When I was young my world was small. An adventure was going all the way around the block. My faith was Jesus loves me this I know, and why shouldn’t he, after all what else did he have to do?
As I got older I realized the world was bigger than I had thought before. It was 5,000 years old, and God had created it, for the Bible tells me so. The sun came up, and the seasons passed, and my faith was Jesus loves me for the people I k now and love have told me so. I trusted Jesus loved me as long as I did as I was told.
Then as I got even older I realized creation was more complicated than I had imagined. The earth was part of a larger solar system than I could comprehend. My faith was still Jesus loves me, even though everything that had been explained and laid out did not always fit into my comprehension. Somehow the heart of my faith was becoming more and more a Presence, and an assurance that even when I do not know where I am in time and space God knows, and furthermore, he cares.
I don’t know, cannot imagine how big this universe may be. Nor how small, infinitely small this planet on which we live. But the message of Christmas is that God is not impressed by size or numbers, and he inhabits Reality which includes but is not necessarily limited to what we see extending into seeming infinity. Jesus loves me, this I know- for the Bible tells me so. The Bible tells me about Jesus. The Bible is opened by that Presence. I know a lot less than what was explained to me as a reasonable smart youngster, but Oh, I know a whole lot more! And the essence is still the same: Jesus loves me! Jesus loves YOU!
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Sunday, December 16, 2007
My Happy Birthday yesterday . .
Yesterday marked the 77th anniversary of my birth in Nyack, New York. Actually I never lived in Nyack, and claim to be a native Michigander, but it was necessary for me to be near my mother at the time; my father was attending Nyack Missionary Training Institute.
We spent a good share of the day yesterday in choir practice, getting ready to worship in Christmas song today- only to have the weather force the cancellation of all our church services today. I suppose we'll sing the "Cantata" next week, who knows??
When we got home from choir practice yesterday Ruth Shifflett, a dear lady in the John Wesley congregation, called and told Helen that if I would stop by she had baked a black walnut cake for us. I called her back and asked if she knew it was my birthday. She asked me if I was putting her on-- I told her when I went by to collect the cake that it was just one of those Surprises that the heavenly Father helps us do for each other from time to time. Black walnut cake is not a gift to be taken lightly! Exquisite!
Four (or five) grandkids called to wish Poppie Happy Birthday, as well as Cousin Dick Bos, and all four Sons. Also this week I talked with Reuben Welch- that is always Serendipity, and always a major blessing to me. And I heard from another Dear Friend about a grandson of his that is making a fine preacher of the Gospel, and remember a few years back when I had a small part in that young man’s choices.
Helen and I dined out at the Country Buffet in Hyannis and got back well before the storm started. Now you know more than you wanted to know about my latest Happy Birthday. They seem to be coming closer together lately . . .
We spent a good share of the day yesterday in choir practice, getting ready to worship in Christmas song today- only to have the weather force the cancellation of all our church services today. I suppose we'll sing the "Cantata" next week, who knows??
When we got home from choir practice yesterday Ruth Shifflett, a dear lady in the John Wesley congregation, called and told Helen that if I would stop by she had baked a black walnut cake for us. I called her back and asked if she knew it was my birthday. She asked me if I was putting her on-- I told her when I went by to collect the cake that it was just one of those Surprises that the heavenly Father helps us do for each other from time to time. Black walnut cake is not a gift to be taken lightly! Exquisite!
Four (or five) grandkids called to wish Poppie Happy Birthday, as well as Cousin Dick Bos, and all four Sons. Also this week I talked with Reuben Welch- that is always Serendipity, and always a major blessing to me. And I heard from another Dear Friend about a grandson of his that is making a fine preacher of the Gospel, and remember a few years back when I had a small part in that young man’s choices.
Helen and I dined out at the Country Buffet in Hyannis and got back well before the storm started. Now you know more than you wanted to know about my latest Happy Birthday. They seem to be coming closer together lately . . .
Monday, December 10, 2007
Fragment from the Past (1949)
In 1949 at Christmas break from college- Eastern Nazarene College- I hitch hiked from Boston to my home in Akron, Ohio. The trip took 24 hours. I started the trip with a college room mate who lived near Buffalo, New York. His name was Jesse Kenjockity; he was a Seneca Indian from the Red House Reservation; a combat veteran of WW II attending E.N.C. on the GI bill. Jesse was a pretty fierce looking guy- tall, dark, lean and mean.
We two took the Green Line from downtown Boston as far west as it went and then got out on Route 9think it was) and began hitch-hiking. After half and hour not one car had stopped. We decided to split up. Jesse said he didn’t have any money at all. I had a ten, three ones and some change. I gave Jesse the three dollars and we parted. I watched from half a block away as a car stopped, Jesse got in, and I was alone, still 800 miles from Ohio. It was, I think, about 1 p.m.
Soon a car stopped and a man asked where I was going.
“Akron, Ohio.”
The man said he was headed for N.Y.C. and that that was “on the way to Ohio.”
I had planned to go the northern route, Route 20, all the way because that was the way we had come in September with Mr. Durkee from our home church. I had never seen N.Y.C. But it was a long ride, and if it was “on the way” it seemed all right to go a different way.
So I got in the car.
The driver told me his name. I’ve forgotten it. He was a lawyer- nice car. Somewhere in Connecticut he stopped at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant and we at supper. He paid for my supper- the $10 bill remained unbroken.
It was already getting quite dark as we came into Manhattan- down the West Side Highway under the George Washington Bridge. The driver stopped under the bridge.
“That is New Jersey over there,” he said, pointing over the wide Hudson Rover. “Ohio is that way.” He drove off.
I climbed, walked, up the steep bank higher and higher until I reached the level of the roadway approaching the great bridge. I stood at a bus stop, and took the first bus that came along. It was obviously going to New Jersey because that was the only way it could go. I think the fare was ten cents and I had change. I asked the passenger standing next to me in the aisle where this bus was headed. He rattled off names of streets or towns that did not make any sense at all to me. So I simply got off the first possible stop on the New Jersey side and stuck out my thumb and began hitch-hiking again.
Looking back, after living in New Jersey in later years, it is frightening, even chilling, to think how naïve and ignorant I was. No map- absolutely no concept of the complexity of the dense metropolitan area in northern New Jersey. And yet the Lord Himself watched over me. After two or three short rides I found myself standing on an “on ramp” to the Pulaski Skyway- about as hopeless a place to expect anyone to stop for any reason- and then a miracle- a car did stop- and was headed “west.”
After five different rides from the GW bridge I found myself just west of the metropolitan area on Route 22, a divided highway. It must have been about 10 p.m. The last New Jersey ride had left me off under a lone street light out in “no where.” I remember it was cold and still and I could see my breath.
After a what seemed a long time a semi truck stopped and the driver asked where I was going. “Akron, Ohio”
“I can take you half way across the Pennsylvania Turnpike” he said, “That is on your way.”
So I got in. It was warm, and I was tired but I stayed awake as best I could.
It must have been about 2 a.m. he said, “Wake up. This is Somerset. I am going a little farther but this is a truck stop, and you will have a better chance of getting a ride here. Go in there and tell them where you are going.”
I went into the diner and ordered a cup of coffee. The man next to me at the counter was friendly, and asked where I was headed. It must have been obvious I was hitch hiking since I was carrying a small suitcase.
“Akron, Ohio.”
“Hurry up and finish your coffee,” the man said, “and I’ll take you there.”
So I got up in the cab of another big semi; this one with 18 tons of sugar, and between ‘dozes’ watched the dawn break as we came into Pittsburgh. The turnpike ended east of Pittsburgh in those days
Somewhere in or near Beaver Falls the trucker stopped at a truck stop diner for breakfast. I was so thankful to have that long ride to Akron that I asked if I could buy his breakfast an he agreed. So I broke my $10 bill for the first time almost at the Ohio State line.
By noon or so the big rig pulled into Barberton, a suburb of Akron. It was headed on west, so I climbed down and caught a trolly bus to downtown Akron, and a North Hill bus to Howard Street and a stop two short blocks from home at 954 Aberdeen Street. I walked into the house just about 24 hours after that first car stopped out on Commonwealth Ave (Rt 9) in Boston.
I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me!
I cannot imagine what dangers and perils God kept me from that December day 58 years ago. I’m sure there have been many other times just as dangerous, but this is one that looking back I can see God has been with me.
It is comforting to know that He is still with us . . .
We two took the Green Line from downtown Boston as far west as it went and then got out on Route 9think it was) and began hitch-hiking. After half and hour not one car had stopped. We decided to split up. Jesse said he didn’t have any money at all. I had a ten, three ones and some change. I gave Jesse the three dollars and we parted. I watched from half a block away as a car stopped, Jesse got in, and I was alone, still 800 miles from Ohio. It was, I think, about 1 p.m.
Soon a car stopped and a man asked where I was going.
“Akron, Ohio.”
The man said he was headed for N.Y.C. and that that was “on the way to Ohio.”
I had planned to go the northern route, Route 20, all the way because that was the way we had come in September with Mr. Durkee from our home church. I had never seen N.Y.C. But it was a long ride, and if it was “on the way” it seemed all right to go a different way.
So I got in the car.
The driver told me his name. I’ve forgotten it. He was a lawyer- nice car. Somewhere in Connecticut he stopped at a Howard Johnson’s restaurant and we at supper. He paid for my supper- the $10 bill remained unbroken.
It was already getting quite dark as we came into Manhattan- down the West Side Highway under the George Washington Bridge. The driver stopped under the bridge.
“That is New Jersey over there,” he said, pointing over the wide Hudson Rover. “Ohio is that way.” He drove off.
I climbed, walked, up the steep bank higher and higher until I reached the level of the roadway approaching the great bridge. I stood at a bus stop, and took the first bus that came along. It was obviously going to New Jersey because that was the only way it could go. I think the fare was ten cents and I had change. I asked the passenger standing next to me in the aisle where this bus was headed. He rattled off names of streets or towns that did not make any sense at all to me. So I simply got off the first possible stop on the New Jersey side and stuck out my thumb and began hitch-hiking again.
Looking back, after living in New Jersey in later years, it is frightening, even chilling, to think how naïve and ignorant I was. No map- absolutely no concept of the complexity of the dense metropolitan area in northern New Jersey. And yet the Lord Himself watched over me. After two or three short rides I found myself standing on an “on ramp” to the Pulaski Skyway- about as hopeless a place to expect anyone to stop for any reason- and then a miracle- a car did stop- and was headed “west.”
After five different rides from the GW bridge I found myself just west of the metropolitan area on Route 22, a divided highway. It must have been about 10 p.m. The last New Jersey ride had left me off under a lone street light out in “no where.” I remember it was cold and still and I could see my breath.
After a what seemed a long time a semi truck stopped and the driver asked where I was going. “Akron, Ohio”
“I can take you half way across the Pennsylvania Turnpike” he said, “That is on your way.”
So I got in. It was warm, and I was tired but I stayed awake as best I could.
It must have been about 2 a.m. he said, “Wake up. This is Somerset. I am going a little farther but this is a truck stop, and you will have a better chance of getting a ride here. Go in there and tell them where you are going.”
I went into the diner and ordered a cup of coffee. The man next to me at the counter was friendly, and asked where I was headed. It must have been obvious I was hitch hiking since I was carrying a small suitcase.
“Akron, Ohio.”
“Hurry up and finish your coffee,” the man said, “and I’ll take you there.”
So I got up in the cab of another big semi; this one with 18 tons of sugar, and between ‘dozes’ watched the dawn break as we came into Pittsburgh. The turnpike ended east of Pittsburgh in those days
Somewhere in or near Beaver Falls the trucker stopped at a truck stop diner for breakfast. I was so thankful to have that long ride to Akron that I asked if I could buy his breakfast an he agreed. So I broke my $10 bill for the first time almost at the Ohio State line.
By noon or so the big rig pulled into Barberton, a suburb of Akron. It was headed on west, so I climbed down and caught a trolly bus to downtown Akron, and a North Hill bus to Howard Street and a stop two short blocks from home at 954 Aberdeen Street. I walked into the house just about 24 hours after that first car stopped out on Commonwealth Ave (Rt 9) in Boston.
I will fear no evil, for Thou art with me!
I cannot imagine what dangers and perils God kept me from that December day 58 years ago. I’m sure there have been many other times just as dangerous, but this is one that looking back I can see God has been with me.
It is comforting to know that He is still with us . . .
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
The Twin Towers of the Highway of Holiness
The Highway of Holiness leads through the Twin Towers.
Directions to the towers are the coordinates 12:1+ and the code names Romans and Hebrews. The key to understanding how the Highway can be both/and lies in the nature of the Covenant. The Covenant is very much like the ideal human marriage, only even more sacred, and certainly more permanent.
The Tower on the left (Romans 12:1+) says: NOW! Make Covenant!
Say vows! Give yourself to God without reservation! Yield to His great love! By deliberate choice, pass through on the Highway!
Consecration as crisis is sort of like a wedding. It is a beginning of a new adventure with the Loved One. It is an end of flirtation with other suitors, and playing the field. It is a time for dancing. A time for celebration and assurance. Weddings are what anniversaries are about.
The Tower on the right (Hebrews 12:1+) says: NOW! Keep Covenant!
Dare to be intimate with God, and share every facet, every nook and cranny of your life! Laugh with Him. Cry with Him. But above everything else, keep only to Him with every breath. By deliberate choice keep to the Highway!
This ‘deeper life’ as process is a lot like the marriage after the wedding is over. Waking up to the reality of life in harness can be bracing, to say the least. There will be times when we don’t ‘feel’ as if we are married. The Covenant is the thing! He is faithful! We belong!
The TIME is always NOW!
You don't have to be super-smart, or super-brave. Isaiah 35 makes it plain we all can walk this Way. Look for the Twin Towers . . . walk through them and stay on the high way!
Directions to the towers are the coordinates 12:1+ and the code names Romans and Hebrews. The key to understanding how the Highway can be both/and lies in the nature of the Covenant. The Covenant is very much like the ideal human marriage, only even more sacred, and certainly more permanent.
The Tower on the left (Romans 12:1+) says: NOW! Make Covenant!
Say vows! Give yourself to God without reservation! Yield to His great love! By deliberate choice, pass through on the Highway!
Consecration as crisis is sort of like a wedding. It is a beginning of a new adventure with the Loved One. It is an end of flirtation with other suitors, and playing the field. It is a time for dancing. A time for celebration and assurance. Weddings are what anniversaries are about.
The Tower on the right (Hebrews 12:1+) says: NOW! Keep Covenant!
Dare to be intimate with God, and share every facet, every nook and cranny of your life! Laugh with Him. Cry with Him. But above everything else, keep only to Him with every breath. By deliberate choice keep to the Highway!
This ‘deeper life’ as process is a lot like the marriage after the wedding is over. Waking up to the reality of life in harness can be bracing, to say the least. There will be times when we don’t ‘feel’ as if we are married. The Covenant is the thing! He is faithful! We belong!
The TIME is always NOW!
You don't have to be super-smart, or super-brave. Isaiah 35 makes it plain we all can walk this Way. Look for the Twin Towers . . . walk through them and stay on the high way!
Monday, December 3, 2007
My Retirement Plan
Did I ever tell you about the time I was praying- and worrying- about when I would be old and retired and wondering if and what--? If I didn’t tell you—
Well, we were in Poughkeepsie, New York, at the time-- it was the late ‘60s-- the IBM factories and offices dominate Poughkeepsie, and a number of our members there were IBM-ers—smart and financially secure.
As I was praying—and worrying— and maybe thinking about the way my members would be ‘set’ for security in their future-- the Lord spoke to me. I’m sure it wasn’t an audible voice, but the words were distinct. He said,
“I AM AT LEAST AS RELIABLE AS I.B.M.!”
And I laughed right out loud. And I never forgot it. Now I am old and retired, and it was forty (40) years or so ago that hat conversation happened. And do you know what?
God has been as good as His word. He has cared for us. Through no great wisdom of our own God has brought us through the mine fields and daisy fields and we have more than enough to eat, and a wonderful roof over our heads, and people that love us in spite of ourselves.
I’m on a great pension plan! And I don’t mean denominational—although they do the best they can. Some of the ‘fine print’ on my retirement plan goes like this:
“Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:4)
And actually there is a lot more in the covenant as well. I won't bore you now with details. But did you know that Plan is available to all of us who belong lock, stock and barrel to Our Father in heaven?
Well, we were in Poughkeepsie, New York, at the time-- it was the late ‘60s-- the IBM factories and offices dominate Poughkeepsie, and a number of our members there were IBM-ers—smart and financially secure.
As I was praying—and worrying— and maybe thinking about the way my members would be ‘set’ for security in their future-- the Lord spoke to me. I’m sure it wasn’t an audible voice, but the words were distinct. He said,
“I AM AT LEAST AS RELIABLE AS I.B.M.!”
And I laughed right out loud. And I never forgot it. Now I am old and retired, and it was forty (40) years or so ago that hat conversation happened. And do you know what?
God has been as good as His word. He has cared for us. Through no great wisdom of our own God has brought us through the mine fields and daisy fields and we have more than enough to eat, and a wonderful roof over our heads, and people that love us in spite of ourselves.
I’m on a great pension plan! And I don’t mean denominational—although they do the best they can. Some of the ‘fine print’ on my retirement plan goes like this:
“Even to your old age, I am He, And even to gray hairs I will carry you! I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:4)
And actually there is a lot more in the covenant as well. I won't bore you now with details. But did you know that Plan is available to all of us who belong lock, stock and barrel to Our Father in heaven?
Monday, November 19, 2007
"Unanswered Prayer"
From time to time I have the privilege of writing articles on assignment- and the most recent is a request for an article on 'unanswered prayer.'
I'm inclined to believe that all sincere prayer is answered but not necessarily granted as requested. To my mind that is not a copout. At the same time I wonder how many situations, relationships, decisions-- life-changing matters-- might be effected, changed for the better by prayer?
I'm persuaded that God is good. He is "on our side" in that He always wills our salvation. But prayer does not change God so much as it makes possible change in the human equation- in me, you- the ones for whome we make petition and intercede.
I'm persuaded that God loves you and me. Tenderly. And yet He is God- He sees what we can not see.
There is a sort of saying about people-- "To know her is to love her.." But with God our faith relationship is such that "To LOVE Him is to know Him!" As we dare to press into a loving relationship, and trust His love for us-- maybe there is where the real purpose of life unfolds.
Think about tis today: God cares for you! He listens when you speak to Him! What do you really need from Him today?
I'm inclined to believe that all sincere prayer is answered but not necessarily granted as requested. To my mind that is not a copout. At the same time I wonder how many situations, relationships, decisions-- life-changing matters-- might be effected, changed for the better by prayer?
I'm persuaded that God is good. He is "on our side" in that He always wills our salvation. But prayer does not change God so much as it makes possible change in the human equation- in me, you- the ones for whome we make petition and intercede.
