness.
Have you ever had your kids give you that look like, "why are you doing this to me?!" It is usually followed by, "I hate you!" The one phrase that should bring a smile to every parent's face. Sure, it is painful, but it probably means you're doing the right thing... like your 12 year old daughter wanted to go to an Ozzy concert with her EMO boyfriend or something. Or your 17 year old son wanted to go camping with boys and girls and no adult supervision. You said, "No," because you're a caring, involved parent and they got mad because they can't understand yet what the danger is. They will, someday.
The Apostle Paul traveled to Athens and had the opportunity to preach to the high council of the city. They had many, many, gods that they worshiped but they had one big problem. They didn't know what any of them expected. If they worshiped one of their gods and then a storm came and killed people they would assume they worship wrong and that god was mad. So they'd try something else. If something they considered good happened they'd decide that was the appropriate way to worship.
It was kind of like being let loose on a pitch-black football field and being told find the candle and the single match (the paper kind in from a matchbook) to light it so you can figure out where you are and how to connect with god.
Paul says, God is not like that at all. It is His desire, His "purpose" that we find Him! So, he gives us the match and the candle! He wants us to find Him because He wants to have a relationship with us. There are not a bunch of hoops to jump through or a series of "trials" to go through to determine if you are worthy, He's already made you worthy. He already determined you were worth it when He, "formed you in the womb." In fact, Paul goes on to say, without His involvement we could not survive. It is IN HIM that we live (have the capacity for Real Life) and move (exercise our will in the world) and exist at all! It all comes from Him because He is intimately and directly involved in each of our lives.
But sometimes we can't understand what He's doing in our lives. We don't recognize the dangers, or the trouble or see that there is anything we might need to avoid. And so He disciplines. He directs. He disciplines. We do not avoid every pain in life, every trouble or struggle or negative situation... neither do our children. But He wants to protect us as much as possible. And when we mess up He is the only one who gets to say, "I brought you into this world... I can take you out" and mean it.
Thanks God for helping me to avoid some things, while allowing me to experience others. I wouldn't know how good I had it without knowing how bad it could be.
The Apostle Paul traveled to Athens and had the opportunity to preach to the high council of the city. They had many, many, gods that they worshiped but they had one big problem. They didn't know what any of them expected. If they worshiped one of their gods and then a storm came and killed people they would assume they worship wrong and that god was mad. So they'd try something else. If something they considered good happened they'd decide that was the appropriate way to worship.
It was kind of like being let loose on a pitch-black football field and being told find the candle and the single match (the paper kind in from a matchbook) to light it so you can figure out where you are and how to connect with god.
Paul says, God is not like that at all. It is His desire, His "purpose" that we find Him! So, he gives us the match and the candle! He wants us to find Him because He wants to have a relationship with us. There are not a bunch of hoops to jump through or a series of "trials" to go through to determine if you are worthy, He's already made you worthy. He already determined you were worth it when He, "formed you in the womb." In fact, Paul goes on to say, without His involvement we could not survive. It is IN HIM that we live (have the capacity for Real Life) and move (exercise our will in the world) and exist at all! It all comes from Him because He is intimately and directly involved in each of our lives.
But sometimes we can't understand what He's doing in our lives. We don't recognize the dangers, or the trouble or see that there is anything we might need to avoid. And so He disciplines. He directs. He disciplines. We do not avoid every pain in life, every trouble or struggle or negative situation... neither do our children. But He wants to protect us as much as possible. And when we mess up He is the only one who gets to say, "I brought you into this world... I can take you out" and mean it.
Thanks God for helping me to avoid some things, while allowing me to experience others. I wouldn't know how good I had it without knowing how bad it could be.
Monday, October 11, 2010
A Peek at my most recent requests
I have been praying a lot lately that I would have "eyes to see" God and "ears to hear" Him. I have been asking that the Holy Spirit give me eyes and ears to see where God is leading and to hear Him so that I can follow. Have had a couple glimmers of His leading so far.
Today while reading in Acts 16 I came across Paul and his companions on a journey and something interesting. Luke records that the Holy Spirit "prevented" them from going into Asia and then a bit later from going into Bithynia. This got me thinking... how did He do that?
We know that the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity (a word not used but certainly depicted in the Bible representing God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus calls the "other counselor who will be with you forever) and as such can control time, space, nature, etc. So, was the prevention spiritual? If so, why doesn't Luke say, "the Holy Spirit spoke to Paul." Was it a vision? Did the Spirit use a natural disaster or physical road block to keep them from going there? I want to know because that's the kind of guy I am... one who wants to know. But the text doesn't say and any commentator who states for sure is crazy and only speculating at best.
So, I've added that to my list of questions to ask those dudes when I get to heaven. But I'm thinking also that maybe it was a combination of a few of those ideas I had. I've ruled out (if that's possible) the Spirit's direct communication with the group because certainly Luke, a stickler for detail, would have mentioned it had it happened. What I'm left with is some physical means that stopped them. Perhaps someone got sick and needed to get to a nearby village in the opposite direction. Maybe a bridge washed out or they ran out of food. Perhaps there were bandits or something on a certain road they heard about.
I guess the point for me is this, I have to be sensitive to the Spirit. Sensitive enough that I am able to go with the flow - understanding that it may be the Spirit leading me in another direction. I often want the direct contact means of spiritual nudging. I don't like to "guess" but maybe the way the Spirit works is sometimes direct and sometimes indirect.
