“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. Do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:13-14 NIV).
In closing his letter to the Corinthians, Paul made several personal requests of the church when he dropped this parenthetical statement into the flow. I love the Corinthian letters because I see in them, through the struggles and failings, a picture of the American/Canadian church of today.
Sadly, much of the Western church considers itself to “have arrived.” We are very satisfied with a rather mediocre level of Christianity; we tend to think of ourselves as so much more advanced and clearly more spiritual than most of the church world. Much of the rest of the church world looks at the Western church and wonders, “Why did they get off the train so early? There is so much farther to go, so much more to do.”
What I am about to say is not done with malice and I trust you will know that I love God’s people and I love the church. Could the economic demise we are in be only partly due to the foolish policies of our government and business leaders? Could a major reason be because of the failure of the church? Dare I say this—but have we come under the chastising hand of God because of our disobedience?
A few months ago a church not far from where I live announced a new building project that will cost 80 million dollars. Not more than three weeks later one of the large downtown Dallas churches announced they were starting a new building project and they would be spending 130 million dollars.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with having church buildings, nice church buildings, but I invite anyone to show me from Scripture where we are instructed to build buildings and call them the church.
Over half the world does not know who Jesus Christ is. Half the world will go to bed tonight hungry and with inadequate housing—and two churches in Dallas, Texas, will spend over 200 million dollars to build buildings that very soon will sit empty because the Lord has returned. And even if He doesn’t come soon, do we really need these edifices? Just who are we trying to impress?
Paul understood the future. By the eye of faith he knew what would be happening to the bride of Christ in the last days and he emphasized truths that he knew would be essential for all believers. Don’t mistake boldness for courage! A little boldness is fine but maturity is far more valuable to the believer. Over and over in Scripture we are instructed and encouraged to grow and mature.
Before Jesus left the disciples and returned to heaven, His clear command to His followers was, “Build big buildings, raise lots of money and stay current with societal trends. Make the gospel a message that is contemporary and faddish—and teach people to be the best they can be.” Jesus said nothing of the kind! His final instruction was, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15 NIV).
Jesus did not tell us to build churches, seminaries, hospitals or schools. All of them are good ideas and we jump into them with glee while essentially leaving His final instruction undone.
Recently I saw a projection that burdened and startled me and may be the reason for this outburst. I read that at the current rate of missionary activity contrasted to the world population growth, world evangelism will soon be so far behind on the growth curve that it may be impossible for us to ever catch up.
It’s going to take courage to stand for Christ in these last days. Paul said the last days would be very difficult; that they would be fierce days in which to be alive (2 Timothy 3:1). Jesus said that in the last days, “The love of many would grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). The implication seems to be that the fire of the faith of some believers, in the last days, would be extinguished by the difficulties facing them.
The Western church is not, at this point, a courageous, mature church. We are a self-absorbed, lavish living, faith wasting, biblically illiterate, immature church, more concerned with how we look than in doing what God has clearly instructed us to.
It’s not wrong to want to be the best you can be but that cannot be our central focus. It takes courage to step out in faith when the prevailing wind is in your face and not at your back. It’s when we stop pampering our flesh and step out in faith that we show ourselves to be “men and women of courage.”
One final thing and then I’m done. Stop looking to the pulpit or the latest Christian best seller for courage. You be firm in your faith; strong, loving and courageous. That’s the Bible way!
Friday, March 25, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
DANGEROUS TIMES
“Sailing was…dangerous” ( Acts 27:9).
I started writing this article a couple of months ago but the Lord would not give me the freedom to post it on my blog. So I continued to watch, pray and make notes…until now.
On January 25, 2011, Egypt exploded in protest and very quickly Hosni Mubarak, the leader of the nation, was removed from office. This protest, that seemed to come from nowhere, jumped to other Moslem nations including Yemen, Libya and Bahrain. Now the whole Arab/Moslem world is on edge.