I'm persuaded that God loves you and me. Tenderly. And yet He is God- He sees what we can not see.
There is a sort of saying about people-- "To know her is to love her.." But with God our faith relationship is such that "To LOVE Him is to know Him!" As we dare to press into a loving relationship, and trust His love for us-- maybe there is where the real purpose of life unfolds.
Think about tis today: God cares for you! He listens when you speak to Him! What do you really need from Him today?
Sunday, November 18, 2007
A Bee's Eye View
Last week there was news of a sect in Russia , some brand of Christian interpretation, people who have holed up in a cave waiting for the end of the world. In the news today word from some scientists warning that global warming will be the doom of us all. Other scientists declare that warming and cooling are cycles beyond direct human influence. The Bible clearly states human history is headed somewhere, on a collision course with judgment for us all, but it does not say when or how. In fact if I understand scripture the word is comforting to the children of God- the uplook is always Promising.
But isn't is strange that one threat to life as we now know it is connected with the health or illness of honey bees! Over the last several years whole colonies of honey bees have simply given up and died. Last year was a disastrous year for many bee keepers. And while you may or may not use much honey, and wouldn't think a bee shortage to be a major problem, you do eat fruits and vegetables, and enjoy flowering plants of all kinds. The lowly honey bee is directly involved in the pollination of all these essentail plants. And some scientists have predicted that at current rates of diseased hives the honey bee may be near extinction by 2035. Wouldn't that ber a strange harbinger of the end of the world?
It probably would not portend an end to civilization in and of itself. And I don't see evangelists waxing eloquent or urgent over the plight of the bees. But it does indicate just how inter-dependant life is. Maybe we should pray for the scientists who are looking for an antidote to the disease that has decimated these little friends of ours. If I were a bee I'd appreciate it!
But isn't is strange that one threat to life as we now know it is connected with the health or illness of honey bees! Over the last several years whole colonies of honey bees have simply given up and died. Last year was a disastrous year for many bee keepers. And while you may or may not use much honey, and wouldn't think a bee shortage to be a major problem, you do eat fruits and vegetables, and enjoy flowering plants of all kinds. The lowly honey bee is directly involved in the pollination of all these essentail plants. And some scientists have predicted that at current rates of diseased hives the honey bee may be near extinction by 2035. Wouldn't that ber a strange harbinger of the end of the world?
It probably would not portend an end to civilization in and of itself. And I don't see evangelists waxing eloquent or urgent over the plight of the bees. But it does indicate just how inter-dependant life is. Maybe we should pray for the scientists who are looking for an antidote to the disease that has decimated these little friends of ours. If I were a bee I'd appreciate it!
Monday, November 12, 2007
Potpouri on a Holiday
Yesterday was November 11, the traditional day for Armistice Day, now Veteran's Day in our nation . . . the local town government showed their absolute disregard for Christian worship by having a ceremony on the library lawn honoring veterans, at eleven o'clock on the Sunday morning, the time when most churches are having their worship services.
Our #3 son Mark is in India just now on a business trip- he took his wife, Joy, along and they saw the Taj Mahal yesterday-- he reports seeing five people on one motorcycle- says the trafiic/driving is beyond his description.
Eating a bagel this morning I dislodged a crown, I think it is tooth #5 in dental terms, which represents quite a monetary commitment-- but a call to the dentist, Yacubian, indicates they are working today, so it will be over the bridge to Quincy this afternoon. Boy am I happy they are working this holiday-- I think I saved the crown and the 'peg' looks solid...hmmm
Our house has been 'shown' for the very first time. We have not heard the results as yet but I imagine if there had been an offer we would have. More on the moving saga later.
Blessings on all who read this . . and say a prayer for the 'old people' today-- whoever they are.
Our #3 son Mark is in India just now on a business trip- he took his wife, Joy, along and they saw the Taj Mahal yesterday-- he reports seeing five people on one motorcycle- says the trafiic/driving is beyond his description.
Eating a bagel this morning I dislodged a crown, I think it is tooth #5 in dental terms, which represents quite a monetary commitment-- but a call to the dentist, Yacubian, indicates they are working today, so it will be over the bridge to Quincy this afternoon. Boy am I happy they are working this holiday-- I think I saved the crown and the 'peg' looks solid...hmmm
Our house has been 'shown' for the very first time. We have not heard the results as yet but I imagine if there had been an offer we would have. More on the moving saga later.
Blessings on all who read this . . and say a prayer for the 'old people' today-- whoever they are.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
The Word of God, in Jesus Christ Our Lord
We have to make a judgment as to whether or not we shall believe that the Bible is God's Word. There is some sort of continuum from obscurantist mouthing on one side to deconstructionist ranting on the other, and these have a thread in common that they both would deny, which is an over-weaning desire to have human control of the material.
We ultimately must let the Word have control over us! To say, 'Father God, as you reveal to me Yourself in your Son, Jesus Christ, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, I WILL OBEY YOU!', is to truly 'believe.' Faith is expressed in a willingness to follow, to obey, to SEEK to be like Jesus. It is a tragic thing to lose one's FAITH. To be able to believe is a GIFT. Think about that! Not obscurantism- deliberately ignoring facts to believe what someone else tells you; but choosing to believe that God has spoken! It is not a matter of authority: "If any man will do His will, he shall KNOW of the doctrine" John 7:17. Faith is more a matter of volition than it is intellect! Better, it is a matter of the whole person. ... exerpts from an old communion sermon, love,Russell
We ultimately must let the Word have control over us! To say, 'Father God, as you reveal to me Yourself in your Son, Jesus Christ, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, I WILL OBEY YOU!', is to truly 'believe.' Faith is expressed in a willingness to follow, to obey, to SEEK to be like Jesus. It is a tragic thing to lose one's FAITH. To be able to believe is a GIFT. Think about that! Not obscurantism- deliberately ignoring facts to believe what someone else tells you; but choosing to believe that God has spoken! It is not a matter of authority: "If any man will do His will, he shall KNOW of the doctrine" John 7:17. Faith is more a matter of volition than it is intellect! Better, it is a matter of the whole person. ... exerpts from an old communion sermon, love,Russell
Saturday, November 3, 2007
Big Moves for Old People
This morning we signed a contract to sell our house here on Cape Cod for $310,000-- if and when our broker finds a willing buyer. A few months ago, seh says, it would have been a higher price, but the market has sagged-- here and all over the country.
We've prayed about this a long time-- and thought about the prospects of growing older and having to do what we've been doing. A huge dumpster in the side driveway half filled with things we have accumulated across 53+ years of marriage-- whole years of sermon notes simply dumped into trash!
But Helen reminds me that my work has not been words and sermons and awards and things to hang on the wall. I trust she is right. I have not been a perfect example of what a man and a minister ought to be, perhaps, but I can say that I have been perfectly faithful to my commitment to God, and to Helen, and to our family. And faithful to the Church of the Nazarene as well-- even though in many ways we feel isolated and strange to the ways of worship and cultural adaptation we see, not only in our denomination, but across the spectrum of modern worship.
Anyway, I still believe that Christ is building His Church. I believe the Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. I will be faithful to Christ and His Church until my latest breath. And, wonder of wonders, Christ is faithful to us, day by day-- he tenderly cares for us old people. His retirement plan is -- He told me once a long time ago -- "at least as good as IBM!" That's a happy joke, son! But true-- He DID tell me that!
So-- Ohio-- here we come!!
We've prayed about this a long time-- and thought about the prospects of growing older and having to do what we've been doing. A huge dumpster in the side driveway half filled with things we have accumulated across 53+ years of marriage-- whole years of sermon notes simply dumped into trash!
But Helen reminds me that my work has not been words and sermons and awards and things to hang on the wall. I trust she is right. I have not been a perfect example of what a man and a minister ought to be, perhaps, but I can say that I have been perfectly faithful to my commitment to God, and to Helen, and to our family. And faithful to the Church of the Nazarene as well-- even though in many ways we feel isolated and strange to the ways of worship and cultural adaptation we see, not only in our denomination, but across the spectrum of modern worship.
Anyway, I still believe that Christ is building His Church. I believe the Church is One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. I will be faithful to Christ and His Church until my latest breath. And, wonder of wonders, Christ is faithful to us, day by day-- he tenderly cares for us old people. His retirement plan is -- He told me once a long time ago -- "at least as good as IBM!" That's a happy joke, son! But true-- He DID tell me that!
So-- Ohio-- here we come!!
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Big Decisions on Tiny Hinges
We were having a picnic in the back yard and my friend casually mentioned that he had been approached about a position in New Jersey, and he was turning it down, and 'would I be interested?' I didn't think much of it but thought I had nothing to lose, so I said, 'Sure, tell the man to call me."
That was in 1962, in Ohio, in Atwater, a tiny little town where we had live five years while pastoring a growing, healthy church. My friend was Bill Parks, no longer in the ministry, but at the time the district youth organization's president. "The man" was Bob Goslaw, superintendent of the New York (metro) district of the Church of the Nazarene. It is now 45 years later, and all those years since that summer picnic have been spent in the pastorates of the far eastern distriucts of metro New York and New England.
Thew culture shock was instant and real. The people in New Jersey sounded like gangsters to my midwestern ears. The pace of life was different. The mind set of the people seemed somehow different. Although the church where we were called paid for a deluxe move, and welcomed us warmly, I was so homesick that I would have gone back if I had only had $1,000 to rent a truck and get started again in Ohio.
But I didn't.. and for 15 years a learned to pastor and preach all over again. To say I was unhappy would be wrong. But there were periods of serious depression. There were times of near despair for the trajectories my children were taking.
In 1977 I was taking courses at Eastern Nazarene College in the master's program, and after class Dr. Cecil Paul asked me to stay for a moment. He asked if I would consider meeting with the Wollaston board to interview for pastor there. Another 'casual' contact.
For the next 22 years I was learning again and again that God's ways of leading are not always obvious, but they are effective. 1977 to 1999 were some of the happiest years of my life, along with some of the deeply challenging.
I haven't time to tell of how I came, these last 6 years to be associated with John Wesley United Methodist church here in Falmouth, Mass. But I know God had his hand in 'casual' contacts. That association will probably be ending before too many more months. I'm not being fired... but it is becoming apparent that God has something else in mind.
But I'm not done yet-- I'm only 76 and have a good inning or two ot three left in me! I'm just trying not to miss the next signal. I'm looking forward to the most significant and important productive time of my life for Godf and his kingdom!
That was in 1962, in Ohio, in Atwater, a tiny little town where we had live five years while pastoring a growing, healthy church. My friend was Bill Parks, no longer in the ministry, but at the time the district youth organization's president. "The man" was Bob Goslaw, superintendent of the New York (metro) district of the Church of the Nazarene. It is now 45 years later, and all those years since that summer picnic have been spent in the pastorates of the far eastern distriucts of metro New York and New England.
Thew culture shock was instant and real. The people in New Jersey sounded like gangsters to my midwestern ears. The pace of life was different. The mind set of the people seemed somehow different. Although the church where we were called paid for a deluxe move, and welcomed us warmly, I was so homesick that I would have gone back if I had only had $1,000 to rent a truck and get started again in Ohio.
But I didn't.. and for 15 years a learned to pastor and preach all over again. To say I was unhappy would be wrong. But there were periods of serious depression. There were times of near despair for the trajectories my children were taking.
In 1977 I was taking courses at Eastern Nazarene College in the master's program, and after class Dr. Cecil Paul asked me to stay for a moment. He asked if I would consider meeting with the Wollaston board to interview for pastor there. Another 'casual' contact.
For the next 22 years I was learning again and again that God's ways of leading are not always obvious, but they are effective. 1977 to 1999 were some of the happiest years of my life, along with some of the deeply challenging.
I haven't time to tell of how I came, these last 6 years to be associated with John Wesley United Methodist church here in Falmouth, Mass. But I know God had his hand in 'casual' contacts. That association will probably be ending before too many more months. I'm not being fired... but it is becoming apparent that God has something else in mind.
But I'm not done yet-- I'm only 76 and have a good inning or two ot three left in me! I'm just trying not to miss the next signal. I'm looking forward to the most significant and important productive time of my life for Godf and his kingdom!
Monday, October 15, 2007
The Cherry Bomb
When you were in second or third grade did you ever-- do youremember-- did you ever have your teacher say, "I have to go down to Mr. Benson's office for two minutes. I'm going to leave the door open and Mrs. Hagen across the hall will be listening. You be good and quiet and do your work. I'll be right back!"
I remember.
I hated it when they made some teacher's pet the tattle-tale. Still, sometimes we were reasonably quiet. Sometimes maybe we weren't.
In high school it was a little different. It could be that when a teacher left the room it would get noisy, or things might be thrown around the room, maybe someone's lunch or a pretty girl's books.
Usually when classes changed and students filed into a class room the teacher would be there waiting, because the class would be in her home room.
But sometimes we would have to wait for the teacher to come. It could get very interesting if the teacher's coming was delayed more than a minute or two. We would think, "Maybe she isn'tcoming at all!"
For a little while when I was a junior in Akron North High, way back in the late 1940s, we had a substitute English teacher, and she was almost always late for our class, which met on the fourth floor. She usually arrived with her arms full of books and papers, out of breath, scolding us, good-naturedly for the most part, into silence.
One awful day she was later than usual, and the class was noisier than usual. Erasers were flying, books were sailing. It probably doesn't do any good to tell you that, truthfully, I usually did not take part in the chaos, although I can't say I didn't enjoy it. Anyway, on this fateful day one boy-- Stanley M__-- produced a cherry bomb from his pocket. It was big enough that it would have been reason the call the bomb squad today. Even then it commanded great respect. The room got very quiet.
Stanley lit a match and we held our breaths. The windows were open-- they were the kind that had three panes, and the middle pane swung out from the top. Stanley evidently intended to light the bomb in the classroom and throw it out the window toward the athletic field three stories below. We couldn't believe it-- but Stanley lit the bomb-- and threw it-- and it hit the window pane above the open window and bounced back into the middle ofthe room, under the desks, hissing.
Just at that very moment our teacher came breathlessly into the quiet room-- quiet except for the hissing-- with her arms full of books. But before she had a chance to worry about why we were quiet,or what the hissing sound was
---KA- BOOM!--
the cherry bomb exploded,and instantly the room was full of smoke, and then there was total silence again.
Our teacher did not drop her armload of books. She did not miss a step. She simply went over to the desk and sat down and put her face on the books and papers she had been carrying. I think it may have been a full five minutes that no one said a word, no one made a sound.
I imagine today the police would be called and someone would be expelled from school, and there certainly would be a lawsuit. But her awful silence, and the fact that we were all shocked and stunned was punishment for us all, even Stanley the bomb-thrower. All these many years later I still feel that little woman's pain and disappointment at the chaos that greeted her coming. But there is still enough dirty rotten teenager in my old bones that I cannot help laughing when I think of strange Stanley and the hissing cherry bomb and the totally speechless kids when that door opened and in walked . . .
I remember.
I hated it when they made some teacher's pet the tattle-tale. Still, sometimes we were reasonably quiet. Sometimes maybe we weren't.
In high school it was a little different. It could be that when a teacher left the room it would get noisy, or things might be thrown around the room, maybe someone's lunch or a pretty girl's books.
Usually when classes changed and students filed into a class room the teacher would be there waiting, because the class would be in her home room.
But sometimes we would have to wait for the teacher to come. It could get very interesting if the teacher's coming was delayed more than a minute or two. We would think, "Maybe she isn'tcoming at all!"
For a little while when I was a junior in Akron North High, way back in the late 1940s, we had a substitute English teacher, and she was almost always late for our class, which met on the fourth floor. She usually arrived with her arms full of books and papers, out of breath, scolding us, good-naturedly for the most part, into silence.
One awful day she was later than usual, and the class was noisier than usual. Erasers were flying, books were sailing. It probably doesn't do any good to tell you that, truthfully, I usually did not take part in the chaos, although I can't say I didn't enjoy it. Anyway, on this fateful day one boy-- Stanley M__-- produced a cherry bomb from his pocket. It was big enough that it would have been reason the call the bomb squad today. Even then it commanded great respect. The room got very quiet.
Stanley lit a match and we held our breaths. The windows were open-- they were the kind that had three panes, and the middle pane swung out from the top. Stanley evidently intended to light the bomb in the classroom and throw it out the window toward the athletic field three stories below. We couldn't believe it-- but Stanley lit the bomb-- and threw it-- and it hit the window pane above the open window and bounced back into the middle ofthe room, under the desks, hissing.
Just at that very moment our teacher came breathlessly into the quiet room-- quiet except for the hissing-- with her arms full of books. But before she had a chance to worry about why we were quiet,or what the hissing sound was
---KA- BOOM!--
the cherry bomb exploded,and instantly the room was full of smoke, and then there was total silence again.
Our teacher did not drop her armload of books. She did not miss a step. She simply went over to the desk and sat down and put her face on the books and papers she had been carrying. I think it may have been a full five minutes that no one said a word, no one made a sound.
I imagine today the police would be called and someone would be expelled from school, and there certainly would be a lawsuit. But her awful silence, and the fact that we were all shocked and stunned was punishment for us all, even Stanley the bomb-thrower. All these many years later I still feel that little woman's pain and disappointment at the chaos that greeted her coming. But there is still enough dirty rotten teenager in my old bones that I cannot help laughing when I think of strange Stanley and the hissing cherry bomb and the totally speechless kids when that door opened and in walked . . .
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Thoughts on Dancing in Worship . . .
In the 6th chapter of 2 Samuel is a scene right out of a Shakespeare drama: David has been successful beyond his dreams; God has blessed him. He goes to the house of Obed-Edom with proper preparation and brings the Ark of the Covenant to the center of the capital city as a symbol of the fact that Israel shall be centered in God.
As the ark moves toward the city David is overcome with joyous emotion and begins to dance before the ark with all his might. He gets right down with the slave girls and the street people in a genuine expression of his delight.
But in an upper window, standing half-hidden behind the curtains, stands David's wife, Michal, Saul's daughter, intently watching. She is a princess, and not used to seeing the king mingle with the help. She is disgusted in her heart, and when David finally comes in she tells him as much. "You really distinguished yourself today, King David! It wasn't your finest hour!" David's reply was, "It wasn't for your benefit! It was before the Lord! And I will give to God whatever I believe I should give to Him!"
And the account goes on: (v 23) And Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child to the day of her death. She was barren from that time forward!
When we read that scripture about dancing and shouting as a form of worship we may think about the ‘worship wars’ that have dogged churches across the whole spectrum, from Pentecostal to Catholic, and thinking—thank God it hasn’t come to that in our church yet!
But to tell the truth, the way you and I are apply scriptural accounts of worship and me more about ourselves than we want to know: No doubt you are vindicating the way YOU love to worship, or the way that YOU believe is true worship. We are made that way-- truth at first seems to reinforce our own position.