My prayer today was that I be sensitive enough to the Spirit's work in my own life that I could be stopped or re-directed so that God's will is accomplished in and through my life. Whether He works through physical events or speaks directly or through visions I must be alert enough to go, "oh, the Spirit is working here." Give me eyes to see and ears to hear.
Today while reading in Acts 16 I came across Paul and his companions on a journey and something interesting. Luke records that the Holy Spirit "prevented" them from going into Asia and then a bit later from going into Bithynia. This got me thinking... how did He do that?
We know that the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity (a word not used but certainly depicted in the Bible representing God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus calls the "other counselor who will be with you forever) and as such can control time, space, nature, etc. So, was the prevention spiritual? If so, why doesn't Luke say, "the Holy Spirit spoke to Paul." Was it a vision? Did the Spirit use a natural disaster or physical road block to keep them from going there? I want to know because that's the kind of guy I am... one who wants to know. But the text doesn't say and any commentator who states for sure is crazy and only speculating at best.
So, I've added that to my list of questions to ask those dudes when I get to heaven. But I'm thinking also that maybe it was a combination of a few of those ideas I had. I've ruled out (if that's possible) the Spirit's direct communication with the group because certainly Luke, a stickler for detail, would have mentioned it had it happened. What I'm left with is some physical means that stopped them. Perhaps someone got sick and needed to get to a nearby village in the opposite direction. Maybe a bridge washed out or they ran out of food. Perhaps there were bandits or something on a certain road they heard about.
I guess the point for me is this, I have to be sensitive to the Spirit. Sensitive enough that I am able to go with the flow - understanding that it may be the Spirit leading me in another direction. I often want the direct contact means of spiritual nudging. I don't like to "guess" but maybe the way the Spirit works is sometimes direct and sometimes indirect.
My prayer today was that I be sensitive enough to the Spirit's work in my own life that I could be stopped or re-directed so that God's will is accomplished in and through my life. Whether He works through physical events or speaks directly or through visions I must be alert enough to go, "oh, the Spirit is working here." Give me eyes to see and ears to hear.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
A piece of the puzzle
We have a ton of puzzles in my house. Most of my children loved putting them together when they were younger and our son with Autism goes through times of obsession with puzzles. Lots of puzzles, though, mean lots of puzzle pieces. I can't tell you how many puzzles I have thrown away because we could not find just one piece. I refuse to have puzzles with a missing piece. It's one of my core values. To spend that much time on a project and then not be able to complete it because a single part is missing is just too much for me to handle.
But tossing puzzles because you can't find the last piece often means that as you put together another one you end up with an extra piece that doesn't fit the puzzle you're working on. Ever tried to go through a box of puzzles in an attempt to figure out which puzzle this one little tiny piece goes to? Frustrating. Exhausting. Aggravating. Depressing.
And that's exactly how I feel when I look at the individual pieces (events) of my life.
I read this morning from Acts 14 where Paul and Barnabas preach from town to town. At one stop they preached and healed a crippled man who had never walked. When the town's people heard about it they believed the two of them were "gods" and wanted to worship them. Paul and his companion tried to stop them, shouting and telling them there were just ordinary men. Then some Jews from another town showed up and "won the people over" to the point of a mob and Paul was stoned to death and dragged outside the city. But the believers prayed and he got up and went back into town.
Here are the pieces:
But tossing puzzles because you can't find the last piece often means that as you put together another one you end up with an extra piece that doesn't fit the puzzle you're working on. Ever tried to go through a box of puzzles in an attempt to figure out which puzzle this one little tiny piece goes to? Frustrating. Exhausting. Aggravating. Depressing.
And that's exactly how I feel when I look at the individual pieces (events) of my life.
I read this morning from Acts 14 where Paul and Barnabas preach from town to town. At one stop they preached and healed a crippled man who had never walked. When the town's people heard about it they believed the two of them were "gods" and wanted to worship them. Paul and his companion tried to stop them, shouting and telling them there were just ordinary men. Then some Jews from another town showed up and "won the people over" to the point of a mob and Paul was stoned to death and dragged outside the city. But the believers prayed and he got up and went back into town.
Here are the pieces:
- Paul was trying to preach the Good News about faith in the resurrected Jesus.
- Paul healed a crippled man.
- The town's people believed they were gods.
- Offerings and sacrifices were made to them (or attempted).
- The people were then convinced that Paul was worthy of death.
- Paul was stoned and left for dead.
- Paul came back to life and entered the city.
Taken separately each of these individual events leave you with very different feelings.
Great joy to have people receive the message and be healed. Great dread to be considered a god. How anxious they must have been keeping the people from worshiping them instead of Jesus Christ. Great fear as Paul faced a terrible death by stoning. And how awesome it must have been to see Paul alive again!
By themselves the single events/pieces of your life can go from one extreme to the other. An incredible high to be used by God to a drastic low when something bad happens (since we often think that doing what God wants gets us "blessed" instead of cursed). But looking at the pieces of our lives as only a part of the whole picture should give us a much more even-tempered understanding. So the highs aren't too high and the lows aren't too low.
Taken alone, the pieces of our lives are hard to figure out. Why is God doing this? Why did He allow this to happen? This piece where everything looks great doesn't fit with this piece where everything is horrible. We just can't get a sense of the picture looking at the piece. So I need to reserve judgement. Hold off on my predictions. Not assume that each piece is a complete story in itself... because it isn't. Only as I see the pieces of my life coming together can I truly get a feel for what my life is all about and what God is doing through it and in it.
