Gratitude

As I sit here this Monday morning looking gratefully at a pile of orders to fill (thank you Lord!) something inside me says they can wait while I thank God for another work He has done in my life, Kristina's life and the life of those we encountered this past weekend .  And isn't that most important?  The putting aside of worldly things, schedules and demands in order to praise, worship and give thanks to the One who created us?  Amen.

For those of you who don't know about God's "survivor bag ministry" I'll direct you to the webpage in case you are interested in starting it at your church, youth group, small group, etc.

 

Love In A Bag Ministry

 

For those of you who do know about it and were praying for us this weekend - thank you for your prayers.  It was a God-filled, awesome day!

 

It didn't seem so awesome when we started out to Philly in the morning.  We were grateful the sun was shining, no snow or ice, but for some reason my GPS was on the wrong setting (unknown to us) and what should have been a 45 minute drive turned into 90 minute drive!  And it was into unknown territory and some frankly scary neighborhoods.  While I like to travel and I like adventure, I do NOT like to be lost!  Control issues?  I think so!  However, God was in control and being 45 minutes late was part of His plan ;-)

 

After finally arriving at the parking garage, we filled up our backpacks and rolling cooler, prayed, then set out on foot.  While we know a park area near the museums where many, many homeless camp out, we wanted to try and start out finding the single ones that are by themselves in order that we could really talk with them individually.  So we set out to the downtown touristy area.  God did not disappoint as our paths crossed with so many street homeless.  Some were saved, some were not....... some were ready to chat with us  ............. actually most were ready to chat and only a few were not.  

 

Grady -  asked for prayer and that God would know what his needs are

Robert - pray for relief from the pains associated with being out in the elements

Deidre

Lemule Davis - pray for money needed for diabetes meds

Richie - pray for job

Darlene - pray for housing - she's been out in this weather because the shelters are full

 

We went back to our car to reload our back packs and then headed off to the museum area.  There was another Christian group who had set up a soup kitchen outside so the number of homeless there was great.  Once we opened our backpacks and brought out the first survivor kit they all came running and we were wiped out in a matter of minutes.  Because it's hard to talk to them individually in a setting like that, we make sure each bag has some type of tract and/or a Daily Bread.  God's word must go out to each of them no matter what. 

 

As always I thank God for using me (and my family, Paul, Jon and Kristina) in this ministry.  It is an honor and a privilege and I am grateful beyond words.  I thank God for all the people who have supported us financially and with prayer.  As I reflected on the weekend I realized something that just made me even more grateful.  In a short 10 years (sometimes it seems long but in the view of eternity it is a hiccup) God has taken me from someone who basically despised the homeless and wasn't a true Christian to becoming a born-again Christian with  a heart for the homeless.  He has taken me from a baby Christian who was afraid to pray in front of anyone (I used to jot down a prayer before Bible class in case I was called on to pray!) to holding hands with the homeless on a crowded street in Philly and praying out loud so all walking by can have ears to hear if He so pleases.  Now that is a true blessing - and it is ALL of God because I never could have done any of this in my own power and strength. 

 

In closing let me try to convey the moment that brings me right to the feet of Jesus like no other moment ever has.  It's the moment we are walking down a busy street of upscale stores with well dressed people hurrying by and there is Lemule Davis standing with a cup, leaning against a building, dirty clothes with holes, unshaved, desheveled.  It's the moment we stop to talk to Lemule and he tells us how he is trying to get enough money together for his diabetes medicine and yes, he can surely use a survivor bag.  It's the moment his eyes light up when we ask if we can pray with him.  It's the moment he takes our hands and we stand in a circle on that busy street praying.  It's the moment of feeling that calloused, dry hand that has been exposed to the elements for so long and knowing it's a hand that God made and loves and a hand that His son, Jesus Christ came to die for. That's the moment that brings me to the feet of my Savior.  Thank you Lord - I am undeserving and yet You have blessed me beyond my imagination.  Thank you Jesus.  

 

 



 

 

 



Prayer

Prayer is like preaching in that it is a human act also.  It is a human act that God has ordained and which he delights in because it reflects the dependence of his creatures upon him.  He has promised to respond to prayer, and his response is just as contingent upon our prayer as our prayer is in accordance with his will.  "And this is the confidence which we have before him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us" (1 John 5:14).  When we don't know how to pray according to God's will but desire it earnestly, "the Spirit of God intercedes for us according to the will of God" (Romans 8:27).