However ideal you consider the way you worship- good for you- yet there are those who truly worship in Spirit and in truth who on the surface of it would be uncomfortable with your style; and there are those who know God and worship in truth whose ways of approaching God would not be comfortable to you.
The most unattractive attitudes I know about have been (1) religious fundamentalists; and to a lesser extent, because I have had lesser exposure, (2) snobbish "High Church"-types, which I have usually written off as "liberals."
Please see that each one of us can be both the discriminator and the discriminated against; and it is imperative that we do not go the route of barrenness and despise those who are worshiping God in truth, even though in their humanness they may seem culturally out of it.
Please pray that the expression of your worship and mine, and of those where you and I congregate will be the sincere expression of who we are in total love and obedience before the great God we love.
Pray that the evolution of our worship will enable the tasks of the church,
EVANGELISM and
EDUCATION and
FELLOWSHIP and
SERVICE to flourish in powerful ways, for
WORSHIP IS THE HEART OF THE LIFE
THE LIFE OF CHRIST'S BODY, THECHURCH!
As the ark moves toward the city David is overcome with joyous emotion and begins to dance before the ark with all his might. He gets right down with the slave girls and the street people in a genuine expression of his delight.
But in an upper window, standing half-hidden behind the curtains, stands David's wife, Michal, Saul's daughter, intently watching. She is a princess, and not used to seeing the king mingle with the help. She is disgusted in her heart, and when David finally comes in she tells him as much. "You really distinguished yourself today, King David! It wasn't your finest hour!" David's reply was, "It wasn't for your benefit! It was before the Lord! And I will give to God whatever I believe I should give to Him!"
And the account goes on: (v 23) And Michal, the daughter of Saul, had no child to the day of her death. She was barren from that time forward!
When we read that scripture about dancing and shouting as a form of worship we may think about the ‘worship wars’ that have dogged churches across the whole spectrum, from Pentecostal to Catholic, and thinking—thank God it hasn’t come to that in our church yet!
But to tell the truth, the way you and I are apply scriptural accounts of worship and me more about ourselves than we want to know: No doubt you are vindicating the way YOU love to worship, or the way that YOU believe is true worship. We are made that way-- truth at first seems to reinforce our own position.
However ideal you consider the way you worship- good for you- yet there are those who truly worship in Spirit and in truth who on the surface of it would be uncomfortable with your style; and there are those who know God and worship in truth whose ways of approaching God would not be comfortable to you.
The most unattractive attitudes I know about have been (1) religious fundamentalists; and to a lesser extent, because I have had lesser exposure, (2) snobbish "High Church"-types, which I have usually written off as "liberals."
Please see that each one of us can be both the discriminator and the discriminated against; and it is imperative that we do not go the route of barrenness and despise those who are worshiping God in truth, even though in their humanness they may seem culturally out of it.
Please pray that the expression of your worship and mine, and of those where you and I congregate will be the sincere expression of who we are in total love and obedience before the great God we love.
Pray that the evolution of our worship will enable the tasks of the church,
EVANGELISM and
EDUCATION and
FELLOWSHIP and
SERVICE to flourish in powerful ways, for
WORSHIP IS THE HEART OF THE LIFE
THE LIFE OF CHRIST'S BODY, THECHURCH!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Jesus: I WILL GIVE YOU REST!
For background, if you will, read Luke 6:20-26
THE CALL OF JESUS TO REST
Matthew 11:28
Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jesus had a way of turning things 'upside down' when Hespoke. He said things like "Blessed are the poor" and "It is goodsometimes to mourn." His words are...
I. A CHALLENGE TO OUR VALUES
['Things' do not truly satisfy.]
Just think what He said:
A. "Blessed poor" "Happy hungry" "Hopeful mourners" ... we arefamiliar with the Beatitudes-- but when we look at them again andagain we wonder again, "What could this mean?" Jesus certainly was not glorifying poverty. But somehow we getthe message that life is bigger and richer and more holy than thethings we often fill our days and nights with. And, too, Jesus was not your run-of-the-mill 'power-of-positive-thinking-type guru. Jesus never taught "All things worktogether for good!"
B. There is a negative side to truth, as well as a positive.There is death as well as life. There is blessing, yes. But there isalso woe. Jesus taught that it is vitally important how we choose toorder our lives, and what or whom we place at the center of our lives.
The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the fact that through God's love and grace we have...
II. A CHOICE OF LIFE CENTERS
...and a choice between blessing and cursing,
...and a choice between rest and turmoil of spirit.
A. The first word Jesus taught His disciples to PREACH was"Repent!" "Turn!" "Change course!" Why? "Because the kingdom heavenis near at hand!"
B. The kingdom of heaven is a mystery! It IS here already!Jesus is in charge! And yet it IS COMING! Jesus is NOT in charge inthe same way that one day- perhaps sooner than any of us think- HeSHALL be!
C. This kingdom is what Jesus is talking about when He says:"Blessed!" His kingdom is for people! His kingdom is LOVE! ("Loveyour enemies! Pray for them that despitefully use you!") But this kingdom is also militantly against SIN! That is whyJesus also said: "WOE!"
D. Much of the religious community that passes for theChristian church is spread over a spectrum that goes from a damnable complacency with a legal, literal, mental conversion on one end of the scale to a militant worship of purely human values and wisdom at the other end.
Both the extreme fundamentalist and the Christians who rejectthe authority of the Bible share one common thing: they demand to bein control of their own religion or lack of it. They lack the povertyof spirit, the mourning for sins, the purity of heart that Jesus tellsus is necessary to truly see God.
It is to these people-- people with all the answers-- that Jesus pronounces His woes:
The militants who would re-write the Bible are shocking:
The militant feminists have spoken of traditional worship ofJesus as "christofascism." The respected scholar Richard John Newhausquotes a teacher at a divinity school here in Massachusetts as statingthat the doctrine of the atonement, the cross, represents "the sadomasochism of Christian teaching at its most transparent." And a further quote: "Is it any wonder that there is so much abuse in modern society when the predominant image or theology of the culture is of'divine child abuse'- God the Father demanding and carrying out thesuffering and death of His own son?"
The militant free-sex people, who tell us that Bible values are out-dated, are attacking the authority of the Catholic church, probably because many bishops are bold to denounce adultery, abortion, as well as homosexual promiscuity, and not too long ago interrupted a mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, a violation of guaranteed civil rights as well as everything sacred.
But the complacent fundamentalists are in danger, too: It is true that we are not saved by what we DO. But it is also true that Jesus said over and again that we shall give an account of how we live this life. And if our faith in God, and our commitment to Jesus doesn't go deep enough to have any effect on the way we live, we are in danger of the same eternal damnation that waits for the out-and-out Christ rejecters!
Whatever "brand" we give ourselves as Christians, we must learn that we cannot EVER separate the kingdom of God from the Present, Living, Reigning KING! That is why Jesus taught as no one else ever taught. He didn't merely teach "lessons." He taught HIMSELF! Instead of talking about rest, Jesus said "Come to Me-- and I will give yourest!"
[Jesus still extends to all who will hear!]
III. A CALL TO PERSONAL TRUST IN HIM
A. We are so "intellectually" or "scientifically" biased that we think that the most important thing about faith is to get our"facts straight," to be theologically correct. And I certainly wantto be correct; to be orthodox.
But there is a different measuring stick that Jesus will use in the Day when He divides the nations! THAT SELECTION WILL BE ON THE BASIS OF WHETHER OR NOT HE KNOWS US! OF WHETHER OR NOT WE KNOW HIM!
There will be people there on that Day who are as orthodox asthe King James Version, who will be absolutely out of touch with what is going on; and there will no doubt be people WE would consider flaming liberals who have lived under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. There is no substitute for that PERSONAL relationship with Jesus! The word is: "COME UNTO ME! I will give you REST!"
B. "Rest" does not come through ignoring the stress of the day,and it certainly does not come through trying to compromise with it.
The only finally unbearable and intolerable burden is sin. Theonly inescapable tyrant is the unsublimated, undisciplined self.
C. Jesus spoke these words in troublesome times. The commonpeople who heard Jesus preach were mostly poor people in a middle-eastern country occupied by a foreign power. It is hard for us toimagine the bleakness of their outlook, or the extent of theirphysical poverty. Still, Jesus promised them rest unto their souls.
D. Jesus spoke these words in the framework of choice. You come, and I will. You choose not to come, and I will not. Rest isconnected with deliberately coming to Jesus. Just because you hear me say these words does not necessarily mean that you hear Jesus calling you. Your hearing has to be mixed with faith. But if there is any kind of spiritual desire for rest, and if there is a willingness to acknowledge Jesus as Lord, you have the possibility of making that choice!
PRAY WITH ME:Lord Jesus, We press into Your promise for the Rest You have promised!We seek to draw near to YOU! Help us, each one, to know how to approach You, from where WE are, to where YOU are - in Jesus'name. Amen.
THE CALL OF JESUS TO REST
Matthew 11:28
Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Jesus had a way of turning things 'upside down' when Hespoke. He said things like "Blessed are the poor" and "It is goodsometimes to mourn." His words are...
I. A CHALLENGE TO OUR VALUES
['Things' do not truly satisfy.]
Just think what He said:
A. "Blessed poor" "Happy hungry" "Hopeful mourners" ... we arefamiliar with the Beatitudes-- but when we look at them again andagain we wonder again, "What could this mean?" Jesus certainly was not glorifying poverty. But somehow we getthe message that life is bigger and richer and more holy than thethings we often fill our days and nights with. And, too, Jesus was not your run-of-the-mill 'power-of-positive-thinking-type guru. Jesus never taught "All things worktogether for good!"
B. There is a negative side to truth, as well as a positive.There is death as well as life. There is blessing, yes. But there isalso woe. Jesus taught that it is vitally important how we choose toorder our lives, and what or whom we place at the center of our lives.
The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ is the fact that through God's love and grace we have...
II. A CHOICE OF LIFE CENTERS
...and a choice between blessing and cursing,
...and a choice between rest and turmoil of spirit.
A. The first word Jesus taught His disciples to PREACH was"Repent!" "Turn!" "Change course!" Why? "Because the kingdom heavenis near at hand!"
B. The kingdom of heaven is a mystery! It IS here already!Jesus is in charge! And yet it IS COMING! Jesus is NOT in charge inthe same way that one day- perhaps sooner than any of us think- HeSHALL be!
C. This kingdom is what Jesus is talking about when He says:"Blessed!" His kingdom is for people! His kingdom is LOVE! ("Loveyour enemies! Pray for them that despitefully use you!") But this kingdom is also militantly against SIN! That is whyJesus also said: "WOE!"
D. Much of the religious community that passes for theChristian church is spread over a spectrum that goes from a damnable complacency with a legal, literal, mental conversion on one end of the scale to a militant worship of purely human values and wisdom at the other end.
Both the extreme fundamentalist and the Christians who rejectthe authority of the Bible share one common thing: they demand to bein control of their own religion or lack of it. They lack the povertyof spirit, the mourning for sins, the purity of heart that Jesus tellsus is necessary to truly see God.
It is to these people-- people with all the answers-- that Jesus pronounces His woes:
The militants who would re-write the Bible are shocking:
The militant feminists have spoken of traditional worship ofJesus as "christofascism." The respected scholar Richard John Newhausquotes a teacher at a divinity school here in Massachusetts as statingthat the doctrine of the atonement, the cross, represents "the sadomasochism of Christian teaching at its most transparent." And a further quote: "Is it any wonder that there is so much abuse in modern society when the predominant image or theology of the culture is of'divine child abuse'- God the Father demanding and carrying out thesuffering and death of His own son?"
The militant free-sex people, who tell us that Bible values are out-dated, are attacking the authority of the Catholic church, probably because many bishops are bold to denounce adultery, abortion, as well as homosexual promiscuity, and not too long ago interrupted a mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral, a violation of guaranteed civil rights as well as everything sacred.
But the complacent fundamentalists are in danger, too: It is true that we are not saved by what we DO. But it is also true that Jesus said over and again that we shall give an account of how we live this life. And if our faith in God, and our commitment to Jesus doesn't go deep enough to have any effect on the way we live, we are in danger of the same eternal damnation that waits for the out-and-out Christ rejecters!
Whatever "brand" we give ourselves as Christians, we must learn that we cannot EVER separate the kingdom of God from the Present, Living, Reigning KING! That is why Jesus taught as no one else ever taught. He didn't merely teach "lessons." He taught HIMSELF! Instead of talking about rest, Jesus said "Come to Me-- and I will give yourest!"
[Jesus still extends to all who will hear!]
III. A CALL TO PERSONAL TRUST IN HIM
A. We are so "intellectually" or "scientifically" biased that we think that the most important thing about faith is to get our"facts straight," to be theologically correct. And I certainly wantto be correct; to be orthodox.
But there is a different measuring stick that Jesus will use in the Day when He divides the nations! THAT SELECTION WILL BE ON THE BASIS OF WHETHER OR NOT HE KNOWS US! OF WHETHER OR NOT WE KNOW HIM!
There will be people there on that Day who are as orthodox asthe King James Version, who will be absolutely out of touch with what is going on; and there will no doubt be people WE would consider flaming liberals who have lived under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. There is no substitute for that PERSONAL relationship with Jesus! The word is: "COME UNTO ME! I will give you REST!"
B. "Rest" does not come through ignoring the stress of the day,and it certainly does not come through trying to compromise with it.
The only finally unbearable and intolerable burden is sin. Theonly inescapable tyrant is the unsublimated, undisciplined self.
C. Jesus spoke these words in troublesome times. The commonpeople who heard Jesus preach were mostly poor people in a middle-eastern country occupied by a foreign power. It is hard for us toimagine the bleakness of their outlook, or the extent of theirphysical poverty. Still, Jesus promised them rest unto their souls.
D. Jesus spoke these words in the framework of choice. You come, and I will. You choose not to come, and I will not. Rest isconnected with deliberately coming to Jesus. Just because you hear me say these words does not necessarily mean that you hear Jesus calling you. Your hearing has to be mixed with faith. But if there is any kind of spiritual desire for rest, and if there is a willingness to acknowledge Jesus as Lord, you have the possibility of making that choice!
PRAY WITH ME:Lord Jesus, We press into Your promise for the Rest You have promised!We seek to draw near to YOU! Help us, each one, to know how to approach You, from where WE are, to where YOU are - in Jesus'name. Amen.
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Obedience the Heart of Faith
Luke 17: 11 - 19
HEALTH AND WHOLENESS
A Story of Healing
A story in Luke's Gospel- an incident that happened 2,000years ago- may seem pretty disconnected to life as we live it here inthe 21st century. But there are windows in this particular story that let light shine on the pathways we all must walk. The story of the healing of ten lepers is not as remote as you might think.
I. WHEN THEY CALLED OUT, JESUS RESPONDED
Hopeless, isolated by law, absorbed by their own troubles a small band of lepers skulked around the borders of Galilee and Samariain the northern regions of the Holy Land. They were not only sickwith an incurable disease, they were marked as untouchables, kickedout of fellowship with anyone except other lepers. They foraged forfood. They begged at a distance for anything and everything theyneeded. But the one thing they really needed, the one thing thatmakes life worth living-- hope-- was already lost.
Until Jesus came along, that is. A tiny spark of hopeprompted the ten lepers to approach as near as they could and make along distance shout for help.
"Jesus, master, have mercy on us!"
It may have been just a tiny spark of hope. It may have beenjust a long distance prayer. But that cry was heard.
The response from Jesus was not as spectacular as they mighthave hoped. But it was a response. Jesus heard. And Jesus told themwhat to do. It was a "next step." It had to do with getting legalpermission to re-enter society.
"Go show yourselves to the priests!"This window in the story lets the light in that reveals this truth:Wherever you are God's Word can reach you. You don't need to be lostone more day.
II. AS THEY WENT THEY WERE MADE CLEAN
The story next tells us that as they went, they were cleansed.They had called. Jesus had responded with a brief command. After he spoke they may have looked at their leper sores. Just after Jesusspoke they were exactly the same as they were before he spoke. Theywere still unclean lepers.
But Jesus had told them what to do. They decided they had nothing to lose. They started out to find a priest.And as they went . . . as they walked along . . . they sensedsomething wonderful was taking place. They were changing.
The shaft of sunlight through this window shows us that:
Obedience is faith in action; we cannot obey God and stay in bondage.
The healing of the lepers is remarkably like one of our Old Testament favorites, the story of Naaman and Elijah. Naaman was not poor and socially outcast like these ten lepers. He was a wealthySyrian warrior. But the fact remains he was a leper and knew he wasgoing to die. You remember the story: when Naaman finally found the prophetof God, or rather, found where he lived, the prophet, Elijah, sent hisservant out to tell this wealthy leper to go and dip himself seventimes in the Jordan River.
No dramatics. No incantations. Just a word to obey. Itseemed too easy: simply wash and be clean. Naaman struggled with thesimplicity of it. But it was God's Word. And as he obeyed, Naamanwas made clean of his leprosy.
It seems so simple to call out to God and be saved. It seemstoo easy just to confess our sins and trust that God is as good as hisword and will forgive and cleanse us. Do you remember the lines fromthat old gospel song?:
Chiefest of sinners Jesus will save
All He has promised that will he do.
Wash in the fountain opened for sin
"And I will pass, will pass over you."
III. ONE CLEANSED LEPER RETURNED TO GIVE PRAISE TO GOD
There is one more window open in this narrative: Theimportance of worship.
Sickness has a way of turning us in on ourselves. We becomeabsorbed with our symptoms. We tell about our hospitalprocedures. Sickness is often very self-centered. (I plead guiltyfrom time to time.) Wellness is more than an absence of illness. Itis the quality of being vibrantly alive. God's goal for you and me ismore than being free from sin. More than not suffering for our sins.It is wholeness.
The goal of God's grace is not simply to save us from the damage of sin, but to set us free from our own selfish ego. We arenot just saved so we can pursue our own selfish agenda, but so that wecan discover God, and take our place in the circle of His family.
God does not save us just to make us clean or good. He sharesHis life so that we can come into his home and be part of his family.He takes away our sin so we can be happy in his Presence. The end ofsalvation is more than forgiveness and cleansing, it is fellowshipwith God and the whole family of God.
"If we confess our sins, (God) is faithful and just to forgiveus our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (Then,) "Ifwe walk in the light, as (Christ) is in the light we have fellowshipone with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us(**continually keeps us clean**) from all sin." (1 John 1:7,9)
This Samaritan outcast leper closed the circle of grace thatday of his cleansing. He actually got out of his own way! The centerof his existence was changed. Instead of orbiting around his illness,and his very considerable pain, now he worshiped the God who had sethim free. And that gratitude completed his healing for the moment.As he worshiped he was made whole.
In the Old Testament story Naaman passed the gratitude test aswell. He had been really reluctant to obey the simple command to washand be clean. But then as he obeyed he was cleansed; and to hiseverlasting credit he did not simply rush back to Syria shouting andcelebrating. Instead he returned to the home of Elijah to givethanks.This last window lets in the light that:Worship, thanks, gratitude bring us near to our God.