We need to see both the individual events of our lives and the picture God has been creating. Seen together, you're life is an inspiring picture of God's faithfulness. Taken one at a time, life just doesn't make sense. Let the pieces come together.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
God doesn't call in sick on our off days.
I don't know why but I'm remembering a bunch of old songs this week that I sang as a boy. Today I was reminded of the Paul and Silas song my Mom used to sing, "Paul and Silas were in jail, they sang hymns and prayed, then an angel loosed their bonds, the jailer was afraid..."
I always thought that song meant that when I was in trouble I should sing and pray. But my experiences have taught me that sometimes (though it shouldn't be this way) those are the last things you want to do. I think that was the case for Peter in Acts 12:6-11. Peter is in the same situation, jail. But his attitude is a little different from Paul and Silas. Peter is asleep (not singing or praying). He is chained between two guards, that is, chained TO two guards. There are also soldiers at two different posts moving away from his cell. And there is a large, locked gate that separates the city outside from the Jail inside. He is stuck. So he sleeps.
That is, until an angel, "struck him in the side." Did you ever hear of another angel acting this way? I'm thinking he was in the angel etiquette program... and failed. He's like the Rambo of Angels. Or Rocky angel, "Yo, Pete... get up!" I have to assume, since it happened every other time, that the angel tried to wake Pete, er, Peter up like all other angels. "Peter, do not be afraid." That apparently didn't work. So, Rambo Angel got progressively louder and more agitated.
But once Peter is up, the chains fall off. The doors open. Even the large gate, the final barrier, swings open by itself (surely an incredible feat and not likely to happen on accident). Peter doesn't know what's going on. Thinks he's having a dream until the angel disappears as they are walking down the streets of the city. That's usually what happens when you're convinced your situation is too impossible to get out of. You simply cease to see the way out. He believed he was going to die like (the first Apostle to be killed) his friend and fellow Apostle, James. He's in the same jail James was probably housed and killed in! He's chained between two guards! There's guards posted at the doors! There's a huge gate! Its impossible!
Let me get to the point. Peter saw Jesus raise Lazarus. He pulled a coin from the mouth of a random fish. He was the first to preach Jesus and he saw Jesus' resurrected body. But in this case he couldn't see a way out. He couldn't transfer what he had seen, to his current situation. But others were praying. And God moved.
Sometimes when you're in the pit you just can't bring yourself to pray or sing, it's hopeless. But that doesn't mean that God can't work. Others were praying and God rescued him in spite of his current situation and spiritual funk.
He can rescue you too. No matter how hopeless it seems. Let someone know you're hurting. Tell them about your chains. Even if you think you can't move and there is no way out. He can set you free. Even if He has to send Rambo Angel! And when He does, do exactly what Peter does. Run and tell someone what God has done in your life. Celebrate His provision!
I always thought that song meant that when I was in trouble I should sing and pray. But my experiences have taught me that sometimes (though it shouldn't be this way) those are the last things you want to do. I think that was the case for Peter in Acts 12:6-11. Peter is in the same situation, jail. But his attitude is a little different from Paul and Silas. Peter is asleep (not singing or praying). He is chained between two guards, that is, chained TO two guards. There are also soldiers at two different posts moving away from his cell. And there is a large, locked gate that separates the city outside from the Jail inside. He is stuck. So he sleeps.
That is, until an angel, "struck him in the side." Did you ever hear of another angel acting this way? I'm thinking he was in the angel etiquette program... and failed. He's like the Rambo of Angels. Or Rocky angel, "Yo, Pete... get up!" I have to assume, since it happened every other time, that the angel tried to wake Pete, er, Peter up like all other angels. "Peter, do not be afraid." That apparently didn't work. So, Rambo Angel got progressively louder and more agitated.
But once Peter is up, the chains fall off. The doors open. Even the large gate, the final barrier, swings open by itself (surely an incredible feat and not likely to happen on accident). Peter doesn't know what's going on. Thinks he's having a dream until the angel disappears as they are walking down the streets of the city. That's usually what happens when you're convinced your situation is too impossible to get out of. You simply cease to see the way out. He believed he was going to die like (the first Apostle to be killed) his friend and fellow Apostle, James. He's in the same jail James was probably housed and killed in! He's chained between two guards! There's guards posted at the doors! There's a huge gate! Its impossible!
Let me get to the point. Peter saw Jesus raise Lazarus. He pulled a coin from the mouth of a random fish. He was the first to preach Jesus and he saw Jesus' resurrected body. But in this case he couldn't see a way out. He couldn't transfer what he had seen, to his current situation. But others were praying. And God moved.
Sometimes when you're in the pit you just can't bring yourself to pray or sing, it's hopeless. But that doesn't mean that God can't work. Others were praying and God rescued him in spite of his current situation and spiritual funk.
He can rescue you too. No matter how hopeless it seems. Let someone know you're hurting. Tell them about your chains. Even if you think you can't move and there is no way out. He can set you free. Even if He has to send Rambo Angel! And when He does, do exactly what Peter does. Run and tell someone what God has done in your life. Celebrate His provision!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
It only takes a spark... destruction complete.
When I was a child in VBS and Sunday School I remember singing this song.
It only takes a spark,
to get a fire going.
And soon all those around,
can warm up to it's glowing.
I recall that being a very sweet song. Everybody sitting in a circle holding hands. I think it closely preceded by Kumbaya.
But today I'm thinking about how "sparks" have ignited some of the countries largest forest fires. How one spark has torched a home. How an innocent flame can quickly destroy lives. The spark is innocent. The consequences can be devastating.