This unrest should be of great concern and not just because it affects the price of oil. It is into these kinds of protests (that often begin peacefully) that radical groups insert themselves and push forward their agendas. This is a time for followers of Jesus to be vigilant in prayer.
Last fall in the U.S., we watched an amazing message being sent to Washington when dozens of liberals lost their seats in the House and the Senate. There was a tremendous sense in the country that, “We sent Washington a message and now we are going to get results.” Jobs, the economy, and a smaller, more responsible government seemed to be foremost in people’s minds.
It was only two years ago that the first Tea Party events were held and now they are being looked at as having made a major impact on this past election. Anger is an important element that helped the Tea Party movement rise and we need to be aware of it. There is a great deal of anger in our nation—anger at the direction in which our country is being taken; anger at the wastefulness of government spending; anger at the massive indebtedness of our country; anger at the illegal immigration mess in our nation.
The apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:1, “In the last days perilous times shall come.” Perilous means harsh, savage, difficult, dangerous, hard to deal with. In the verses immediately following, the apostle lists eighteen characteristics of unsaved people during “the last days.” The picture these characteristics paint is of a self-centered, unhappy and angry people.
Why did I use the title “Dangerous Days” above? What I understand from Scripture is that the days ahead will be volatile. What we saw happen in Egypt was an eruption of anger—and angry people are dangerous people. I believe we are going to see more and more explosions of anger that will begin as peaceful protests and then explode into rage, followed by violence and death.
If the new mix of Democrats and Republicans in government does what it usually does after an election and goes back to business as usual, I believe we are going to see an explosion of anger like never before. Frankly, I don’t personally believe we are going to see much change in the direction and policies of our government.
The coming flood of anger, I believe, will eventuate in the marginalizing of both political parties. What will rise on both sides of the political spectrum will be more radical than the current Tea Party and MoveOn organizations. On one side will be radical liberal socialism and on the other radical hyper-conservatism. Both sides will use whatever tactics necessary to sell their messages, including violent demonstrations. The hyper-radicalism will begin to make a way for something we have thought America could never see…the possibility of dictatorship and the rise of anti-Christ forces!
How should we respond to dangerous times? In Acts 12, Herod the king began to harass the church. First he had James, the brother of John, killed and then he imprisoned Peter. These were tough and difficult days for the new church as their leaders were being killed and imprisoned. So how did they respond? “Peter was….in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church” and Peter was miraculously set free (Acts 12:5).
In Acts 27 Paul was on his way to fulfill his destiny in Rome and “sailing was….dangerous” (27:9). Paul’s ship was hit by a violent storm and Paul encouraged all on aboard “to take nourishment, for this is for your survival” (27:34). In the natural, he was saying, “You must eat to keep up your strength.” In the spiritual, Paul was saying to us, “You must pray and stay in the Word so that you keep your spirit strengthened.”
We must be on guard against the inertia that comes from the human spirit when it senses there is nothing you can do, the situation is beyond you. God’s people need to stay in the Word and go to prayer like the first church did: “Constant prayer was offered to God.”
Here is a promise from the Word that the Lord quickened to my heart as I prayed about this article. This is nourishment for us when the “sailing is dangerous.”
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:1a-2 NLT)
I started writing this article a couple of months ago but the Lord would not give me the freedom to post it on my blog. So I continued to watch, pray and make notes…until now.
On January 25, 2011, Egypt exploded in protest and very quickly Hosni Mubarak, the leader of the nation, was removed from office. This protest, that seemed to come from nowhere, jumped to other Moslem nations including Yemen, Libya and Bahrain. Now the whole Arab/Moslem world is on edge.
This unrest should be of great concern and not just because it affects the price of oil. It is into these kinds of protests (that often begin peacefully) that radical groups insert themselves and push forward their agendas. This is a time for followers of Jesus to be vigilant in prayer.