If this seems too very simple, well maybe it is. Butsometimes I need to remember the very most simple of lessons:
When I call Jesus hears me! (He will hear you, too, whereveryou are!)
As I do what he shows me to do, I will be set free! (Are youwalking in all the light you know?)
When I tell Him "Thank You!" I am made whole!
Prayer: Lord, Help us to give You thanks from our hearts! Amen
HEALTH AND WHOLENESS
A Story of Healing
A story in Luke's Gospel- an incident that happened 2,000years ago- may seem pretty disconnected to life as we live it here inthe 21st century. But there are windows in this particular story that let light shine on the pathways we all must walk. The story of the healing of ten lepers is not as remote as you might think.
I. WHEN THEY CALLED OUT, JESUS RESPONDED
Hopeless, isolated by law, absorbed by their own troubles a small band of lepers skulked around the borders of Galilee and Samariain the northern regions of the Holy Land. They were not only sickwith an incurable disease, they were marked as untouchables, kickedout of fellowship with anyone except other lepers. They foraged forfood. They begged at a distance for anything and everything theyneeded. But the one thing they really needed, the one thing thatmakes life worth living-- hope-- was already lost.
Until Jesus came along, that is. A tiny spark of hopeprompted the ten lepers to approach as near as they could and make along distance shout for help.
"Jesus, master, have mercy on us!"
It may have been just a tiny spark of hope. It may have beenjust a long distance prayer. But that cry was heard.
The response from Jesus was not as spectacular as they mighthave hoped. But it was a response. Jesus heard. And Jesus told themwhat to do. It was a "next step." It had to do with getting legalpermission to re-enter society.
"Go show yourselves to the priests!"This window in the story lets the light in that reveals this truth:Wherever you are God's Word can reach you. You don't need to be lostone more day.
II. AS THEY WENT THEY WERE MADE CLEAN
The story next tells us that as they went, they were cleansed.They had called. Jesus had responded with a brief command. After he spoke they may have looked at their leper sores. Just after Jesusspoke they were exactly the same as they were before he spoke. Theywere still unclean lepers.
But Jesus had told them what to do. They decided they had nothing to lose. They started out to find a priest.And as they went . . . as they walked along . . . they sensedsomething wonderful was taking place. They were changing.
The shaft of sunlight through this window shows us that:
Obedience is faith in action; we cannot obey God and stay in bondage.
The healing of the lepers is remarkably like one of our Old Testament favorites, the story of Naaman and Elijah. Naaman was not poor and socially outcast like these ten lepers. He was a wealthySyrian warrior. But the fact remains he was a leper and knew he wasgoing to die. You remember the story: when Naaman finally found the prophetof God, or rather, found where he lived, the prophet, Elijah, sent hisservant out to tell this wealthy leper to go and dip himself seventimes in the Jordan River.
No dramatics. No incantations. Just a word to obey. Itseemed too easy: simply wash and be clean. Naaman struggled with thesimplicity of it. But it was God's Word. And as he obeyed, Naamanwas made clean of his leprosy.
It seems so simple to call out to God and be saved. It seemstoo easy just to confess our sins and trust that God is as good as hisword and will forgive and cleanse us. Do you remember the lines fromthat old gospel song?:
Chiefest of sinners Jesus will save
All He has promised that will he do.
Wash in the fountain opened for sin
"And I will pass, will pass over you."
III. ONE CLEANSED LEPER RETURNED TO GIVE PRAISE TO GOD
There is one more window open in this narrative: Theimportance of worship.
Sickness has a way of turning us in on ourselves. We becomeabsorbed with our symptoms. We tell about our hospitalprocedures. Sickness is often very self-centered. (I plead guiltyfrom time to time.) Wellness is more than an absence of illness. Itis the quality of being vibrantly alive. God's goal for you and me ismore than being free from sin. More than not suffering for our sins.It is wholeness.
The goal of God's grace is not simply to save us from the damage of sin, but to set us free from our own selfish ego. We arenot just saved so we can pursue our own selfish agenda, but so that wecan discover God, and take our place in the circle of His family.
God does not save us just to make us clean or good. He sharesHis life so that we can come into his home and be part of his family.He takes away our sin so we can be happy in his Presence. The end ofsalvation is more than forgiveness and cleansing, it is fellowshipwith God and the whole family of God.
"If we confess our sins, (God) is faithful and just to forgiveus our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (Then,) "Ifwe walk in the light, as (Christ) is in the light we have fellowshipone with another and the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, cleanses us(**continually keeps us clean**) from all sin." (1 John 1:7,9)
This Samaritan outcast leper closed the circle of grace thatday of his cleansing. He actually got out of his own way! The centerof his existence was changed. Instead of orbiting around his illness,and his very considerable pain, now he worshiped the God who had sethim free. And that gratitude completed his healing for the moment.As he worshiped he was made whole.
In the Old Testament story Naaman passed the gratitude test aswell. He had been really reluctant to obey the simple command to washand be clean. But then as he obeyed he was cleansed; and to hiseverlasting credit he did not simply rush back to Syria shouting andcelebrating. Instead he returned to the home of Elijah to givethanks.This last window lets in the light that:Worship, thanks, gratitude bring us near to our God.
If this seems too very simple, well maybe it is. Butsometimes I need to remember the very most simple of lessons:
When I call Jesus hears me! (He will hear you, too, whereveryou are!)
As I do what he shows me to do, I will be set free! (Are youwalking in all the light you know?)
When I tell Him "Thank You!" I am made whole!
Prayer: Lord, Help us to give You thanks from our hearts! Amen
Monday, October 8, 2007
The Jesus Prayer
"Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. "
One thing I remember about Edward Lawlor, the Canadian-born General Superintendent, who was known as an e3loquent preacher was not any sermon or lesswon, but just this: at a ministers' retreat in New York thirty-plus years ago he said that his constant prayer for himself was: "Jesus, be Thyself to me a living, bright Reality!"
I don 't feel Jesus today . . . don't feel His guidance and Presence. But I believe He nis with me, and that He is guiding me. I don't know where he wants us to go tomorrow, but I believe that we are exactlky where we ought to be today. I will serve Hium here the best I know how...
One thing I remember about Edward Lawlor, the Canadian-born General Superintendent, who was known as an e3loquent preacher was not any sermon or lesswon, but just this: at a ministers' retreat in New York thirty-plus years ago he said that his constant prayer for himself was: "Jesus, be Thyself to me a living, bright Reality!"
I don 't feel Jesus today . . . don't feel His guidance and Presence. But I believe He nis with me, and that He is guiding me. I don't know where he wants us to go tomorrow, but I believe that we are exactlky where we ought to be today. I will serve Hium here the best I know how...
Friday, October 5, 2007
Enemies of the Church?
In the book -Resident Aliens- William Willimon and StanleyHauerwas listed some rather unconventional "enemies of the church" which may even be present as we come together to worship, or even partake at the Lord's Table. They are worth thinking through:
1. One such enemy is SENTIMENTALITY.
Commenting that "exciting services" and "good feeling" have become ends in themselves in theministry they write; "When that happens the church and ministry cannot avoid sentimentality, which we believe is the most detrimental corruption of the church today.
Sentimentality, after all, is but the way our UNBELIEF is lived out. SENTIMENTALITY, THAT ATTITUDE OF BEING ALWAYS READY TO UNDERSTAND BUT NOT TO JUDGE, CORRUPTS US AND THE MINISTRY. This is as true of the conservative churches as it is of the liberal. Sentimentality is the subjecting of the church year to "Mother's Day" and "Thanksgiving."
Sentimentality is the necessity of the church to side with the (..politically correct...causes-my substitution for Sananistas vs.Contras.)
Sentimentality is "the family that prays together stays together." Without God, without the One whose death on the cross challenges all our "good feelings," who stands beyond and over against our human anxieties, all we have left is sentiment, the saccharine residue of theism is demise."
2. A second enemy is LETTING THE WORLD DEFINE THE CHURCH; or accepting conventional definitions of the church.
If the church accepts thevalues of our rotten culture, then (and I quote again:)
"(The) church will be a source of conventional, socially acceptable answers, a place to reiterate what everybody already knows, even without the church. We shall die, not from crucifixion, but from boredom. (We- especially pastors are conditioned) "to think in terms of what the church can do to help people- but within parameters set by a society that does not know God. In that myopic world view, solutions to what ails us will be petty. WHAT SORT OF COMMUNITY WOULD WE HAVE TO BE TO BE THE SORT OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE BY OUR CONVICTIONS?"
3. A third enemy of the church named by Hauerwas and Willimon isUNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS:
We try to make the church whatever WE thinkit ought to be, or what we think the WORLD wants it to be to meet their perceived needs. Hauerwas and Willimon are speaking especially of pastors, but this truth applies to us all. We must focus in onwhat GOD wants us to do, and then we find we have peace with Him, andwith ourselves! Listen to what they say about pastors, and see if there is an application for you in this enemy of "UnrealisticExpectations":
"Pastors come to despise what they are and hate the community that made them that way. Because the church is not a place to worship God, but rather a therapeutic center for the meeting of one another's unchecked, unexamined needs, the pastor is exhausted. Only a few months into his or her first pastorate the new pastor realizes that people's needs are virtually limitless, particularly in an affluent society in which there is an ever-rising threshold of desire (which we define as "need." There is no job description, no clear sense of purpose other than the meeting of people's needs, so there is no possible way for the pastor to limit what people ask of the pastor. Not knowing what they should do pastors try to do everything and be everything for everybody. The most conscientious among them become exhausted and empty. The laziest of them merely withdraw into disinterested detachment. Not knowing why their pastor is there, the congregation expects the pastor to be and do everything. They become unrealistic critics of the clergy rather than co-workers, fellow truth tellers." Self hatred is inevitable in someone who feels abused, prostituted, unfairly criticized. The burden of being a generally good person, open and available to people of unbounded need is too great for anybody to bear. Self-hate and loneliness result. "
The quotes are from the book-- Resident Aliens, now probably ancient history - but still very relevent. Willimon is now a United Methodist bishop....
1. One such enemy is SENTIMENTALITY.
Commenting that "exciting services" and "good feeling" have become ends in themselves in theministry they write; "When that happens the church and ministry cannot avoid sentimentality, which we believe is the most detrimental corruption of the church today.
Sentimentality, after all, is but the way our UNBELIEF is lived out. SENTIMENTALITY, THAT ATTITUDE OF BEING ALWAYS READY TO UNDERSTAND BUT NOT TO JUDGE, CORRUPTS US AND THE MINISTRY. This is as true of the conservative churches as it is of the liberal. Sentimentality is the subjecting of the church year to "Mother's Day" and "Thanksgiving."
Sentimentality is the necessity of the church to side with the (..politically correct...causes-my substitution for Sananistas vs.Contras.)
Sentimentality is "the family that prays together stays together." Without God, without the One whose death on the cross challenges all our "good feelings," who stands beyond and over against our human anxieties, all we have left is sentiment, the saccharine residue of theism is demise."
2. A second enemy is LETTING THE WORLD DEFINE THE CHURCH; or accepting conventional definitions of the church.
If the church accepts thevalues of our rotten culture, then (and I quote again:)
"(The) church will be a source of conventional, socially acceptable answers, a place to reiterate what everybody already knows, even without the church. We shall die, not from crucifixion, but from boredom. (We- especially pastors are conditioned) "to think in terms of what the church can do to help people- but within parameters set by a society that does not know God. In that myopic world view, solutions to what ails us will be petty. WHAT SORT OF COMMUNITY WOULD WE HAVE TO BE TO BE THE SORT OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE BY OUR CONVICTIONS?"
3. A third enemy of the church named by Hauerwas and Willimon isUNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS:
We try to make the church whatever WE thinkit ought to be, or what we think the WORLD wants it to be to meet their perceived needs. Hauerwas and Willimon are speaking especially of pastors, but this truth applies to us all. We must focus in onwhat GOD wants us to do, and then we find we have peace with Him, andwith ourselves! Listen to what they say about pastors, and see if there is an application for you in this enemy of "UnrealisticExpectations":
"Pastors come to despise what they are and hate the community that made them that way. Because the church is not a place to worship God, but rather a therapeutic center for the meeting of one another's unchecked, unexamined needs, the pastor is exhausted. Only a few months into his or her first pastorate the new pastor realizes that people's needs are virtually limitless, particularly in an affluent society in which there is an ever-rising threshold of desire (which we define as "need." There is no job description, no clear sense of purpose other than the meeting of people's needs, so there is no possible way for the pastor to limit what people ask of the pastor. Not knowing what they should do pastors try to do everything and be everything for everybody. The most conscientious among them become exhausted and empty. The laziest of them merely withdraw into disinterested detachment. Not knowing why their pastor is there, the congregation expects the pastor to be and do everything. They become unrealistic critics of the clergy rather than co-workers, fellow truth tellers." Self hatred is inevitable in someone who feels abused, prostituted, unfairly criticized. The burden of being a generally good person, open and available to people of unbounded need is too great for anybody to bear. Self-hate and loneliness result. "
The quotes are from the book-- Resident Aliens, now probably ancient history - but still very relevent. Willimon is now a United Methodist bishop....
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
A Birthright Nazarene's Concern...
I have a deep concern- a heartache that at times is almost physical- for the future of my birthright denomination, the Church of the Nazarene. Call it the ravings and whining of an old man if you like, but what I feel is what I feel—I feel sometimes that my church has changed and left me somewhere.
There is no way we could roll back the clock to a simpler time, with clear-cut lines of demarcation between the way Christians lived and believed and the “worldly people” who were as yet unsaved. Those lines in many instances were also culturally drawn, until the motivation for lifestyles could be blurred. All too often in the evangelical Christian community we looked at appearances: to be Christian was to do this and not to do that.
Our understanding of holiness as an experience may have been at times naïve, or poorly presented. But there was at the heart of that experience a reality that called us to give up our center to God; to make unreserved covenant with a loving, holy Father. We were told something was ‘eradicated’ or that the body of sin, which was like a corpse tied to a criminal, was now removed, or that we needed to ‘die like a dog under the back porch.’ But in the sometimes crude descriptions or ‘holiness or hell’ sermons somehow we got the message that there was more to being fully saved than living in bondage to sin; we got the message that not only the guilt and penalty of sin was removed at Calvary, but provision has been made for the power of sin to be broken, and a life of commitment to God is possible.
It is that commitment- that covenant that stands at the heart of what our denomination desperately needs. In all the celebration, and excitement and cultural awareness and ‘seeker sensitivity’ there is a note that needs to be sounded: we are being called to die to self, to forever abandon the selfish way, to respond to a proposition from a Lover who asks us to trust Him to be our all in all. The narrow way is not a celebration at first, but it is the only way.
In our Nazarene hymnals (remember hymnals??) on page 484 is a modern-but-accurate ‘translation’ of a prayer John Wesley used . It begins “I am not my own but Yours…” It is very like vows we might use in a wedding ceremony-- a once for all promise to be true and faithful, mutually exchanged—a covenant! That is what holiness is- a mutual covenant with a loving God. When we are in covenant with God the battle becomes His battle- the work is His work- the praise is His.
More later—maybe…
There is no way we could roll back the clock to a simpler time, with clear-cut lines of demarcation between the way Christians lived and believed and the “worldly people” who were as yet unsaved. Those lines in many instances were also culturally drawn, until the motivation for lifestyles could be blurred. All too often in the evangelical Christian community we looked at appearances: to be Christian was to do this and not to do that.
Our understanding of holiness as an experience may have been at times naïve, or poorly presented. But there was at the heart of that experience a reality that called us to give up our center to God; to make unreserved covenant with a loving, holy Father. We were told something was ‘eradicated’ or that the body of sin, which was like a corpse tied to a criminal, was now removed, or that we needed to ‘die like a dog under the back porch.’ But in the sometimes crude descriptions or ‘holiness or hell’ sermons somehow we got the message that there was more to being fully saved than living in bondage to sin; we got the message that not only the guilt and penalty of sin was removed at Calvary, but provision has been made for the power of sin to be broken, and a life of commitment to God is possible.
It is that commitment- that covenant that stands at the heart of what our denomination desperately needs. In all the celebration, and excitement and cultural awareness and ‘seeker sensitivity’ there is a note that needs to be sounded: we are being called to die to self, to forever abandon the selfish way, to respond to a proposition from a Lover who asks us to trust Him to be our all in all. The narrow way is not a celebration at first, but it is the only way.
In our Nazarene hymnals (remember hymnals??) on page 484 is a modern-but-accurate ‘translation’ of a prayer John Wesley used . It begins “I am not my own but Yours…” It is very like vows we might use in a wedding ceremony-- a once for all promise to be true and faithful, mutually exchanged—a covenant! That is what holiness is- a mutual covenant with a loving God. When we are in covenant with God the battle becomes His battle- the work is His work- the praise is His.
More later—maybe…
Thursday, September 27, 2007
"Don't You Know There's a War On?"
The Armor of God
Ephesians 6:10-24
This familiar territory is always good for spiritualapplication. But that is just the problem. We often "retreat into spirituality"here. We describe the ancient soldier's armor, and think we haveunderstood what this passage is all about. These words are much, muchmore than a stroll through a museum, looking at antique armor. This isa very practical message. It speaks to life as it is lived in 2007,and not just as it was in 87 A.D., when perhaps it was written. It isconcerned with human struggle, and not just "spiritual matters."
I. CASUALTIES OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE
1. I see an all-out young Christian; full of fire and enthusiasm--sets his church on fire (D----- A-----) part FIRE and part enthusiasmof youth-being-converted-to-a-cause. Then there is FLAMEOUT. Perhapsdisillusionment with older Christians; perhaps getting caught up inso-called intellectual questions. For all practical purposes no goodto God or the kingdom of God.
2. I recall a solid, sincere Christian at a Christian college; never awild party-er; good testimony; becomes a well-paid specialist in ahigh-paying profession; becomes rich in this world's goods, andtotally LOST to the kingdom of God. 3. I recall more than one or twosolid, talented pastors; gifted, charismatic (in the "old" sense ofthe word.) Become successful-- become lustful, or greedy, or both--and they FALL, and they take an untold toll when they fall. It is hardto compare casualties like this with much more graphic casualties ofphysical warfare. It is easy to assume that I am being parochial, andexaggerating; to assume that I am a Nazarene pastor who is jealous forthe Nazarene ministry-- and there well may be an element of that! ButI am desperately concerned and troubled that the Christians I serve,the sphere of influence where my voice is heard realize theseriousness, the all-out nature of this spiritual warfare: AND THAT WEREALIZE THE ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES OF WINNING OR LOSING THIS WARFARE!
II. POINTS OF ATTACK IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE
The passage is usually approached with a detailed description of theancient armor. Even now it makes me think of VBS, and sincere ladies,and little paper armor sets stuck on easels.