I only got to verse one of Acts eight today in my Bible reading before I had to write. Luke, an incredible writer, does such a great job of moving through the story of the early church. In chapter seven we are introduced to a man names Stephen who is chosen to be a leader in the local church. But by the end of the chapter Stephen has preached an incredible message of hope in Jesus Christ to the Jewish leaders and was has been killed for it. Chapter eight verse one says, "Saul was one of the witnesses and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen" (NLT).
If you read the next few verses you would find out that a great persecution of the church broke out and that Saul was the ring-leader for it all. But I don't want to get that far. You see, in verse one I see a spark. A tiny flame. An insignificant act that would lead to one of the most horrific genocides in history.
You see, we take for granted the little things. A thought we dwell on a little too long. An action with seemingly no consequence. One. Simple. Word. Spoken without thought. A twist of the heart that drastically and quickly sends the path of our lives in a direction we never expected, could not have foreseen and still can't believe.
Perhaps this is why the Bible warns, "guard your heart..."
Every act. Every word. Every thought, has the potential to send our lives off course.
Guard your heart (Pro 4:23).
Do not be quick with your mouth (Ecc 5:2).
Capture every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5).
May the only "sparks" in my life be used to spur others on to good deed in Christ Jesus.
It only takes a spark,
to get a fire going.
And soon all those around,
can warm up to it's glowing.
I recall that being a very sweet song. Everybody sitting in a circle holding hands. I think it closely preceded by Kumbaya.
But today I'm thinking about how "sparks" have ignited some of the countries largest forest fires. How one spark has torched a home. How an innocent flame can quickly destroy lives. The spark is innocent. The consequences can be devastating.
I only got to verse one of Acts eight today in my Bible reading before I had to write. Luke, an incredible writer, does such a great job of moving through the story of the early church. In chapter seven we are introduced to a man names Stephen who is chosen to be a leader in the local church. But by the end of the chapter Stephen has preached an incredible message of hope in Jesus Christ to the Jewish leaders and was has been killed for it. Chapter eight verse one says, "Saul was one of the witnesses and he agreed completely with the killing of Stephen" (NLT).
If you read the next few verses you would find out that a great persecution of the church broke out and that Saul was the ring-leader for it all. But I don't want to get that far. You see, in verse one I see a spark. A tiny flame. An insignificant act that would lead to one of the most horrific genocides in history.
You see, we take for granted the little things. A thought we dwell on a little too long. An action with seemingly no consequence. One. Simple. Word. Spoken without thought. A twist of the heart that drastically and quickly sends the path of our lives in a direction we never expected, could not have foreseen and still can't believe.
Perhaps this is why the Bible warns, "guard your heart..."
Every act. Every word. Every thought, has the potential to send our lives off course.
Guard your heart (Pro 4:23).
Do not be quick with your mouth (Ecc 5:2).
Capture every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5).
May the only "sparks" in my life be used to spur others on to good deed in Christ Jesus.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Standing on the promise.
I am not a patient man. I don't like to wait for things. In fact, I hate it. For years I have told God, "just tell me what you want me to do... and let me get to it." I don't like to sit. I don't wait well. I have always been a what's next guy. Get this done, so I can move on. That's probably why I'd much rather take a snap-shot than paint a picture.
This creates some problems. I rarely enjoy what I'm doing now. I only see it as a stepping stone for the "next thing" so I don't spend too much time in the moment. Relationships, children, church... same story. Hurry up and get through this, to get to the next thing. I couldn't wait to be married. Then I couldn't wait to have kids. Find a job, settle in and get to work on whats next.
But I'm now in my 39's (39 years, 3 months and 2 days to be exact!) and our oldest child is going to graduate this coming May. And now I'm not so sure I want to move on to the next thing. I'm trying to pull back on the reigns. I'm looking down the road at the changes coming and I'm pretty sure I've missed some things.
It must have been hard for Abraham. God called him to leave his hometown and head to a land of promise. So, Moses packed up and headed out, my kind of guy! A few pit stops and a re-issue of the call and finally he landed at the very spot God promised to give him and his descendants. But did Abraham get right to work? NO! God didn't give Abraham even "one square foot" according to Stephen in Acts 7:4-7! Abraham was standing on the very spot God was going to give his children but Abraham didn't get any of it. Instead, he got a promise. A promise that after some wandering and slavery and punishment and a bunch of years, Abraham's descendants would indeed be given the land and would make it there own.
I don't know if I could do it. Be exactly where God wanted me to be and not do anything about it. It's difficult for me to imagine. Abraham must have been a man of great faith and patience and trust - I guess I struggle with all of those. I want to get to work! I want to get moving! I want to do just about anything but sit and wait. But that is what is needed sometimes. God had to bring a whole nation up, raise them as His children, so they will trust Him and only Him. That couldn't be done if God just gave it to Abraham. So He leads, provides, guides, teaching them to trust.
Sometimes our feet need to be still.
Sometimes all we can do is look to the future and trust that God knows what He's doing.
That's hard for me, but I'm giving it a shot. I know that my life is an unfinished painting of what He has planned. If I sit still long enough, I'll see that picture come to life and be so glad I got to be His subject matter.
He's got a beautiful picture He's painting for you too. Be still and watch it take shape and be amazed at what He sees in you!
This creates some problems. I rarely enjoy what I'm doing now. I only see it as a stepping stone for the "next thing" so I don't spend too much time in the moment. Relationships, children, church... same story. Hurry up and get through this, to get to the next thing. I couldn't wait to be married. Then I couldn't wait to have kids. Find a job, settle in and get to work on whats next.