Last fall in the U.S., we watched an amazing message being sent to Washington when dozens of liberals lost their seats in the House and the Senate. There was a tremendous sense in the country that, “We sent Washington a message and now we are going to get results.” Jobs, the economy, and a smaller, more responsible government seemed to be foremost in people’s minds.
It was only two years ago that the first Tea Party events were held and now they are being looked at as having made a major impact on this past election. Anger is an important element that helped the Tea Party movement rise and we need to be aware of it. There is a great deal of anger in our nation—anger at the direction in which our country is being taken; anger at the wastefulness of government spending; anger at the massive indebtedness of our country; anger at the illegal immigration mess in our nation.
The apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 3:1, “In the last days perilous times shall come.” Perilous means harsh, savage, difficult, dangerous, hard to deal with. In the verses immediately following, the apostle lists eighteen characteristics of unsaved people during “the last days.” The picture these characteristics paint is of a self-centered, unhappy and angry people.
Why did I use the title “Dangerous Days” above? What I understand from Scripture is that the days ahead will be volatile. What we saw happen in Egypt was an eruption of anger—and angry people are dangerous people. I believe we are going to see more and more explosions of anger that will begin as peaceful protests and then explode into rage, followed by violence and death.
If the new mix of Democrats and Republicans in government does what it usually does after an election and goes back to business as usual, I believe we are going to see an explosion of anger like never before. Frankly, I don’t personally believe we are going to see much change in the direction and policies of our government.
The coming flood of anger, I believe, will eventuate in the marginalizing of both political parties. What will rise on both sides of the political spectrum will be more radical than the current Tea Party and MoveOn organizations. On one side will be radical liberal socialism and on the other radical hyper-conservatism. Both sides will use whatever tactics necessary to sell their messages, including violent demonstrations. The hyper-radicalism will begin to make a way for something we have thought America could never see…the possibility of dictatorship and the rise of anti-Christ forces!
How should we respond to dangerous times? In Acts 12, Herod the king began to harass the church. First he had James, the brother of John, killed and then he imprisoned Peter. These were tough and difficult days for the new church as their leaders were being killed and imprisoned. So how did they respond? “Peter was….in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church” and Peter was miraculously set free (Acts 12:5).
In Acts 27 Paul was on his way to fulfill his destiny in Rome and “sailing was….dangerous” (27:9). Paul’s ship was hit by a violent storm and Paul encouraged all on aboard “to take nourishment, for this is for your survival” (27:34). In the natural, he was saying, “You must eat to keep up your strength.” In the spiritual, Paul was saying to us, “You must pray and stay in the Word so that you keep your spirit strengthened.”
We must be on guard against the inertia that comes from the human spirit when it senses there is nothing you can do, the situation is beyond you. God’s people need to stay in the Word and go to prayer like the first church did: “Constant prayer was offered to God.”
Here is a promise from the Word that the Lord quickened to my heart as I prayed about this article. This is nourishment for us when the “sailing is dangerous.”
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.” (Isaiah 43:1a-2 NLT)
Friday, March 11, 2011
SMART BOMBS
“I have hidden your word in my heart…” (Psalm 119:11).
In January, 1991, I watched with great fascination the TV news footage that came out of the first Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm. In an unprecedented move, CNN was showing “live” shots of the war almost twenty-four hours a day. It was the first time I had ever seen actual footage of the laser-guided smart bombs that the U.S. Air Force used to destroy Saddam Hussein’s forces. Saddam had promised “the mother of all battles” but, instead, the American and coalition forces destroyed his military in a matter of a few days. The footage of the “smart bombs” shown on the news showed a bomb being dropped from a jet fighter miles away and riding a laser beam down to the target where it was detonated electronically just at the time when it would be most effective.
The reason we should get the Word of God, the promises of God, into us is not for bragging rights. The compelling, overriding reason , as far as I am concerned, is that it feeds our souls and teaches us how to live as believers. Also, it teaches us about God and His purposes and then it hides itself away in the recesses of our heart, ready for use when it will be the most effective.
