tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-118927092024-03-07T15:25:15.053-08:00sanc's blogBrothers, think of what you were when you were called. He chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things--and the things that are not--to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. (1 cor 1:26,28)Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06464241596473599613noreply@blogger.comBlogger599125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-21152329855058040122021-03-17T19:59:00.002-07:002021-05-27T07:28:16.909-07:00Part One: Christian Nationalism is Unbiblical<p><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">[ This is going to be a three part series. Part one will cover the unbiblical theology we'd best avoid. Part two will describe American exceptionalism and how it has created quite opposing political agendas, especially amongst Christians. Part three will update poor theology with a biblical framework of "exile," that Christians might better channel their faith.] </span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9cec69f5-7fff-1cc9-5d14-4c76518e881d"><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vemvn80U0H07j4ECBnGk-pg-7B_wbPfrd9dyyAc8F0S2kx5-G_b9GvLSw9wenSelLiJOnt_8BUdq7PZsxT1wUBKLjyfQLa_FEUuMRbepFpaCG_JUs9aUBT2Dm0rUbtKMAuiC_A/s2048/pexels-daniel-reche-3616963.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9vemvn80U0H07j4ECBnGk-pg-7B_wbPfrd9dyyAc8F0S2kx5-G_b9GvLSw9wenSelLiJOnt_8BUdq7PZsxT1wUBKLjyfQLa_FEUuMRbepFpaCG_JUs9aUBT2Dm0rUbtKMAuiC_A/s320/pexels-daniel-reche-3616963.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "segoe ui", roboto, oxygen, cantarell, "helvetica neue", ubuntu, sans-serif" style="background-color: #e8e8e8; color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;">Photo by </span><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "segoe ui", roboto, oxygen, cantarell, "helvetica neue", ubuntu, sans-serif" style="background-color: #e8e8e8; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: start;"><a href="https://www.pexels.com/@daniel-reche-718241?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Daniel Reche</a></span><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "segoe ui", roboto, oxygen, cantarell, "helvetica neue", ubuntu, sans-serif" style="background-color: #e8e8e8; color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"> from </span><span face="-apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "segoe ui", roboto, oxygen, cantarell, "helvetica neue", ubuntu, sans-serif" style="background-color: #e8e8e8; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: start;"><a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-holding-a-rosary-3616963/?utm_content=attributionCopyText&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=pexels" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">Pexels</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Part One: What Not to Believe</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you ask a “Patriotic Christian” the question, “Does the founding of our country on Christian ideals give Christians today privilege to dominate politics and law?” they would whole-heartedly agree. Their expectation of political outcomes follows suit. Non-Christian citizens owe it to Christians to let them dominate the political agenda. Christians have a God-given right to have this society ordered by God’s Word. Much quotation of the Founding Fathers is used as birthright, on par to scripture itself:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"We have this day restored the Sovereign to whom alone men ought to be obedient. He reigns in heaven and from the rising to the setting sun may His kingdom come."</span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span>- Sam Adams, Father of the American Revolution</span></div><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But to quote mere men like this is to add to scripture. I’m not here to revive a debate on the history of whether America was founded as a Christian country. But I will ask you to be honest: isn’t it an irrelevant question? Whether it was or not doesn’t change the fact that our constitution grants religious liberties to all faiths. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Yes, but my faith in Jesus guides me to be a politically-active American. I want what God wants. And God does not want these changes.” I can hear the responses. Christians are tired. Over the last 50 years they've been losing social prominence as witnessed by legalized abortion, changes to the institution of marriage and gender dysphoria, and the removal of God from our military, schools, holidays, etc. It’s time to ask some sobering questions about how God thinks about America. Does America belong to God? Is America special in God’s eyes? What does God want Christian Americans to fight for? If God wants us to fight, can that even mean violent force?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Unfortunately, Jesus’ has no plan for a Christian theocracy (co-mingling of God’s law and government) in America; not from its inception and not for its future. How do I know?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Because of the scriptures. Scripture makes it clear the American government will not be the conduit of Jesus’ kingdom-come on earth. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Future Kingdom of Jesus</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daniel 2:44 “And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All of the earth’s governments will be restored to God through the second advent of Christ (Col. 1:20). The most significant Gentile empires throughout all of history are represented in the statue of Nebuchadnezzer’s prophetic dream. The feet of iron mixed with clay was hit by the rock not cut with human hands (Dan. 2:34-45). This rock is the government of Jesus. During the time this post-apocalyptic government reigns, all nations of the earth will offer their greatness to the kingdom of the Most High, whose is an everlasting Kingdom, and all dominions will serve and obey Him (Dan. 8:27). On that day -- our desire for a theocracy will be satisfied. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Patriot would refute, “But -- America was founded on better things in God’s eyes!” Scripture itself may have been the guiding light which frames the constitution - but it isn’t enough. No mere man’s words, no matter how godly, brilliant and glorifying to God as they may be, are any guarantee. No human has willfully indebted or obligated God. America shares in common the condition of all governments on earth - corruption. No amount of political reform can ultimately purge the corruption in any government; even a largely Christian one. How do I know? Scripture. Satan is currently the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Matt. 4:8-9. “Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, ‘All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.’”</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Satan offered America to Jesus as a temptation because Satan possesses America - and Jesus refused to take the governments. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Former Offer of the Kingdom</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus’ government <i>nearly arrived</i> 2000 years ago. Jesus offered a Christian kingdom, a God-ruled government (theocracy) to first-century Israel - but not to the nations. In the beginning half of Jesus’ ministry He and John the Baptist preached “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand [or, near].” It was at hand because their Messiah had arrived and if they repented they could have ushered in their Messianic kingdom. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMVnUnzLviNXlSjULE5C7B31BhqvKL3YDbhTHf3PjtCbO2llRT7C-izn-nHgwmD3Vm7VEk0mfpeLmchtUO7KSq7XF8jX3TPpkvFmKpYZ8oY4391UqUK-JoHvFZ5zemUWnYiPMlA/s2048/freely-10162.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMVnUnzLviNXlSjULE5C7B31BhqvKL3YDbhTHf3PjtCbO2llRT7C-izn-nHgwmD3Vm7VEk0mfpeLmchtUO7KSq7XF8jX3TPpkvFmKpYZ8oY4391UqUK-JoHvFZ5zemUWnYiPMlA/s320/freely-10162.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The people of Israel had three conditions to satisfy so that they might receive the kingdom of Christ: 1- they must accept their Messiah 2- they must be living in the promised land and 3- they had to have spiritual obedience to God’s commands. When the people refused to repent and meet the conditions required, and when the Pharisees demonstrated unbelief at Christ’s miracles, that offer was put in abeyance (put on delay). This turning point was in Matthew 12:24. Jesus set aside the offer of a Christian kingdom away from Israel and began to teach them in parables. From then on when Jesus teaches, the kingdom is not at hand and it will be postponed till after the church age. That is why in Acts when the disciples asked a risen Jesus when the kingdom would be established, Jesus changed the topic:</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Acts 1:6-8 “Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, ‘Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’ And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.’” </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Are There Any Special Promises God </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Can</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Make with America? </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Seems straightforward to say, even Israel had conditional terms for possessing their inheritance! </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">But at least God had promised Israel</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to the Jews. You might sum up the Abrahamic and Mosaic covenants by saying the land was unconditionally owned and conditionally possessed. Christian Americans have no such arrangement in the scriptures for us and this North American nation. Even Israel got kicked out of their own land when they didn’t keep in obedient step with our God. How much more can we expect to have no rights over our land!</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Special Promise” Proof Text #1</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” Psalm 33:12</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Response: Well, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">which</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> nation is it who has God as their Lord? Isn’t that Israel? Put the verse into context and read it again…. “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people He has chosen as His own inheritance.” The rest of the sentence identifies that nation whose God is the Lord; it is the people of His inheritance which is Israel of course. Didn’t God promise blessing to Israel in Deuteronomy 30? Of course. Deut. 32:8-9 says, "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when He divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of Israel. For the Lord's portion is His people, Jacob His allotted inheritance." America doesn’t have a covenant like Israel, concerning possessing the land or blessing in the land. America doesn’t have </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">any</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> promises in scripture. Yet Franklin Graham, a Christian nationalist, used this verse and this verse alone as justification for his most urgent call to political action.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Special Promise” Proof Text #2</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> “... if my people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Response: This promise I am certain </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">has truth in it</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> that </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">can</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> be applicable to American believers. Certainly we believe that if we humble ourselves God will lift us up for that is written in the epistle of James. But once there is a promise toward a “land,” we have to ask ourselves is this part of the specific covenant God has with the land of Israel?? The answer is yes, this verse while in part relevant for all believers everywhere, has specific promise to the land of Israel alone, for it is only the nation of Israel who is given a promise from God. Look at the context for more clues anyway - it is right after Solomon dedicates the temple. God said to him one sentence above, “I have… chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice” vs. 12. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Patriot might ask, “I thought we could subvert American government to God’s blessings and authority?” The logic goes that if there are enough Christians in a country who love God, God will give them what they want, which is control over the land.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">While we commend that as many Christians run for office as possible, while we commend believers who use their right to vote and their rights to peaceful protest and recall and reform, we cannot go so far to condone this Christian nationalist falsehood in the public square: that America’s ruling caste is Christianity. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Does this mean we should just give in and give up in the face of government corruption? That’s not right either. We should participate. Our grounds for involvement are NOT from knowing the framers’ Christian beliefs! Our reason for involvement is because we care about our society! Our reason for involvement is because God has given us gifts and callings. Our grounds for involvement is the constitution which extends the right to participate equally </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">to all citizens</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">And Finally - And Most Sensitively - What About Violence?</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How far should we go to advance Christ’s kingdom? Should we fight for it? Like, literally physically fight for the agenda of Christ? Take up arms? </span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOWdqXEy7VDYD1GWrbgeohacQdi5rvZhHT_ke4qiLSOHDdiZGITrchx1u6GViKQTZApTu_77TSHqlD-QZrSYZdd-IbRZYU_his8j4cy5Z_D-D3Ml3aDPZi6WlXhVME_3KyJf0nA/s2048/pexels-pixabay-62318.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1607" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzOWdqXEy7VDYD1GWrbgeohacQdi5rvZhHT_ke4qiLSOHDdiZGITrchx1u6GViKQTZApTu_77TSHqlD-QZrSYZdd-IbRZYU_his8j4cy5Z_D-D3Ml3aDPZi6WlXhVME_3KyJf0nA/s320/pexels-pixabay-62318.jpg" /></a></div><br /></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To Pilate Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now my kingdom is not from here.” (John 18:36)</span></p><div><br /></div><div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Though Jesus was a King, He was no threat to Rome or Pilate because His kingdom would not come through a worldly revolution. His kingdom would be in heaven, for the individual citizens born from above during the church age; it would not come to dominion over a land until after tribulation. </span></p><div><br /></div></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In light of Jesus’s words, how should we understand January 6th and the storming of the U.S. Capitol? How does God feel about the Christians who were there with Jesus banners, hitting police with their flagpoles? </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jesus said, "My servants would fight" if His kingdom were here. Because the kingdom of God is <i>not here</i>, who were these violent Christians truly serving in the Capitol breach? Peter could have been a model citizen of the rioter's kingdom because he used a sword as they arrested Jesus. He swung and sliced off a soldier's ear. But Jesus healed the soldier’s wound. It is clear that Jesus did not condone revolutionary violence for spiritual matters, nor for any other such as Barrabus's. Barabbas was jailed for murder with other insurrectionists of Roman rule. </span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Matthew 26:52 “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Put your sword back in its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>In conclusion</b>: this certain expectation of providence upon the political aims of well meaning-brothers and sisters needs a refresh. Together we can examine the truth about the hope of Israel and the millennial kingdom of Christ. Until the day of the Lord, we might do well to find a more biblical stance for our sojourn.</span></p><div><span><br /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span>Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-30424161199232651302020-03-19T11:05:00.000-07:002020-03-19T12:24:31.395-07:00That Golden Thread of Hope<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Today marks one week since the spiral of societal closure began. It's been a weird seven days and I am sure it'll keep getting more weird. Strange thoughts run through my mind at odd hours of the early morning, such as "if society continues to break down, who will be the new bourgeoisie?" and "should I expect to stand in line at 6 a.m. outside Fred Meyer like it's Black Friday so I can put toilet paper under our tree - ha!" I am curious to see how this will affect the attitudes of young adults; will they become savers like those in the Depression? Coronavirus moves all of us into uncharted waters. We have never had to put so much of our near future under strain; our democratic principles, our unity, our patience, our modes of educating, working, and experiencing community; our commitment to being healthy and preserving life. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPs0LjfyEOmRaRmL0GsT-oreK9XFkSfPA_p8ufXhMaEC25mMyajJ0h7A6vpfabRx7_-QUnBSLv_9J0YLYcn1oQrzAloqHXf9jzk-Ol2qUkgPVEVKCTP83BvmLudkO1Rw-3mu5ovw/s1600/golden+thread2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="205" data-original-width="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPs0LjfyEOmRaRmL0GsT-oreK9XFkSfPA_p8ufXhMaEC25mMyajJ0h7A6vpfabRx7_-QUnBSLv_9J0YLYcn1oQrzAloqHXf9jzk-Ol2qUkgPVEVKCTP83BvmLudkO1Rw-3mu5ovw/s1600/golden+thread2.