Thursday, October 28, 2010

CATCH THE WIND!

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25 NIV).

The apostle Paul challenged the Galatian believers to continually live “by the Spirit,” contrasting the life controlled by the sinful nature with the life led by the Spirit of God (Galatians 5:16-22). In straightforward terms, the Apostle explained that these two ways of life are at war with each other.

As Paul explained the opposite nature of the two ways of life, he contrasted the “fruits” that each lifestyle brings forth. The “fruits” of the self-life include immorality, drunkenness, selfish ambition, drug abuse, hatred—and the list goes on (5:19-21). In contrast and at war with the self-life is the Spirit-led life. The “fruits” of the Spirit include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (5:22-23). I love the way the Apostle finishes this section of teaching when he says in verse 25 to “let us keep in step with the Spirit.”

Paul is encouraging all believers to stay in harmony with the Spirit. The original word for “in step” means to be in line with, to be in agreement, to follow. Another way to express this would be, “Since by the Holy Spirit we are alive in God, then let us go forward in step with the Spirit’s control and direction.”

How do we learn to get “in step with the Spirit” of God? How do we let the Spirit take the lead and lift our life to one filled with His purpose and fruitfulness?

One of the metaphors used in Scripture to describe the Holy Spirit is “the wind” (see Acts 2:2, John 3:8). If the Holy Spirit is like “the wind” then “getting in step with the Spirit” could be described as “catching the wind.”

Sailing vessels are empowered by raising their sails to catch the wind. There are at least three ways that we can personally raise our sails and “catch the wind” of the Spirit.

1. The Word
Don’t ever let the devil tell you that the Word is dry, boring and out of date—that’s a lie and he knows it, and so should we. Hebrews 4:12: “For the word of God is living and active.” 2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is God-breathed…”and that means that the Holy Spirit is in and on every page. When you read the Word, expect the Holy Spirit to speak to you.

The wind of the Spirit is blowing through the Word.

2. Worship
It is in worship, perhaps more than in any other act, that we continually show our dependency on Him. By His Spirit, God responds to the humility that true worship requires and He draws near to the humble. The proud in spirit sing and make noise but they do not worship.

“But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel” (Psalm 22:3).

The wind of the Spirit blows when worship is taking place.

3. Prayer
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests” (Ephesians 6:18, NIV).

Like worship, prayer that touches God is honest, confident, humble and submissive. When we pray honestly, God responds. When we pray using our spiritual language, we are activating the Holy Spirit and the wind of the Spirit begins to blow.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1 John 5:14-15, NKJV).

The wind of the Spirit blows when we pray!

There is a current television show called “Dancing with the Stars.” The premise is simple; a celebrity is matched with a professional dancer and they practice and practice together, enter into a competition, and hope to win the prize. The professional dancer is the lead in the duo and the celebutard is the follower.

In any successful dance team, there can only be one leader; the partner will learn to anticipate and follow. This is the type of harmony we can have with the Holy Spirit if we let Him take the lead. When we “catch the wind” and let the Holy Spirit lead, our klutzy efforts to be a success spiritually are transformed into a flowing portrait of beauty and grace.

The apostle Peter understood this principle of catching the wind of the Spirit. “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along [moved] by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21, NIV). One of the tragedies of the charismatic and Pentecostal world is the presumption that we know best what the Holy Spirit should do and then attempting to get Him to go the way we want rather than letting Him take the lead. When that happens, we definitely are not in step with the Spirit!

The following picture comes to mind when we think about being in step with the Spirit: Our sail is up, we have caught “the wind,” and He then carries us where He is going.

And that’s where we want to be!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

FOOTSTEPS ON THE STAIRS

J. L. sat alone in the empty meeting room feeling a growing sense of despair. The meeting had been announced to begin at 12 noon—lots of advertising had been done and many people contacted. But not a single person had showed up. It was now almost 12:30 and his growing sense of failure was almost overwhelming. Why had this meeting with such a noble purpose turned out to be such a dismal and depressing disappointment?

The U. S. was in dire straits. The economy was crashing; banks were failing; factories were closing; railroad companies were going into bankruptcy; unemployment was skyrocketing; and the nation was being divided largely along lines of politics and justice. Added to the bleak economic picture, the American church was losing attendance almost weekly and the general spiritual condition of the country was extremely apathetic.

Burdened by the terrible spiritual and economic condition of the nation, J. L., a Christian businessman, decided to invite others to join him in a noonday prayer meeting on Wednesday, September 23, 1857. The meeting was to be held on the third floor of the Dutch Reformed Church on Fulton Street in downtown New York City. Jeremiah Lanphier worked hard to get the word around so that as many as possible would know about the gathering where they could come and pray about the economic and spiritual condition of the nation.

