Prayer

So we come to one of the crying evils of these times, maybe of all times - little or no praying.  Of these two evils, perhaps little praying is worse than no praying.  Little praying is a kind of make-believe, a salve for the conscience, a farce and a delusion.

E.M. Bounds, Power Through Prayer

Overcome

Let me preface this entry by saying that I love the song Overcome.  It's an awesome song that reminds me of all Jesus has done for us and how worthy he is of our praise and worship.  Great song.

Now, here comes the "but."  In the lyrics there is a quote from scripture (maybe rephrased a little bit):

We will overcome by the blood of the Lamb

And the word of our testimony

actual scripture reads:

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony

Revelation 12:11

However that's not my beef - the meaning there is still intact.  My problem is that the last part of that verse has been dropped.  And it's a really, really (did I mention really?) important part........................

for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Ouch.  That's kind of a downer for such an uplifting song. It reminds me of how we Christians in the western world like to invite others into the Kingdom but so often fail to point out the repentance part of the equation. After all, we might not have as many notches in our belt or seats filled in church, not to mention the nasty looks we might have to endure when we deliver the whole truth and nothing but the truth........ you know how the rest goes.

My small group is currently reading the book Not A Fan by Kyle Idleman and I'm starting to realize maybe I'm still sitting in the bleachers as a fan. If I'm honest (and I try to be) I have to say that I love my life.  Yes, I admit it - I LOVE my life.  It's a great life.  I live in a nice home, have a wonderful husband (Yes, hon, I think you are wonderful ;-), two terrific children, my own SUV (I no longer have to drive a minivan!),  and to complete the warm and fuzzy picture, a dog (even the breed I always wanted).  What is not to love?  Problems?  Yeah, sure, I've got some of those. But when I compare them to the problems others have, they seem pretty insignificant.  And we love to do that, don't we?  Compare ourselves - our problems, our situations, our haves, our have-nots, even our walk with the Lord to those who we consider aren't as fortunate or aren't getting it quite right.  "Well at least I've got a roof over my head .......... or.......... at least I've got food on the table ...... or .......... at least I'm not pregnant and unmarried ....... etc........... you get my drift.

If we stop to think about the Christians around the world who don't have a roof over their heads, and don't have food on their table, and are unwed mothers or perhaps sitting in prison, we may find out that they are actually better off than we claim to be here in the western culture.  And it's all about that last little left out phrase in the song Overcome................

for they loved not their lives even unto death.

Lord Jesus, I pray that I, too, could love not my life even unto death. Why do I pray for that?  Because I AM covered by your blood and without that lack of love for myself the word of my testimony means nothing.

A Life of Faith

Living a life of faith is not a no-brainer.  Faith requires us to think more critically than we ever have before, because our decisions - the big ones and the little ones - have lasting implications for us, for our children, and for all of humankind.

It is in the knowing God, really, that we quit worrying about whether he'll betray us or turn the locust loose on us.  Because it's in that knowing that we understand it isn't about who we are, and what we have or haven't done. It's about who God is, and what he's already done.

Sometimes that knowing comes on the darkest of nights, when all you can really see is the frost-coated stubble of a season passed.

Karen Spears Zacharias, Where's Your Jesus Now?

Discipleship

quote from John Stott . . . . .

 “The Christian landscape is strewn with the wreckage of derelict, half-built towers (referring to Luke 14:28-30) – the ruins of those who began to build and were unable to finish.  For thousands of people still ignore Christ’s warning and undertake to follow him without first pausing to reflect on the cost of doing so.  The result is the great scandal of Christendom today, so called ‘nominal Christianity.’   In countries to which Christian civilization has spread, large numbers of people have covered themselves with a decent, but thin, veneer of Christianity.  They have allowed themselves to become somewhat involved; enough to be respectable but not enough to be uncomfortable.  Their religion is a great, soft cushion.  It protects them from the hard unpleasantness of life, while changing its place and shape to suit their convenience.  No wonder the cynics speak of hypocrites in the church and dismiss religion as escapism.

from MacArthur's The Gospel According to Jesus  -  

When Jesus called disciples, He carefully instructed them about the cost of following Him.  He turned away those reluctant to pay the price – like the rich young ruler.  He warned all who thought of becoming disciples to count the cost carefully.  Scripture teaches us to deny self (Matt 16:24), consider ourselves dead (Romans 6:11), lay the old self aside (Eph 4:22), and in a sense, treat the selfish aspect of our beings with the utmost contempt (1 Cor 9:27).  Why does Christ use such offensive terms?  Because He is eager to chase the uncommitted away and to draw true disciples to Himself.  He does not want half-hearted people deceived into thinking they are in the kingdom.

Can you imagine us Christians doing that today???  Instead of being inclusive – EVERYBODY is welcome – we instead might be exclusive?  Weeding out those who are not serious, those not willing to give up self, family, comforts of this world, etc.  Isn’t the road narrow and the gate small?  So why have we paved this wide road and erected a huge gate for ALL to come to Jesus when we know that’s not going to be the case?  And by doing so, have we not given so many the illusion they have secured eternal life with the Creator?

MacArthur -

One who is not willing to lose his life by taking Christ is not worthy of Him (Matthew 10:38). That person cannot be a disciple (Luke 13:27).  These statements cannot be made to accommodate the kind of casual approach to conversion that is in vogue in our generation.  Jesus does not ask people to add Him to the milieu of their lives. He wants disciples willing to forsake everything.

Why People Don't Make Disciples - David Platt

Exposed

The enemy has done an excellent job - not just in the world - but also in the Church.  He has convinced us that political correctness should permeate the message we proclaim to the world and each other.  That we should be careful not to appear harsh or judgmental and if we do, we are not showing love.  But I ask, how loving is it to suspect someone might be on the path to eternal damnation and say nothing to them about it?


from MacArthur's book The Gospel According to Jesus.....................

One of the most malignant by-products of the debacle in contemporary evangelism is a gospel that fails to confront individuals with the reality of their sin.  Contemporary Christians have been conditioned never to question anyone's salvation.  If a person declares he has trusted Christ as Savior, no one challenges his testimony, regardless of how inconsistent his life-style may be with God's Word.

The contemporary church has the idea that salvation is only the granting of eternal life, not necessarily the liberation of a sinner from the bondage of his iniquity.  We tell people that God loves them and has a wonderful plan for their lives, but that is only half the truth.  God also hates sin and will punish unrepentant sinners with eternal torment.  No gospel presentation is complete if it avoids or conceals those facts.  Any message that fails to define and confront the severity of personal sin is a deficient gospel.  And any "salvation" that does not alter a life-style of sin and transform the heart of the sinner is not a genuine salvation.

Sin is no peripheral issue as far as salvation is concerned; it is the issue.  In fact, the distinctive element of the Christian message is the power of Jesus Christ to forgive and conquer our sin.  Of all the realities of the gospel, none is more wonderful than the news that the enslaving grasp of sin has been broken.  This truth is the heart and the very lifeblood of the Christian message.   No message that excludes it can purport to represent the gospel according to Jesus.

Unless people realize they have a sin problem, they will not come to Christ for a solution.  People don't come for healing unless they know they have a disease; they don't come for life unless they are conscious that they are under the penalty of death; they don't come for salvation unless they are weary of the bondage of sin.

Thus Jesus came to expose us all as sinners.  That is why His message was so penetrating, so forceful.  It tore our self-righteousness away and exposed our evil hearts, so we might see ourselves as sinners.

Treading Water