In other words, just as God will see to it that his Word is proclaimed as a means to saving the elect, so he will see to it that all those prayers are prayed which he has promised to respond to.  I think Paul's words in Romans 15:18 would apply equally well to his preaching and his praying ministry:  "I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles."  Even our prayers are a gift from the one who "works in us that which is pleasing in his sight" (Hebrews 13:21).  Oh, how grateful we should be that he has chosen us to be employed in this high service!  How eager we should be to spend much time in prayer!

John Piper

The Lure of Doctrine Without Power

Does anyone really think that America today is lacking preachers, books, Bible translations, and neat doctrinal statements?  What we really lack is the passion to call upon the Lord until he opens the heavens and shows himself powerful.

Let me make a bold statement:  Christianity is not predominantly a teaching religion.  We have been almost overrun these days by the cult of the speaker.  The person who can stand up and expound correct doctrine is viewed as essential; without such a talent the church would not know what to do.  As I said in an earlier chapter, the North American church has made the sermon the centerpiece of the meeting, rather than the throne of grace, where God acts in people's lives.

The Jewish faith in Jesus' day was dominated by rabbis - teachers of the law.  Their doctrine was thorough.  Jesus told them, "you diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.  These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life" (John 5:39-40 italics added).  They knew the written word of God very well, but not the living Word, even as he stood before them.

The Scriptures are not so much the goal as they are an arrow that points us to the life-changing Christ.

It is fine to explain about God, but far too few people today are experiencing the living Christ in their lives.  We are not seeing God's visitation in our gatherings.  We are not on the lookout for his outstretched hand.

The teaching of sound doctrine is a prelude, if you will, to the supernatural.  It is also a guide, a set of boundaries to keep emotion and exuberance within proper channels.

But as Paul said, "The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Cor. 3?6).  If the Holy Spirit is not given an opening among us, if his work is not welcomed, if we are afraid of what he might do, we leave ourselves with nothing but death.

Granted, extremists have done fanatical things in the name of the Holy Spirit that have frightened many sincere Christians away.  Chaotic meetings with silly things going on and a lack of reverence for God have driven many to prefer a quiet, orderly lecture.  But this is just another tactic of the enemy to make us throw out the baby with the bathwater.  Satan's tendency is always to push us toward one extreme or the other:  deadness or fanaticism.

North American Christians must no longer accept the status quo.  No more neat little meetings, even with the benefit of 100 percent correct doctrine.  Are we hiding behind the doctrine of God's omnipresence, that he is everywhere around the globe, especially "where two or three are gathered together". . . to the point that we don't seriously ask and expect to see him work with power in our lives here and now? Shouldn't we implore him to manifest himself?  Moses did.  Joshua did.  Elijah did.  Elisha did.  Peter did. Philip did. Paul did.  Shouldn't we?

God will manifest himself in direct proportion to our passion for him.  The principle he laid down long ago is still true:  "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" . . . .
(Jer. 29:13).

Jim Cymbala
Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire


My challenge for you -  and for me -  is to truly seek God and His will.  Not to just say the words, but to mean them.  And if we cannot do that now, then we should start by praying for the strength and courage needed to truly seek Him.  Being a Christian is not for sissies.  It's a road full of trials and tribulations, persecution and rejection, failures and shortcomings.  We may, at any given time, be asked to give up everything, even our lives.  We may find ourselves in a strange land with a strange people.  But one promise from our Creator is worth all the sacrifice we might ever endure.  After all, what He asks of us is nothing short of what He has already gone through a thousand times over.

The Death of Outrage

I lament the death of outrage.  Without a sense of outrage we run the serious risk of being ordinary when God created us to be extraordinary.  Outrage makes you do things that are out of the ordinary.  Without it we run the risk of becoming nice people in a nice church.  To be honest, that makes me want to reach for the nearest bucket.  That may seem a bit harsh but we do get an echo of this in the Book of Revelation where God vomits over lukewarm believers.  God only gave us ten commandments; there is no eleventh that says, "Thou shalt be nice."  Jesus, the head of the church, is no Mr. Nice Guy.  Christians seem to have bought into the sickening idea that niceness is the essence of goodness.  No more of this insipid niceness.  A nice soldier is an oxymoron.  Nice soldiers do not win wars.

Mick Duncan, Who Stands Fast?

Hearts of Men

Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.  Isaiah 1:17

 

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. Psalm 9:9

Whoever oppresses the poor to increase his own wealth, or gives to the rich, will only come to poverty. Proverbs 22:16

 

These are just a few of many scriptures that deal with the oppressed.  Take a moment to watch this video and prayerfully consider supporting the efforts of these brothers-in-Christ who have decided to obediently follow the commands given us from our Maker.  You may support them through prayer, finances, spreading their cause, showing the  movie at your mens group or all of the above. 