But Paul was describing real dangers. He was talking about GUT SHOTS,and HEART SHOTS, and FOOT SHOTS in this spiritual warfare. Each pieceof armor is connected with some aspect of integrity of obedience, andthe admonition is: "You need it ALL!"
LOINS GIRT WITH TRUTH
I think of people who never go beyond living a role: living as theythink others expect them to live; living as though appearances weremore important than reality.
[It isn't that appearances are NOT important. But what a person is onthe inside is ALL-IMPORTANT!]
What really counts is a LIVING, GROWING RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUSCHRIST! [(6:14) Integrity over our "loins." The "vitals" which theJews called "splangna." Where our GUTS come in-- "stomach" for afight.]
And so one day the pressure is on, and the enemy strikes, and deep inthe "innards" is the sinking feeling: "I NEVER REALLY HONESTLY FACEDWHO I AM, AND WHO CHRIST WANTED ME TO BE!"
BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
I think, also, of people who never want to make an all-out break withsin. They try to avoid the gross and obvious sins-- but they excusethe so-called "little sins;" or they compromise on principles. Ifanything takes the HEART out of holy living it is trying to live oversin; to rationalize fudging on all-out commitment. We are DEAD if weare not right with God and walking in all the light we have. We aregravely mistaken if we think otherwise.
And so when the battle is joined it doesn't take long for an enemydart to strike through the heart. It doesn't make sense to join God'skingdom in wartime, and not protect your heart.
FEET SHOD WITH PREPARATION
We make a joke of people who shoot themselves in the foot. It is theshorthand way of talking about "clumsy." But a soldier who is shot inthe foot is helpless in the long run. He or she can only go whereothers may carry; and we aren't going to make the long haul unless weare prepared.
Taking care of your feet isn't very glamorous but it is one of thebig things in a foot soldier's training. And it is one of the bigthings in this warfare to the death!
THE SHIELD OF FAITH
No one is perfect. We don't win battles because we are so strong orso invulnerable-- but because we follow Jesus and OBEY. But therewill be weaknesses in our preparation; there will be areas ofemotional stress, or bitter disappointment, or failure of friends, orany other of a thousand things to all but overwhelm.
THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A "WEAKNESS SHOT"
-- where the enemy, who knows your weakness, too-- shoots at you whereyou are the most vulnerable. With the rest of the armor, faith makesus able to quench
ALL the fiery darts. Faith doesn't work right when used alone. Faithis a "completer" of body armor. When we have truth and righteousnessand preparation and salvation as best we know, our human weakness isprotected by this shield of faith.
THE HELMET OF SALVATION
There will be questions that we cannot answer. Jesus is NOTanti-question! But being FINITE, we will come up against facts andconcepts that shake us. I'm thankful for the way Jesus handledThomas. There is no substitute for being a personal student ofProfessor Jesus! Being in His Presence, knowing HIS assurance, helpsus through the mind-boggling questions of life.
And, as we shall see in a moment: PRAYER IS WHAT MAKES IT ALL GO!
III. THE BATTLE JOINED
A. A Wartime Mind-Set: We can never simply live as if it were not so!It is difficult to explain what it was like during WWII when thefuture of civilization as we knew it hung in the balance. I'm surethere were vast distortions, but I truly believed that the Nazis andthe Japanese warlords threatened all that was sacred and safe. I wasalso convinced that winning the war would take God's help PLUS all wecould do. "Loose lips sink ships!" "Buy War Bonds"
Paul is reminding the Ephesians that there is a Titanic struggle goingon in the Universe between good and evil.
B. The Great Sweep of the Battle-Field:
That struggle for some reason centers in the battle for thepersonality of men and women.
It isn't that we are intrinsically so valuable; for some reason Godhas made His people the showcase for three watching worlds. But as faras you and I are concerned, this warfare has eternal consequences. Wehave everything to gain, heaven, and eternal growth and fulfillment,and divine fellowship; and we have everything to lose, with eternaldarkness and separation and memory-- an eternity without God and hopethat we call hell.'
That struggle is also for some reason limited to this period of mortallife here in time and space. It may seem strange to you, but I do NOTthink it is necessary to be "experts on the opposition." There arethose who sensationalize, and make a great deal of satanic power, andthe powers of darkness. Suffice it to say that the enemy is
wise beyond human wisdom dark world New Age(awareness, basically) (mysteries again) But there
are some important things we should remember about the enemy in thiswar to the finish:
a. he is not as wise as he would have us think
b. he is already defeated
c. and God is always working "both sides of the street" when you aredoing His will; Moses was afraid because he was weak-- and then herealized God was with him; what he may NOT have realized was that Godwas working in Pharaoh's life just as much; and when the Bible saysGod hardened Pharaoh's heart it doesn't mean God didn't love Pharaoh,it simply meant that NOBODY resists God with impunity--and God iseither USING you right now-- OR HE IS HARDENING YOUR HEART!
C. Your place, and mine, in this spiritual warfare: It is easy to getour eyes on to the "dramatic" and look for exorcisms and spectacularmiracles. But real life usually is trench warfare; the battle is wonby letting Jesus keep us sweet when the pressure is on, and by lovingwhen it is easier to be spiteful and mean. It is better to be simplein faith and obedient, than to be very wise in the ways of the enemywithout the power of God.4- (6:13) The idea is to fight the good fightand to be faithful!
There are TWO VITAL ITEMS that we have not yet talked about in thiswarfare.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
(6:17) The Spirit sword - The "cutting edge" is being used of theSpirit. It is not that we are so wise, and know how to wield thesword, although God has a hard time bringing OUT for use what we havenever allowed Him to PUT IN. But if we live with the Word, and if wesay "Use me, Lord!" the marvelous thing about it is-- He will!
And the other item, the absolutely most indispensable item is
PRAYER IN THE SPIRIT!
(6:18) Prayer is what makes it all go.
Every army travels on its stomach. When an army starves it cannotfight any longer. When communications are broken off withheadquarters it is easily surrounded and destroyed. Prayer is wherewe maintain contact; receive orders; are kept strong; it is absolutelyvital.
Conclusion:
We're in this warfare "for the duration!" As long as it takes!
We can get occupied with the "dramatic aspects" of opposition-- the"conspiracy" revelations; but remember, actually we are more in dangerof being swallowed alive by simple, old-fashioned selfishness, greed,insensitivity, and prayerlessness.
If PAUL needed the prayers of the people-- this great giant of aChristian-- then we all need the prayers of one another!
The mentality of a bomber pilot flying missions: I do as I'm told-- Itake my place; I don't have to survive-- I have to be faithful!
Ephesians 6:10-24
This familiar territory is always good for spiritualapplication. But that is just the problem. We often "retreat into spirituality"here. We describe the ancient soldier's armor, and think we haveunderstood what this passage is all about. These words are much, muchmore than a stroll through a museum, looking at antique armor. This isa very practical message. It speaks to life as it is lived in 2007,and not just as it was in 87 A.D., when perhaps it was written. It isconcerned with human struggle, and not just "spiritual matters."
I. CASUALTIES OF SPIRITUAL WARFARE
1. I see an all-out young Christian; full of fire and enthusiasm--sets his church on fire (D----- A-----) part FIRE and part enthusiasmof youth-being-converted-to-a-cause. Then there is FLAMEOUT. Perhapsdisillusionment with older Christians; perhaps getting caught up inso-called intellectual questions. For all practical purposes no goodto God or the kingdom of God.
2. I recall a solid, sincere Christian at a Christian college; never awild party-er; good testimony; becomes a well-paid specialist in ahigh-paying profession; becomes rich in this world's goods, andtotally LOST to the kingdom of God. 3. I recall more than one or twosolid, talented pastors; gifted, charismatic (in the "old" sense ofthe word.) Become successful-- become lustful, or greedy, or both--and they FALL, and they take an untold toll when they fall. It is hardto compare casualties like this with much more graphic casualties ofphysical warfare. It is easy to assume that I am being parochial, andexaggerating; to assume that I am a Nazarene pastor who is jealous forthe Nazarene ministry-- and there well may be an element of that! ButI am desperately concerned and troubled that the Christians I serve,the sphere of influence where my voice is heard realize theseriousness, the all-out nature of this spiritual warfare: AND THAT WEREALIZE THE ETERNAL CONSEQUENCES OF WINNING OR LOSING THIS WARFARE!
II. POINTS OF ATTACK IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE
The passage is usually approached with a detailed description of theancient armor. Even now it makes me think of VBS, and sincere ladies,and little paper armor sets stuck on easels.
But Paul was describing real dangers. He was talking about GUT SHOTS,and HEART SHOTS, and FOOT SHOTS in this spiritual warfare. Each pieceof armor is connected with some aspect of integrity of obedience, andthe admonition is: "You need it ALL!"
LOINS GIRT WITH TRUTH
I think of people who never go beyond living a role: living as theythink others expect them to live; living as though appearances weremore important than reality.
[It isn't that appearances are NOT important. But what a person is onthe inside is ALL-IMPORTANT!]
What really counts is a LIVING, GROWING RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUSCHRIST! [(6:14) Integrity over our "loins." The "vitals" which theJews called "splangna." Where our GUTS come in-- "stomach" for afight.]
And so one day the pressure is on, and the enemy strikes, and deep inthe "innards" is the sinking feeling: "I NEVER REALLY HONESTLY FACEDWHO I AM, AND WHO CHRIST WANTED ME TO BE!"
BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
I think, also, of people who never want to make an all-out break withsin. They try to avoid the gross and obvious sins-- but they excusethe so-called "little sins;" or they compromise on principles. Ifanything takes the HEART out of holy living it is trying to live oversin; to rationalize fudging on all-out commitment. We are DEAD if weare not right with God and walking in all the light we have. We aregravely mistaken if we think otherwise.
And so when the battle is joined it doesn't take long for an enemydart to strike through the heart. It doesn't make sense to join God'skingdom in wartime, and not protect your heart.
FEET SHOD WITH PREPARATION
We make a joke of people who shoot themselves in the foot. It is theshorthand way of talking about "clumsy." But a soldier who is shot inthe foot is helpless in the long run. He or she can only go whereothers may carry; and we aren't going to make the long haul unless weare prepared.
Taking care of your feet isn't very glamorous but it is one of thebig things in a foot soldier's training. And it is one of the bigthings in this warfare to the death!
THE SHIELD OF FAITH
No one is perfect. We don't win battles because we are so strong orso invulnerable-- but because we follow Jesus and OBEY. But therewill be weaknesses in our preparation; there will be areas ofemotional stress, or bitter disappointment, or failure of friends, orany other of a thousand things to all but overwhelm.
THERE IS SUCH A THING AS A "WEAKNESS SHOT"
-- where the enemy, who knows your weakness, too-- shoots at you whereyou are the most vulnerable. With the rest of the armor, faith makesus able to quench
ALL the fiery darts. Faith doesn't work right when used alone. Faithis a "completer" of body armor. When we have truth and righteousnessand preparation and salvation as best we know, our human weakness isprotected by this shield of faith.
THE HELMET OF SALVATION
There will be questions that we cannot answer. Jesus is NOTanti-question! But being FINITE, we will come up against facts andconcepts that shake us. I'm thankful for the way Jesus handledThomas. There is no substitute for being a personal student ofProfessor Jesus! Being in His Presence, knowing HIS assurance, helpsus through the mind-boggling questions of life.
And, as we shall see in a moment: PRAYER IS WHAT MAKES IT ALL GO!
III. THE BATTLE JOINED
A. A Wartime Mind-Set: We can never simply live as if it were not so!It is difficult to explain what it was like during WWII when thefuture of civilization as we knew it hung in the balance. I'm surethere were vast distortions, but I truly believed that the Nazis andthe Japanese warlords threatened all that was sacred and safe. I wasalso convinced that winning the war would take God's help PLUS all wecould do. "Loose lips sink ships!" "Buy War Bonds"
Paul is reminding the Ephesians that there is a Titanic struggle goingon in the Universe between good and evil.
B. The Great Sweep of the Battle-Field:
That struggle for some reason centers in the battle for thepersonality of men and women.
It isn't that we are intrinsically so valuable; for some reason Godhas made His people the showcase for three watching worlds. But as faras you and I are concerned, this warfare has eternal consequences. Wehave everything to gain, heaven, and eternal growth and fulfillment,and divine fellowship; and we have everything to lose, with eternaldarkness and separation and memory-- an eternity without God and hopethat we call hell.'
That struggle is also for some reason limited to this period of mortallife here in time and space. It may seem strange to you, but I do NOTthink it is necessary to be "experts on the opposition." There arethose who sensationalize, and make a great deal of satanic power, andthe powers of darkness. Suffice it to say that the enemy is
wise beyond human wisdom dark world New Age(awareness, basically) (mysteries again) But there
are some important things we should remember about the enemy in thiswar to the finish:
a. he is not as wise as he would have us think
b. he is already defeated
c. and God is always working "both sides of the street" when you aredoing His will; Moses was afraid because he was weak-- and then herealized God was with him; what he may NOT have realized was that Godwas working in Pharaoh's life just as much; and when the Bible saysGod hardened Pharaoh's heart it doesn't mean God didn't love Pharaoh,it simply meant that NOBODY resists God with impunity--and God iseither USING you right now-- OR HE IS HARDENING YOUR HEART!
C. Your place, and mine, in this spiritual warfare: It is easy to getour eyes on to the "dramatic" and look for exorcisms and spectacularmiracles. But real life usually is trench warfare; the battle is wonby letting Jesus keep us sweet when the pressure is on, and by lovingwhen it is easier to be spiteful and mean. It is better to be simplein faith and obedient, than to be very wise in the ways of the enemywithout the power of God.4- (6:13) The idea is to fight the good fightand to be faithful!
There are TWO VITAL ITEMS that we have not yet talked about in thiswarfare.
THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT
(6:17) The Spirit sword - The "cutting edge" is being used of theSpirit. It is not that we are so wise, and know how to wield thesword, although God has a hard time bringing OUT for use what we havenever allowed Him to PUT IN. But if we live with the Word, and if wesay "Use me, Lord!" the marvelous thing about it is-- He will!
And the other item, the absolutely most indispensable item is
PRAYER IN THE SPIRIT!
(6:18) Prayer is what makes it all go.
Every army travels on its stomach. When an army starves it cannotfight any longer. When communications are broken off withheadquarters it is easily surrounded and destroyed. Prayer is wherewe maintain contact; receive orders; are kept strong; it is absolutelyvital.
Conclusion:
We're in this warfare "for the duration!" As long as it takes!
We can get occupied with the "dramatic aspects" of opposition-- the"conspiracy" revelations; but remember, actually we are more in dangerof being swallowed alive by simple, old-fashioned selfishness, greed,insensitivity, and prayerlessness.
If PAUL needed the prayers of the people-- this great giant of aChristian-- then we all need the prayers of one another!
The mentality of a bomber pilot flying missions: I do as I'm told-- Itake my place; I don't have to survive-- I have to be faithful!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Ways to Personal Knowledge of Jesus
It was the first Easter Sunday.................................
A STORY OF FAITH
John 20:9 He saw and believed.
The seeds of life had been sown.
Wonderful, living words.
Wonderful loving deeds.
The seeds fell on warm hearts and cold hearts.
They fell on good ground and stony ground.
And there the seeds of life waited.
Now the Sower was gone.
All of a sudden it was winter,
It was night,
And it had never been this dark, this bleak,
Ever, ever before.
Then, suddenly the Sun came up,
And it was springtime.
Some of the seeds began to feel the stirrings of life.
Some of the seeds knew they must respond.
The WORD was calling them to LIFE!
BELIEVING WITHOUT WORDS
The first person to believe in the Risen Savior was John the Beloved. His coming to this living faith is stated in just four words. He saw and believed. (8)
John is modest to a fault. He never calls himself by name throughout the book. But he does not deny what happened in his heart when he looked into the empty tomb. He had not yet even seen the risen Jesus. That would come later, and John would meet Jesus again and again. John's vision of the glorified and risen Jesus would finally surpass every vision, at least until we all behold Him face to face.
But that first beginning is recorded so simply that it is easy to pass over as insignificant. John saw and John believed.
John saw what? The empty tomb. The empty grave clothes. And that was all John needed. He remembered Jesus had said, "I will rise again the third day!" He remembered Jesus had said, "I will not leave you comfortless!" The seed has been planted in pure and fertile soil, and a miracle took place: John believed! That was it! Mary's revelation is so much more dramatic. A sinner, a notorious sinner, she was the first to see the Savior! But John was good ground. The seed had lodged well.
John stands for millions of believers who have been implanted with the Good Seed of the Gospel before they ever came to rebellion, or before they knew enough to doubt.
John stands for many who know that Jesus is alive long before they reach the age of full understanding.
John stands for those who are so inclined to believe in Jesus that they know even before they know HOW they know! And never despise such faith! It will mature. It will be tested. It will have its revelations.
John was first!
FAITH IN THE GARDEN
The first person to see the risen Savior was a woman. She was without doubt a remarkable woman, with a strong character that had been refined and prepared for faith by the redeeming grace of Jesus. Her past keeps coming back to us; when she first met the Nazarene she had been possessed of seven devils. Jesus had set her free, and she
had been a part of the faithful few that went all the way to the cross with Him.
But after the crucifixion Mary came to a dead stop. Her life was totally ircumscribed by a visible, tangible Authority. She would gladly have died for Him, but she had not fully grasped how He had died for her! Her hope was in a living Messiah. And she had seen Him die on a cross.
She loved Him so much she wanted to go as far as she could in showing Him respect and honor. But all the words He had spoken, and all the things He had done were history now. Except that she still was free of the demons.
She went to honor a dead Jesus, but she went with love. And the hunger and cry and aching of her heart were answered in a way she never could have imagined. It is one of the most beautiful scenes in all holy writ.
Jesus, Himself, came to the Garden where she was. He came near and spoke her name. "Mary!" And within her the dormant seed of faith sprang to life!
"Master!"
Mary stands for the millions who have come to faith through love of a Christ they have been seeking. Perhaps we all have sought in the wrong places at times for Jesus. It may be that we have "supposed" and have almost mistaken the truth in the error of our suppositions. And then the living, risen Savior has spoken our name! I know you! And you know Me, too!
Mary stands for those who go looking with love for the Master.
FAITH THAT CAME IN TIME
It was a different kind of 'coming to faith' that John used for the very climax of his Gospel.
Thomas was a man who missed church on the first Easter Sunday. Perhaps if he had been there it might have been different. But it wouldn't have been so good for you and me if we didn't know this story of Thomas.
Thomas seemed to be that sort of person who is cursed with a gloomy outlook on life But at the same time he seemed to be as honest as he knew how to be.
Remember how at a time late in Jesus' ministry when Jesus said He was going to Jerusalem, and the other disciples tried to tell Jesus not to go, that it was dangerous? Remember who spoke up, and what he said? It was Thomas who said, "Well, let's go with Him and die!" He loved Jesus enough to follow Him even when he, Thomas, thought He was probably wrong!