The promises of God hidden in our heart are like smart bombs that have a special “Spirit activation switch” on them. We read the promises, we think and meditate about them, and we memorize them the best we can. This is the process of hiding the Word in our heart, the process of putting a smart bomb in place for the Holy Spirit to activate when He sees it can be used most efficiently and successfully.
Isaiah 30:21 is one of the Word’s most potent Scriptures about God giving guidance to His people. It says, “And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left” (Amplified Bible).
Most of the time when He speaks to me, it is through His Word. I am often humbled and amazed that suddenly out of the blue a Scripture will come to mind that I haven’t thought of for a long time. It gives understanding or clarity on a situation and is ready for use when the Spirit deems it to be the appropriate time—because I had hidden it in my heart.
When we are in need, the Holy Spirit reaches into the arsenal, which is where all the weapons are stored, somewhere deep in our heart. The Spirit selects the right weapon and then He flips the “activation switch” on that promise and it leaps into our awareness, our mind. We had read that promise, believed that it was true, and wondered how it would ever work its way out into our lives. It may have been tucked away in the arsenal for months or even years. These weapons, these promises, are not degraded over time as happens with natural weaponry, but they remain as potent today as when we first saw and understood them. The truth of God’s promises is not rooted in natural time, but in an eternal God who lives in eternity. Therefore, they are as powerful and forceful today as they were two or three thousand years ago.
No wonder the Bible has a lot to say about our reading and studying and getting familiar with the Word. The more we are aware of the truths of the Word, the bigger our arsenal will be. It’s fine to go on a natural diet, but let’s never be guilty of going on a diet when it comes to partaking of the Word. If anything, let me encourage you to take some extra helpings at the table of God’s promises and truth.
Ever wonder why some believers have such a tough time staying in personal victory? Could it possibly be that they are trying to live life on a college graduate level (spiritually) with an arsenal that would be more suited to a grade schooler?
Take it from me, build as big an arsenal as you can!
In January, 1991, I watched with great fascination the TV news footage that came out of the first Gulf War, Operation Desert Storm. In an unprecedented move, CNN was showing “live” shots of the war almost twenty-four hours a day. It was the first time I had ever seen actual footage of the laser-guided smart bombs that the U.S. Air Force used to destroy Saddam Hussein’s forces. Saddam had promised “the mother of all battles” but, instead, the American and coalition forces destroyed his military in a matter of a few days. The footage of the “smart bombs” shown on the news showed a bomb being dropped from a jet fighter miles away and riding a laser beam down to the target where it was detonated electronically just at the time when it would be most effective.
The reason we should get the Word of God, the promises of God, into us is not for bragging rights. The compelling, overriding reason , as far as I am concerned, is that it feeds our souls and teaches us how to live as believers. Also, it teaches us about God and His purposes and then it hides itself away in the recesses of our heart, ready for use when it will be the most effective.
The promises of God hidden in our heart are like smart bombs that have a special “Spirit activation switch” on them. We read the promises, we think and meditate about them, and we memorize them the best we can. This is the process of hiding the Word in our heart, the process of putting a smart bomb in place for the Holy Spirit to activate when He sees it can be used most efficiently and successfully.
Isaiah 30:21 is one of the Word’s most potent Scriptures about God giving guidance to His people. It says, “And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left” (Amplified Bible).
Most of the time when He speaks to me, it is through His Word. I am often humbled and amazed that suddenly out of the blue a Scripture will come to mind that I haven’t thought of for a long time. It gives understanding or clarity on a situation and is ready for use when the Spirit deems it to be the appropriate time—because I had hidden it in my heart.