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In the midst of this crisis, yes - I feel stress from a dozen angles. We are all facing grave risks; some more than others. But there is another feeling that is beginning to build: hope. Hope really has no explanation for why it's making a home in the middle of a mess. Yet there it is, having its way in my heart. I can remember one of the first times I experienced an inexplicable sense of hope. I was 16 and a sophomore in high school. There was a boy I liked and I often hung out around him at lunch. One day there was a new girl and she liked him too. She told me she was going to beat me up, so I laughed and said "okay, Zena Warrior Princess." Big mistake! She claimed to know what bus I rode and how in two days she'd get off on my stop and beat the crap out of me.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">For 48 hours I had an eerie sense of dread and stress. I felt a lack of control and disturbing anticipation of trouble, in a very small way similar to what the world feels right now with Coronavirus. It was hard to assess the real risk and what would really happen with this bully. And it was terrible waiting to find out. What should I think? In the place of a thought instead was a feeling. The feeling had its own message. I somehow knew there was more to who I was and more to my ultimate destiny. But I couldn't explain why I felt this way inside. I just did! So, while my mind replayed a graphic fantasy of being smacked across the face in just 24 hours (oomph!), this other feeling grew stronger. I felt so amazing, so new, and so excited. It made me want to talk to my destiny, to "ultimate reality." I had watched a movie about Jesus recently but wasn't sure if there was an all-attentive Being guiding the unseen. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">In spite of not really believing much about God, I found myself talking to God. Every time I opened my mouth and tried it, my heart swelled. Not only did I have the feeling that somehow I would be alright with this bully, but I wanted more. I wanted a relationship with what was unseen. I asked questions and got audible silence, nevertheless I was more and more thrilled on the inside. I was hungry for this connection and I couldn't get enough. I was feeling God respond to my words by changing my heart.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Maybe you're reading this right now and believe the same way I did then - unsure there is anything dwelling in the unseen. In the middle of this extremely difficult and upsetting situation with Coronavirus, do you also feel something unexpected and unexplainable...? Is it hope? Can you explain why you would feel hope in an impending crisis? Do you feel a stirring in your soul when you look into the sky? Do you feel this momentum in your heart that there is something bigger going on, and it wants to have a relationship with you too?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I will tell you what I was discovering about God in sophomore year. There is something separating us from God and they call it sin. That word means that we don't live up to God's standards, even our own self-imposed ideas of right and wrong - we fail ourselves. God knows we have this problem and sent His Son. Jesus did everything right through His relationship with God. Then, Jesus went to the cross to die there for us. If He had only gone for one of us, it would have been enough to Jesus. He went there not just for me, but for every person ever. There really is a punishment; God gets mad when someone vulnerable gets hurt. Well, God put all His rights for justice over sin not on us, but on His own Son. When Jesus was on the cross, His blood poured out, He died, and He was buried. But three days later, God raised Jesus back to the living. God did that because Jesus doesn't deserve to die; He was innocent. Many hundreds of people saw Him alive after seeing Him dead, and this is the proof that this religion is valid in the unseen realm. And so there is nothing left to expect, except peace with God. He is longing to have a connection with us. Anyone who believes this has received peace with God. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It says in the Bible, "To all who received Jesus, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God." John 1:12.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I didn't yet have a developed idea of ultimate reality, but I'll tell you the rest of the story -- that bully girl <i>did</i> get on my bus. She rallied the kids to watch us fight. I calmly told her I wasn't going to fight her. When I stood up to get off, she stammered an excuse how she can't get into any more trouble or else her parole officer would put her in juvie. She sat down quiet and gave up. I went home and I never saw that girl again.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">If it weren't for hope, I don't think I'd continue seeking a connection with an unseen Being. I could feel it - so I followed it. It is a golden thread that has woven through the most unpleasant fabric of my life. I am trying my best to follow it today - day 7 - and there are worse days to come. Yet, I am convinced surprising things will continue to happen! </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">What are you facing because of Coronavirus - unemployment? Cabin fever? Physical fever? Worries about retirement? I'm sure the list is long! Who knows when hand sanitizer will ever be restocked. Yet I believe there's a purpose for the hope in your heart. It's leading to something that for now is possibly unclear. It's between you and God. I hope you find peace in your connection with the unseen!</span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFPZ6PfLC0vl523W6YlKaDnQdWZWQTS-9BvlzXdlhuYeUgj08SkmTnFVfiK4xB-1VeHadX0PMMDtGjfN_aMgvvsyAK7FgKpBRpcHsXcxESLNH6baYWPRhc-crikqikoyOrwx4xw/s1600/golden+thread1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1101" data-original-width="1500" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikFPZ6PfLC0vl523W6YlKaDnQdWZWQTS-9BvlzXdlhuYeUgj08SkmTnFVfiK4xB-1VeHadX0PMMDtGjfN_aMgvvsyAK7FgKpBRpcHsXcxESLNH6baYWPRhc-crikqikoyOrwx4xw/s320/golden+thread1.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
</div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-57469055509419254312017-01-13T15:13:00.000-08:002017-01-13T16:15:00.972-08:00"Captain of the Sons," a Poem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Word in a weary<br />
season<br />
I'm a stranger on the<br />
earth<br />
He stoops low to see<br />
me<br />
So high He makes my<br />
worth<br />
<br />
Angels minister<br />
here<br />
For partakers in the<br />
light<br />
The world is in<br />
subjection<br />
Marvel at His<br />
might<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHszn1QVquNqvWF2_2umk0CDwqb3jk-j83jCj7vgaDTG-Ywxt5Fj7BJFt1PpCwToSo27e2T79TRYbf38yy6FE4ZvHZvgRw9kXxCUP8FolMTizAJX6_hDMW0lnwm1IRhFiqDdHLw/s1600/jesus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcHszn1QVquNqvWF2_2umk0CDwqb3jk-j83jCj7vgaDTG-Ywxt5Fj7BJFt1PpCwToSo27e2T79TRYbf38yy6FE4ZvHZvgRw9kXxCUP8FolMTizAJX6_hDMW0lnwm1IRhFiqDdHLw/s320/jesus.jpg" width="262" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Jesus, crowned with glory</b><br />
<b>Captain of the sons</b><br />
<b>Firstborn of the brothers</b><br />
<b>Pure through suffering</b><br />
<br />
For the earth's<br />
sojourners<br />
He keeps the desolate<br />
lands<br />
Granted apostleship<br />
His descendants are like<br />
sand<br />
<br />
Give your back to those who<br />
harm<br />
Like flint, set your<br />
face<br />
Our youths on the<br />
horizon<br />
You will not be ashamed<br />
<br />
<b>Jesus, crowned with glory</b><br />
<b>Captain of the sons</b><br />
<b>Firstborn of the brothers</b><br />
<b>Pure through suffering</b><br />
<br />
I'm not yet done<br />
confessing<br />
And you've already<br />
restored<br />
I do not know the<br />
way<br />
To your highway for the<br />
LORD<br />
<br />
Righteousness as<br />
waves<br />
Descendants as<br />
sand<br />
Wax your Spirit<br />
here<br />
Your kingdom at<br />
hand<br />
<br />
<b>Jesus, crowned with glory</b><br />
<b>Captain of the sons</b><br />
<b>Firstborn of the brothers</b><br />
<b>Pure through suffering</b><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Isaiah 48:11, 18-19; 49:22-23; 50:6-7 </i><br />
<i>Hebrews 2:5, 2:16, 5:8</i><br />
<i>Colossians 1:12 </i><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-63722393033651896022015-07-31T14:17:00.001-07:002015-08-02T02:47:04.824-07:00Keeping up with the Kingdom<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<blockquote>
"Then He said, 'What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.'<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
And again He said, 'To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal till it was all leavened.'"<br />
Luke 13:18-21</blockquote>
<b>Exponential Multiplication</b><br />
<br />
That's what the Kingdom of God is like. It is reaching everywhere, it is penetrating everywhere. Not because we are credited as having taken it, but because that is the nature of God's love. God's love as expressed in the gospel of Christ and in His miracles and transformations and authoritative power is infectious. It is a reaction that changes people, just like yeast creates a reaction that makes dough rise. It spreads quickly from one group to the next, along lines of community belonging. Once we have seen our closest friends or family in our lives be changed by Jesus, the stark change, the hunger for more of God cannot be contained. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dOdotKxNDul3Av-H1i75RY9hLgxJTulqTvwPXRkkvT5Fq6GRbZKWawffjPELH7GK3MZU-CbICL8XtFoX2Saf88-LsNg3pSfQkbRzx625O3BEUUGSh7ypqnnebeiBMIW5RfblfQ/s1600/mustard+seed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8dOdotKxNDul3Av-H1i75RY9hLgxJTulqTvwPXRkkvT5Fq6GRbZKWawffjPELH7GK3MZU-CbICL8XtFoX2Saf88-LsNg3pSfQkbRzx625O3BEUUGSh7ypqnnebeiBMIW5RfblfQ/s1600/mustard+seed.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
So the question isn't how quick or successful the yeast or mustard seed is, by its nature. We know it works. We know it wins. We know it incarnates to reach every nook and cranny of this city. We have heard stories of how the gospel spreads like wildfire in every part of the earth. The question is, do we unintentionally create obstacles? Do we keep in step with God's speed? Is what we do like a mustard seed or like yeast in bread dough? Or do we look a little differently arranged than that?<br />
<br />
If Jesus is "that fast" to lend authority, do we reflect that in how quickly we lend authority?<br />
<br />
If Jesus is "that fast" to save groups of people and incorporate them in the life of God, do we ever bottleneck that flow?<br />
<br />
I know I do, especially the second above. Ask me what kinds of stuff I'm finding in myself as obstacles..<br />
<br />
<b>Kingdom Yeast in Salem and Keizer</b><br />
<br />
Jesus is the "woman" in the parable of the yeast. He is kneading the Kingdom into Salem and Keizer. The yeast will permeate because no one will stop it. If we don't keep up, it doesn't mean the yeast will fail to permeate. It does reflect on us however as not being in synch with its pace and direction. Therefore, there are real rewards and judgments that are coming our way when we do or do not facilitate the Kingdom in our city. <br />
<blockquote>
"And the Lord said, 'Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. ... [Yet] that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes."<br />
Luke 12:42-47</blockquote>
This parable recalls Joseph. What was Joseph doing while imprisoned in Genesis 39? He dispensed daily ration of grain to the prisoners. He knew how much grain it took to survive on. He knew how much each person needed and he made sure everyone prospered. This was absolutely critical training needed to later rule over all of Egypt during the famine.<br />
<br />
A man who practices faithfulness to their neighbor in the small ways will find rulership over much more in the Kingdom.<br />
<br />
<b>Lent Authority is Multiplied Authority</b><br />
<br />
When Christian authority is leaned upon from one Christian to another, the effect is the number of those in Christian authority increase, and the church grows indefinitely in this pattern. <br />
<br />
Joseph's "grain" may be metaphorically equivalent to Kingdom authority. Without authority, the Kingdom doesn't spread. Without authority, Christians don't fully embrace their responsibility and privilege to represent God. To be sure, every believer in Christ has authority, just as the Kingdom by nature is a tiny seed with tremendous reactionary capability. Only when a Christian does not understand, experience or believe in his own power, does the Kingdom get stop-gapped.<br />
<br />
How much Christian authority does it really take to successfully accomplish the Great Commission? Does it take a lot? Or is it more ration-sized? If some have too much authority stock-piled in barns, does that impose a paradigm to others that they do not have enough authority? <br />
<br />
Can we see how stockpiling authority is out of synch with God's speed of Kingdom saturation? <br />
<blockquote>
"But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, 'There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.'"<br />
Luke 13:14</blockquote>
This is just one of a thousand gospel examples of not keeping up with the Kingdom. This ruler got in trouble with Jesus because he imagined he might restrict growth to 6 days instead of observing that it moved contiguously on the seventh. Whether it is in regard to days and time or any other way of life, our preconceptions of the Kingdom can stockpile authority and not see it spread to where it is truly needed most. What about missionary power? Can missionary potential be stockpiled?<br />
<blockquote>
"Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: 'The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, "What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?" So he said, "I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.'" But God said to him, "Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?" So is he who lays up treasures for himself, and is not rich toward God.'" <br />
Luke 12:16-21</blockquote>
Be it Joseph's positive example from Genesis or the parable rich man's antithetical example, it is clear that God wants to save all people, and He has the means to do it very quickly and very powerfully. I've been honest enough to admit that I don't facilitate the Kingdom as I might, and I assume I'm not alone in this.<br />
<br />
I usually come back to some basic objectives to get me on track. <b>Helpful tips I can share to keep up with the Kingdom:</b><br />
<br />
1) <b>End discrimination.</b> Our ministry preferences have to end. We will get stuck over and over again being out of touch with who God wants to save and where and when and how if we discriminate ministries or people to be involved in. It's probably the hardest and most important daily decision I choose to make, so I feel it too. We all get comfortable and begin to religiously identify who we are with what we do, as the parable of the good Samaritan teaches us.<br />
<br />
2) <b>Get into a practice of observation. </b> Notice how passion for Jesus moves through relationships and communities. Consider keeping track of this as the most important administrative priority. Make phone calls. Ask to go out to coffee. How do routines and belonging to communities factor on the spread of the gospel?<br />
<br />
3) <b>Ask God for wisdom. </b>God wants His people to believe in their own authority in Christ to execute the great commission to the full and to the best of their gifting and ability. This goes for people who have known Christ all their life or are just coming around. It may take some discipling-up or dusting off the founding documents and histories of your Christian tribe.<br />
<br />
4) <b>Discard regularly. </b> We want to be good stewards who feed people well. There are good things we do all the time that get us into a rut. The rut I'm referring to is not Spiritually, inwardly, like a personal dry spell. I'm talking about fruitfulness in illuminating the Kingdom to others. Is anyone testifying of God's goodness through your ministry? Are they making the choice to take up their cross because of your ministry? Are they being loved without strings attached, if they are unbelievers or wary of God?<br />
<br />
5) <b>While strategy and observation are essential, don't spend all your effort on this.</b> Have your own, deep, passionate, humble decimation before God. It is the meek and those who are poor in Spirit who will inherit the Kingdom. Remember how empty life was when you came to the gospel, and stay there. Let the gospel dwell richly within you. I can testify that when I have been the most decimated, God comes around in my confusion and pain to be awesome in His Kingdom. Others will catch the yeast of the Kingdom best through your own relationship.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-70611047497863988622013-10-07T13:26:00.000-07:002013-10-07T13:26:18.510-07:00Still blogging?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm not done blogging. Though I'm thinking of changing things up and making a brand new blog!!!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://dailymovementofgod.blogspot.com/">Daily Movement of God</a><br />
<br />
Sanctification is still Free Grace. Yes, I haven't fallen out or become disinterested. I just needed to take care of a few things that required going on the DL. Now that they're underway, I'm resurfacing.<br />
<br />
Sanc is also still the number one fan of La Femme Nikita and all its derivatives. Boring!<br />
<br />
I still love the LDS, still go to the same church, still love the LORD - more than ever do I love HIM!<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-28288777402125727342013-05-22T12:00:00.002-07:002013-05-28T11:06:26.591-07:00Go + Stay<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
Two posts ago <a href="http://sancsblog.blogspot.com/2013/04/how-to-start-movement.html">I wrote an article</a> proposing the gospel impacting the Patient Grower's Network. That week I prayed for God to open a door, but the Holy Spirit did not open a way. That is the way things go sometimes, and I trust God for an open door elsewhere.<br />