Anyway, Thomas didn't see, so he wouldn't believe. I get the idea that Thomas didn't dare to try to believe, because he didn't want to be disappointed again. And besides, Thomas couldn't see how things had changed. They were still a powerless little band of outsiders in their society.
Thomas represents honest doubt. Thomas stands for millions who have been persuaded that all religions are made of smoke and mirrors and that believing in an unseen God probably is delusion. (Who was it that said an agnostic is a person with no invisible means of support?)
Thomas would like Jesus to prove to him personally that He is relevent in a hostile world.
One thing comes through in this story. Jesus really loved Thomas. He may have been stubborn. He may have been unable to join in the celebration because he couldn't believe what he hadn't seen. Jesus still loved Thomas.
And Jesus found Thomas. And when Jesus came to where Thomas was,the arguments Thomas had insisted he would make were never made!
"Come, put your hand in my side!", said the Savior. Thomas never did! Instead he fell to his knees. The seed of faith sprang to life!
"My Lord and my God!" said Thomas.
It is a wonderful thing to know the story of Jesus. It is a wonderful thing to come to love Him and to believe in Him as the Christ of the Bible. Jesus said that the Good News of the Gospel is the Seed of Life, and to know about Jesus is to receive that seed into
the heart.
But it is an infinitely more wonderful thing to believe! To believe, to be persuaded deep in one's heart that Christ is alive, and to make Him our own personal Lord and Savior.
Believing, in this sense, does not come from knowing more and more. Believing does not come by winning arguments, or human understanding. Believing comes when people meet the risen Jesus!
A church where Jesus is alive can be a place where Jesus meets with people, and brings the seeds of faith to life. A heart where Jesus lives can take the risen Savior to neighbors at school or in the work place. God help you and me to let the living Savior shine through our lives!
Whether we are like John, or like Mary, or like Thomas, if we will let Him, Jesus will come to where we are. He will speak the word that calls our seeking to a living faith: we can believe!
Now the Sower was gone.
All of a sudden it was winter,
It was night,
And it had never been this dark, this bleak,
Ever, ever before.
Then, suddenly the Sun came up,
And it was springtime.
Some of the seeds began to feel the stirrings of life.
Some of the seeds knew they must respond.
The WORD was calling them to LIFE!
A STORY OF FAITH
John 20:9 He saw and believed.
The seeds of life had been sown.
Wonderful, living words.
Wonderful loving deeds.
The seeds fell on warm hearts and cold hearts.
They fell on good ground and stony ground.
And there the seeds of life waited.
Now the Sower was gone.
All of a sudden it was winter,
It was night,
And it had never been this dark, this bleak,
Ever, ever before.
Then, suddenly the Sun came up,
And it was springtime.
Some of the seeds began to feel the stirrings of life.
Some of the seeds knew they must respond.
The WORD was calling them to LIFE!
BELIEVING WITHOUT WORDS
The first person to believe in the Risen Savior was John the Beloved. His coming to this living faith is stated in just four words. He saw and believed. (8)
John is modest to a fault. He never calls himself by name throughout the book. But he does not deny what happened in his heart when he looked into the empty tomb. He had not yet even seen the risen Jesus. That would come later, and John would meet Jesus again and again. John's vision of the glorified and risen Jesus would finally surpass every vision, at least until we all behold Him face to face.
But that first beginning is recorded so simply that it is easy to pass over as insignificant. John saw and John believed.
John saw what? The empty tomb. The empty grave clothes. And that was all John needed. He remembered Jesus had said, "I will rise again the third day!" He remembered Jesus had said, "I will not leave you comfortless!" The seed has been planted in pure and fertile soil, and a miracle took place: John believed! That was it! Mary's revelation is so much more dramatic. A sinner, a notorious sinner, she was the first to see the Savior! But John was good ground. The seed had lodged well.
John stands for millions of believers who have been implanted with the Good Seed of the Gospel before they ever came to rebellion, or before they knew enough to doubt.
John stands for many who know that Jesus is alive long before they reach the age of full understanding.
John stands for those who are so inclined to believe in Jesus that they know even before they know HOW they know! And never despise such faith! It will mature. It will be tested. It will have its revelations.
John was first!
FAITH IN THE GARDEN
The first person to see the risen Savior was a woman. She was without doubt a remarkable woman, with a strong character that had been refined and prepared for faith by the redeeming grace of Jesus. Her past keeps coming back to us; when she first met the Nazarene she had been possessed of seven devils. Jesus had set her free, and she
had been a part of the faithful few that went all the way to the cross with Him.
But after the crucifixion Mary came to a dead stop. Her life was totally ircumscribed by a visible, tangible Authority. She would gladly have died for Him, but she had not fully grasped how He had died for her! Her hope was in a living Messiah. And she had seen Him die on a cross.
She loved Him so much she wanted to go as far as she could in showing Him respect and honor. But all the words He had spoken, and all the things He had done were history now. Except that she still was free of the demons.
She went to honor a dead Jesus, but she went with love. And the hunger and cry and aching of her heart were answered in a way she never could have imagined. It is one of the most beautiful scenes in all holy writ.
Jesus, Himself, came to the Garden where she was. He came near and spoke her name. "Mary!" And within her the dormant seed of faith sprang to life!
"Master!"
Mary stands for the millions who have come to faith through love of a Christ they have been seeking. Perhaps we all have sought in the wrong places at times for Jesus. It may be that we have "supposed" and have almost mistaken the truth in the error of our suppositions. And then the living, risen Savior has spoken our name! I know you! And you know Me, too!
Mary stands for those who go looking with love for the Master.
FAITH THAT CAME IN TIME
It was a different kind of 'coming to faith' that John used for the very climax of his Gospel.
Thomas was a man who missed church on the first Easter Sunday. Perhaps if he had been there it might have been different. But it wouldn't have been so good for you and me if we didn't know this story of Thomas.
Thomas seemed to be that sort of person who is cursed with a gloomy outlook on life But at the same time he seemed to be as honest as he knew how to be.
Remember how at a time late in Jesus' ministry when Jesus said He was going to Jerusalem, and the other disciples tried to tell Jesus not to go, that it was dangerous? Remember who spoke up, and what he said? It was Thomas who said, "Well, let's go with Him and die!" He loved Jesus enough to follow Him even when he, Thomas, thought He was probably wrong!
Anyway, Thomas didn't see, so he wouldn't believe. I get the idea that Thomas didn't dare to try to believe, because he didn't want to be disappointed again. And besides, Thomas couldn't see how things had changed. They were still a powerless little band of outsiders in their society.
Thomas represents honest doubt. Thomas stands for millions who have been persuaded that all religions are made of smoke and mirrors and that believing in an unseen God probably is delusion. (Who was it that said an agnostic is a person with no invisible means of support?)
Thomas would like Jesus to prove to him personally that He is relevent in a hostile world.
One thing comes through in this story. Jesus really loved Thomas. He may have been stubborn. He may have been unable to join in the celebration because he couldn't believe what he hadn't seen. Jesus still loved Thomas.
And Jesus found Thomas. And when Jesus came to where Thomas was,the arguments Thomas had insisted he would make were never made!
"Come, put your hand in my side!", said the Savior. Thomas never did! Instead he fell to his knees. The seed of faith sprang to life!
"My Lord and my God!" said Thomas.
It is a wonderful thing to know the story of Jesus. It is a wonderful thing to come to love Him and to believe in Him as the Christ of the Bible. Jesus said that the Good News of the Gospel is the Seed of Life, and to know about Jesus is to receive that seed into
the heart.
But it is an infinitely more wonderful thing to believe! To believe, to be persuaded deep in one's heart that Christ is alive, and to make Him our own personal Lord and Savior.
Believing, in this sense, does not come from knowing more and more. Believing does not come by winning arguments, or human understanding. Believing comes when people meet the risen Jesus!
A church where Jesus is alive can be a place where Jesus meets with people, and brings the seeds of faith to life. A heart where Jesus lives can take the risen Savior to neighbors at school or in the work place. God help you and me to let the living Savior shine through our lives!
Whether we are like John, or like Mary, or like Thomas, if we will let Him, Jesus will come to where we are. He will speak the word that calls our seeking to a living faith: we can believe!
Now the Sower was gone.
All of a sudden it was winter,
It was night,
And it had never been this dark, this bleak,
Ever, ever before.
Then, suddenly the Sun came up,
And it was springtime.
Some of the seeds began to feel the stirrings of life.
Some of the seeds knew they must respond.
The WORD was calling them to LIFE!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
My Heart Cry...
Do you believe a moving of the Holy Spirit in history-changing revival is possible in our sceptical, self-wise, divided world today? A revival that is not programmed or planned, and that does not glorify any group or personality, but glorifies Jesus? Can we see our sons and daughters turn to God and make and keep copvenant with Him?
Such a moving of the Spirit would be in response to prayer, but not the cause-and-effect of merit earned, or grace deserved. How can we pray with power for this moving of the Spirit? Maybe we already are! But in twos and threes and in unashamed prayer meetings in churches of many denominations the cry for help is beginning- continuing!
If we sow to the Spirit we will reap! (Galatians 6:7-9) There are more people in church each Sunday in our nation, as needy as it is—more people than in all the football and baseball games!! We are NOT a minority!! The little church with 45 worshipers, multiplied by thousands, along with the larger churches add up in numbers. Yes, numbers, of themselves, may not mean a lot. But if we unite in prayer—just asking the Prince of Peace to come! Come in his own way, but come! By His Spirit he will convict and convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and judgment to come!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner! Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on our war-torn, hate-riven world. Lord Jesus Christ, send your Spirit, and grant a revival! To the glory of the Father, Amen!
Such a moving of the Spirit would be in response to prayer, but not the cause-and-effect of merit earned, or grace deserved. How can we pray with power for this moving of the Spirit? Maybe we already are! But in twos and threes and in unashamed prayer meetings in churches of many denominations the cry for help is beginning- continuing!
If we sow to the Spirit we will reap! (Galatians 6:7-9) There are more people in church each Sunday in our nation, as needy as it is—more people than in all the football and baseball games!! We are NOT a minority!! The little church with 45 worshipers, multiplied by thousands, along with the larger churches add up in numbers. Yes, numbers, of themselves, may not mean a lot. But if we unite in prayer—just asking the Prince of Peace to come! Come in his own way, but come! By His Spirit he will convict and convince the world of sin, and of righteousness, and judgment to come!
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner! Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on our war-torn, hate-riven world. Lord Jesus Christ, send your Spirit, and grant a revival! To the glory of the Father, Amen!
Thursday, September 13, 2007
The WORD of God
I have a big problem when someone declares 'God told me this' or 'THIS is what God is saying to you.' It is a very serious thing to speak for God- TO SAY THIS IS GOD'S WORD ! Just what IS God's Word? What do we mean by "The Word of the Lord" ?? Just where is the word of the Lord?
The Bible? Certainly! It is the written word. But the Bible does not save us from our sins. In John 5:39 Jesus says "Search the scriptures, for in them ye THINK ye have eternal life, and they are they that testify of ME!" So as we read the Bible and hear its message we become acquainted with the story of Jesus; we believe we come to know HIM.
Jesus Christ! Absolutely! Jesus alone is the LIVING Word sent down from heaven. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the WORD!" We talk about mystery when we think of Jesus dwelling in us! The 'Message" of God's love has reached where we are . . .we 'know' Jesus--we are coming to know Him.
But thye fact is that most people do not read the Bible- and most people do not consciously invite Jesus to be a part of their lives.
Colossians 3:16 says: "LET THE WORD DWELL IN YOU RICHLY"
The Word of God in the CHURCH? In YOU? In ME? Yes- the Word of God also resides corporately and individually in the Body of Christ. The written Word and the living Word speak to us, and when we worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ--when we are tuned in in prayer and submission and faith-- when we invite the Holy Spirit to fill us and use us--then God's people become in a very real way THE WORD OF GOD SPEAKING TO OUR WORLD.
From time to time we see God in other people. We hear God's voice. Not as they "tell us what God said for us to do"-- but in the mystery of incarnation continued through the living Body of Christ.
The Bible? Certainly! It is the written word. But the Bible does not save us from our sins. In John 5:39 Jesus says "Search the scriptures, for in them ye THINK ye have eternal life, and they are they that testify of ME!" So as we read the Bible and hear its message we become acquainted with the story of Jesus; we believe we come to know HIM.
Jesus Christ! Absolutely! Jesus alone is the LIVING Word sent down from heaven. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the WORD!" We talk about mystery when we think of Jesus dwelling in us! The 'Message" of God's love has reached where we are . . .we 'know' Jesus--we are coming to know Him.
But thye fact is that most people do not read the Bible- and most people do not consciously invite Jesus to be a part of their lives.
Colossians 3:16 says: "LET THE WORD DWELL IN YOU RICHLY"
The Word of God in the CHURCH? In YOU? In ME? Yes- the Word of God also resides corporately and individually in the Body of Christ. The written Word and the living Word speak to us, and when we worship with our brothers and sisters in Christ--when we are tuned in in prayer and submission and faith-- when we invite the Holy Spirit to fill us and use us--then God's people become in a very real way THE WORD OF GOD SPEAKING TO OUR WORLD.
From time to time we see God in other people. We hear God's voice. Not as they "tell us what God said for us to do"-- but in the mystery of incarnation continued through the living Body of Christ.
Saturday, September 8, 2007
RED SOX DOWN UNDER
Last night about 9:30 I checked my email and had a nice letter from Alison (Farmer) Clark, the daughter of our dear departed brother, Brian Farmer, and sister, Joyce Farmer of Scotland (even though they were both very much Birmingham, England, products!!). The Alan/Alison Clarks have emigrated to Australia. We consider them family.
Anyway the letter came through and Alison mentioned that at that moment her son Daniel (a high school senior) was watching the Red Sox playing the Baltgimore Oriole. So was I at that moment. (The Sox won 4-0 by the way.)
The funny thing was that it was Friday evening here, and it was Saturday afternoon, THE NEXT DAY, over there in Australia. I was thinking Daniel could know what is happening before it happens--and then realized--I have it backwards-- I should let him know today--oh well-- you see how confusing it all is??
Daniel says he wants to become a teacher, live in Quincy, Massachusetts, and haved season tickets to the Red Sox. All that is probably possible-- except the season tickets-- unless someone dies and leaves them to him.
Anyway the letter came through and Alison mentioned that at that moment her son Daniel (a high school senior) was watching the Red Sox playing the Baltgimore Oriole. So was I at that moment. (The Sox won 4-0 by the way.)
The funny thing was that it was Friday evening here, and it was Saturday afternoon, THE NEXT DAY, over there in Australia. I was thinking Daniel could know what is happening before it happens--and then realized--I have it backwards-- I should let him know today--oh well-- you see how confusing it all is??
Daniel says he wants to become a teacher, live in Quincy, Massachusetts, and haved season tickets to the Red Sox. All that is probably possible-- except the season tickets-- unless someone dies and leaves them to him.
Friday, August 31, 2007
On Growing Older
I thought the other day-- less than three-and-a-half years and I'll be entering the ninth decade of life. That's a pessimistic way of looking at 80. Growing older one can expect a number of things to happen.. and many of them are actually good. Well, some of them. What are they? I'm thinking.
Friends. Old people have their own humor. Really funny, too. You wouldn't always understand. Instant rapport with new ones sometimes- but always "old" old friends understand best. Trouble is so many of them now live in heaven. (I hope.)
Family "Family" is a big thing to me. But over the generations a family is like one of those computer-generated kalaidascope-like patterns that keep churning out unexpected loops and whorls and new turns and beauty.
When you stop to look at your place in the pattern it is easy to be overwhelmed and lose your place.
I knew my grandfather Purchis, and went fishing with him once; he gave me a shotgun when I turned 14. But I only saw him twice after I was married, and although I "loved" him he was really a stranger to me, what with the separation of miles and years. I didn't know my grandfather Metcalfe at all.
For me family love never stops, but patterns emerge and develop and old people have a place that touches the spinning circles, now intimately, then more and more remotely. We only have ONE father and ONE mother, but TWO sets of grandparents, and FOUR sets (that's 8!) great-grandparents so we never can have everyone "home" for Christmas! More's the pity!
Faith. Ask my son Mark about "pencil" "ink" and "blood." I really am into "blood." Sort of like things that are 'important to our group,' and things that are 'important beyond our group', and things that are IMPORTANT!
Funny how I still live a lot by "pencil" I suppose but I don't judge you by my rules.
It has been dawning on me that God actually loves (even) me! I can't explain a lot of things I used to "know." But I really do believe what I believe, however.
I believe in God's call to holiness. One definition of 'holiness' is simply belonging to God. Even I can do that! Belong, I mean! (See Romans 12: 1,2)
Friends. Old people have their own humor. Really funny, too. You wouldn't always understand. Instant rapport with new ones sometimes- but always "old" old friends understand best. Trouble is so many of them now live in heaven. (I hope.)
Family "Family" is a big thing to me. But over the generations a family is like one of those computer-generated kalaidascope-like patterns that keep churning out unexpected loops and whorls and new turns and beauty.
When you stop to look at your place in the pattern it is easy to be overwhelmed and lose your place.
I knew my grandfather Purchis, and went fishing with him once; he gave me a shotgun when I turned 14. But I only saw him twice after I was married, and although I "loved" him he was really a stranger to me, what with the separation of miles and years. I didn't know my grandfather Metcalfe at all.
For me family love never stops, but patterns emerge and develop and old people have a place that touches the spinning circles, now intimately, then more and more remotely. We only have ONE father and ONE mother, but TWO sets of grandparents, and FOUR sets (that's 8!) great-grandparents so we never can have everyone "home" for Christmas! More's the pity!
Faith. Ask my son Mark about "pencil" "ink" and "blood." I really am into "blood." Sort of like things that are 'important to our group,' and things that are 'important beyond our group', and things that are IMPORTANT!
Funny how I still live a lot by "pencil" I suppose but I don't judge you by my rules.
It has been dawning on me that God actually loves (even) me! I can't explain a lot of things I used to "know." But I really do believe what I believe, however.
I believe in God's call to holiness. One definition of 'holiness' is simply belonging to God. Even I can do that! Belong, I mean! (See Romans 12: 1,2)
Thursday, August 9, 2007
One Man’s Opinion of President George W. Bush
The hatred of George W. Bush is unreasonable, and approaches mob mentality. He is not always ‘right’ in his decisions, in terms of success or failure of this program or that; that does not mean he has been false in his integrity in seeking the best for his country.
As a Christian I believe it is my duty to pray for the leaders of government, local and nation and world-wide. If God could use pagan sovereigns such as Cyrus, and Darius to further his kingdom, he can rule and overrule the nations of our age in response to the prayers of his people.