At 12:30 all seemed lost; the prayer meeting would not happen. Apparently no one cared or believed that prayer could make a difference. Sitting alone in the empty meeting room, Lanphier was surprised to hear the welcome noise of footsteps on the stairs and a moment later one person arrived. In the next few minutes several more arrived and a total of six were present for the first prayer meeting that became known as The Laymen’s Prayer Revival or the Revival on Fulton Street.

Those at that first meeting were encouraged and they came back a week later—joined by others for a total of forty-two who were gathered for prayer. A few weeks later it was decided to have a prayer meeting every day at noon, and within six months over ten thousand men were gathering for prayer each midday in New York City.

The prayer revival that began on Fulton Street burst out of New York and flooded across the country. From the tiny town of Hell Corner, New Hampshire, came reports that a prayer revival was born and hardened sinners were repenting. In Chicago two thousand men met daily for prayer in a downtown auditorium. Four thousand men were praying daily in Philadelphia and in Waco, Texas, and Louisville, Kentucky, thousands more were gathering daily for prayer.

In Charleston, South Carolina, a Presbyterian pastor called for and led an evening of prayer for the nation. At the appropriate time, the pastor rose to dismiss the crowd—but no one would leave—and the prayer gathering continued until after midnight. Two months of nightly meetings followed with the crowds numbering 1500 to 2000 with hundreds of people turning to the Lord.

Not only were prayer gatherings being held throughout the nation, with large numbers of people coming into relationship with Christ, but God’s presence was being felt throughout the land. Ships coming into New York harbor reported that when they neared the dock they were suddenly aware of the presence of God. On one ship the captain and thirty of the sailors were converted right before the ship docked. On the battleship North Carolina, anchored in New York harbor, four sailors knelt for prayer deep in the bowels of the ship. Other sailors noticed them and began to mock what they were doing when suddenly they were gripped by the presence of the Lord and they too knelt to ask for forgiveness.

It is estimated that between October of 1857 and October of 1859, the churches in America received two million new converts as a direct result of the Prayer Revival.

The similarities between the conditions in America in 1857 and today are strikingly clear. The nation then was in all kinds of economic difficulty, as it is today. The nation was deeply divided in 1857 over the injustice of slavery, and today our nation is just as divided, just as bitter and vitriolic, over politics and justice.

And then we have to compare the state of the church in 1857 to that of the church today. If we are honest about the general spiritual condition of our nation, we have to conclude that it is at a low ebb. Put aside the hyperventilating of a few telling us that, “Everything is okay!” Yes, the number of megachurches is rising but at the same time, church attendance across the nation is dwindling and more churches are closing than are being opened. Recognize that the Christian media has not done what they said they could and would do—evangelize America—and have largely isolated themselves in the “ghetto” of cable T.V. There is no great move of God in our nation.

Will you join me in praying for revival in our land?

“Lord, send a revival—and please send it soon!”

Thursday, October 14, 2010

DON'T FORGET TO SAY "THANK YOU!"

It was a very cool day on Vancouver Island and four little boys were ready for an adventure!

Chemainus, British Columbia, a very small, harbor town on the east coast of “the Island,” where I was born. Grandfather Patterson had emigrated from England and for a couple years the family lived in Alberta before eventually settling in Chemainus, a small company town built for the workers at a lumber mill. Both my brother and I were born there but we moved to Vancouver when I was just two, and I lived there until I left to attend college in California.

As a boy, our family would return to “the Island” once or twice every year to visit. Uncles, aunts, cousins, two grandmothers and family friends still lived in the area, so the visits were always fun and full of activities.

When I was about eight years old, my brother, two friends and I set off in a small boat for a ride in the harbor. I was the youngest of the four and was taken along out of pity, I think, or maybe my mom said, “You can only go if you take David.”Anyway, we rented a small wooden boat with a tiny inboard engine that was mostly used by sport fishermen in the town harbor.

It was a very cool day and we dressed accordingly; I wore a flannel shirt, jeans, sneakers and a wool sweater. We spent about an hour puttering aimlessly around the waterfront—no speeding, no wakes shooting up behind—just four carefree boys having fun in a tiny, old, slow boat.

We were headed back to the dock, as our rental time was just about up, when suddenly a fire started in the area right around the base of the inboard engine. Apparently the fuel line had begun to leak, dripping gas right onto the hot muffler, and after a couple of minutes it just exploded.

When the fire flared up, we were about 50 to 60 yards from shore. I don’t remember there being any life jackets or flotation devices on board and after a few seconds, all four of us went over the side into the cold water and began to swim for shore. That’s when the trouble began for me!

I had taken classes at a public pool near our home and knew how to swim. But learning to swim in a nice warm pool and diving into cold seawater fully clothed was another matter. I had no sooner begun to swim toward the shore than I felt as though I was encased in lead and being dragged downward. My wool sweater sucked in water like a sponge and within a few minutes I was in real trouble.