<br />
If you have been reading here in the last year you may remember a post on the <a href="http://sancsblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/juggalos-in-downtown-salem.html">Juggalos in downtown Salem</a>, and <a href="http://sancsblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/jks-story.html">J.K.'s story</a>. J.K. and I are still friends and because of her I am getting to know her friends. I love them. I don't know how to spend more time downtown which is what it would take. I could list the ways I'm failing. The biggest one would be that I am not living in the rhythms of the lives of those God wants to reach. I swoop in, spread a little love and gospel, and swoop back to Keizer. What I am doing, stinks. <br />
<br />
<b>Missional</b> does not equal just "go" ing.<br />
<b>Missional</b> = GO + STAY<br />
<br />
I love this video...<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/0iP1mu3Fr-E" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
Have you ever heard of the "Person of Peace"? God opens a door for the gospel with a Person of Peace. It is based on Jesus' sending out of the apostles. Jesus commanded them to preach the Kingdom only where they were welcome. Jesus taught Go + Stay. Mike Breen teaches in his book <u>Building a Discipling Culture</u> that a Person of Peace:<br />
<br />
1. Welcomes/receives you, listens to you<br />
2. Serves you<br />
<br />
When I read that last year, it freed me up to see who it is that I need to be pouring the gospel into.<br />
<br />
The people downtown are SO OPEN to me. They are so friendly, so lovable. They have shared their lives openly with me. They are people of peace toward me. <br />
<br />
I have good news. After a couple weeks, the guys were talking about how everyone downtown has a nickname. I said, "I don't have a nickname." One of the young men named Jack looked at me and said, "I know what your name is."<br />
<br />
"What?" I asked.<br />
<br />
"Your name is Faith. That's what you represent," he said. <br />
<br />
I looked at him for some time, to read his face and his body language. Was I the kind of faith that was overbearing? Annoying? Preachy? Out of touch with reality? I didn't see any of that in his body language. He looked genuinely positive. My heart swells thinking about it!<br />
<br />
There's another older man downtown who was widowed recently. He goes to the same spot every day for two hours in the afternoon. He greets every person who walks by, wants to know them all. He is a believer who wants to share the love of Jesus. His own son was once addicted to drugs for years but today he is sober and taking care of his family because of the power of God. He is a natural shepherd with favor of the people. It is so encouraging to talk to him. He is also very open to me, totally encouraged by me talking in various forms about God's apostolic impulse.<br />
<br />
All the young men respond so positively to this older man. He was getting out of his car across the street and they all exclaimed his name loudly as he made his way, they were so excited he had come. He got a nickname too that day. Jack said, "there is no one as unique as you," to him. The older man wanted to know why he was unique. Jack said, "because you are the only older person I know who cares to get to know people, who will actually spend time with them instead of just drive right past them." Isn't God good?<br />
<br />
Jack is an agnostic who thinks the bible was written by men, full of inconsistencies. Would you pray for this young man?<br />
<br />
Here's the rub. I feel so inadequate. Let me give you a list of reasons why. I've got more than one!! :)<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
1. I am a woman. Yes, so I'm smart-n-stuff but you never know.<br />
<br />
2. My faith is not as strong as I wish it was.<br />
<br />
3. I'm not the best discipler. I'm more of an apostolic/prophetic than a teacher. There are others who are gifted at teaching and I sure would like some of those to come alongside.<br />
<br />
4. People downtown are sometimes mentally ill, former criminals, or addicted to drugs. How can I stay ahead of all Satan's strategies?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
I guess this is something for this older man and I to figure out together. He is struggling with trying to answer the same questions: how do we know when to trust? I've reached out to the Union Gospel Mission to get a feel for the way things really are and the resources they have available, the real struggles they are already engaged with. <br />
<br />
Yesterday evening I went to Sonrise Church, also known as "Stitches." It is an interfaith discipling ministry across the street from the Salem Conference Center. I met Bob, one of the associate pastors. He knows some of the people at Salem First Baptist. He showed me everything they are doing to reach the young street folk. One girl got bored waiting for our conversation to end and she came up to Bob and just snuggled in for a hug. This moved me. I love this place.<br />
<br />
They started off doing an open grill down at the bus depot several years ago. This developed into a group doing devotions at various places on the street. In an alley. On the capitol steps. Eventually they got themselves a building. <br />
<br />
I said to Bob, "You guys are doing everything that I want to do, though I don't want to develop things toward a permanent building with permanent services. But you've got so much resources. You have a men's mentoring program. You have solutions for drug addiction. I don't have any of that."<br />
<br />
He looked me in the eye and said, "You don't need that. I can tell you having worked here for several years, even when it comes to something like drug addiction: it is the love that sets them free. That's it. <b>And it is the only thing that will keep them free.</b> You've got everything you need, as long as you are filled with love from God."<br />
<br />
Ahh! That was a word from the LORD to me. So I pass it on to you. You also are adequate in Christ's love! God IS love. All of His Holy Spirit ministry is captured within that powerful love.<br />
<br />
I have two women who are praying with me, we are praying for one another's opportunities to advance the gospel. We've been doing this for a month with one woman, several months with another. One of the ladies wants to come with me downtown! So I am planning on picking her up with me as I go. God is so good to answer my prayers for partnership!<br />
<br />
I am also being mentored by the longtime ministry partner of George Patterson. Ralph Winter, the international missions leader who coined the term "Unreached People Groups" and in so doing catalyzed a new wave of world missions, calls George Patterson one of the top three experts in the world on church growth. I am so glad for God's favor. I can't even tell you how special this is to me. <br />
<br />
I don't want to do church services - I want to do what is called a people movement toward Christ. Work within the circle of natural community that exists. See a few come to Christ and naturally they will reach the rest of their circle. <br />
<br />
I don't want church FOR the people. I want church BY the people, on the street, in the places they carry out life. Mike Breen says,<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
<b>I've said it many times: If you make disciples, you will always get the church. But if you try to build the church, you will rarely get disciples.</b></blockquote>
<br />
-- <a href="http://mikebreen.wordpress.com/2011/09/12/why-the-missional-movement-will-fail/">"Why The Missional Movement Will Fail" by Mike Breen</a><br />
<br />
<b>Praises:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
For the young men and women who are open to me<br />
For prayer partners who faithfully pray for the people downtown<br />
For seasoned mentorship<br />
<br />
<b>Needs:</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Prayer<br />
Safety and Wisdom<br />
Teacher(s)<br />
Increased Faith<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-63526520678204364132013-05-18T19:25:00.000-07:002013-05-23T22:52:39.730-07:00"Bring the Better Wine"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>The Miracle of Water Turned to Wine</b><br />
<br />
Yesterday I was shopping at Walmart for shirts. At the checkout I was cracking jokes with the clerk. She asked me if I wanted to keep the hangers. She said people use them for all sorts of things. I said, "and I suppose I could keep the price tags as... bookmarks."</div>
<br />
There was a little old woman in her eighties who had finished putting her things in her basket ahead of me who came back to the clerk. She interrupted us and said, "I did all of that and forgot to pay you so I could take ice out of the ice chest on the way out the door. Can I still do that?"<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsotE3K9FjFa4RAnLJxbsWxBAYlcth7M8qGY6TaXf_lNowKon6qyj-09Xo2zwWUj_UEZTLIbhadhfTlXX2Skf0Ilg2PU5HGVmZF_ybTrrY163ekq3hZEcAoK09JTBi2mXHtXGKtg/s1600/walmart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsotE3K9FjFa4RAnLJxbsWxBAYlcth7M8qGY6TaXf_lNowKon6qyj-09Xo2zwWUj_UEZTLIbhadhfTlXX2Skf0Ilg2PU5HGVmZF_ybTrrY163ekq3hZEcAoK09JTBi2mXHtXGKtg/s320/walmart.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The clerk said, "Yes," but did not explain how. So the little old lady stood there for a while waiting to figure out how to do that. She finally realized and asked, "Do I have to stand in line again then?" The clerk replied in the affirmative. She kindly began to wheel her basket around to about five patrons deep a line.<br />
<br />
I said, "I'll buy the ice," but she didn't hear me as she headed around to the line. So the clerk told the lady, "she is going to buy you ice ma'am." <br />
<br />
The little old lady said from the back of the line, "Oh; well, I was going to buy five bags of ice."<br />
<br />
By now the 5 patrons-deep line of people knew what was going on and was listening.<br />
<br />
The clerk had told me they were only $1.85 a bag so I said, "It's no problem I can do that."<br />
<br />
So the clerk ran up the bill and I paid for it. The clerk said, "Ma'am you don't have to wait in line, you can go get your ice. It's paid for."<br />
<br />
She wheeled back around and came up and said to the clerk and to me, "Thank you." <br />
<br />
I replied saying, "Bless you."<br />
<br />
She turned to leave and then turned back one more time to add, "The ice is for my grandson's wedding. He is getting married tomorrow." <br />
<br />
"Wow," I said out loud. "Bless him too."<br />
<br />
I heard several people in line exclaim their own version of wow. The other people in line probably longed to rejoice with the little old lady. I admitted to the clerk as she rolled away, "That -- was the Holy Spirit right there. I had no plans to be that awesome."<br />
<br />
The clerk said, "It'll come back around to you."<br />
<br />
I replied to her idea of Karma saying, "God is great."<br />
<br />
****<br />
<br />
I remember Jeff Vanderstelt teaching Christians "bring the better wine" to celebrations. The miracle of turning water to wine was the first miracle Jesus did in John chapter 2.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/14629941?portrait=0" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="400"></iframe><br />
<br />
Nice people help little old ladies. Perhaps they even do it with a belief in Karma; the hopes of some cosmic payout from an unknown god. But only YHWH arranges care for a little old lady in such a memorable moment of her life.<br />
<br />
The only true and living God, YHWH, used frozen ice to bless a wedding happening somewhere in Salem, today.<br />
<br />
Luke 10:20 says,<br />
<br />
<b>Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.</b><br />
<br />
God lives even in me! Celebration time!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-44826637837873308922013-04-08T17:01:00.001-07:002013-04-08T17:01:14.774-07:00How to Start a Movement<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<a href="http://sancsblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/we-are-going-after-lost.html">We can't just keep doing church for ourselves.</a></blockquote>
-Pastor Mark, 2008, Salem First Baptist Church<br />
<br />
As an example, I believe that God wants to plant the gospel in the Patient Grower's Network in Keizer. I have heard from one of my best friends, about the willing attitude toward the Kingdom of Christ, there. What draws them together is the use of medical marijuana. They are a new community of people who gather for education, access to doctors, friendship and fun. It's located along Cherry Ave. and it's been incorporated for about two years now. My friend has been sharing God there and people are capable of following Jesus - however if they do, they will be keeping much of their culture. Culture is not a bad thing - it was created by God for His glory. <br />
<br />
<b>SFB's Past</b><br />
<br />
Perhaps you've heard that Salem First Baptist Church used to hold Russian services in their sanctuary in the 1980s? I believe their services were on Saturdays.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDl4whFZ-JkdabhAiybK9Ycy9GAdtc1wezBA7X_fJc3yBBJqrJmVjWTHA8gvQgiANK6lb_DeDt5lbNS_yr8ksSh-C93DlXUOzfQENhOkWrMGnjHVZ_4tCsQO-MSasYYdMxb6uqw/s1600/stained+glass+dinner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioDl4whFZ-JkdabhAiybK9Ycy9GAdtc1wezBA7X_fJc3yBBJqrJmVjWTHA8gvQgiANK6lb_DeDt5lbNS_yr8ksSh-C93DlXUOzfQENhOkWrMGnjHVZ_4tCsQO-MSasYYdMxb6uqw/s320/stained+glass+dinner.png" width="160" /></a></div>
<br />
Perhaps you know that this same church once saw <a href="http://www.salemhistory.net/people/chinese_americans.htm">Salem's Chinese Immigrants</a> who had come to the U.S. to build our railways, as an opportunity for church planting? On the History of Salem First Baptist Church page you can read that the pastor's wife opened a school to teach the Chinese people English and to also teach them about God - and charged money to teach 40 pupils. A few years ago I was part of the church's 150th celebration - how neat our church has been here for so many years! I heard the story of what the church did incarnationally (evangelism without a program) for the Chinese.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>They pushed the pews out along the walls</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b> and put tables in the sanctuary, </b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>so they could invite Chinese people in to eat dinner with them.</b></div>
<br />
We've done it before. Will we keep in step with our history of reaching out to our neighbors? How can we push aside some of the ways we do church to make some space for outsiders?<br />
<br />
<b>Current Evangelism is Productive by Addition</b><br />
<br />
You may say, "we keep reaching the lost. We brought 47 adults and children to faith in Christ through Upward. Perhaps 14 through the Easter services. And three through the women's retreat. That's evangelism too!"<br />
<br />
It<i> is</i> evangelism, and I am immovably excited about it. I pray all the time for Salem First Baptist to reach the lost, for souls to accept Jesus. In preparation for the Easter services there was a list available with first names on a piece of paper during the prayer meetings. I'd say there were 500-1000 people listed on that page. I'm thankful for 14, but is there any way to see more come to faith than our usual annual total of about 100 individuals scattered across our various programs?<br />
<br />
Experts in missions talk about the difference between addition, and multiplication.<br />
<br />
George Patterson is a world-renown missionary who has written articles for the Perspectives Course being held Monday evenings in the Banquet room in Salem First Baptist. He is also a speaker at missional community conferences such as "Verge" which I listen to. This is because the missional movement here in the United States that has started in the last few years is built on the expertise of worldwide missions. The things being taught in the Perspectives course are the same things contextualized for American local evangelism in the "missional movement." How trendy is the missional community movement? About as trendy as modern missions around the world. If you take the course you will see how painstakingly mission theory changes through time, for the sake of winning the lost successfully. Yes; they trend too.<br />
<br />
In an interview <a href="http://vimeo.com/31261187">here</a>, I've duplicated what Patterson says for American evangelism at minute 35 of the video. In it the interviewer asks George what word he would have for American pastors and church members:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgre9j97ZgDujDpETv-lCP7YVkSkgYY90oeTIga8XmWG5N-Til7QFIr3XxiLURQHP6IMFGZx__A3t_gA9hBKC8nDrrQpB0-9TmgWRUI0u_0iu61gMCRE93yn8j47vQZ9edk2my-jQ/s1600/quote+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgre9j97ZgDujDpETv-lCP7YVkSkgYY90oeTIga8XmWG5N-Til7QFIr3XxiLURQHP6IMFGZx__A3t_gA9hBKC8nDrrQpB0-9TmgWRUI0u_0iu61gMCRE93yn8j47vQZ9edk2my-jQ/s200/quote+picture.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
A word to pastors and church members in United States, to their role in the great commission.<br />
It is a declining movement, and they need to make some drastic changes.<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriA25I0tW6T5OvwhXvnOfFePWm9MDmm_MEJnOdScaTvk1ZkHMi5Z3I-_lGxrl_OXtQZ4qy7Z9KlQu8rt4-CK8dPz_Byu0nDGjaHAUg-MXcXX6Jg__p5TyN2MgWdaRXtEn0xabXQ/s1600/unquotation+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; display: inline !important; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriA25I0tW6T5OvwhXvnOfFePWm9MDmm_MEJnOdScaTvk1ZkHMi5Z3I-_lGxrl_OXtQZ4qy7Z9KlQu8rt4-CK8dPz_Byu0nDGjaHAUg-MXcXX6Jg__p5TyN2MgWdaRXtEn0xabXQ/s200/unquotation+picture.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriA25I0tW6T5OvwhXvnOfFePWm9MDmm_MEJnOdScaTvk1ZkHMi5Z3I-_lGxrl_OXtQZ4qy7Z9KlQu8rt4-CK8dPz_Byu0nDGjaHAUg-MXcXX6Jg__p5TyN2MgWdaRXtEn0xabXQ/s1600/unquotation+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"> </a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhriA25I0tW6T5OvwhXvnOfFePWm9MDmm_MEJnOdScaTvk1ZkHMi5Z3I-_lGxrl_OXtQZ4qy7Z9KlQu8rt4-CK8dPz_Byu0nDGjaHAUg-MXcXX6Jg__p5TyN2MgWdaRXtEn0xabXQ/s1600/unquotation+picture.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"> </a>