George Bush publicly confesses Christ as his Lord. Repeatedly he has expressed the need for prayer. Certainly he deserves my sincere prayer support. My faith is not in him, nor in any political party. But if all the Christians who criticize would also sincerely pray for the leaders of our nation- pray for them by name- the spirit of our nation would be healed.
As a Christian I believe it is my duty to pray for the leaders of government, local and nation and world-wide. If God could use pagan sovereigns such as Cyrus, and Darius to further his kingdom, he can rule and overrule the nations of our age in response to the prayers of his people.
George Bush publicly confesses Christ as his Lord. Repeatedly he has expressed the need for prayer. Certainly he deserves my sincere prayer support. My faith is not in him, nor in any political party. But if all the Christians who criticize would also sincerely pray for the leaders of our nation- pray for them by name- the spirit of our nation would be healed.
Perspective on Being Fabulously Wealthy
I Corinthians 3 "All things are yours!" What in the world does that mean?
When we think of wealth in terms of money or fame and the other marks of our culture we tend get everything backward. The reason is we presume thatwe know what will really makes us whole, happy, fulfilled.
When we think of God and church like the culture pressures us to think we are pressured to "add faith" to our lives just in case there may be some truth to this heaven and hell stuff. We work hard so that we can retire from work.
We think of worship and beauty in worship as superfluous, and want religion that is "practical" and that "meets our needs.
"We think that "belonging wholly to Christ" is something for missionaries or for people stupid enough to be missionaries or full-time pastors or Christian college professors.
We think that really being serious about our faith must be likegoing on a diet: everything good is fattening.
But the Bible tells us that when we belong to Jesus everything good in the universe is in orbit around our best interest!
ALL THINGS ARE YOURS!
Not because in and of yourself you are so great-- but you areChrist's
and Christ is God's
and so Your work is God's work
and God'swork is your work and
Your work and worship is attended by angels...
(...from a sermon on I Corinthians 3)
When we think of wealth in terms of money or fame and the other marks of our culture we tend get everything backward. The reason is we presume thatwe know what will really makes us whole, happy, fulfilled.
When we think of God and church like the culture pressures us to think we are pressured to "add faith" to our lives just in case there may be some truth to this heaven and hell stuff. We work hard so that we can retire from work.
We think of worship and beauty in worship as superfluous, and want religion that is "practical" and that "meets our needs.
"We think that "belonging wholly to Christ" is something for missionaries or for people stupid enough to be missionaries or full-time pastors or Christian college professors.
We think that really being serious about our faith must be likegoing on a diet: everything good is fattening.
But the Bible tells us that when we belong to Jesus everything good in the universe is in orbit around our best interest!
ALL THINGS ARE YOURS!
Not because in and of yourself you are so great-- but you areChrist's
and Christ is God's
and so Your work is God's work
and God'swork is your work and
Your work and worship is attended by angels...
(...from a sermon on I Corinthians 3)
Thursday, August 2, 2007
"Follow ME!" (-Jesus)
I am probably pretty naive, but I'll say it anyway:
There arejust two kinds of people in this world . . . only two kinds oflife-goals:
1) Those who believe that Jesus IS -- is there for them tobuild their lives on . . . AND
2) Those who think they can "fit Jesus in", that Jesus changeswith the times.
It may come as a shock to you, but YOU CAN'T FIT JESUS INTOYOUR LIFE PLANS!
Jesus is the "odd-shaped cornerstone" that only works ONE WAY:
You can trust Him, and build onHim, and He will never let you down as long as you live! or else--He simply always gets in the way!
The first kind of people are people who really believe thatJesus doesn't change, and so they dare to follow him through the changing scenes of life. They believe that Jesus is NOT simply who wemake Him out to be. He is not the private, personal "God of our choice", but the God that IS! He is YHWH!
The second kind of people are people who act as if JesusChrist is in the same category as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.They may never admit it out loud, but instead of staying in personal touch with Jesus they begin to accept what the experts say about Him,or they stop talking to Him because that is what little kids and old,old people do.
And so they change their god to fit their world instead of the other way around.The secret of joy in the Christian Way is this:
If you dare to put Jesus first, follow Him no matter where He seems to be leading you, and build your life around Him, then your salvation "experience" will be becoming a relationship!
God is not only your Savior from sin, but your Friend, who desires the very best for you!
Prayer: Lord we come to You, the Eternal God! We thank You we can dare to build our lives on You. Give us grace to make and keep covenant with You and live to please You. In Jesus' name, AMEN
There arejust two kinds of people in this world . . . only two kinds oflife-goals:
1) Those who believe that Jesus IS -- is there for them tobuild their lives on . . . AND
2) Those who think they can "fit Jesus in", that Jesus changeswith the times.
It may come as a shock to you, but YOU CAN'T FIT JESUS INTOYOUR LIFE PLANS!
Jesus is the "odd-shaped cornerstone" that only works ONE WAY:
You can trust Him, and build onHim, and He will never let you down as long as you live! or else--He simply always gets in the way!
The first kind of people are people who really believe thatJesus doesn't change, and so they dare to follow him through the changing scenes of life. They believe that Jesus is NOT simply who wemake Him out to be. He is not the private, personal "God of our choice", but the God that IS! He is YHWH!
The second kind of people are people who act as if JesusChrist is in the same category as Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy.They may never admit it out loud, but instead of staying in personal touch with Jesus they begin to accept what the experts say about Him,or they stop talking to Him because that is what little kids and old,old people do.
And so they change their god to fit their world instead of the other way around.The secret of joy in the Christian Way is this:
If you dare to put Jesus first, follow Him no matter where He seems to be leading you, and build your life around Him, then your salvation "experience" will be becoming a relationship!
God is not only your Savior from sin, but your Friend, who desires the very best for you!
Prayer: Lord we come to You, the Eternal God! We thank You we can dare to build our lives on You. Give us grace to make and keep covenant with You and live to please You. In Jesus' name, AMEN
Saturday, July 28, 2007
THE DYNAMIC COVENANT
THE DYNAMIC COVENANT
Walking humbly with our God!
Apart from God's constant company the best of human intentions are actually
ARROGANCE!
Saying/thinking that WE know already what the Bible means-- we reflect thatwe have eaten from the Tree of knowledge of Good andEvil, but NOt from the Tree of Life!
Apart from God's constant company the best of human intentions
FAIL TO RELATE TO THE FULL ORD OF TRUTH.
"We put little parts of the puzzle together" with no understanding of the significance of the whole.
Apart from God's constant company even
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT BECOMES AN IMPOSSIBLE IDEAL.
The law of love must be imprinted on the human heart by the fires ofa personal Pentecost, a time when the Holy Spirit comes to reside and to preside in the heart forever!
To walk humbly with our God means:
A deliberate CHOICE!
(Amos 3:3) "Can two walk together except they be agreed?"
To walk with God means there has to be some change/ someadaptation on the part both of God and of man!
What stooping God has done! But He cannot compromise
with falsehood and sin!
What JOY surrender means for us!
HOLINESS makes us fitto fellowship with God!
Such a walking means:
Fellowship with God!
Direction of life into MEANING!
An unbroken relationship that goes beyond DEATH into ETERNITY (Enock-like) for us ALL!
-from a sermon on Micah’s prophecy
Walking humbly with our God!
Apart from God's constant company the best of human intentions are actually
ARROGANCE!
Saying/thinking that WE know already what the Bible means-- we reflect thatwe have eaten from the Tree of knowledge of Good andEvil, but NOt from the Tree of Life!
Apart from God's constant company the best of human intentions
FAIL TO RELATE TO THE FULL ORD OF TRUTH.
"We put little parts of the puzzle together" with no understanding of the significance of the whole.
Apart from God's constant company even
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT BECOMES AN IMPOSSIBLE IDEAL.
The law of love must be imprinted on the human heart by the fires ofa personal Pentecost, a time when the Holy Spirit comes to reside and to preside in the heart forever!
To walk humbly with our God means:
A deliberate CHOICE!
(Amos 3:3) "Can two walk together except they be agreed?"
To walk with God means there has to be some change/ someadaptation on the part both of God and of man!
What stooping God has done! But He cannot compromise
with falsehood and sin!
What JOY surrender means for us!
HOLINESS makes us fitto fellowship with God!
Such a walking means:
Fellowship with God!
Direction of life into MEANING!
An unbroken relationship that goes beyond DEATH into ETERNITY (Enock-like) for us ALL!
-from a sermon on Micah’s prophecy
A Pattern for Private Prayer
Pattern for Private Devotions
This article was first published in the Herald of Holiness and reproduced for ENC Students for many years as the Fall semester began.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, they were looking for a simple lesson in how to conduct their personal devotions. instinctively they were reaching for the heart of the faith-life, for everything stops or goes in relation to the quality of our prayer - everything worthwhile in the church, that is.
Have you ever outlined your personal devotions?
What do you do when you get alone with God? Do you just sort of "let it happen"?
Here is a suggested pattern for personal devotions, based on Jesus' response to the disciples' expressed need (which of course is "The Lord's Prayer"):
FIRST, before you actually begin:
FOCUS! Just what is the aim, the purpose in your life? Why are you coming to the place of prayer? I find it helpful to repeat, not as a prayer, but as a "focus sharpener," these words:
God wants me to be primarily concerned with pleasing HIM, and not too much concerned with pleasing anyone else, no matter how good or godly. Think about that! It doesn't mean that you don't have varied and sometimes conflicting responsibilities -- as parent, as church worker, as citizen -- but in seeking to please God, you will more effectively do everything else that is needful.
THEN, ask God's blessing on the portion of scripture you
READ. Just as you pause to ask the blessing on your meals, ask for insight and illumination in the Word. Use a notebook, and read with pen in hand. Jot down thoughts that occur, questions that arise, words you don't understand. Always write down the date, for as months and years slip by you will be able to trace God's grace in growth and blessing in your life. Read by some plan that does not limit your reading to just a few choice passages.
BEGIN your prayer time with
PRAISE! Whatever you do don't give into the temptation to skimp on this part in order to get to the "important" part of the day's prayer. In fact, if you are heavily burdened take extra time in praising God. Be specific. I find it helpful to write out three things for which I wish to praise God; don't be afraid to tell God you appreciate His patience with you, or praise Him that you can see Jesus in fellow Christians. Praise Him for godly parents, for blue skies, for a warm home, for the person who introduced to Jesus, for being with you in hard times. Really tell God from your heart how much you love Him, and how you want to give Him praise!
NEXT comes
SURRENDER. Yes, I believe in consecration and crisis experiences of salvation. I also believe that in a practical way I can give to God in a daily way what I surrendered when I was saved, and when I consecrated my all seeking sanctification. Give God THIS day! Ask Him to make your appointments! Offer to be His instrument, to be used of God. He will use you -- every single day!
Surrender any failures, too. Don't let temporary setbacks harden. Don't gloss over stupidity or carelessness. Ask for forgiveness -- and give forgiveness, too. Surrender any temptation to harbor resentment, ill will, or even moodiness.
Surrender is quite naturally followed by
TRUST. But make it an active trust! Expect God! Expect a fresh infilling of the Spirit! Expect to be used during the day. Don't be surprised when you find yourself really ministering to someone's heartache. And finally, expect God to help you pray as you enter into the final phase of your devotions.
Expect His help as you make
INTERCESSION. Pray, by name, for every member of your immediate family. Keep a list of those you pray for daily. Be sensitive and the Spirit will bring to your mind names and faces and needs. How much more keenness and power your intercession AFTER praise and AFTER surrender and EXPECTANT FAITH.
Finally-- get up and leave the place of prayer, but seek to go in the spirit of prayer and thanksgiving. Be thankful God has heard you. Be thankful He is with you. Let your whole day be the "Amen!"
If you haven't tried patterned devotions before try it for 30 days. Pray all you want, any way you want IN BETWEEN regular patterned devotins. But every day FOCUS, and then prayerfully, with your pen in hand, READ, and PRAISE and SURRENDER and TRUST and make INTERCESSION AND PETITION, with THANKSGIVING AND OBEDIENCE as you depart the place of prayer. It is the pattern Jesus gave. It works!
This article was first published in the Herald of Holiness and reproduced for ENC Students for many years as the Fall semester began.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, they were looking for a simple lesson in how to conduct their personal devotions. instinctively they were reaching for the heart of the faith-life, for everything stops or goes in relation to the quality of our prayer - everything worthwhile in the church, that is.
Have you ever outlined your personal devotions?
What do you do when you get alone with God? Do you just sort of "let it happen"?
Here is a suggested pattern for personal devotions, based on Jesus' response to the disciples' expressed need (which of course is "The Lord's Prayer"):
FIRST, before you actually begin:
FOCUS! Just what is the aim, the purpose in your life? Why are you coming to the place of prayer? I find it helpful to repeat, not as a prayer, but as a "focus sharpener," these words:
God wants me to be primarily concerned with pleasing HIM, and not too much concerned with pleasing anyone else, no matter how good or godly. Think about that! It doesn't mean that you don't have varied and sometimes conflicting responsibilities -- as parent, as church worker, as citizen -- but in seeking to please God, you will more effectively do everything else that is needful.
THEN, ask God's blessing on the portion of scripture you
READ. Just as you pause to ask the blessing on your meals, ask for insight and illumination in the Word. Use a notebook, and read with pen in hand. Jot down thoughts that occur, questions that arise, words you don't understand. Always write down the date, for as months and years slip by you will be able to trace God's grace in growth and blessing in your life. Read by some plan that does not limit your reading to just a few choice passages.
BEGIN your prayer time with
PRAISE! Whatever you do don't give into the temptation to skimp on this part in order to get to the "important" part of the day's prayer. In fact, if you are heavily burdened take extra time in praising God. Be specific. I find it helpful to write out three things for which I wish to praise God; don't be afraid to tell God you appreciate His patience with you, or praise Him that you can see Jesus in fellow Christians. Praise Him for godly parents, for blue skies, for a warm home, for the person who introduced to Jesus, for being with you in hard times. Really tell God from your heart how much you love Him, and how you want to give Him praise!
NEXT comes
SURRENDER. Yes, I believe in consecration and crisis experiences of salvation. I also believe that in a practical way I can give to God in a daily way what I surrendered when I was saved, and when I consecrated my all seeking sanctification. Give God THIS day! Ask Him to make your appointments! Offer to be His instrument, to be used of God. He will use you -- every single day!
Surrender any failures, too. Don't let temporary setbacks harden. Don't gloss over stupidity or carelessness. Ask for forgiveness -- and give forgiveness, too. Surrender any temptation to harbor resentment, ill will, or even moodiness.
Surrender is quite naturally followed by
TRUST. But make it an active trust! Expect God! Expect a fresh infilling of the Spirit! Expect to be used during the day. Don't be surprised when you find yourself really ministering to someone's heartache. And finally, expect God to help you pray as you enter into the final phase of your devotions.
Expect His help as you make
INTERCESSION. Pray, by name, for every member of your immediate family. Keep a list of those you pray for daily. Be sensitive and the Spirit will bring to your mind names and faces and needs. How much more keenness and power your intercession AFTER praise and AFTER surrender and EXPECTANT FAITH.
Finally-- get up and leave the place of prayer, but seek to go in the spirit of prayer and thanksgiving. Be thankful God has heard you. Be thankful He is with you. Let your whole day be the "Amen!"
If you haven't tried patterned devotions before try it for 30 days. Pray all you want, any way you want IN BETWEEN regular patterned devotins. But every day FOCUS, and then prayerfully, with your pen in hand, READ, and PRAISE and SURRENDER and TRUST and make INTERCESSION AND PETITION, with THANKSGIVING AND OBEDIENCE as you depart the place of prayer. It is the pattern Jesus gave. It works!
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Poetry as Prophecy
Isaiah 56:8 "...the LORD GOD which gathereth the outcasts of Israel..."
It is impossible to "explain" poetry, even when that poetry is the living Word of God. But that can not prevent poetry from speaking deep and true into our very innermost being. And when that poetry IS the Word of God, the message that it speaks kindles life itself.
This portion of Isaiah (found in the 56th chapter,) flowing out of the "Servant Passage," speaks particularly of how the great Jehovah God loves all mankind, is willing, desires to be everyone's God, even -and perhaps particularly- those who seem to be hopeless or somehow "inferior."
Rather than analyze and dissect this chapter, I would let Isaiah lift us up on poetic wings for an overview of his joyful, hopeful, confident, gracious portrait of the great God we love and serve.
I. A GOD OF GREAT COMPASSION
42:3 A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish
God is in the life-saving, life-lifting business; not in the life-extinguishing, find-a-reason-to-kill-you business!
46:1-4 Bel, Nebo (Babylonian idols) ...the things that YOU carry, are burdensome, a load for the weary beasts... "Listen to Me..You who have been borne by Me from birth, and have been carried from the womb; even to your old age, I shall be the same, and even to your graying years I shall bear you!
The prophet contrasts His God with (and even makes FUN of) the idols of the nations. JHWH carries His loved ones!
God is not just interested in our "souls." He cares how we feel; His heart feels the good and the bad along with us.
I do not pretend to understand the apparent inequities of life; I do serve a God Who CARES about these inequities, and Who has promised that He would be with every one who calls on Him, and that His PRESENCE would give us REST.
II. A GOD OVER ALL THE EARTH
45:1 "The LORD says to Cyrus, His anointed ... "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth ...
I am the LORD and besides me there is no God I am the Lord and there is no other...
[God could and did take the king of Persia and subdue and chastise the king of Babylon, and in the doing (Romans 8:28) care for the Chosen, while establishing His name in all the earth.
And He can and shall do it again ... without (I might add) the frantic, sweaty help of those who think God NEEDS us! On the other hand, however, remember that God can and will use the human instruments that SUBMIT to Him!
The ancient world had pretty much divided itself into isolated armed camps, and each social group had its own version of deity. Most of these deities were pale reflections of human vices and virtues raised to the Nth power, and the concept of pure GOODNESS, or unfailing JUSTICE, or overarching HOLINESS seemed to be missing.
JWHW declared Himself to be concerned about ALL peoples!
The modern world creates its own gods in its own self-serving image, as well. There is really nothing new under the sun... and today God Almighty says:
I AM THE LORD! BESIDE ME THERE IS NO OTHER!
You Nazarenes do not own Me! You Roman Catholics did not create ME!
III. A GOD OF A SPECIFIC PEOPLE
A. He chose Abraham, and then formed a Covenant People. THERE IS ALWAYS A HUMAN RESPONSE TO GOD'S CHOICE INVOLVED!
Our God chooses people by making covenant with them!
B. But from the very beginning, God's plan has been that the CHOSEN, the "covenant people" always will share God's kindness and love to all the world:
49:5 And now, says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant -- My God is My Strength-- He says, Is it too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light to the nations So that My salvation may reach the end of the earth Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and its Holy One, To the Despised One To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of Rulers, "Kings shall bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you."