When we are in need, the Holy Spirit reaches into the arsenal, which is where all the weapons are stored, somewhere deep in our heart. The Spirit selects the right weapon and then He flips the “activation switch” on that promise and it leaps into our awareness, our mind. We had read that promise, believed that it was true, and wondered how it would ever work its way out into our lives. It may have been tucked away in the arsenal for months or even years. These weapons, these promises, are not degraded over time as happens with natural weaponry, but they remain as potent today as when we first saw and understood them. The truth of God’s promises is not rooted in natural time, but in an eternal God who lives in eternity. Therefore, they are as powerful and forceful today as they were two or three thousand years ago.
No wonder the Bible has a lot to say about our reading and studying and getting familiar with the Word. The more we are aware of the truths of the Word, the bigger our arsenal will be. It’s fine to go on a natural diet, but let’s never be guilty of going on a diet when it comes to partaking of the Word. If anything, let me encourage you to take some extra helpings at the table of God’s promises and truth.
Ever wonder why some believers have such a tough time staying in personal victory? Could it possibly be that they are trying to live life on a college graduate level (spiritually) with an arsenal that would be more suited to a grade schooler?
Take it from me, build as big an arsenal as you can!
Friday, March 4, 2011
STANDING IN GRACE
“…we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand” (Romans 5:2).
When I was growing up, our family attended a large church in western Canada that had a strong emphasis on the grace message. As a child, the part of that “message” that I understood best was the connection between salvation and grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). This is really only the beginning of the story of grace in the life of every follower of Jesus. Our whole journey is to be one of learning to live and grow in grace. Listed below are examples of our grace journey—by no means a complete list:
• The infilling of the Holy Spirit is a gift that is given freely to those who hunger.
• Healing is a gift that Christ paid for on the cross.
• The wisdom of heaven is ours for the asking. We can’t work our way up to it, we are simply told to ask.
• The fruits of the Spirit manifest themselves in our life not because we achieve a certain status as a believer but because He gives them freely.
• Forgiveness for sin is ours if we just confess and repent.
• Access to the presence of God is freely given to all who believe.
• The daily blessings of God on our life are too numerous to count and they are “grace gifts.”
We don’t deserve any of these but God, in love, extends His favor to us. Are you praising Him yet?
While it is by faith that we gain entrance to the life of grace, we are required to lay hold of the benefits of grace and not let go. Romans 5:2 uses the phrase, “this grace in which we stand.”To stand means to make firm or be established. The word stand is the same word that Paul uses in Ephesians 6:11 and 13 when describing the armor of God, putting it on, and taking a “stand.” Paul is describing the armor of a Roman soldier and using the picture of the Roman warrior to illustrate how we are to fight in our spiritual warfare.
The hand-to-hand combat of armies in the first century was gruesome, and very often the battlefields were so drenched in blood that the soldiers had a difficult time maintaining their footing without help. Roman soldiers would fasten cleats or spikes to their boots before going into battle and thereby lessen the chance of slipping when the fighting became intense and blood was being shed all around them. As the soldiers moved forward across the bloody ground, they planted their spiked boots firmly so as to be able to maintain their footing.
This is exactly the message that Paul is sending to us. Plant your feet firmly so you don’t slip and lose some of the benefits of grace in your life. Sometimes we have to plant our feet and contend for the grace of God that our enemy tries to wrestle away from us in the heat of combat.
I learned this lesson in the middle 1990’s. I had been invited to speak at a conference in Portland, Oregon. I really was excited about the opportunity but a problem developed that made it seem impossible for me to actually go. I developed a migraine headache that just refused to go away—or if it did subside, another came within a day or two. I consulted a physician and found that I had a condition known as cluster migraines.
As the time for the conference neared, I just happened to be reading in Romans 5 and read the second verse: “…we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” The Holy Spirit ignited the last part of the verse “in which we stand” and I knew that I had to take a stand for grace—against the encroachment of the enemy.