<li>Step Number One. What I do is I talk to Pastors and say "the challenge is right from Jesus [the Great Commission]. Let's get together and discern. There are fields around us, that are ripe and ready for harvest. Now obviously Pastor, if your church hasn't been growing well, you're not working in that field. So let's look at some of the other fields around us. Can we do that? Will you obey Jesus and do that?" (The Pastors will all say, "yes.") Yeah - let's do that. It's totally Biblical, it's what Christ told us to do, it's what the Spirit enabled them to do. Let's open our eyes a little wider; let's look around. Ok.... We want to look for the fields that are ready to harvest. Now let's find them. We probably don't have to drive more than ten miles. We're probably going to have to shift down to a lower class, less-affluent, less-educated level, too. Alright, let's do that. And that's step number one. </li>
<li>Step Number Two, is to ask "What kind of church would be easily reproduced or multiplied in that environment?" Invariably they are much poorer, so our type of big church stuff can't be produced to the same level there. Give them a good pattern to follow. Let's make an analysis, it's fun. Let's look at the New Testament and see how it was done there. We have good patterns to follow. </li>
<li>Step Number Three, find the people in your congregation who are gifted. God has promised that within all congregations there are people who are gifted as the "sent ones" with the apostolic gifting. There there are your feet. Find them! Talk to<i> them</i> about these ripe fields. Talk to<i> them</i> about what the church would be like there. Turn 'em loose. Give them adequate preparation from a mentor who has experience in that type of church, and turn 'em loose. And so you'll have two tracks within your church. And then you keep doing the same thing with the same people who know church as it is as they've come to expect. But don't push those people out to do cross-cultural work. You let those who are satisfied with the status quo continue to be pastored beside still waters. Ask for their prayers, ask for their blessings, love them, and they maybe will help you financially. And, so what? Get the focus off a non-responsive segment of the population and onto the fields as Christ commanded. Analyze what has to be done, and send out the workers to get it done. It's very simple and often has to be done with non funded workers, out of their own pocket money who will go and just do it. Don't need expensive procedures, just follow the New Testament pattern. </li>
</ol>
- George Patterson<br />
<br />
But maybe you're thinking about Salem First Baptist starting various indigenous church plants all over Salem and you're thinking, "I'm not sure I'm totally on board with this." Maybe you like getting individuals to come to church, only, and you believe this is what the local church should be doing. It's a fair question. One that missionaries have been grappling with and still are grappling with out on frontiers around the world. Here is another article explaining the difference in outreach, between seeking individuals to become attenders and seeking whole people communities to follow where they already are. This also is from the readings for the Perspectives course. You can read the full thing <a href="http://www.missionfrontiers.org/issue/article/a-church-planting-movement-within-every-people-the-key-to-reaching-every-pe">here</a>.<br />
<blockquote>
American Christians worship in churches that are a collection of fragments of families and various ethnic backgrounds. So when they first got to the mission field they were unprepared to plant a culturally relevant church within a cohesive ethnic group. Instead they focused on individuals, largely ignoring the implications of the surrounding culture.<br />
As a result, when missionaries first went out from the West, they most often began to get people saved one at a time by "extracting misfits and rebels" from their surrounding culture who then adapted to the missionary's culture. This resulted in the creation of a culturally "different" church which very few others from the surrounding people wanted to join. Dr. McGavran in his writings referred to this as the Mission Station Approach since the missionaries would live together in a common area.<br />
Extracting individual converts is one thing we must not do if we want to see a whole people come to Christ. Donald McGavran quotes Bishop J. W. Picket, in his study Christ's Way to India's Heart, as saying,<br />
"The process of extracting individuals from their setting in Hindu and Moslim communities does not build a Church. On the contrary it rouses antagonism against Christianity and builds barriers against the spread of the Gospel. Moreover, that process has produced many unfortunate, and not a few tragic results in the lives of those most deeply concerned... It has sacrificed much of the convert's evangelistic potentialities by separating him from his People. It has produced anemic Churches that know no true leadership and are held together chiefly by common dependence on the mission or the missionary."<br />
Must We Join Another Race to Be Saved?<br />
McGavran goes on to say that converts achieved through extraction "felt that they were joining not merely a new religion, but an entirely foreign way of living--proclaimed by foreigners, led by foreigners and ruled by foreigners...In many parts of the field it was as psychologically difficult for a person to become a Christian as it would be for a white man in South Africa to join a Negro Church knowing that his children would intermarry with the black children. The person not only became a Christian, but he was generally believed to have joined another race." Our job is to give people access to the Gospel without putting up unnecessary cultural barriers for them to cross over.<br />
McGavran continues, "People Movements have five considerable advantages. First, they have provided the Christian movement with permanent churches rooted in the soil of hundreds of thousands of villages. For their continued economic life they are quite independent of Western missions. They are accustomed (unfortunately too accustomed) to a low degree of education. Yet their devotion has frequently been tested in the fires of persecution and found to be pure gold. They are here to stay. They are permanent comrades on the pilgrim way.<br />
They have the advantage of being naturally indigenous. In the Mission Station Approach the convert is brought in as an individual to a pattern dominated by the foreigner. The foreigner has set the pace and the style, often to his own dismay. But such denationalization is a very minor affair in true People Movements. In them the new Christians seldom see the missionary. They are immersed in their own cultures. Their style of clothing, of eating and of speaking continues almost unchanged. Their churches are necessarily built like their houses--and are as indigenous as anyone could wish. They cannot sing or learn foreign tunes readily, so local tunes are often used. Thus an indigenous quality, highly sought and rarely found by leaders of the Mission Station Approach churches, is obtained without effort by People Movement churches.<br />
People Movements have a third major advantage. With them 'the spontaneous expansion of the Church' is natural. Spontaneous expansion involves a full trust in the Holy Spirit and a recognition that the ecclesiastical traditions of the older churches are not necessarily useful to the younger churches arising out of the missions from the West. New groups of converts are expected to multiply themselves in the same way as did the new groups of converts who were the early churches. Advocates of spontaneous expansion point out that foreign-directed movements will in the end lead to sterility and antagonism to their sponsors, and that therefore the methods now being pursued, here called the Mission Station Approach, will never bring us within measurable distance of the evangelization of the world."</blockquote>
<br />
It turns out that when individuals are won, and they start learning how to live life in a local assembly they often largely exit their culture and family and community where they used to live. This is what a "Stationary" mission subtly communicates as the proper way of life for believers, which is to draw them out. To new converts of this method it is an advantage to live life in the church because they never really fit in society anyway. I don't know if I, personally, fit the "misfit of society" stereotype... now I wonder if I did! McGavran even points out that there are a few jobs on the Mission compound to give a means of self-support to the converts, but because the jobs are few, older converts actually discourage new converts so they won't have competition for their job in the missionary compound! What a conviction that is on life in the local assembly, where there are only a few positions of leadership and everybody wants to make an impact, not knowing where else they could find work for the LORD! <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfrpnM-grROThECeSrwKxjmRa8yE9wtRdFSSvhs3jXkaUwEn5aftobWTYzUQxh6GOoYj6lcqot1lIZiK5YTKRcpKlCV6M5femqKTBC34iIfkfxR_2Fna5IDydK7pf9AOeDUoEZA/s1600/simple+scattering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfrpnM-grROThECeSrwKxjmRa8yE9wtRdFSSvhs3jXkaUwEn5aftobWTYzUQxh6GOoYj6lcqot1lIZiK5YTKRcpKlCV6M5femqKTBC34iIfkfxR_2Fna5IDydK7pf9AOeDUoEZA/s1600/simple+scattering.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">scattering our people for mission in Salem</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
But if a whole hobby club, or small community, or extended family out in Salem somewhere, together decides to follow Christ because one or two of its members in continuous relationship and good standing incarnate a changed life for Jesus, how powerful is that? Thus the goal is not to draw converts toward the mission station and pull them out of the vastly unevangelized frontier. The goal is to create an entire people-movement toward Jesus by keeping individuals who are newly saved in their normal places of community and family.<br />
<br />
<b>Does this make sense??</b> I'm doing my best to explain what it means to become a missional church.<br />
<br />
Their impact is so natural because they will be in the relationships they have already been living with those people, all their lives. It is SO MUCH BETTER than a missionary who acts and speaks Christianese coming in and telling people how to be like them in absolutely everything (mixed in with the message to pursue Kingdom life).<br />
<br />
I think about this when I think about the 14 response cards after the 500-1000 people out there our church prayed would become saved through the Easter services. McGavran concludes,<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"Desirable as spontaneous expansion is, it is a difficult ideal for the Mission Station Approach churches to achieve. They might be freed from all bonds to the Western Churches, they might be convinced that they had all the spiritual authority needed to multiply themselves, they might be filled with the Holy Spirit and abound in desire to win others to Christ, and yet--just because they form a separate people and have no organic linkages with any other neighboring people--they would find it extremely difficult to form new churches. In People Movement churches, on the contrary, spontaneous expansion is natural. Thus we come to the most marked advantage of these movements.</blockquote>
<br />
We don't often have to learn a new language or come to learn extreme cultural differences in order to win a few converts here in Salem, Oregon. The kind of differences we need to cross come from the fact that not everybody is comfortable with studying a bible. Or dressing up for church. Or they have a different avenue for medication which is use of marijuana. These are smaller differences and we can't confuse a call to enter the Kingdom with the call to superficial uniformity and Spirit-devoid morality. When it comes to winning souls, you cannot have your cake and eat it too. You must choose between planting the gospel, or planting everything else.<br />
<br />
<b>So We Let Them Keep Their Own Communities. </b><br />
<b>Does This Mean We Never See The Fruit?</b><br />
<br />
Seeing the fruit. That's one reason we want them inside Salem First. What are some other important reasons we gather together at one time? Gathering ourselves back to SFB is just as important as scattering ourselves into pockets of the city.<br />
<br />
Salem First Baptist Church has a vision to start a third service. Are 100 new converts annually going to be sufficient to populate a third service? Perhaps. What if we shared the gospel in natural communities in the Salem area and the communities began to believe? They would need a place to congregate. What if the Islander immigrants began following Jesus and they needed a place to congregate? We CAN keep in line with our history. We can see whole congregations of the Chinese, Russian, or other varieties of peoples "come to church." If we went into their services, we might not understand the language of their sermons. Or their music. Or their ways of social interaction. And that would be ok, wouldn't it, as it once was?<br />
<br />
Would you give up a little cultural comfort through insisting that everyone in Salem be comfortable growing in our kind of church... and trade that for filling our sanctuary with additional services?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31m7V_N06wb4RfmWXAw0WMb76yMue8gnP8VrldndwGQq3AZp7AfP2Kf3O2CQ6g1FD3lKNiBYnqbCgxp4sSDfVgd-I9ldMn-WYm6EidfLgYSUPHMO_9D4lJzNCXWV-GKqfTTeLzA/s1600/simple+gathering.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj31m7V_N06wb4RfmWXAw0WMb76yMue8gnP8VrldndwGQq3AZp7AfP2Kf3O2CQ6g1FD3lKNiBYnqbCgxp4sSDfVgd-I9ldMn-WYm6EidfLgYSUPHMO_9D4lJzNCXWV-GKqfTTeLzA/s320/simple+gathering.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gathering is just as biblical as missional communities</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Imagine if every few months, we held a super-service! We gather to be encouraged by what God is doing on the universal scale. This would be a special service where all the cultures and communities were represented in worship and language in one combined, super gathering. I think we would all believe in God a little more than we do today. I think God would be a little more glorified than He was before, too. Yes, we should long to gather together into One Body, for that is what we are. But it needs to be ok to be separate out of cultural distance, as well. <br />
<br />
<b>We're Losing Salem Without Moving Preservationally </b><br />
<b>Through Its Cultural Uniqueness</b><br />
<br />
Salem First Baptist's vision is "A growing community of followers of Christ who are being transformed into His likeness and reshaping culture to reflect God's heart."<br />
<br />
You may prefer to see salvations occur individual by individual. Increasing by addition, instead of by multiplication. You may say, "Other churches in may close their doors here locally, but as long as we keep reaching individuals like we have, we will survive the impending churchlessness in America."<br />
<br />
That may be true. Even if SFB stays open, other churches will still close. We don't want other churches to close! If they do, we also lose! With a shrinking witness, I'm afraid the animosity and confusion toward Church in the surrounding culture will only intensify. There is only one way to change the culture. It is from within the culture. It will not be by maintaining our "safe base" like in the game of tag that our children love to play. It will have to be by finding indigenous representatives of all the pocket communities in this city and developing them to do and be the church where they are, so that all of them can know Jesus in a way that makes sense in the culture they have. <br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="225" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a5AMKwj73kY" width="400"></iframe><br />
<br />
I'm looking for someone, just one person who feels this way about the PGN. I don't know what the mission looks like, but I know God wants to plant the gospel there. There is only one reason why I'm still blogging about missional opportunities...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-16624244421524475092013-04-02T12:55:00.000-07:002013-04-02T13:47:45.294-07:00"Adullam"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
In the last couple years this passage has become dear. It is my testimony. 1 Sam. 22:1-2,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.</blockquote>
David was a fugitive. He never could remain in Jerusalem long so he became a nomad. For a long time he was alone except for one friend. And then all of a sudden one day, people saw it for something more and they became a family.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CTlEvLtYNlA-o_H9mpL1Vy5WrM0MgnXgW6fBtCyQx0EWIpZ-y2jNgwG54UZXpvEg0FmZGeabbGarr4oVygwFaUd_y2Gh3DOGIu8eyEpfmGI1BnCy5IB4WCe_xL6JMS4q2Ek0WQ/s1600/claude-landscape-david-cave-adullam-NG6-fm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2CTlEvLtYNlA-o_H9mpL1Vy5WrM0MgnXgW6fBtCyQx0EWIpZ-y2jNgwG54UZXpvEg0FmZGeabbGarr4oVygwFaUd_y2Gh3DOGIu8eyEpfmGI1BnCy5IB4WCe_xL6JMS4q2Ek0WQ/s400/claude-landscape-david-cave-adullam-NG6-fm.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">1658, Claude, <i>Landscape with David at the Cave of Adullum</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
If Sundays and Wednesdays at church are Jerusalem, the remainder of the week is the cave of Adullam. <br />
<br />
<b>Life Beyond Jerusalem</b><br />
<br />
I haven't been satisfied by inviting friends to church. It isn't enough. When a person responds, "yes I'll come," sometimes they have come and never heard the gospel. Sometimes they may have heard it but they seemed not sure why they should think the gospel was significant to them. I refused to just "let them go." If they didn't want to come to church, I told them the gospel. Sometimes while standing on the sidewalk outside our home, or wherever else was convenient. I wanted them to understand this invitation He gives to see Him as real in our life.<br />