But I'm now in my 39's (39 years, 3 months and 2 days to be exact!) and our oldest child is going to graduate this coming May. And now I'm not so sure I want to move on to the next thing. I'm trying to pull back on the reigns. I'm looking down the road at the changes coming and I'm pretty sure I've missed some things.
It must have been hard for Abraham. God called him to leave his hometown and head to a land of promise. So, Moses packed up and headed out, my kind of guy! A few pit stops and a re-issue of the call and finally he landed at the very spot God promised to give him and his descendants. But did Abraham get right to work? NO! God didn't give Abraham even "one square foot" according to Stephen in Acts 7:4-7! Abraham was standing on the very spot God was going to give his children but Abraham didn't get any of it. Instead, he got a promise. A promise that after some wandering and slavery and punishment and a bunch of years, Abraham's descendants would indeed be given the land and would make it there own.
I don't know if I could do it. Be exactly where God wanted me to be and not do anything about it. It's difficult for me to imagine. Abraham must have been a man of great faith and patience and trust - I guess I struggle with all of those. I want to get to work! I want to get moving! I want to do just about anything but sit and wait. But that is what is needed sometimes. God had to bring a whole nation up, raise them as His children, so they will trust Him and only Him. That couldn't be done if God just gave it to Abraham. So He leads, provides, guides, teaching them to trust.
Sometimes our feet need to be still.
Sometimes all we can do is look to the future and trust that God knows what He's doing.
That's hard for me, but I'm giving it a shot. I know that my life is an unfinished painting of what He has planned. If I sit still long enough, I'll see that picture come to life and be so glad I got to be His subject matter.
He's got a beautiful picture He's painting for you too. Be still and watch it take shape and be amazed at what He sees in you!
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Obediance
Acts 5:29. Often quoted by those who break the law. Wrongly.
Peter and John have been imprisoned for preaching the Gospel (and blaming the religious leaders for killing Jesus). They are, once again, hauled before the whole Jewish council to account for their actions and are told to, "never again teach in this man's name." To which they reply, "we must obey God rather than any human authority..." And there you have it. Every christian person who has been arrested for breaking the law uses this passage as their "get out of jail free" card. But they're wrong.
I wonder how many people have been arrested for doing what the Apostles were doing? Preaching the Gospel in a public place is not against the law. Unless you break the law in another way. Inciting a riot. Impeding traffic. Being too close to a school or something. See, Peter and John were not breaking ANY laws, and yet were thrown in jail and told not to preach (lawfully) to the people, when they made their defiant statement.
I know ministers who have rejoiced over the fact they got arrested protesting an abortion clinic and broke the law by getting too close to the clinic. That is not what Peter and John were talking about. Or, many Christians simply break the law for their own benefit and then claim that they only answer to God... and they will.
The Bible clearly states in several places that as Christians we are to obey the laws of the land we are in and every authority that has been placed over us. We can not use the Bible for our own personal benefit. We can not break the law and then claim that God told us to do it, or fool ourselves into thinking He is proud of it.
If you are lawfully presenting the Gospel Message of hope and life in Jesus Christ and are arrested (having broken NO laws) then you can claim, "I must obey God rather than men." But God does not condone breaking the law. He does not condone killing to stop killing. He wants us to live, "such peaceful and quite lives among the lost that they see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven."
It's about time we got so on fire that our preaching was once again so powerful to transform lives that the only way to get us to stop would be to put us in jail. Then, having obeyed every law and being punished wrongly for the cause of Christ, we could rejoice that we had been counted worthy to suffer.
Peter and John have been imprisoned for preaching the Gospel (and blaming the religious leaders for killing Jesus). They are, once again, hauled before the whole Jewish council to account for their actions and are told to, "never again teach in this man's name." To which they reply, "we must obey God rather than any human authority..." And there you have it. Every christian person who has been arrested for breaking the law uses this passage as their "get out of jail free" card. But they're wrong.
I wonder how many people have been arrested for doing what the Apostles were doing? Preaching the Gospel in a public place is not against the law. Unless you break the law in another way. Inciting a riot. Impeding traffic. Being too close to a school or something. See, Peter and John were not breaking ANY laws, and yet were thrown in jail and told not to preach (lawfully) to the people, when they made their defiant statement.
I know ministers who have rejoiced over the fact they got arrested protesting an abortion clinic and broke the law by getting too close to the clinic. That is not what Peter and John were talking about. Or, many Christians simply break the law for their own benefit and then claim that they only answer to God... and they will.
The Bible clearly states in several places that as Christians we are to obey the laws of the land we are in and every authority that has been placed over us. We can not use the Bible for our own personal benefit. We can not break the law and then claim that God told us to do it, or fool ourselves into thinking He is proud of it.
If you are lawfully presenting the Gospel Message of hope and life in Jesus Christ and are arrested (having broken NO laws) then you can claim, "I must obey God rather than men." But God does not condone breaking the law. He does not condone killing to stop killing. He wants us to live, "such peaceful and quite lives among the lost that they see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven."
It's about time we got so on fire that our preaching was once again so powerful to transform lives that the only way to get us to stop would be to put us in jail. Then, having obeyed every law and being punished wrongly for the cause of Christ, we could rejoice that we had been counted worthy to suffer.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
We often stop too soon.
I don't enjoy confrontation. Often my prayers go like, "God, did you hear what so-and-so said? That was crazy! Please convict them and shut them up so that I don't have to hear what Satan has to say through them."