My brother tried to help but there was little he could do because he was dressed much the same as I was. I vividly remember the darkness of being under the surface, the terror of trying to get my breath and getting a mouthful of seawater, instead, and struggling to get to the surface. When I did manage to get my head above the surface, I had to spit out seawater before I could breathe and it was a losing proposition.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, a big strong arm grabbed me and began to swim to shore, holding me up so I could breathe. When the fire broke out on our little boat just across the inlet, two mill workers on a boat positioning logs to go into the sawmill saw the flames and immediately headed toward us. Seeing me in difficulty, one of the workers dived overboard, grabbed me, and helped me swim to shore.

In a few minutes it was all over. The police arrived and took us to our parents, soaked, shivering cold—but alive.

I have one deep regret about that happened that day but it didn’t occur to me until sometime later. I never did get to really say thank you to the man who saved my life. I was so shaken and scared when I got to shore that I don’t think I said much to anybody. I know that mom and dad later talked to the two mill workers and thanked them but we went back to Vancouver in a few days and I didn’t see the men again. I am so sorry that I never had a chance to say to him, “Thank you, you saved my life!”

There’s Someone else we often forget to thank. He dived into the waters of life that were about to pull us down and His strong arm lifted us above the drowning; He carried us to shore and put us on solid ground! Jesus rescued us when no one else could.

Perhaps it’s my personal memory of being rescued from drowning and my sense of regret, but I make it a habit every day to express to Him my gratitude for lifting me out of the drowning waters of life. I am so grateful!

One of the reasons the apostle Paul is so insistent in his writings that God’s people express their thanks to Him is because Paul never allowed himself to forget that Jesus had rescued him from a wicked, vile life. Paul was a Christian-killing terrorist filled with rage and confusion and he had a lot to be thankful for. And so do we—all of us!

Don’t forget to say THANK YOU!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

TRUE LEADERSHIP

Moses was a great leader. After his experience with the burning bush in the wilderness and his attempt to be excused from service, Moses went on to become one of the great leaders of all time. Among the many interesting things the Bible tells us about Moses is that he was the most humble man on earth (Numbers 12:3). How humble is that? How humble is the most humble man on earth? I have trouble wrapping my mind around that.

Recently via the Internet I watched a well-known megachurch pastor defend himself against some very troubling accusations. I have no idea about the validity of the accusations but what concerned me was this man’s attitude. Humility was not to be seen but arrogance was, defiance was. Dressed in an expensive handmade suit and decked out in gold chains and diamond rings, narcissism was in evidence—but not humility. We seem to see a lot of this attitude lately.

One of the more humorous (well, at least to me) and yet insightful stories in the New Testament is found in Matthew 20:20-28. The brothers James and John had their mommy go to Jesus to make a request for them. (Did you get that? Grown men had their mother go and make a request on their behalf!) Mommy said to Jesus, “When you establish your kingdom, could one of my boys please sit at your right and the other at your left?” (v. 21) In the world’s eyes, these are the second-level power seats.

I can just see the brothers standing over to the side, slyly smiling as their mother made this request on their behalf. They thought this was a very cool move!

Jesus’ response was really kind, in spite of the blindness of this trio. “You have no idea what you are asking” (v. 22). At that time, none of the disciples seemed to grasp that when Jesus spoke of the kingdom of God He was not speaking of overthrowing the Romans and establishing an earthy kingdom. Three and one-half years these men spent with Him, almost every day in His physical presence, almost every day sitting under His teaching, and they still didn’t “get it” until after the resurrection.

When the other disciples picked up on the attempted power play by James and John, they were really ticked off but the Lord defused the situation by turning it into a lesson on true biblical leadership. Jesus called together all the disciples and taught them one of the key life lessons of the kingdom.

“It is the way of the world system for those in authority to dominate and control their employees and make a great display of their authority by constantly reminding people that they are important—and they have the power. But among my followers, Jesus said, it will be different. If you want to be a leader in the kingdom of God, first you must become a humble servant. Even I did not come to be served or to act as a ruler. I came to serve My followers and to give My life in payment for their mistakes” (Matthew 20:24b-28, paraphrase mine).

During the American Revolutionary War, a rider on horseback came upon a squad of soldiers who were trying to move a heavy piece of timber. A corporal stood by, shouting orders to “heave,” but the timber was too heavy for the men to move.

The quiet man on the horse addressed the self-important corporal by asking, “Why don’t you help them?”

“Me? Help them? I’m a corporal, sir!”

Dismounting, the stranger carefully took his place with the soldiers. “Now, boys, let’s work together—heave!” said the quiet man. The big piece of timber slid into place. The stranger mounted his horse, turned, and addressed the corporal.

“The next time you have a piece of timber too big for your men to handle, corporal, send for me. My name is George Washington and I’m the commander in chief of this army.”

Leadership in the kingdom of God is not established by flaunting authority, wealth, or power; it is established by serving others. Jesus established His authority and the pattern for kingdom authority by becoming a servant to all His disciples and to all of us by personally paying the ransom for our errors. We become leaders in the kingdom by being willing to serve others—not for the recognition but because it’s the right thing to do.