<br />
Sometimes they would say, "Yes I believe that," but they didn't seem to respond at the level of their soul. I could have just let them go, again, but my concern that they understand what Jesus has done, and it moved me to try to invite-in the wonder of God.<br />
<br />
Finally, some started seeing Jesus for themselves. Which was wonderful! And yet I should not be surprised! "So then, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." But they would come to church and feel weirded out by one aspect or another. They think that they can't be Christians unless they do everything we do. Which is just not true.<br />
<br />
So I have ended up showing people how to live for the Kingdom, or at least doing my best to testify about that, inviting them the way Jesus invites me daily. To not worry about whether they understand worship music, and not worry about bible studies which are overwhelming like homework, or not worry about why their clothes are different than most everyone else.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTRg1eaOAGSyHsv06ZOvtUdAoL3L8CejvKt02tV_0lgCDpSLD68OJf5h6kA_LPmtlwPZdLElBXQTG_13-7K0TG2PNCT50jXcD-qXae0xdQnDV7kFB7jLRiRDQhP_Igh4vWOKOxQ/s1600/david+wilderness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfTRg1eaOAGSyHsv06ZOvtUdAoL3L8CejvKt02tV_0lgCDpSLD68OJf5h6kA_LPmtlwPZdLElBXQTG_13-7K0TG2PNCT50jXcD-qXae0xdQnDV7kFB7jLRiRDQhP_Igh4vWOKOxQ/s320/david+wilderness.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
If anyone's leading, they lead me. I want to know as much as they do how to see a viable Jesus outside of Sundays and Wednesdays. These unchurched Christians are largely available and interested to play around with what following Jesus looks like outside of those structured times. <br />
<br />
I like them better than I like myself. They know how to take care of people like a real family. They know what freedom ought to smell and look like. Most of all they are SERIOUS about lavishing grace on broken people even if they have to do it in an earthly manner till they meet the means of grace in the person of Jesus. <br />
<br />
They aren't bogged down by years of thinking about church like I do and so they bring an awareness of life with the King that I would never have noticed otherwise. In fact there has been such success in seeing the King outside of Sundays and Wednesdays that now several longtime churched Christians, and even the de-churched, are purposely joining the rest-of-the-week band. <b>The harvest is plentiful. Where? Perhaps for Americans, the question isn't where but WHEN.</b> The harvest is plentiful during the rest-of-the-week, when people are eager to see the King, come, in their very existence.<br />
<br />
This is my testimony: It is possible to follow Jesus and not fit into the typical experiences of going to church as we know it. <br />
<br />
Indeed: THERE ARE MANY MORE WHO CAN FOLLOW JESUS THAN THOSE WHO CAN UNDERSTAND OUR WAYS OF DOING CHURCH, than we could have dreamed. They just need someone to help them seek the Kingdom with vitality, in their own way of living life! All their sin issues can be and are being conquered by the same Holy Spirit. <br />
<br />
The "unchurched" have a King, too. This King is the same as everyone else's. He leads them with the same vitality as He leads those who attend Sundays and Wednesdays. My passion is still, that the unchurched would come to church. Some may be able to bridge that gap to perceive their place in a regular church service, eventually, while some never will and that's ok. <br />
<br />
Why do I suggest that there is some invisible wall forcing me to juggle life between the unchurched and the churched? Only because of one reason: I invite people to come to church, and they don't see Jesus right away, for some strange reason. <br />
<br />
This is a challenge to develop myself as missionary. The problem isn't who I've invited, the problem isn't my church. It's that they need someone who will be a gap-stander. <br />
<br />
Perhaps that what the discontented saw in David: a true ruler over the City, yet one who had legitimacy in life as an outsider. <br />
<br />
I myself love church on Sundays and Wednesdays, but I cannot get myself to forget those who do not. As David one day finally rested, I pray too that I and the people who I share life with can come and experience the joy of being gathered together with other saints. There is one body, one baptism, and Jesus has took the dividing wall and abolished it through His body.<br />
<br />
I long for those reading here to meet some of these. <br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Note: 'Adullam' is the name of the church started by Matt Smay and Hugh Halter. I became familiar with the story of their church. Recently I attended their pre-conference track in Texas. Then recently I revisited this passage and that name, 'Adullam,' popped right out in my attention. "Yeah!" I thought with a twinge of jealousy - they are experiencing a similar movement for God, as they found their namesake in this passage.</i><br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-14813262359615748802013-03-22T09:08:00.000-07:002013-03-22T09:08:51.299-07:00Imbue & Infuse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Christians are not like computer processors. Yet they come to church and get the latest download, of information, and go home. It is like a mainstreamed variety of Gnosticism as my friend Tim pointed out. It is the belief that having the right knowledge will save.<br />
<br />
What we find is that history can repeat itself. All knowledge and no structures in church life for integration produces a people who know a lot and have no lifestyle to reflect what's in their mind. They called it pharisee.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmf7nBPj1P_YxTRgxa3oG7j97Ls8_qx5E-T2-bRiV5MNv5yWENSfEeR8E0LLmLyTpWwXhzvfnwuR98cvhCqXK30BgulOrpKEMOdSRUAKvySxNflL2BE2gg-27mMGFiFsIoY5Awg/s1600/colored+flowers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPmf7nBPj1P_YxTRgxa3oG7j97Ls8_qx5E-T2-bRiV5MNv5yWENSfEeR8E0LLmLyTpWwXhzvfnwuR98cvhCqXK30BgulOrpKEMOdSRUAKvySxNflL2BE2gg-27mMGFiFsIoY5Awg/s1600/colored+flowers.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">infuse: to instill a quality</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Do not be deceived. There is only one exam of whether we know Christ. It is the highest biblical depictions of a life well lived. Remember that in all Israel, there was no man who was like a son. There was no heir. Christ came as the God and Man to be the image for all of us, by grace through faith. This image is to be infused, imbued, into our being.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7FEZMiFRAIA8wmyGkLGFsiqUKteF8_Thus93ETaNPw2pGSXx_kX3mzuTS9WlQSMVHptb6RhLkxt3_GtS_wau2eUXYa1J-f1KzP4q7lC-f0zydS-wd10y3aEZACtnJGQkVob4Jg/s1600/roses+colored.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx7FEZMiFRAIA8wmyGkLGFsiqUKteF8_Thus93ETaNPw2pGSXx_kX3mzuTS9WlQSMVHptb6RhLkxt3_GtS_wau2eUXYa1J-f1KzP4q7lC-f0zydS-wd10y3aEZACtnJGQkVob4Jg/s1600/roses+colored.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">imbue: to inspire or permeate with a feeling or quality</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We need life paired with life in order to attain this. We need to give Christians permission and time to think of church life together outside of the inner track of a few who put together our activities of knowledge-dispensing.<br />
<br />
I want to be a full-color Christian. Everything counts. I need God to color me, to permeate me, to give me what I need. I need Christians outside of Sundays and Wednesdays to bring me to life in God. It is time to let down the walls and let friends in. Let them come in and make something true-colored in application.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdid28RV-c957Xr-fAEQuyWLIkJmc_fPNjFIx-HU2BNULIe_RolthCnB7renM248i3XDIp0Y_96nJwx2yCe8JOPTBOrqQchVXFV88Mw2P5D0H_yksLfjVPBTvBvZy1xBKY8TNJWg/s1600/green+girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdid28RV-c957Xr-fAEQuyWLIkJmc_fPNjFIx-HU2BNULIe_RolthCnB7renM248i3XDIp0Y_96nJwx2yCe8JOPTBOrqQchVXFV88Mw2P5D0H_yksLfjVPBTvBvZy1xBKY8TNJWg/s1600/green+girls.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">when blue showed up, yellow was never the same</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><br /></b>
<b>The Image of Jesus...</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Imbued, Infused Together,</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>By Grace,</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Through Faith.</b><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zludvZ573Os" width="420"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<i>THE COLOUR OF MY LOVE by Paul Ryan</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Ill paint my mood in shades of blue</i><br />
<i>Paint my soul to be with you</i><br />
<i>Ill sketch your lips in shaded tones</i><br />
<i>Draw your mouth to my own</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Ill draw your arms around my waist</i><br />
<i>Then all doubt I shall erase</i><br />
<i>Ill paint the rain that softly lands on your wind-blown hair</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Ill trace a hand to wipe out your tears</i><br />
<i>A look to calm your fears</i><br />
<i>A silhouette of dark and light</i><br />
<i>While we hold each other oh so tight</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Ill paint a sun to warm your heart</i><br />
<i>Swearing that well never part</i><br />
<i>That's the colour of my love</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Ill paint the truth</i><br />
<i>Show how I feel</i><br />
<i>Try to make you completely real</i><br />
<i>Ill use a brush so light and fine</i><br />
<i>To draw you close and make you mine</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Ill paint a sun to warm your heart</i><br />
<i>Swearing that well never part</i><br />
<i>That's the colour of my love</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Ill draw the years all passing by</i><br />
<i>So much to learn so much to try</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>And with this ring our lives will start</i><br />
<i>Swearing that well never part</i><br />
<i>I offer what you cannot buy</i><br />
<i>Devoted love until we die</i><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-13888369200360327792013-03-09T13:44:00.002-08:002013-03-09T13:47:09.625-08:00God Has Visited His People<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the pre-conference with Missio people about two weeks ago. There was a lot that I learned about "modality" and "sodality" which explained a lot of the pains and frustrations I've been experiencing. I plan to bring those out here.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYl2gs6o_xa1rAvOGJVI7eBaPqXhQZpNsbuqF22LoTkODdp3Ex0ndqsiT2W8s9v1yJY5ais9PCssAUsbyudII9QXlulm7QLlgy9pPRobcms0KlSOJpi7KXxGAviQBspSYCS3L87w/s1600/jeff-vanderstelt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYl2gs6o_xa1rAvOGJVI7eBaPqXhQZpNsbuqF22LoTkODdp3Ex0ndqsiT2W8s9v1yJY5ais9PCssAUsbyudII9QXlulm7QLlgy9pPRobcms0KlSOJpi7KXxGAviQBspSYCS3L87w/s320/jeff-vanderstelt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
The most important highlight for me was Jeff Vanderstelt's talk during the main conference the first day. Jeff is one of the founders of Soma, a missional community movement in Tacoma, Washington, under which my brother-in-law has also joined in partnership. Jeff was sharing a little more about his friend, Clay. Last year on facebook I posted a video of Jeff introducing Clay. If you clicked on the video back then or have run across it yourself you may be familiar. Clay used to go to concerts and use drugs as the highlight of his life. Jeff and his wife were invited to hang out with Clay at concerts. Obviously Jeff and his wife were uncomfortable, however they respectfully served Clay during those concerts.<br />
<br />
At some point after that video, I assume that Clay became a believer. At the conference, Jeff was updating his story. In my memory of the conference Jeff said,<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I have been wondering about Clay. He doesn't seem to show much signs of growing so I just prayed and prayed for him. One day I'm going over to Clay's house, and I see all these firetrucks and an ambulance with their sirens blaring. The thought comes across my mind, "I wonder if that has anything to do with Clay?" So I follow the sirens and they turn down Clay's street. Then they stop in front of Clay's house. Clay's wife is standing on the front lawn, crying. So I go up to her and pause, and say, "Is... Clay... ??" She says that Clay was over in their neighbor's garage.<br />
<br />
Clay had answered a call for help from a neighbor. The man who lived there had hung himself in the garage. Clay is in the garage and it's completely dark, and he's looking around for anything that will cut the rope. Somehow there's a sliver of light shining on a pair of scissors, so, he's cutting the rope while trying to lift the man up to relieve the pressure around his neck. He gets him down. He starts doing CPR. Nothing. Clay starts to pray. Clay prays, "You know, God, if it's this guy's time to go, go ahead and take him. But if he's not would you save his life?"<br />
<br />
The garage door starts to rattle as a wind blew through the cracks, and as the wind blew past Clay and this man, the man takes a breath....<br />
<br />
He's in the hospital, and wouldn't you know that one of the members of our Soma community is his nurse, so as he regains consciousness in the hospital he gets to hear the story of what happened. This nurse is only 21 years old, and she leaves Tacoma and goes on vacation to visit her family in southern California. While she's there, a group of pastors ask her if she would come down and share the story of what God is up to with Soma and the story of Clay's neighbor. So, here's a 21 year old girl teaching pastors about the power of God and what missional community is all about, the mission to reach others for Christ.<br />
<br />
I talk to Clay and you know what he told me? He said, "Yeah, I was reading the gospel of Mark lately (!!), got through several chapters and read how Jesus does miracles."<br />
<br />
God answered his prayer... AND CLAY'S NOT EVEN THAT GREAT A CHRISTIAN, you know... what I mean?</blockquote>
<br />
So here Jeff had been praying for this new believer who doesn't really understand much about God and how He works in our lives, not even knowing he had been reading the gospel of Mark! <br />
<br />
This testimony stirred me. It was as if I was waiting for something, but when I heard that God was even raising the dead... I felt an urgency, that I was living in the days when God moves. Then I read Luke 7:11-16 for no good reason and was shocked by the scriptures:<br />
<blockquote>
Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” <b> So he who was dead sat up and began to speak.</b> And He presented him to his mother.<br />
<br />
Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “<b>God has visited His people</b>.” And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEBuOfaX-lgofhrAiL6Hu-NbCwpMqh7LSKBXVzaZfqMCU71Ecl_ErpYJqgqeXDiuqg1yvkty_LPINFlhE1EUP2cutcvUvW0vVK0KgmoTeyTOee32lG6oKEiAxrJ6vMpJkOOhSfg/s1600/newspaper+jesus.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnEBuOfaX-lgofhrAiL6Hu-NbCwpMqh7LSKBXVzaZfqMCU71Ecl_ErpYJqgqeXDiuqg1yvkty_LPINFlhE1EUP2cutcvUvW0vVK0KgmoTeyTOee32lG6oKEiAxrJ6vMpJkOOhSfg/s400/newspaper+jesus.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
That was exactly the words I felt: God has visited His people. Their minds were settled that His favor had come into their lives. So I have been praying ever since, for God to visit me, visit US. I want to see His Kingdom not for my satisfaction, but for the sake of the lost. He taught us to pray that His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. I realize He's not going to transform all till His return, but I believe nevertheless. What if we prayed together for His Kingdom to come to us? Would He set a limit and not be supernatural if we asked? I believe it honors Him when I trust Him for His Kingdom, here and now! I think the more we seek Him, the more we will find, even if we do not receive all His Kingdom in this dispensation. Will you pray with me? Luke 11:9-13,<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 11 If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-62040278751188925052013-02-26T12:49:00.000-08:002013-02-26T13:07:25.713-08:00Playgrounds & Airports<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I love and serve the traditional, attractional, programmatic local church. As I do, I wonder what it will require to embrace the missional transformation. Below are pictures of where and why we need innovation and new ministry. The following is written to the traditional church by those who are leading the missional movement.<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
THE PLAYGROUND [1]<br />
<br />
As I've thought about it, it's as though we as churches have taken the leaders of our church and put them in a playground that is just 10 feet long and 10 feet wide and enclosed by a tall fence.<br />
<br />
We put these leaders on the playground and tell them to play. That may sound good, but there are a lot of them in one place, and it's pretty crowded. Because the space is so small, there is only room for a swing set, a short slide, and a little merry-go-round. People take turns playing, but they spend most of their time waiting around, wondering when it's going to be their turn. The fence of the playground is so high that you can't see over it. As a result, the leaders don't even know that this playground is situated right in the middle of Walt Disney World. There are a lot of rides and a lot of fun to be had just on the other side of the fence... <i>and they don't even know it.</i><br />
<i><br />