My goal in prayer is to get my opposition to be quiet or that God would remove them so they won't "get in His way" anymore. I'm really small minded.
In Acts 4 Peter and John just spent the night in jail for healing a dude who'd been crippled and begging for 40 years. They were sternly warned the next day not to speak in the Name of Jesus anymore and set free. They go back to the house where the church met and told them what happened and then they prayed.
To my surprise they prayed just like me! Really! They prayed, "Lord, consider their threats..." Cool! They want God to get involved with those who would seek to shut them up or oppose them. They are asking God to consider the threats against them as threats against Him. Just like me! But then they go on...
"...and enable your servants to speak boldly." Crap. See, I often stop too soon in my prayers. I want God to get involved but I don't ask Him for boldness to continue speaking, or help to overcome my own fear so that Satan doesn't get the victory. You see, Satan doesn't need to kill us or destroy us or treat us like Job from the Bible. He just has to scare us enough to shut up. Then he's won.
So, how is Satan coming against you? Is it financial? The threat of loosing a car, your home, your job? My prayer today was, "God, consider Satan's threats against You and help me to continue to preach your word and share the Gospel no matter what. No car. No house. No income. No problem. As long as I continue to do what You've called me to do. Help me speak Your Word with great boldness."
My goal in prayer is to get my opposition to be quiet or that God would remove them so they won't "get in His way" anymore. I'm really small minded.
In Acts 4 Peter and John just spent the night in jail for healing a dude who'd been crippled and begging for 40 years. They were sternly warned the next day not to speak in the Name of Jesus anymore and set free. They go back to the house where the church met and told them what happened and then they prayed.
To my surprise they prayed just like me! Really! They prayed, "Lord, consider their threats..." Cool! They want God to get involved with those who would seek to shut them up or oppose them. They are asking God to consider the threats against them as threats against Him. Just like me! But then they go on...
"...and enable your servants to speak boldly." Crap. See, I often stop too soon in my prayers. I want God to get involved but I don't ask Him for boldness to continue speaking, or help to overcome my own fear so that Satan doesn't get the victory. You see, Satan doesn't need to kill us or destroy us or treat us like Job from the Bible. He just has to scare us enough to shut up. Then he's won.
So, how is Satan coming against you? Is it financial? The threat of loosing a car, your home, your job? My prayer today was, "God, consider Satan's threats against You and help me to continue to preach your word and share the Gospel no matter what. No car. No house. No income. No problem. As long as I continue to do what You've called me to do. Help me speak Your Word with great boldness."
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Acts 2 - God's part/our part
It is really easy to get caught up in the story of Acts 2, storm sounds, lightning, fire, it's ever kids dream - a pyrotechnic miracle! But I'm praying that God will help me see Him and hear Him through His Word so I'm looking deeper than just the cool story of birthday of the Holy Spirit in the lives of men.
I see several things going on in this story that the church today could benefit from. First it seems that God caused a stir - that was His doing. There was a violent and loud sound that brought everyone running to where they heard the sound coming from. It was a different sound than they had heard before in Jerusalem so they all wanted to know what was going on.
Once they arrived to where the sound had originated they heard the Apostles speaking in their own language and telling of the Good News of Jesus resurrection so that those who came because of the sound, might hear the Word and believe and then respond appropriately by being immersed - putting to death the old self, the physical self (like Jesus did on the cross) and being buried signifying their death (as did Jesus in the tomb) and being reborn through the water into a new creation (as Jesus was upon His resurrection).
The people were so excited when they heard the message because it was clearly understood, the "wonderful things You [God] have done."
So I'm praying for several things today:
1. That God draws a crowd. That He does something among us that our community has never seen before so that they want to come and discover for themselves what is going on.
2. Once they are here I pray that we speak to them in their language - not super spiritual language that they don't understand, but like the opposite of "lost in translation" I pray that through God's Spirit each person "hears" exactly what they need to hear, supernaturally, so that they can make a decision for Jesus.
3. That we proclaim the message of Jesus Christ so that it is "clearly understood." We don't want to get the message mixed up and jumbled together, but to keep it clear so that those who hear would hear of, "the wonderful things You have done."
God draw a crowd. Speak to each one exactly what they need to hear. And help us to keep the message clear so that they hear about what You have done. You must increase, we must decrease.
I see several things going on in this story that the church today could benefit from. First it seems that God caused a stir - that was His doing. There was a violent and loud sound that brought everyone running to where they heard the sound coming from. It was a different sound than they had heard before in Jerusalem so they all wanted to know what was going on.
Once they arrived to where the sound had originated they heard the Apostles speaking in their own language and telling of the Good News of Jesus resurrection so that those who came because of the sound, might hear the Word and believe and then respond appropriately by being immersed - putting to death the old self, the physical self (like Jesus did on the cross) and being buried signifying their death (as did Jesus in the tomb) and being reborn through the water into a new creation (as Jesus was upon His resurrection).
The people were so excited when they heard the message because it was clearly understood, the "wonderful things You [God] have done."
So I'm praying for several things today:
1. That God draws a crowd. That He does something among us that our community has never seen before so that they want to come and discover for themselves what is going on.
2. Once they are here I pray that we speak to them in their language - not super spiritual language that they don't understand, but like the opposite of "lost in translation" I pray that through God's Spirit each person "hears" exactly what they need to hear, supernaturally, so that they can make a decision for Jesus.