 

 

Hearts of Men Movie

 

 

 

¹⁶ And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. ¹⁷ And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

 



“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
¹⁹ to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”

 

²⁰ And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. ²¹ And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

 

Luke 4:16-21

2014 Resolution

Our presuppositions will have a profound effect on the course of our lives.  It is a valuable practice to ask ourselves what we believe and why.  Paul challenges us in 2 Corinthians 13:5 to "examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves."

God has miraculously wired our brains to observe, make deductions, store information and act.  It's a staggering and ever-changing process.  We can change our minds.  The oft-cited Romans 12:2 speaks directly to this process:  "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."  This requires action on our part.  A changed mind equals changed actions.

As we strive to be more Christlike and conformed to his image, we will find it profoundly rewarding to make it our habit to simply ask what a circumstance or piece of information means. 

Warren Walsh, Living Intentionally

Petitions/Boycotts - Should We?

What do some Christians hope to accomplish when they petition a company or a government?  Do they believe they are going to convince the company or government to become Christian?  There is no such thing as a Christian company or government.  Do they believe they are going to bring nonbelievers into the Kingdom?  I hardly think that strong arming a company into doing something is a good witness.  Instead the world sees the Christians as a band of bullies, demanding their way yet again.  What happened to being the face of love?  Do we only love when things are going our way?  That sounds like the way of the world, not the way of Christ. In fact, Jesus tells us himself that we will be persecuted and hated:

"If the world hates you,¹ keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you² out of the world. That is why the world hates you.  John 15:19-19

But even more important is this word from Jesus:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.  Matthew 5:10-12

So we should REJOICE in bad times and times of persecution.  We know it's coming, Jesus told us to expect it.  And how we react is important.  When our Lord was persecuted, did he ask his apostles to petition the soldiers or the Roman government or the Pharisees?   God tells us to petition HIM, not the world:

Don’t worry about anything; on the contrary, make your requests known to God by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving. And God’s peace which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. For the rest, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is worthy of reverence and is honorable and seemly, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely and lovable, whatever is kind and winsome and gracious, if there is any virtue and excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think on and weigh and take account of these things [fix your minds on them].Practice what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and model your way of living on it, and the God of peace will be with you.

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 4:9 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon of New Testament Greek.

Footnotes:

1. Philippians 4:7 Joseph ThayerA Greek-English Lexicon.
2. Philippians 4:7 William Gurnall, cited by Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.

Phil 4:6-9

His name is Friedrich Nietzsche. He was a German philosopher in the late 1800s. He was the son and grandson of pastors. He despised the Christian concept of God. He asked the question, “What is more harmful than any vice?” He gave the answer, “Active sympathy for the ill-constituted and the weak—Christianity.” He disdained Jesus as God on the cross. He believed Christianity was man’s greatest misfortune. He said the church left nothing untouched by its depravity. He defined good as all that heightens the feeling of power. Weakness was bad.

He used the word “Übermensch.” It can be translated “overman” or “superman.” The Nazis and Hitler co-opted the word and used it racially for a superior white race. But for Nietzsche Übermensch or superman was a counter value to God. Man becoming superman no longer needs God. Our goal in life is to be superman. What use then do we have of God? He would say none. God is dead. He is superfluous. In some ways Nietzsche is similar to Ann Rand and her coldly objective survival of the fittest. Only the strongest have a right to survive.

The point of all this being, Nietzsche’s response to hurt, insult, and persecution would be retaliation; the use of power because power is good and weakness is bad. The conclusion is that anytime we respond to insult, to a hurt, to persecution, with retaliation of any kind, we are more like Nietzsche than Jesus.Pastor Michael Wheatley, West Chester Presbyterian Church

Another aspect brought up by Father Jonathan Morris on FOX this morning is how signing these petitions is like saying you are speaking for all Christians when in fact, you aren't.  Petitions and boycotts are negative, punitive acts that diminish what Christianity is all about.

We need to respond to troubled times in a positive, loving way which is hardly found through petitioning and boycotting.  Encouragement and prayer for those being persecuted are positive ways to respond.  Pray that they would be faithful and obedient throughout their ordeal.  Pray that it would bring glory to God.  Pray that God's will be done.

Finally, the Robertson family will be fine.  They don't need nor have they asked for our petitions.  Their faith seems solid and I doubt the father is going to retract his statement.  Could he have said things in a more loving way?  Possibly.  But no matter how he said it the world was going to find it offensive because the world doesn't get it.  If dropped from A&E the Robertsons will probably get offers from other networks who see dollar signs in their duck calls.  We should be praying that the Robertson family would hear God loud and clear concerning what direction He would have them go at this point.  And pray that OUR family's response would be pleasing to God and glorify Him in the highest.