</i> However, I have a sneaking suspicion that if we took the fence down to let the leaders see what could be, almost all of them would stay in that small playground. Why? They know the playground. It's what they've always known. They like the swing set, the slide, and the merry-go-round. Space Mountain? The Tower of Terror? The Teacups? They've got no idea what to do with those. Walt Disney World is way too foreign and looks more than a little scary compared to the playground they have always known. So chances are, even if you took the fence down, they'd never leave the playground. </blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
THE PLUG-AND-PLAY PROBLEM [1]<br />
<br />
Imagine that it is a Tuesday morning, and that the staff of your church has gathered for its weekly staff meeting. Staff members discuss the weekend service and whether it delivered the message and experience they hoped it would. They discuss attendance numbers; small group numbers and effectiveness; budget, buildings, and cash flow. ... Then, there's a soft but decisive knock on the door. Someone says, "Come in!"<br />
<br />
Into the room, dressed in normal clothes, step Peter, Paul, James, Priscilla, Timothy, and Lydia. (Obviously, we're in a hypothetical situation here.) They introduce themselves and say that the Lord sent them to your church to serve in any way they can. They ask, "What can we do? We don't want to be on the stage or anything. You're doing the preaching/teaching thing really well. But we'll do anything else you need. Just tell us what you'd like."<br />
<br />
A stunned silence comes over the staff--after all, this is a strange situation. But soon enough, the staff members snap out of it. "Uhh, well, OK. Well, how many of you are there? Six. Well, let's see. Could three of you be small group leaders? We're looking to start some new small groups, and clearly you'd be great at that. Peter, James, Paul, could you do that?<br />
<br />
"Hmmm... you know, we just lost the person who heads up our First Impressions team a month ago, and it has been a bit lackluster. It has lost the punch it used to have. You know it's important that people have a strong impression of our church within the first 15 seconds when they come to the service. Priscilla, do you mind heading that up?<br />
<br />
"Timothy, we could sure use another usher, you look like you could handle that. Lastly, Lydia, I hear you play a mean bass and can sing too. We're down a bass player and would love to have you in the band. Maybe you can even fill in and lead worship from time to time. Are you up for that?"<br />
<br />
This is called plug-and-play. This is about having various positions we need filled in the machine of our churches and plugging people into those roles Now don't get me wrong: there are always going to be logistical needs when the scattered church gathers. That's reality, and we need to attend to that and do it well.<br />
<br />
<i>But does anyone really think this is where a church should be using Peter, James, Paul, Priscilla, Timothy, and Lydia? </i>Would this be the most effective use of their time and energy given the skill sets they have [for multiplying followers of Jesus]?</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote>
THE AIRPORT [2]<br />
<br />
I travel by plane almost every week. This means I get to visit a lot of airports. On a fairly routine basis, airports get confused about what they're there for -- and for whom. They think that if a bunch of planes are on the ground, close to the hub, and the concourse is full of people, they are winning. They apparently think they are the destination! Of course, when this happens, it means a bunch of people aren't getting where they want to go. They're stuck at the airport, like flies on flypaper.<br />
<br />
The airport is a place of connection, not a destination. Its job is to help people get somewhere else. An airport-centric world of travel would be dull and frustrating, no matter how nice the airport is.<br />
<br />
When the church thinks it's the destination, it also confuses the scorecard. It thinks that if people are hovering around and in the church, the church is winning. The truth is, when that's the case, the church is really keeping people from where they want to go, from their real destination. That destination is life. Lucky for us, it just so happens this is what Jesus promised to bring to us. (He did not say, 'I have come to give you church and give it to you more abundantly.') Abundant life is lived out with loved ones, friends, acquaintances in the marketplace, in the home, in the neighborhood, in the world.<br />
<br />
The church is a connector, linking people to the kingdom life that God has for them. Substituting church activity as the preferred life expression is as weird as believing that airports are more interesting than the destinations they serve.</blockquote>
<br />
So... what do you think? Do these pictures tug at your heart for something richer? This is just a trim over the top into why we need missional leaders: people who can gently and personally mentor, leading us outside the safe spaces of the church building and into the world so the Kingdom might expand.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/P5AkNqLuVgY" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
[1] "Multiplying Missional Leaders: From Half-Hearted Volunteers to a Mobilized Kingdom Force" by Mike Breen. 3DM, 2012. <br />
<br />
[2] "Missional Renaissance" by Reggie McNeal. Jossey-Bass Publication, 2009. pg. 45.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-32806761420108510022013-02-05T11:38:00.001-08:002013-02-05T21:39:10.634-08:00"This is a Safe Place"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Is life beating you down?<br />
<br />
Do you have a wound or affliction that just won't clear up?<br />
<br />
<b>The Hemorrhaging Woman</b><br />
<br />
She was bleeding. It had been this way for 12 years. The doctors she saw only made her worse, not better. This woman who hemorrhaged had lived a life with wounds and fear. The bleeding was only part of the problem. She also struggled to be part of society for all those years. You see, wherever she laid or sat would be unclean for anyone else, and if others touched places she had been, they also would be unclean for a few days. Think that would take a toll on her feelings?<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7bdhGwSipliVsRa3XLQHpsw5wZ59NY9Cy9iYYB0Ja6vUtJEU1uSwa45UjipdEizLRjCQnE-GWnD96RbDS-axCguujuM9ohYSZ7FZRfOyf2AHXu5-8TuL1QON-wzvvFHKtM1UrQ/s1600/who+touched+me.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEia7bdhGwSipliVsRa3XLQHpsw5wZ59NY9Cy9iYYB0Ja6vUtJEU1uSwa45UjipdEizLRjCQnE-GWnD96RbDS-axCguujuM9ohYSZ7FZRfOyf2AHXu5-8TuL1QON-wzvvFHKtM1UrQ/s320/who+touched+me.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Would you push your way through a tight crowd and talk publicly about this problem to Jesus? It would cause instant recoil. <br />
<br />
She didn't want to talk to him. She didn't want to reveal that she would make everyone unclean in the crowd. So she found a way to interact with Jesus without looking Him in the face. Faith brought her. She thought, "if I can only touch the hem of His robe, I will be healed."<br />
<br />
And she was! She stopped bleeding as soon as she touched Jesus. He had made her finally feel safe from the oozing wound. Her plan was to slink away. But the Lord was thinking about how she felt in the presence of many. <br />
<br />
Thank God for Jesus! He didn't follow the usual protocol and count this bleeding woman unclean. He was safe, for her. What happens when we only feel safe with one? <br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/d9CJB-SJiUw" width="560"></iframe><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
In this video Nikita intuitively hears wisdom's voice. Nikita stops Alex's oozing wound. She retells her own story to Alex. How, once she had an oozing wound, a need for safety, and Carla stopped the hemorrhaging. In spite of Carla's absence, Nikita grasps the rest of the lesson and embodies it for Alex: "And I thought, 'There has to be a reason."' She wasn't going to wait on Carla - her own devotion to righteousness called her to excellence in being a mentor herself. <br />
<br />
<b>The Clackamas Town Center Shooting</b><br />
<br />
When people become associated on an intimate level with shocking tragedy, such as the Newtown School shooting or Clackamas Mall shooting last December, they say afterward, "I'll never go there again." <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrD9jJyA-WPVX1Pwhxxd5JWjZbzE9NXmdKKoBmNo3zECwzyWMnrJF7Sy6VdY94xhszlYLlwb55CTp3HfmL8JBsAjK58DnBVR-RtcqZF726BVWL567BJxmEvtgrgJUgXBic27qcg/s1600/crowded+mall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizrD9jJyA-WPVX1Pwhxxd5JWjZbzE9NXmdKKoBmNo3zECwzyWMnrJF7Sy6VdY94xhszlYLlwb55CTp3HfmL8JBsAjK58DnBVR-RtcqZF726BVWL567BJxmEvtgrgJUgXBic27qcg/s320/crowded+mall.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This kind of thinking is like the woman who only wanted to be healed in body and not in the crowd: a half-way deliverance. It seems like wisdom to avoid the places where people remind you of something that brings you down.<br />
<br />
But experts in trauma and post-traumatic stress suggest that the best thing you can do after a perceived life-threatening experience, is to revisit the very place where it all happened. To face it. To sit in the corridors, to walk the expanse, and just let your senses take in the normalcy of it all.<br />
<br />
The woman who hemorrhaged very well might have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. Research shows us that people with chronic life-threatening illness, such as cancer, can be triggered with intense re-experiences of traumatic fear for survival. They call this the "fight-or-flight" response, or "hyperarousal" or "hypervigilence." It is a lower-brain response, not part of the brain responsible for critical thinking at all. It comes from the amygdala, which for example, tells you to take your hand off a burning stove even before you've had a chance for the more advanced part of your brain to interpret the situation and decide to remove your hand. It's much faster, beyond thinking almost. The amygdala and hippocampus are in charge of fear responses and the way those memories are held and revived in the mind.<br />
<br />
The hypervigilence of post-traumatic stress is similar to what schizophrenics experience in paranoia. It's not paranoia, but it acts similar. Hypervigilence seems like a foreign concept until it just comes over someone. Their senses warn them saying, "I've seen this situation before. Run first, ask questions later!"<br />
<br />
<b>Those Who Don't Go Back, Lose Community</b><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Why go back to a place of a nightmare? For mall shoppers who don't go back, it seems at first like a no-brainer, like a healthy decision. Somewhere down the road however, it may catch up. This increases in likelihood if there should be another life-threatening experience later, even if it is completely unrelated to the first. The re-experiencing of a traumatic response doesn't just happen in<i> that</i> mall, on<i> the third floor</i> right at<i> the Macy's entrance</i> where the tragedy occurred. The mind may revive this experience through totally unfair reminders, such as the scent of Bath and Body Works, down the hall. Or any retail center which has the same tiles on their floors. Or overhead holiday music. The amygdala and hippocampus just plays unfairly. The fear can irrationally come out in so many more places and scenarios than you would have ever thought possible. It makes public places and people, unsafe, and there is little community for people with fear. <br />
<br />
This is why it is good to consider going back, when life settles down to normal. The traumatized should attempt to take back and normalize the situation that had been terrifying. <br />
<br />
<b>Moving Us Toward Community</b><br />
<br />
Your responsibility is to go back. Your mentor's responsibility is to advocate for your community. We must find a way to help people feel safe around one another, after tragedies like these shootings. Mark 5:30-34,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, 'Who touched my clothes?'<br />
But His disciples said to Him, 'You see the multitude thronging you, and you say, "Who touched me?"'<br />
And He looked around to see her who had done this thing. But the woman,<b> fearing and trembling</b>, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and<b> told Him the whole truth</b>. And He said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction.'</blockquote>
Many Christians have trouble being vulnerable beyond a couple of our closest friends. What if, barring a few mismatched personalities, Christians were a safe place to be yourself?<br />
<br />
Jesus became a beacon by which the woman could retake a sense of safety and rapport with several more. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyR6EhkzsUsKBdVliCpJO6TRCYXRQfxk6OPbhgWjwKFKB2s9Iczf0YhwHaqv5_KHmwd__swXo6-upSN_HRQc3inGr9TRhOF6WjbiEtbKO21zhHDO0gt36PzJpZq2cmoWDVUqbBFQ/s1600/woman+touching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyR6EhkzsUsKBdVliCpJO6TRCYXRQfxk6OPbhgWjwKFKB2s9Iczf0YhwHaqv5_KHmwd__swXo6-upSN_HRQc3inGr9TRhOF6WjbiEtbKO21zhHDO0gt36PzJpZq2cmoWDVUqbBFQ/s320/woman+touching.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
He instantaneously imposed on all His followers to become that safe environment. He did it through His public acceptance of her, in the place and the people where she was most aware of her issue. This is a fine example of healing communities. <br />
<br />
As I write this I realize some readers are thinking about those who have not been safe. Have you ever taken a risk, and stood out? Did you ever choose to be vulnerable? Have you shown a small community your battle scars and risk being misunderstood? Sometimes Christians go silent because they don't know what to say, even though they feel respect and compassion for you. Sometimes they add judgement on top of your wound, instead of moving toward vulnerability themselves. Imagine in the television show above if Nikita and Birkoff separated themselves from Alex because they could see her hemorrhaging?<br />
<br />
If this is the case in your life, take a look at the scriptures. The woman honestly didn't know what would happen if she became known. But she was sure scared! God defends and saves those who take Kingdom risks. Those who tell "the whole truth" for His glory and power to become known. Jesus stops to hear her story. He isn't defending the comforts of those following Him in the crowd. He puts them on edge. He wraps her in acceptance and this is the story that is left for us from the disciples in our bibles. Jesus is on the side of the openly broken. Through His dialogue with her, He subtly tells everyone else their duty which is to communicate: "We are okay. You're going to be fine." Depend on Jesus to do this for you in your vulnerability! He can transform Christians who struggle to embody safe community. God doesn't guarantee that all our afflictions will healed in an instant, but He has shown us that we don't have to live this life alone.<br />
<br />
It just might be that Jesus would use your openness as a model of His grace for a whole throng of onlookers.<br />
<br />
<b>The Community's Response: This is a Safe Place</b><br />
<br />
Do you suffer from wounds and fear? I can't promise you all Christians will treat you right. It is the Savior, Jesus Christ, who ended the era of separating the broken. Have you ever thought that your words and your presence is a ministry God can give through you to someone in need? When I've drawn near to someone's wounds and pain, that was not me; it was Jesus who lives in me and who's shown me in His Word how much He loves everyone so much, that<i> He took many wounds for us</i>. He will be closer to you than I ever could. I'm not perfect. I will let you down now and then. If you happen to have felt acceptance from me, come and experience acceptance in the community of Christians with which I follow Jesus. As D.T. Niles said, "I'm just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread" -<br />
<br />
<br />
"You can stay here.<br />
This is a safe place."<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-78922542599339041262013-01-29T15:22:00.002-08:002013-01-29T16:49:31.675-08:00The Power of Praying 'Arise'<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>(this post was originally written on 11/13/12)</i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Today I am reminded, </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRe9a8iiflxyfs3EftYk2sFFdpaUhTnYIZ29JZQ5bSmnGwizjQkntCZ3bYXsGwGt5lTphE9OpTxdec3J_Dilx1fxPle-QYAx2Cj8ZvlNYJXOaI5r1YecIDMSJdua98zNgEI0bCg/s1600/foundation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRe9a8iiflxyfs3EftYk2sFFdpaUhTnYIZ29JZQ5bSmnGwizjQkntCZ3bYXsGwGt5lTphE9OpTxdec3J_Dilx1fxPle-QYAx2Cj8ZvlNYJXOaI5r1YecIDMSJdua98zNgEI0bCg/s1600/foundation.jpg" /></a></div>
"Each one should be careful how he builds."<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, <b>stubble</b>; Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.</blockquote>
<div>
I used to pray "Lord, open a door for <i>this</i> ministry, Lord, open a door for <i>that</i> message." Then, I prayed, "Lord, <i>Arise, open a door for Yourself</i>, and come in." He has come, He has arisen. He is passing through this church. I see stubble in me. I have feared men, made them weighty in my heart and mind. This is a sin.<br />
<br />
The word "splendor" also means, "weighty." God should be the weighty one in my heart, the one of splendor, the one I alone fear.<br />
<br />
I see God who is fearsome. Ezek. 21:16-17<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Swords at the ready!<br />
Thrust right!<br />
Set your blade!<br />
Thrust left--<br />
Wherever your edge is ordered!<br />
I also will beat My fists together,<br />
And I will cause My fury to rest;<br />
I, the LORD, have spoken.</blockquote>
Do I dare believe He will spare me just because I have the gift of eternal life? No, God is no respecter of persons. He did not spare His own people from fire. Isaiah 27:10-11,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Yet the fortified city will be desolate,<br />
The habitation forsaken and left like a wilderness;<br />
There the calf will feed, and there it will lie down<br />