3. That we proclaim the message of Jesus Christ so that it is "clearly understood." We don't want to get the message mixed up and jumbled together, but to keep it clear so that those who hear would hear of, "the wonderful things You have done."
God draw a crowd. Speak to each one exactly what they need to hear. And help us to keep the message clear so that they hear about what You have done. You must increase, we must decrease.
3 thoughts from John 21/Acts 1
Just a few observations about what is going on in this chapter that you might find interesting.
1. in vs 3 - Jesus has revealed Himself in resurrection glory to the disciples a number of times already but the disciples, while believing He had been raised from the dead, didn't move. They didn't do anything but sit around together in the upper room. They had seen the Lord, but not been moved to action yet. Then all the sudden Peter says, "I'm going fishing." And many of think that is a good idea so they get up and go with him.
-- observation -- when things get boring spiritually, you're not growing or going anywhere for Jesus it is easier to fall back into the same pattern of behavior you were in before you accepted the gospel message. Peter knew fishing so when things cooled down and they were just in coast mode he went back to what he knew. We often go back to the familiar, the things that once defined us when there is a pause in our spiritual growth. Jesus had to make the same call to Peter and the others that He did the first time he called them to be "fishers of men." This time though He said, "feed my sheep." Keep moving for God or you might slip back into your old habits and behaviors.
2. In vs 21 Jesus is talking to Peter and they are having a good conversation when Peter turns and looks at John and says to Jesus, "what about him?"
-- observation -- do you ever get the feeling we are so concerned about what everyone else is doing or where they're going or what our position is relative to theirs that we miss our own target? My prayer for this passage was, "God help me to focus on what You have called ME to do - not on what you've called someone else to." I see other ministers with big salaries and churches it get easy to say to God, "what about him?" But I need to let God take care of His business and I need to focus on mine.
3. Jesus finally makes His last accession to heaven and Peter and the others are standing there looking up into the sky when a couple of angles appear (unknown to the group who were busy) and say, "why are you staring up into heaven?"
-- observation -- I'm not sure why the group was just standing there but Jesus had left them with instructions, there was work to do! I wonder if sometimes we spend too much time staring up into heaven waiting on God's next move, His next big thing, another miracle or answer to prayer... but while were staring God is stewing. Get to work! There's stuff to do! This same Jesus whom you've seen go up into heaven will come back as you saw Him go, until then, get busy!
1. in vs 3 - Jesus has revealed Himself in resurrection glory to the disciples a number of times already but the disciples, while believing He had been raised from the dead, didn't move. They didn't do anything but sit around together in the upper room. They had seen the Lord, but not been moved to action yet. Then all the sudden Peter says, "I'm going fishing." And many of think that is a good idea so they get up and go with him.
-- observation -- when things get boring spiritually, you're not growing or going anywhere for Jesus it is easier to fall back into the same pattern of behavior you were in before you accepted the gospel message. Peter knew fishing so when things cooled down and they were just in coast mode he went back to what he knew. We often go back to the familiar, the things that once defined us when there is a pause in our spiritual growth. Jesus had to make the same call to Peter and the others that He did the first time he called them to be "fishers of men." This time though He said, "feed my sheep." Keep moving for God or you might slip back into your old habits and behaviors.
2. In vs 21 Jesus is talking to Peter and they are having a good conversation when Peter turns and looks at John and says to Jesus, "what about him?"
-- observation -- do you ever get the feeling we are so concerned about what everyone else is doing or where they're going or what our position is relative to theirs that we miss our own target? My prayer for this passage was, "God help me to focus on what You have called ME to do - not on what you've called someone else to." I see other ministers with big salaries and churches it get easy to say to God, "what about him?" But I need to let God take care of His business and I need to focus on mine.
3. Jesus finally makes His last accession to heaven and Peter and the others are standing there looking up into the sky when a couple of angles appear (unknown to the group who were busy) and say, "why are you staring up into heaven?"
-- observation -- I'm not sure why the group was just standing there but Jesus had left them with instructions, there was work to do! I wonder if sometimes we spend too much time staring up into heaven waiting on God's next move, His next big thing, another miracle or answer to prayer... but while were staring God is stewing. Get to work! There's stuff to do! This same Jesus whom you've seen go up into heaven will come back as you saw Him go, until then, get busy!
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Couple thoughts on Goliath
1. Reading 1 Samuel 17 preparing for tomorrow's message. Goliath was a giant of a man. He was between 9'10" and 10'6" depending on who you read and the length of a cubit. The tip of his spear weighed 15lbs - imagine how big the shaft would have to be to hold that thing and carry it through the air, let alone how far Goliath could throw it! I'll bet that thing would fly! His shield was even 125lbs! Not even the men of Sparta with their rock-hard abs could carry shields that big! Goliath must have been impressive as he stood out in the valley alone and taunted the Israelites.
Wait, he wasn't alone. The end of verse 7 mentions something I never paid attention to before. It says, "His armor bearer went ahead of him." This was a common practice I'm sure, though maybe not the going before. I thought the armor bearer stayed to the side or behind. Usually the armor bearer was for kings, though I guess Goliath deserved one as the great warrior for the Philistines.
But what this means is that Goliath was not alone as he stood in the valley. Goliath was impressive but imagine how strong his armor bearer would have had to be to carry all that stuff! You've got this 10' guy standing there taunting and then this regular sized guy who surely had muscles for his muscles! My guess is the armor bearer for Goliath could have bested most of the fighting men in any army. Today, he stood before Goliath.
If the guy who carries the shield for Goliath is huge and muscular and built in his own right, what chance do the Israelites have against the man Goliath himself?