A few days later I flew to Portland and spoke at the conference, also ministering in a local church before returning home. It was not a pain-free trip and I wish I could tell you that I was miraculously healed, but the healing did not come that way. However, I got through the trip just fine and by the time I was back home, the cluster migraine had begun to recede and within a short time it left and has never returned. I took a stand and said, “The grace of God’s healing for this migraine is mine and I’m going to contend for it.”
Grace is a gift that reaches into every area of your life. But like every gift, if you don’t reach for it, unwrap it, and begin to wear it or use it, it remains an unopened gift on the table. It’s one thing to sing, “Amazing Grace” with other believers and worship and praise God through song. It is something else entirely to take a stand for grace to be flowing in every part of your life. So take a stand!
When I was growing up, our family attended a large church in western Canada that had a strong emphasis on the grace message. As a child, the part of that “message” that I understood best was the connection between salvation and grace. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8). This is really only the beginning of the story of grace in the life of every follower of Jesus. Our whole journey is to be one of learning to live and grow in grace. Listed below are examples of our grace journey—by no means a complete list:
• The infilling of the Holy Spirit is a gift that is given freely to those who hunger.
• Healing is a gift that Christ paid for on the cross.
• The wisdom of heaven is ours for the asking. We can’t work our way up to it, we are simply told to ask.
• The fruits of the Spirit manifest themselves in our life not because we achieve a certain status as a believer but because He gives them freely.
• Forgiveness for sin is ours if we just confess and repent.
• Access to the presence of God is freely given to all who believe.
• The daily blessings of God on our life are too numerous to count and they are “grace gifts.”
We don’t deserve any of these but God, in love, extends His favor to us. Are you praising Him yet?
While it is by faith that we gain entrance to the life of grace, we are required to lay hold of the benefits of grace and not let go. Romans 5:2 uses the phrase, “this grace in which we stand.”To stand means to make firm or be established. The word stand is the same word that Paul uses in Ephesians 6:11 and 13 when describing the armor of God, putting it on, and taking a “stand.” Paul is describing the armor of a Roman soldier and using the picture of the Roman warrior to illustrate how we are to fight in our spiritual warfare.
The hand-to-hand combat of armies in the first century was gruesome, and very often the battlefields were so drenched in blood that the soldiers had a difficult time maintaining their footing without help. Roman soldiers would fasten cleats or spikes to their boots before going into battle and thereby lessen the chance of slipping when the fighting became intense and blood was being shed all around them. As the soldiers moved forward across the bloody ground, they planted their spiked boots firmly so as to be able to maintain their footing.
This is exactly the message that Paul is sending to us. Plant your feet firmly so you don’t slip and lose some of the benefits of grace in your life. Sometimes we have to plant our feet and contend for the grace of God that our enemy tries to wrestle away from us in the heat of combat.
I learned this lesson in the middle 1990’s. I had been invited to speak at a conference in Portland, Oregon. I really was excited about the opportunity but a problem developed that made it seem impossible for me to actually go. I developed a migraine headache that just refused to go away—or if it did subside, another came within a day or two. I consulted a physician and found that I had a condition known as cluster migraines.
As the time for the conference neared, I just happened to be reading in Romans 5 and read the second verse: “…we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand.” The Holy Spirit ignited the last part of the verse “in which we stand” and I knew that I had to take a stand for grace—against the encroachment of the enemy.
A few days later I flew to Portland and spoke at the conference, also ministering in a local church before returning home. It was not a pain-free trip and I wish I could tell you that I was miraculously healed, but the healing did not come that way. However, I got through the trip just fine and by the time I was back home, the cluster migraine had begun to recede and within a short time it left and has never returned. I took a stand and said, “The grace of God’s healing for this migraine is mine and I’m going to contend for it.”
Grace is a gift that reaches into every area of your life. But like every gift, if you don’t reach for it, unwrap it, and begin to wear it or use it, it remains an unopened gift on the table. It’s one thing to sing, “Amazing Grace” with other believers and worship and praise God through song. It is something else entirely to take a stand for grace to be flowing in every part of your life. So take a stand!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