<b>And consume its branches.</b><br />
<b>When its boughs are withered, they</b><br />
<b>will be broken off;</b><br />
<b>The women come and set them on fire.</b><br />
<b>For it is a people of no understanding;</b><br />
<b>Therefore He who made them will </b><br />
<b>not have mercy on them,</b><br />
<b>And He who formed them will </b><br />
<b>show them no mercy.</b></blockquote>
These branches are the same mentioned to the church in John 15:5-6,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, <b>he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned</b>.</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUiV3IseaLEBnXgYE6PS6eDrP5vUAkXUDely2r_MRw6e6D5-9InSxEExYSkocM6awHhhqihR6Y4u0Tr7KuImzR2E4HqFfxxHQpMfigqLhpThkLHd23xmRHVezaCZZ4Q9vM_RjXg/s1600/palms+up.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGUiV3IseaLEBnXgYE6PS6eDrP5vUAkXUDely2r_MRw6e6D5-9InSxEExYSkocM6awHhhqihR6Y4u0Tr7KuImzR2E4HqFfxxHQpMfigqLhpThkLHd23xmRHVezaCZZ4Q9vM_RjXg/s400/palms+up.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
This is a verse for Christians, and everyone else who might have appropriated the righteousness of God's living water into their lifestyle. The word "branch" means ruler, son, king (Matthew 24:32, Zecharaiah 6:12, Isaiah 60:21, Psalm 80:15). That is why I will never forget worship dancing on Palm Sunday, when King Jesus enters Jerusalem and the people ushered Him by waving palm branches. Palm branches are a symbol of a victorious son or a ruler. What sort of rulers am I replicating into this world I will leave behind - righteous sons, or wicked sons? This is what it means to be a branch for Jesus that bears fruit in the world. To the church Jesus warns in Romans 11:20-22,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Do not be haughty, but<b> fear. </b>For if God<b> </b>did not spare the natural<b> branches</b>, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. <b>Otherwise you also will be cut off.</b></blockquote>
Not our whole life will be cut off from the presence of God. When it says, "you" will be cut off, I believe it means, "in regard to any work of your life under consideration at the moment." I believe for our delight God gives saints the command to lift holy hands. Take a look at your hand, your palm. I believe every time a Christian raises his hands he thanks God and agrees with the Spirit for a righteous branch, a righteous people, coming out of their life.<br />
<br />
It is only because a Christian's heart continues to pursue Him that a Christian is favored. God has mercy on sins done in ignorance. He has mercy on those who want to know Him. God gives grace to all who ask, however some choose not to seek it. When the light comes, and it is coming now, the wicked and the righteous are freshly discerned. Isaiah 25:10-11,<br />
<br />
With my soul I have desired You in the night<br />
Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early;<br />
For when your judgments are in the earth,<br />
The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.<br />
<b>Let grace be shown to the wicked,</b><br />
<b>Yet he will not learn righteousness</b>;<br />
In the land of uprightness he will deal unjustly,<br />
And will not behold the majesty of the LORD.<br />
LORD, <b>when your hand is lifted up, they will not see</b>.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NRt82OoIe5Cy5rgysWfTGJAhDLzLMGaqA0HsPnLlbsFFhA4aVFIFMERAOsQvAZhaMA0qSVDa6G66PPoL7mmabnoG4NdZ5PYn4I-MF59lFkQQSz1rJb2n2A_S3NsLwZXDz5EbDg/s1600/palm+hand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NRt82OoIe5Cy5rgysWfTGJAhDLzLMGaqA0HsPnLlbsFFhA4aVFIFMERAOsQvAZhaMA0qSVDa6G66PPoL7mmabnoG4NdZ5PYn4I-MF59lFkQQSz1rJb2n2A_S3NsLwZXDz5EbDg/s1600/palm+hand.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I want to see Jesus as He arises for His people, to bring them every depth of salvation. I can't make Him give the depths of salvation to me. I can't earn His mercy with anything I do for Him. He gives it freely. Psalm 40:13,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Be pleased to save me, LORD...</blockquote>
I love how God's Word gives me boldness to say what is both true and significant before the dawn has made everything apparent. Those who fear the LORD have assurance. Malachi 3:16-4:2,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another,<br />
And the Lord listened and heard them;<br />
So a book of remembrance was written before Him<br />
<b>For those who fear the Lord</b><br />
And who meditate on His name.<br />
“They shall be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts,<br />
“On the day that <b>I make them My jewels</b>.<br />
And I will spare them<br />
As<b> a man spares his own son who serves him</b>.”<br />
<b>Then you shall again discern</b><br />
<b>Between the righteous and the wicked,</b><br />
<b>Between one who serves God</b><br />
<b>And one who does not serve Him.</b><br />
For behold, the day is coming,<br />
Burning like an oven,<br />
And all <b>the proud</b>, yes, <b>all who do wickedly will be stubble</b>.<br />
And the day which is coming shall burn them up,”<br />
Says the Lord of hosts,<br />
“<b>That will leave them</b> <b>neither root nor branch</b>.<br />
<b>But to you who fear My name</b><br />
The Sun of Righteousness shall <b>arise</b><br />
With healing in His wings;<br />
And you shall go out<br />
And grow fat like stall-fed calves.</blockquote>
The jewels, those precious things I can build upon the foundation of my salvation - what are the jewels according to scripture? In Malachi above, Jesus calls people His jewels. What are jewels for NT saints? The same: they are people. This prophecy in Isaiah below was fulfilled by the woman at the well in John 4. Isaiah 49:18, 22-23,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Lift up your eyes</b>, look around and see;<br />
All these gather together and come to you.<br />
As I live,” says the Lord, “<br />
<b>You shall surely clothe yourselves with them all as an ornament</b>,<br />
And bind them on you as a bride does.<br />
Behold, I will <b>lift My hand</b> in an oath to the nations,<br />
And set up My standard<b> for the peoples</b>;<br />
<b>They shall bring your sons in their arms, </b><br />
<b>And your daughters shall be carried on their shoulders</b>; <br />
Kings shall be your foster fathers,<br />
And their queens your nursing mothers;<br />
They shall bow down to you with their faces to the earth,<br />
And lick up the dust of your feet.<br />
Then you will know that I am the Lord,<br />
For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me. </blockquote>
The power of praying "arise" is that He makes me get out of the way. He stands out alone as pure. Being judged as sinning feels like fire, now. It is unpleasant to discover that my choices are stubble to Him. It is much more wonderful afterward to see His Kingdom developing in me! I'm thankful that He saves me because He is pleased to do so. And I pray that through repentance, God would help me stay in step with Him as He passes through.<br />
<br />
<i>Thank you Jesus, for your life on earth, your death and resurrection, which makes this hope for jewels my greatest opportunity.</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/6iAdoc3tLbQ" width="560"></iframe> <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
</div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-38882333908742870892013-01-23T14:57:00.000-08:002013-01-23T21:42:59.318-08:00Biology Class Growing Up<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Monday evening I walked into a class I wasn't even signed up for because I got an email about it. It's a perspectives course on Christian work throughout the world. The topic was missionaries to unsent peoples. As I was walking into my church, into my Sunday school room where we've been lately pouring over the issue of creation vs. evolution, guess who was standing there to register me in the class?<br />
<br />
I shook my head in disbelief as I approached. It was obvious God was up to something. I smiled at him and said, "You're Mr. Shrout, right?" He was indeed.<br />
<br />
He is my science teacher from when I was in 7th and 8th grades. Amazing. This is just another step in almost a year's worth of development that God is making for me in my life when it comes to the issue of creationism vs. evolution. <br />
<br />
In fact I've been trying to write this blog post since June 12th.<br />
<br />
It all started when I was in my friend April's church last spring, visiting one of their services. An older gentleman walked up to me afterward and said to me with a smile, "I know who you are. You're... Michele, right?"<br />
<br />
"Yes," I said. I looked at him for awhile. I recognized his face and I smiled big. "I know you too...!" I trailed off. I couldn't figure out how I knew him. He filled in the blanks.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSer5ekGG0qecNMwLxUPyZYmUq2Vuo-AhIybfG4G1tLCkBStuTh" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSer5ekGG0qecNMwLxUPyZYmUq2Vuo-AhIybfG4G1tLCkBStuTh" /></a></div>
<br />
He said, "You were in my science class."<br />
<br />
"Yes, I remember. You're... Mr. ..," and I almost said it as he did, "Mr. Haight." I smiled bigger and said, "Oh my gosh! I remember being in your class! Biology at North Salem High."<br />
<br />
He said, "I remember you were really good at science, seemed to know a lot of the answers, that's what I recall about you." I smiled and I tried to shuck his compliment away but he continued. "I remember one day I was upset with the whole class because of how badly they did on a test. You raised your hand and said, 'It's our fault for how we did.' And that made me feel like you were defending me, it was nice of you."<br />
<br />
I thought about that. Coming to think of it later, I can remember that. What I remember more is how on one time I took advantage of his trust. There was a kid who was doing something naughty, and I advocated for him. Looking back, the kid didn't deserve my advocacy. Mr. Haight looked me in the eye about it and I felt it. That's my memory.<br />
<br />
I remember something else. The funny kid in class was eating gummy bears. When Mr. Haight turned his back to the class to write on the board, this guy would take a juicy bear out of his mouth and throw it full-force toward the wall or the ceiling. It would stick. Mr. Haight turned around and couldn't tell why people were laughing. Ohh, the naughty things kids do! But Mr. Haight was a great teacher. He cared about the kids. That's why I remember him so fondly.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZX-6GOwOQAVe8JtSn6N8yAyMXqKDEO8oeu4ABF26KBfOqxR5B8bWYHD3f983fRBQvdjtwRyfDURnIkR1Z5QK4OKqJUCR6gHgWS2v1T7kMOqerlaxwaFJaW5OTc0_PMPx08859g/s1600/me+5th+grade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZX-6GOwOQAVe8JtSn6N8yAyMXqKDEO8oeu4ABF26KBfOqxR5B8bWYHD3f983fRBQvdjtwRyfDURnIkR1Z5QK4OKqJUCR6gHgWS2v1T7kMOqerlaxwaFJaW5OTc0_PMPx08859g/s320/me+5th+grade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me in 5th grade</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I told Mr. Haight as he was before me now, "I remember in class that sophomore year you had a creation vs. evolution debate for the students by the students. I was on the evolution side. I remember it was so odd to me that people used the Bible at all, or would argue things like that. I thought everyone should or did believe in evolution. That was the beginning of my awareness that there could be something else. It was a big deal to me."<br />
<br />
He didn't respond too much to that. He moved on to ask me about my kids who I had brought with me. He's been a Christian all this time, and a wonderful one at that. How fascinating! No wonder he wanted to have that debate in the classroom!<br />
<br />
Fast forward to May.<br />
<br />
My daughter Grace goes to an orientation for entering Middle School - Claggett. I see this teacher at the school, and I think he looks familiar but it doesn't click in my thinking. Later they announce "Life Science class is taught by Mr. Shrout." What! That was my science teacher when I was in Middle School (Whiteaker). Then I realized who I had seen in the hall.<br />
<br />
I find out over the summer that he is retiring that year. So my daughter will not have the opportunity to have him for Life Science like I did growing up.<br />
<br />
I wondered if he had recognized me. I had seen him coming out of the school once or twice since May. So this thought of actually getting to talk to him too has been building in my mind since last year.<br />
<br />
One of my science teachers was a Christian, how neat! But what if my other science teacher was not? Mr. Shrout was my most favorite teacher of all. He was my teacher when I kind of discovered that I loved science, and wanted to do stuff in science for the rest of my life. That's the way I completely felt back then.<br />
<br />
If I met him, what would I say? All these months, I wondered. I tried to explore my heart. I could hear some normal questions he might politely ask.<br />
<br />
"Did you end up doing something in paleontology?"<br />
<br />
"Did you become an anthropologist like you had been thinking about?"<br />
<br />
"Are you doing something in science at all?"<br />
<br />
My answers:<br />
<br />
"No." <br />
<br />
"I stay at home with my kids."<br />
<br />
"I'm trying to build momentum for something called 'missional communities.'"<br />
<br />
"I'm a Christian, now. So, ..?"<br />
<br />
And all I could imagine someone saying in reply to that, is, "Oh." And that's where I've never been able to figure out how the rest of my story, goes? What would I say, about my love for science? I feel like, I still love science. I still know everything I once did. It just doesn't mean as much to me. Does that mean anything at all, to someone who teaches science for a living, who invests himself in students so they might become something someday? I can't tell you how I solve the question of what hominid fossils are all about. I don't know the answer between what the Bible says and what the fossil record shows. I don't have enough science to make the Bible a scientific textbook. I'm stuck saying mostly, "I don't know."<br />
<br />
Do you see now why I couldn't finish this blog post? <br />
<br />
(I even told my arch-nemesis in middle school that I was going to be a paleontologist when I grew up!)<br />
<br />
Because of Monday evening, I realize I don't have to finish this blog post. The story ends a little differently. My other science teacher, is also a Christian! Hm. <br />
<br />
All of this, was built into this moment, walking into my church and seeing my science teacher standing there. I don't have to try and explain why I'm a Christian, thank God for that! He would know! <br />
<br />
I said to him, "I was one of your students." (He probably hears that a lot.)<br />
<br />
"Oh, what year?"<br />
<br />
I said, "About '92, '91..."<br />
<br />
"Hmm," he said.<br />
<br />
"I remember one of your jokes. 'Why didn't the moss hang out with the lichen? Because he heard he wasn't a "fungi [pronounced 'fun guy'],'" I repeated to him. He acknowledged.<br />
<br />
"Remember, I did special reports on science over the summer because my dad made me study college level Biology? I gave you a paper at the beginning of the year? You asked me to be teacher's aide the following semester? You had me help pass out papers? One time you asked me to transfer dead frogs for dissection from one bucket to another bucket in the back storage room. And I cried and said I couldn't do it?"<br />
<br />
He listened and said, "I'm sorry, I don't remember."<br />
<br />
I looked at the floor, and tried again. "Remember I wrote down all your jokes you told in class on my book cover?"<br />
<br />
His eyes lit up and he said, "Oh, that's YOU?" and took a step back.<br />
<br />
"Yes, that's me," I said smiling. "Remember at the end of the year you asked me if you could photocopy my book covers so you could keep all your jokes?"<br />
<br />
He replied, "Yes, my son was just wondering where those were. They put on a retirement party for me and he wanted those out as part of a display. I'll have to text him in a little bit and let him know that I met you." <br />
<br />
That was wonderful. I was pretty sure my testimony of becoming a Christian would matter because he would remember the textbook covers. But I still don't know what my testimony is, about science.<br />
<br />
I remember that I was always raising my hand in class. I remember the other kids eventually got annoyed. They started to say, "Okay Michele just put your hand down" and I would laugh. Kids thought I was teacher's pet. I remember that Mr. Shrout was hilarious. He was so funny. He is humble about how funny he is. Most of his jokes were puns, but I just remember the entire class breaking out into laughter out of nowhere because of him. All the time. I remember dissecting frogs and worms. I remember his green bicycle that he stored in class. Even back then it had a reputation: it was dubbed "the green machine." I had so much fun in that class in 7th grade.<br />
<br />
Over the summer my dad used to make me choose a college-level textbook and read it and write reports. So I picked 200-level Biology and studied it. When I got to the end of the summer I had written some papers on things like the evolution of man and chemistry of ATP converted to energy in the bloodstream. I could draw the tree of human evolution and used it for speech class and for random papers in English all through middle school. I knew all about evolution.<br />
<br />
In the last few years, I've tried to abandon what I know altogether. Most of the books I read in the last few years about creationism only talk about the hoaxes, they don't really say anything about the thousands of fossils of hominids that are out there to be considered. I guess I'm stuck between two worlds.<br />
<br />
I didn't expect to discover that my science teachers were Christians.<br />
<br />