Sometimes I think we get so afraid of the wind we never face the storm. Satan wants to intimidate us into never picking up a stone to fight. The only way for Satan to win is to convince us the fight isn't worth the risk. But (I don't want to give it all away!) opposition is one dimensional. That's all I'll say for now.
2. Here's the other thing. We get so caught up in the story of David fighting Goliath that we don't think about what would have happened if he would have lost and how strongly the fighting men of Israel must have tried to get David to stay with them. It seems strange that Saul would send this boy out knowing the outcome if he lost!
Goliath's challenge was that the loser becomes the slaves of the winner. Had David lost the whole Nation of Israel would have become the slaves of the Philistines! Wow! The men of Israel must have tried desperately to get David, this young, inexperienced, boy not to go and fight.
You see, as long as the Israelites stayed on their line... as long as they never sent anyone out to meet Goliath they didn't have to fear becoming his slaves. They thought (wrongly) that by not moving they kept him at bay. But Satan doesn't always have to beat us or even fight us, he just has to get us to stop moving forward! If we aren't advancing, we don't have the chance to win... we let hundreds, thousands, millions or the next one, die in their sin.
Satan's goal? Make the fight "look" to difficult so he doesn't have to fight at all or simply keep the armies of God from moving forward. From advancing. From gaining ground. Satan has already lost the battle, he's only got tricks left. How many have you fallen for? I've lost count. But not any more.
Wait, he wasn't alone. The end of verse 7 mentions something I never paid attention to before. It says, "His armor bearer went ahead of him." This was a common practice I'm sure, though maybe not the going before. I thought the armor bearer stayed to the side or behind. Usually the armor bearer was for kings, though I guess Goliath deserved one as the great warrior for the Philistines.
But what this means is that Goliath was not alone as he stood in the valley. Goliath was impressive but imagine how strong his armor bearer would have had to be to carry all that stuff! You've got this 10' guy standing there taunting and then this regular sized guy who surely had muscles for his muscles! My guess is the armor bearer for Goliath could have bested most of the fighting men in any army. Today, he stood before Goliath.
If the guy who carries the shield for Goliath is huge and muscular and built in his own right, what chance do the Israelites have against the man Goliath himself?
Sometimes I think we get so afraid of the wind we never face the storm. Satan wants to intimidate us into never picking up a stone to fight. The only way for Satan to win is to convince us the fight isn't worth the risk. But (I don't want to give it all away!) opposition is one dimensional. That's all I'll say for now.
2. Here's the other thing. We get so caught up in the story of David fighting Goliath that we don't think about what would have happened if he would have lost and how strongly the fighting men of Israel must have tried to get David to stay with them. It seems strange that Saul would send this boy out knowing the outcome if he lost!
Goliath's challenge was that the loser becomes the slaves of the winner. Had David lost the whole Nation of Israel would have become the slaves of the Philistines! Wow! The men of Israel must have tried desperately to get David, this young, inexperienced, boy not to go and fight.
You see, as long as the Israelites stayed on their line... as long as they never sent anyone out to meet Goliath they didn't have to fear becoming his slaves. They thought (wrongly) that by not moving they kept him at bay. But Satan doesn't always have to beat us or even fight us, he just has to get us to stop moving forward! If we aren't advancing, we don't have the chance to win... we let hundreds, thousands, millions or the next one, die in their sin.
Satan's goal? Make the fight "look" to difficult so he doesn't have to fight at all or simply keep the armies of God from moving forward. From advancing. From gaining ground. Satan has already lost the battle, he's only got tricks left. How many have you fallen for? I've lost count. But not any more.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
A Quickie on Faith and Belief
John 16:30,31
Jesus has been unloading a bunch of spiritual Truth on the disciples becasue He is getting ready to face His death. This is natural in fact, in verse 4 Jesus tells them He didn't say anything earlier becasue there was time... now the time is up and He's got to get them prepared.
After unlaoding all this stuff the disciples finally say, "...from this we believe that you came from God." But Jesus knows better and responds, "...do you finally believe? But the time is coming when you will be scattered and each of you will leave me alone."
Here's some quick thoughts on belief and faith - don't hang me by them, just quick thoughts.
You can believe in God all day but what do you do when when its dark and scary?
Faith takes over when what your belief in something runs out.
Belief is mental - faith has feet.
It's easy to believe when there is no pressure. Pressure reveals the faith belief talks about.
Faith happens where your belief and the unknown make contact.
If you believe in God but never have to test it through trial there is no faith. Belief comes natural, faith is developed in the fire.
That should get you thinking!
Jesus has been unloading a bunch of spiritual Truth on the disciples becasue He is getting ready to face His death. This is natural in fact, in verse 4 Jesus tells them He didn't say anything earlier becasue there was time... now the time is up and He's got to get them prepared.
After unlaoding all this stuff the disciples finally say, "...from this we believe that you came from God." But Jesus knows better and responds, "...do you finally believe? But the time is coming when you will be scattered and each of you will leave me alone."
Here's some quick thoughts on belief and faith - don't hang me by them, just quick thoughts.
You can believe in God all day but what do you do when when its dark and scary?
Faith takes over when what your belief in something runs out.
Belief is mental - faith has feet.
It's easy to believe when there is no pressure. Pressure reveals the faith belief talks about.
Faith happens where your belief and the unknown make contact.
If you believe in God but never have to test it through trial there is no faith. Belief comes natural, faith is developed in the fire.
That should get you thinking!
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