B. (We believe that THE CHURCH carries on this covenant relationship! Instead of circumcision, now the covenant is baptism, and also the covenant of the Eucharist.) And
God STILL chooses those who will listen to be HIS people! But He STILL chooses them in order to let the rest of the world know just what kind of God He IS! He still loves all people, everywhere!
IV. A GOD OF THE HOPELESS
[Which brings US/me to the passage for today... this great and gracious God speaks particularly to the disenfranchised, the minorities, the discriminated against, the "outcasts in Israel," the aliens, or, in our modern buzz-word jargon, the "victims."]
56:3 "Let NOT the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from His people" Neither let the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."
MY house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples!
The Lord GOD who gathers the dispersed of Israel declares, "YET OTHERS I will gather... to those already gathered!"
NO one! is "shut out" from God's love! We are separated from each other at times ... we separate ourselves from each other-- we think we are separated from God. That there are special "elite" called people! such as... The JEWS! Birthright Christians! Second generation Nazarenes! Gifted! Moneyed! Those "in the clique!"
SUMMARY:
THE GOD OF GRACE INTENDS THAT IN HIS RIGHTEOUS KINGDOM NO ONE WHO DESIRES TO HAVE LIFE SHALL BE SHUT OUT!
CONCLUSION
The ("bottom line") word that comes through loud and clear from this poet-preacher Isaiah is the fact that this great God wants very much to be YOUR God and YOUR Friend!
66:2 "To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at (deeply reverences) my word." God wants a people He can love and that He can work with- - and who will be His witnesses: A GOD WHO WOULD BE YOUR GOD
(Exhortation:)
And just how important it is that you connect with the REALITY that is this great God!???
By "reality" I mean MORE than human thought, or human feelings, or human determination and will. To KNOW GOD is an exercise in TRUST, in FAITH that God IS! And that God is a Rewarder of those who seek to know HIM! God is as real a person as you are. Therefore you must not seek so much to know ABOUT Himm as to know HIM!
JUST ONE FACET OF THIS "IMPORTANCE":
My highest priority as a pastor is to save the children of the church family from losing their faith and slipping into the maelstrom of the world and being lost in time and eternity.
The best, the only real prevention for the loss of our children is a personal relationship with Jesus as Savior, Lord and Friend.
The way this is most likely to happen is if they have a model or models who have a "real" working relationship both with Jesus and with them. This is not to say that people cannot work their own ways through to genuine salvation without a Christian family or network. But the usual pathway is role model and example.
This makes the following question one which should not be avoided. [My problem sometimes is that people think I am exaggerating when I'm serious, or think I'm serious when I am having fun and exaggerating. I want absolutely no confusion here: I am as serious as I know how to be!]
The question is: HOW REAL IS JESUS CHRIST TO YOU? If you, as parent, role model, leader, have a "get-by" or "mediocre" friendship with Jesus, and your prayer life is not an increasing push into the adventure of the mystery of knowing God in Jesus Christ, then it is likely that those watching you will not be excited about the faith that you may well hold dear.
We need to talk with Jesus. We need to walk with Jesus, and tell Him constantly how we are, what we are thinking. And then we need to put at the top of our intercessory prayer list the people we do not want to be separated from for all eternity!
It is impossible to "explain" poetry, even when that poetry is the living Word of God. But that can not prevent poetry from speaking deep and true into our very innermost being. And when that poetry IS the Word of God, the message that it speaks kindles life itself.
This portion of Isaiah (found in the 56th chapter,) flowing out of the "Servant Passage," speaks particularly of how the great Jehovah God loves all mankind, is willing, desires to be everyone's God, even -and perhaps particularly- those who seem to be hopeless or somehow "inferior."
Rather than analyze and dissect this chapter, I would let Isaiah lift us up on poetic wings for an overview of his joyful, hopeful, confident, gracious portrait of the great God we love and serve.
I. A GOD OF GREAT COMPASSION
42:3 A bruised reed He will not break, and a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish
God is in the life-saving, life-lifting business; not in the life-extinguishing, find-a-reason-to-kill-you business!
46:1-4 Bel, Nebo (Babylonian idols) ...the things that YOU carry, are burdensome, a load for the weary beasts... "Listen to Me..You who have been borne by Me from birth, and have been carried from the womb; even to your old age, I shall be the same, and even to your graying years I shall bear you!
The prophet contrasts His God with (and even makes FUN of) the idols of the nations. JHWH carries His loved ones!
God is not just interested in our "souls." He cares how we feel; His heart feels the good and the bad along with us.
I do not pretend to understand the apparent inequities of life; I do serve a God Who CARES about these inequities, and Who has promised that He would be with every one who calls on Him, and that His PRESENCE would give us REST.
II. A GOD OVER ALL THE EARTH
45:1 "The LORD says to Cyrus, His anointed ... "I will go before you and make the rough places smooth ...
I am the LORD and besides me there is no God I am the Lord and there is no other...
[God could and did take the king of Persia and subdue and chastise the king of Babylon, and in the doing (Romans 8:28) care for the Chosen, while establishing His name in all the earth.
And He can and shall do it again ... without (I might add) the frantic, sweaty help of those who think God NEEDS us! On the other hand, however, remember that God can and will use the human instruments that SUBMIT to Him!
The ancient world had pretty much divided itself into isolated armed camps, and each social group had its own version of deity. Most of these deities were pale reflections of human vices and virtues raised to the Nth power, and the concept of pure GOODNESS, or unfailing JUSTICE, or overarching HOLINESS seemed to be missing.
JWHW declared Himself to be concerned about ALL peoples!
The modern world creates its own gods in its own self-serving image, as well. There is really nothing new under the sun... and today God Almighty says:
I AM THE LORD! BESIDE ME THERE IS NO OTHER!
You Nazarenes do not own Me! You Roman Catholics did not create ME!
III. A GOD OF A SPECIFIC PEOPLE
A. He chose Abraham, and then formed a Covenant People. THERE IS ALWAYS A HUMAN RESPONSE TO GOD'S CHOICE INVOLVED!
Our God chooses people by making covenant with them!
B. But from the very beginning, God's plan has been that the CHOSEN, the "covenant people" always will share God's kindness and love to all the world:
49:5 And now, says the LORD, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant -- My God is My Strength-- He says, Is it too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel;
I will also make You a light to the nations So that My salvation may reach the end of the earth Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer of Israel, and its Holy One, To the Despised One To the One abhorred by the nation, To the Servant of Rulers, "Kings shall bow down Because of the LORD who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel who has chosen you."
B. (We believe that THE CHURCH carries on this covenant relationship! Instead of circumcision, now the covenant is baptism, and also the covenant of the Eucharist.) And
God STILL chooses those who will listen to be HIS people! But He STILL chooses them in order to let the rest of the world know just what kind of God He IS! He still loves all people, everywhere!
IV. A GOD OF THE HOPELESS
[Which brings US/me to the passage for today... this great and gracious God speaks particularly to the disenfranchised, the minorities, the discriminated against, the "outcasts in Israel," the aliens, or, in our modern buzz-word jargon, the "victims."]
56:3 "Let NOT the foreigner who has joined himself to the LORD say, "The LORD will surely separate me from His people" Neither let the eunuch say, "Behold, I am a dry tree."
MY house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples!
The Lord GOD who gathers the dispersed of Israel declares, "YET OTHERS I will gather... to those already gathered!"
NO one! is "shut out" from God's love! We are separated from each other at times ... we separate ourselves from each other-- we think we are separated from God. That there are special "elite" called people! such as... The JEWS! Birthright Christians! Second generation Nazarenes! Gifted! Moneyed! Those "in the clique!"
SUMMARY:
THE GOD OF GRACE INTENDS THAT IN HIS RIGHTEOUS KINGDOM NO ONE WHO DESIRES TO HAVE LIFE SHALL BE SHUT OUT!
CONCLUSION
The ("bottom line") word that comes through loud and clear from this poet-preacher Isaiah is the fact that this great God wants very much to be YOUR God and YOUR Friend!
66:2 "To this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at (deeply reverences) my word." God wants a people He can love and that He can work with- - and who will be His witnesses: A GOD WHO WOULD BE YOUR GOD
(Exhortation:)
And just how important it is that you connect with the REALITY that is this great God!???
By "reality" I mean MORE than human thought, or human feelings, or human determination and will. To KNOW GOD is an exercise in TRUST, in FAITH that God IS! And that God is a Rewarder of those who seek to know HIM! God is as real a person as you are. Therefore you must not seek so much to know ABOUT Himm as to know HIM!
JUST ONE FACET OF THIS "IMPORTANCE":
My highest priority as a pastor is to save the children of the church family from losing their faith and slipping into the maelstrom of the world and being lost in time and eternity.
The best, the only real prevention for the loss of our children is a personal relationship with Jesus as Savior, Lord and Friend.
The way this is most likely to happen is if they have a model or models who have a "real" working relationship both with Jesus and with them. This is not to say that people cannot work their own ways through to genuine salvation without a Christian family or network. But the usual pathway is role model and example.
This makes the following question one which should not be avoided. [My problem sometimes is that people think I am exaggerating when I'm serious, or think I'm serious when I am having fun and exaggerating. I want absolutely no confusion here: I am as serious as I know how to be!]
The question is: HOW REAL IS JESUS CHRIST TO YOU? If you, as parent, role model, leader, have a "get-by" or "mediocre" friendship with Jesus, and your prayer life is not an increasing push into the adventure of the mystery of knowing God in Jesus Christ, then it is likely that those watching you will not be excited about the faith that you may well hold dear.
We need to talk with Jesus. We need to walk with Jesus, and tell Him constantly how we are, what we are thinking. And then we need to put at the top of our intercessory prayer list the people we do not want to be separated from for all eternity!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Called unto . . .
HOLINESS AND CT
The latest issue of Christianity Today had a news article about the Church of the Nazarene in which it was reported that our basic focus or stated doctrines were being examined. Quoting a keen young author and a general superintendent the article failed to make clear just what the new emphases might be.
The idea of ‘secondness’ has been a cornerstone on which the Church of the Nazarene has been established. Subsequent- following- the experience of justification the ‘second blessing’ has been preached and has been testified to, and, in my opinion, has been demonstrated in thousands of lives across the past 100 years. Not that Nazarene have any monopoly on sanctification; many more thousands have made the consecration called for in Romans 12:1,2 and have discovered over and over into what deeper things God leads them as they live the covenant life.
There is a deep kernel of truth in that ‘secondness’ no matter how we define the doctrine. The Spirit bears witness when we are totally given over to God- God-committed- and when we ask for the faith to keep eternal covenant with Him. We need to keep challenging our people (and ourselves as ministers) to deliberately belong to God.
But what I read in CT leads me to believe that the reporter sees something other than holiness as “our watchword and song.” Like so much of American culture-driven Christianity from store fronts to cathedrals, Pentecostals to Catholics, we’re thinking spectacle- excitement- public relations.
I'm sure the motives behind the new study of entire sanctification is sincere. But the hard kernel of truth is still there: the challenge to belong to God without reservation, and to maske that covenant solemnly and forever.
The latest issue of Christianity Today had a news article about the Church of the Nazarene in which it was reported that our basic focus or stated doctrines were being examined. Quoting a keen young author and a general superintendent the article failed to make clear just what the new emphases might be.
The idea of ‘secondness’ has been a cornerstone on which the Church of the Nazarene has been established. Subsequent- following- the experience of justification the ‘second blessing’ has been preached and has been testified to, and, in my opinion, has been demonstrated in thousands of lives across the past 100 years. Not that Nazarene have any monopoly on sanctification; many more thousands have made the consecration called for in Romans 12:1,2 and have discovered over and over into what deeper things God leads them as they live the covenant life.
There is a deep kernel of truth in that ‘secondness’ no matter how we define the doctrine. The Spirit bears witness when we are totally given over to God- God-committed- and when we ask for the faith to keep eternal covenant with Him. We need to keep challenging our people (and ourselves as ministers) to deliberately belong to God.
But what I read in CT leads me to believe that the reporter sees something other than holiness as “our watchword and song.” Like so much of American culture-driven Christianity from store fronts to cathedrals, Pentecostals to Catholics, we’re thinking spectacle- excitement- public relations.
I'm sure the motives behind the new study of entire sanctification is sincere. But the hard kernel of truth is still there: the challenge to belong to God without reservation, and to maske that covenant solemnly and forever.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
God Connections
Have you considered how God communicates with us?
How does God reveal Himself to mere mortals like you and me?
The Bible?
Certainly-- it is the Word of God. The written word.
But the Bible has its limits. Not the least of these limits is the fact that most people never read it. And of those of us who do, we find it is not always as simple as some would seem to indicate.
"Search the scriptures, " Jesus told the learnd critics. "In them you think you have eternal life, and they are they that testify of Me!"
The Bible doesn't save anyone; it points to the One who does.
Jesus?
Absolutely! He is the living Word!
In the Bible's pages we begin to see Jesus, and the Holy Spirit brings that picture more and more alive until we realize God is speaking! The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to begin a personal relationship with God through the living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is the task and privilege and challenge of a lifetime to know the liing Word, and let God communicate with us.
But that is not the end of the story.
How does God communicate with us?
The Church?
The Church! The Church is the incarnated Word. Not the institutions, now. Not the denominations, or the organizations, although they may (or may not) become vehicles by which the communication may take place. But by the church I mean YOU! I mean even ME! Every child of God is a member of the Body of Christ, the one true church. And the commandment is, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly!" (Colossians 3) We are the incarnate Word!
We- you and I- are the only "Bible" many of the people we meet may ever read. Every one of us came to know God because some meber of the Body of Christ, using the written Word in some way or other, introduced us to the living Word.
Written Word!
LIVING WORD!
The Word in shoe leather . . .in kitchens and calssrooms . . on the job..
THAT is how God communicates with us.
How does God reveal Himself to mere mortals like you and me?
The Bible?
Certainly-- it is the Word of God. The written word.
But the Bible has its limits. Not the least of these limits is the fact that most people never read it. And of those of us who do, we find it is not always as simple as some would seem to indicate.
"Search the scriptures, " Jesus told the learnd critics. "In them you think you have eternal life, and they are they that testify of Me!"
The Bible doesn't save anyone; it points to the One who does.
Jesus?
Absolutely! He is the living Word!
In the Bible's pages we begin to see Jesus, and the Holy Spirit brings that picture more and more alive until we realize God is speaking! The Holy Spirit makes it possible for us to begin a personal relationship with God through the living Word, Jesus Christ our Lord. It is the task and privilege and challenge of a lifetime to know the liing Word, and let God communicate with us.
But that is not the end of the story.
How does God communicate with us?
The Church?
The Church! The Church is the incarnated Word. Not the institutions, now. Not the denominations, or the organizations, although they may (or may not) become vehicles by which the communication may take place. But by the church I mean YOU! I mean even ME! Every child of God is a member of the Body of Christ, the one true church. And the commandment is, "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly!" (Colossians 3) We are the incarnate Word!
We- you and I- are the only "Bible" many of the people we meet may ever read. Every one of us came to know God because some meber of the Body of Christ, using the written Word in some way or other, introduced us to the living Word.
Written Word!
LIVING WORD!
The Word in shoe leather . . .in kitchens and calssrooms . . on the job..
THAT is how God communicates with us.
Saturday, July 14, 2007
The 'Hayford Street Gang' Story
There was a short time in my life when I dreaded going to school. School itself was fine-- it was just getting there and getting home again-- you see, I lived on Magnolia Avenue, and I had to watch out for the Hayford Street Gang.
Most of the time I walked to school with the Magnolia Avenuekids. As long as three or four of us were together we felt safe. Butit could be seriously damaging to your health if you got caught allalone by the Hayford Street Gang.
And then one night it happened! I had to stay after school andthe rest of the Magnolia Avenue kids for some reason or anothercouldn't wait. I had to walk home alone. I started down KalamazooStreet with the sincere hope I wouldn't- - but I did!
I had only goneabout a block from the Allen Street School when I looked about anotherblock down the street and there-- there I saw--The Hayford StreetGang! I knew I was going to get beat up.
My mind began racing-- in one split second I thought--" I'll rundown this driveway and over the fence-- no, I'm not sure what's inthat back yard-- I'll turn around and run back to the school-- no,maybe its locked now-- O God! What will I do? "
Just then I saw HIM--a big kid from the Junior High School walking down Kalamazoo Street inthe same direction as I was walking, catching up with me.
I smiled at him:"Hey, Can I walk along with you? See those kidsup there? They're after me!" He said, "Sure-- I don't care!"
So I fell into step with him, just as if he was my big brotheror something. I really didn't know him at all, but I kept smiling athim and talking as we came nearer and nearer to-- the Hayford StreetGang! And when we came right to where they were they parted-- justlike the Red Sea-- and WE walked through and on past-- one block, twoblocks-- clear to my corner where I turned for home. And I said,"Thanks!" and ran down Magnolia Avenue where I was safe.
That day that big Junior High kid was my CHAMPION!
How many times since then I have faced situations where I wasgoing to get beat up! There have been threats far more serious thanthe Hayford Street gang.
Then I’ve ‘looked up’ and there was a Champion already walking beside me!
Where do you suppose Jesus is, right now?
-from the sermon "The Champion"-- a true story!
Most of the time I walked to school with the Magnolia Avenuekids. As long as three or four of us were together we felt safe. Butit could be seriously damaging to your health if you got caught allalone by the Hayford Street Gang.
And then one night it happened! I had to stay after school andthe rest of the Magnolia Avenue kids for some reason or anothercouldn't wait. I had to walk home alone. I started down KalamazooStreet with the sincere hope I wouldn't- - but I did!
I had only goneabout a block from the Allen Street School when I looked about anotherblock down the street and there-- there I saw--The Hayford StreetGang! I knew I was going to get beat up.
My mind began racing-- in one split second I thought--" I'll rundown this driveway and over the fence-- no, I'm not sure what's inthat back yard-- I'll turn around and run back to the school-- no,maybe its locked now-- O God! What will I do? "
Just then I saw HIM--a big kid from the Junior High School walking down Kalamazoo Street inthe same direction as I was walking, catching up with me.
I smiled at him:"Hey, Can I walk along with you? See those kidsup there? They're after me!" He said, "Sure-- I don't care!"
So I fell into step with him, just as if he was my big brotheror something. I really didn't know him at all, but I kept smiling athim and talking as we came nearer and nearer to-- the Hayford StreetGang! And when we came right to where they were they parted-- justlike the Red Sea-- and WE walked through and on past-- one block, twoblocks-- clear to my corner where I turned for home. And I said,"Thanks!" and ran down Magnolia Avenue where I was safe.
That day that big Junior High kid was my CHAMPION!
How many times since then I have faced situations where I wasgoing to get beat up! There have been threats far more serious thanthe Hayford Street gang.
Then I’ve ‘looked up’ and there was a Champion already walking beside me!
Where do you suppose Jesus is, right now?
-from the sermon "The Champion"-- a true story!
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