I can't explain to you the sense of lostness that I lived in spiritually, growing up. At 17 I saw the movie about what the Bible explains about Jesus. I saw Jesus as strong. And authoritative over creation. Provocative. A leader who meekly gave His life, dying cruelly. He said He did it for me, and for everyone. He depicted how God cared if a bird fell to the earth, and how much more God cared for me. And then, He gave me His kind of JOY. It changed my life. I still didn't understand sin, or God, really. Or what my purpose was. I just knew that I knew the Author. The Origin.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8P1lUKCq7hGmz9WjmYqXnPRltQ87bQpY33_Iy_DdGdUKZLGaCOAuxN7J-JAJMyQaDyx3-HZG1wYTc970ctNBKNaCposzxqDPPuRJVMqhk4cFsLPgwi7ZL-oUUET5q6M0_-e48g/s1600/me,+11th+grade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic8P1lUKCq7hGmz9WjmYqXnPRltQ87bQpY33_Iy_DdGdUKZLGaCOAuxN7J-JAJMyQaDyx3-HZG1wYTc970ctNBKNaCposzxqDPPuRJVMqhk4cFsLPgwi7ZL-oUUET5q6M0_-e48g/s320/me,+11th+grade.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me, age 17 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Looking back, now, over all those years of feeling empty and lost, I just feel like God had this big hug, wrapped around me. He was there. All along. Even though I was lost, He was there. His people were there. God was never that far away.<br />
<br />
Why did I have to wait to get saved, I wonder? So many people who were saved at the age of 17 have done much to glorify Jesus. Just something I've noticed. Reid Saunders was saved at 17. Billy Graham was saved at 16. The missionary who spoke to us Monday night who went on to give 20 years of his life to the Iteri people, was saved at the age of 17. It is a kind of fervor that is truly annoying to those who are closest to you; they are a people who just won't stop talking about Jesus.<br />
<br />
Don't you just love how provocatively God speaks? Like sending my favorite science teacher into my church classroom on Monday night where the day before, we had been discussing evolution. I marvel at God's message to me:<br />
<br />
Honey, your science teachers were Christians, just like you.<br />
<br />
Thank God for filling in the blanks, showing me His creative presence is so near.<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-20084318239014360582013-01-11T15:22:00.002-08:002013-01-11T15:22:30.229-08:00Strangers, An Offering to the LORD<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
What is an offering that would please the LORD? Malachi 3:8-10,<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Will a man rob God?<br />
Yet you have robbed Me!<br />
<b>But you say,<br />
‘In what way have we robbed You?’<br />
In tithes and offerings.</b><br />
You are cursed with a curse,<br />
For you have robbed Me,<br />
Even this whole nation.<br />
Bring all the tithes into the storehouse,<br />
That there may be food in My house,<br />
And try Me now in this,”<br />
Says the Lord of hosts,<br />
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven<br />
And pour out for you such blessing<br />
That there will not be room enough to receive it."</blockquote>
<br />
Does God want an offering of your money? Sometimes. I suppose if it has the power to bring the nations to Christ, then yes. But on the other hand sometimes God likes to accomplish things without our resources, so we can see the difference between our effort and God's power; so He can increase His own fame.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRvTJ47v6yZRKIYq3IqJYmeWNfSrLKVDkq0iOj9vEG536DzKaB1lwQnDJ6vZrLRvie2nvOVggUyi01LQ_cQ5BSWGQJpoIbjsSltv6mi2DSCqoTVB3CQNooPONGtsKZTke-U3dzA/s1600/simon+buying+spirit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRvTJ47v6yZRKIYq3IqJYmeWNfSrLKVDkq0iOj9vEG536DzKaB1lwQnDJ6vZrLRvie2nvOVggUyi01LQ_cQ5BSWGQJpoIbjsSltv6mi2DSCqoTVB3CQNooPONGtsKZTke-U3dzA/s400/simon+buying+spirit.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simon trying to buy the Spirit he already had as a believer, Acts 8</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The prophetic book of Isaiah ends with an interesting take on offerings made to God. It describes STRANGERS as the offering God is seeking. Isaiah 66:18-21,<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
"For I know their works and their thoughts. It shall be that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come and see my glory. I will set a sign among them; and those among them who escape I will send to the nations: to Tarshish ad Pul and Lud, who draw the bow, and Tubal and Javan, to the coastlands afar off who have not heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they shall declare My glory among the Gentiles. <b>Then they shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the LORD out of all nations, on horses and in chariots and in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem," says the LORD, "as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the LORD.</b> And I will also take some of them for priests and Levites," says the LORD.</blockquote>
<br />
While some of the evangelism described here makes us think these verses are fulfilled in the church age (now), all brothers from all nations have not been brought to Jerusalem (being referred to as the holy mountain which speaks of the future dispensation). <br />
<br />
If the age of the 1000 year reign of Christ is characterized by this, shouldn't our Spiritual duty today look the same? From the beginning of the promise uttered to Abraham, God has been patiently seeking the redemption and transformation of unchurched people! The excellence... of the power of God on display in lives being changed. What if that is what He will have His servants offer Him? <br />
<br />
And if in the Kingdom era there will be literal pilgrimages to Jerusalem of new believers in Jesus, shouldn't that be fulfilled now in a Spiritual sense? Malachi 1:7-8,<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"You offer defiled food on My altar,<br />
But say,<br />
‘In what way have we defiled You?’<br />
By saying,<br />
‘The table of the Lord is contemptible.’<br />
<b>And when you offer the blind as a sacrifice,<br />
Is it not evil?<br />
And when you offer the lame and sick,<br />
Is it not evil?</b>"</blockquote>
<br />
If this is true, ... Then what, do you think possibly...<br />
<br />
Lame = ?<br />
<br />
Sick = ?<br />
<br />
Blind = ?<br />
<br />
<b>Disciple Making Means the Unchurched will Follow Him</b><br />
<br />
We quote God's Word in the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20) a lot, but what does a discipling movement look like? The word "disciple" means "follower, learner". Disciple-making therefore means making disciples<b> of the unchurched. </b><i>Wait a second</i>, you might say: <i>I make disciples of the people who already attend church! Isn't that also disciplemaking?</i> Well, of substance yes, but let me explain a little further.<br />
<br />
By definition, a disciple is someone who is willing to follow Jesus. Once someone is willing to follow, then your engagement in making a disciple is done. The disciple is made - and a certain amount of maintenance remains. We might differentiate <b>disciple-maintaining</b> from disciple-making.<br />
<br />
<i>Help me tell the story of Jesus.... Jesus saw the crowds following Him, picked out 12 to be His first missionaries... and then: did He send them to minister to the crowds already following Him on foot? </i><br />
<br />
Is that how the story goes?? No :) On two occasions (prior to Pentecost) Jesus gave the 12 the power to speak and do as He did. Who were they sent to? They were empowered to reach the nearby villages where people had not heard the good news so they could be given the chance to follow Jesus too.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipV6Ly8n0BYz0SCV89DAF8zynGGmjMUKy1-gS-1ZWbOlrcL0MJ0BM5W6-RW0vsCeqrmclARcOsR5NubAMMOcPCG1Yu8ebdYxM7h8tFYF54Z-0eMMUHEsIRxgqLtg7EVeaJi8Vmmg/s1600/jesus+walking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipV6Ly8n0BYz0SCV89DAF8zynGGmjMUKy1-gS-1ZWbOlrcL0MJ0BM5W6-RW0vsCeqrmclARcOsR5NubAMMOcPCG1Yu8ebdYxM7h8tFYF54Z-0eMMUHEsIRxgqLtg7EVeaJi8Vmmg/s400/jesus+walking.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>The Necessary Work of "Disciple-Maintenance" (Shepherding)</b><br />
<br />
"Disciples" are the willing. They showed up. How about at church? Who shows up at church, usually? Isn't it the willing? Those who have chosen in some motivation to follow Christ?<br />
<br />
Jesus didn't concern Himself with developing the 12 missionaries' Christianity very far at all before He anointed them to successfully make followers of the LORD. They weren't intelligent, they weren't professionals. It's not necessary for a "movement." We all want Christians to have character, granted; and they will by God's grace.<br />
<br />
God has a plan in disciple-maintenance, and maybe that is your passion to serve Him. What I mean by "disciple-maintenance" is the giftings of Shepherd and Teacher. In His concern for sin, Jesus said, "You follow me because I fed you the bread." He continually ministers to develop godly character. This is the sanctification process and we're all working on becoming who He has destined us to be. We come together as a Body to refresh and strengthen our willingness to follow, to learn.<br />
<br />
There is a small percentage of followers that aren't what they seem. But even that God has under control. On occasion, disciple-maintenance leads us down a road of departure. Followers "work themselves out." 1 John 2:19,<br />
<br />
<blockquote>
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
<b>His Power is in Disciple-Making Movements</b><br />
<br />
How big is the testimony of God in the world if we only offer up the incremental faith of the already faithful? Compare the faith of Paul from the writings of 1 Timothy to 2nd Timothy - can you see his faith grow between writing these two books? Probably not, I'd guess. By contrast, can you tell the difference between Saul the persecutor of Christians, and Paul the convert of Jesus? Absolutely! Conversion is His renown! Isaiah 61:5,6,9,<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>Strangers</b> shall stand and feed your flocks,<br />
And the sons of the foreigner<br />
Shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers....<br />
You shall eat the riches of the Gentiles,<br />
<b>And in their glory you shall boast</b>....<br />
All who see them shall acknowledge them,<br />
That <b>they are the posterity</b> whom the LORD has blessed. </blockquote>
<br />
Would our God be more awe-inspiring, and be more glorious if we could bring the unchurched, the un-gathered, the non-following? Saved... from the grip of hell on earth, transformed like nobody's business? Can you remember the last time you heard the story of someone who just accepted Jesus as Savior? What happened to your soul? The newly converted remind us of what is important. I love to hear how touching it is for a person to finally meet God in all His love for them. How "lame" in transformation are wonderfully but predictably faithful Christians compared to a babe in Christ? Malachi 1:12-13,</div>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"You also say,<br />
‘Oh, what a weariness!’<br />
And you sneer at it,”<br />
Says the Lord of hosts.<br />
“<b>And you bring the stolen</b>, the lame, and the sick;<br />
Thus you bring an offering!<br />
Should I accept this from your hand?”<br />
Says the Lord."</blockquote>
<br />
Stolen = Researchers have been reporting that most church growth statistics come from transfers from other congregations of people who are already Christians...?<br />
<br />
What if the most beautiful offering in God's eyes is the testimony of His presence in a stranger's life? What if He loves to hear a new people overwhelmed to discover God as alive, as powerful, as near, as protective, as saving, as gracious. <br />
<br />
It can't be bought with money. <br />
<br />
Can you give it to Him?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-51774445106730609582013-01-08T17:30:00.000-08:002013-01-09T01:40:51.015-08:00Hungry for Mission<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<i>a post originally written on 11/11/12.</i><br />
<br />
"Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." John 4:10<br />
<br />
Jesus is hungry. Jesus is also thirsty. Jesus "must needs go through Samaria." What does the God of the universe need that He does not already have? The redemption of man in these three years of His life. His mission: to come and reconcile us. He needs his bride. If He does not find His bride, His purpose is failed. Without a Bride, Jesus doesn't drink. Jesus doesn't eat. When Jesus was low on sustenance, he goes on a mission trip.<br />
<br />
No he wasn't talking about earthly food. His followers think this means earthly food. They look around a place like Samaria and think, "If we are going to eat in this place, it will have to be brought in from somewhere else." They take off to get the food, meanwhile Jesus sits down to the feast.<br />
<br />
Jesus needs to succeed at His mission to win us. But if we should not comply and let ourselves be won over by Him, then He has failed. In that sense, Jesus is thirsty and hopes that His people will give Him a drink.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WUaqqYjKZev2kD_H5uL_8pL_Jg5MDsqX953eM2u9nsCqaFBjw2QCC0YYaTft1_MvmrcuNxfaY5T1NRkM4oZzRm3zdM6esQ9yUkSJ-cOTApJ2AcG3rFSAFQLfHpkWQQTdoaYpeQ/s1600/Samaritan+woman+at+the+well.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9WUaqqYjKZev2kD_H5uL_8pL_Jg5MDsqX953eM2u9nsCqaFBjw2QCC0YYaTft1_MvmrcuNxfaY5T1NRkM4oZzRm3zdM6esQ9yUkSJ-cOTApJ2AcG3rFSAFQLfHpkWQQTdoaYpeQ/s320/Samaritan+woman+at+the+well.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>
<br />
There is no spiritual food and there is no spiritual drink without a mission trip. The water is meant to irrigate my sphere of influence and spill out like a flowing moving body of water (streams of living water will flow out from within). The irrigated area of my sphere of influence is supposed to bear fruit.<br />
<br />
So I thought that God was supposed to make the water flow from within me? <b>But in fact I find that I want most to have God flow His life-giving water out through my life when I come across a person who doesn't know Him at all. </b>That is why Jesus is thirsty to be around the Samaritan woman.<br />
<br />
Why would anyone rob Jesus, mission? Why would anyone rob Jesus water and food?<br />
<br />
"You will ask, 'When did we give you a drink? When did we feed you?' I will answer, 'Whoever does this to the least of my brethren, He does it unto Me.'"<br />
<br />
Why do I rob Him drink and food? I get busy and caught up with the finer things in life, such as writing blog posts.<br />
<br />
We think that it's hard. We think that it's hard to find success as a missionary because it's hard in the places we want to win people. But, it's not. It really isn't. That is what Jesus is telling us here. The disciples look around Samaria and think there is no way to barter for food. They're totally wrong. "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" If we are willing to get out of our earthly families as Jesus left His, reaping the harvest is unbelievably easy. It is already ready! All we have to do is drink, like Jesus is drinking. Drink the water of mission. We can make our prayers about mission. Ask and He will pour water through you to others. <br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PZsQ_BkJufg" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-50558796725051096822013-01-04T18:41:00.001-08:002013-01-04T18:41:43.422-08:00Children of Comfort<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This blog post starts a new post emphasis (label) titled, "Mother Jerusalem's Advice." <br />
<br />
What am I replicating in this life -- for all replicate! Everybody is bearing fruit, but only some fruit lasts to eternity. What I make of my life will be counted as "children" before God. <br />
<br />
Children = good works, the Holy Spirit manifested through me, people accepting the gospel, disciples, eternal life, godly fruit, being clothed properly for Jesus at His coming.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.razzberrypress.com/uploads/bride_of_christ.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="333" src="http://www.razzberrypress.com/uploads/bride_of_christ.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"I want the women adorned with good works..." 1 Tim. 2:10</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
According to Isaiah 51:18-19, in the next life, "children" are the ones who comfort believers:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Stand up, O Jerusalem...<br />
<b>There is no one to guide her</b><br />
<b>Among all the sons she has brought forth;</b><br />
<b>Nor is there any who takes her by the hand</b><br />
<b>Among all the sons she has brought up.</b><br />
<b>These two things have come to you;</b><br />
<b>Desolation and destruction,</b><br />
<b>famine and sword --</b><br />
<b>By whom shall I comfort you?</b><br />
<b>Your sons have fainted</b>,<br />
They lie at the head of all the streets<br />
Like an antelope in the net;<br />
They are full of the fury of the LORD,<br />
The rebuke of your God. </blockquote>
According to the New Testament, the Holy Spirit (John 16:6-7) is the one who comforts believers:<br />
<blockquote>
But because I have said these things unto you, sorrow hath filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away,<b> the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you</b>.</blockquote>
We need offspring, we need a child for the next life whom God will be pleased with, Isaiah 52:1,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Awake, awake! Put on your strength, O Zion; <br />
<b>Put on your beautiful garments, </b><br />
<b>O Jerusalem, the holy city! </b><br />
<b>For the uncircumcised and the unclean </b><br />
<b>Shall no longer come to you</b>. </blockquote>
God gave such an offspring! Isaiah 9:6,<br />
<blockquote>
For <b>unto us a child is born</b>,<br />
<b>Unto us a Son is given</b></blockquote>
Any person who has believed in Jesus for eternal life has a certificate of having adopted a child. <b>Jesus has been adopted as our Son, though, His true monogenes (pedigree) is that He is the Father's Son.</b> Why did the Father give us His Son to be our son? Because there would be no hope for us to bear godly offspring and make disciples of all nations without this gracious gift. Inside the Jewish nation He was hidden as the lone eternally fruitful legacy of humanity. Isaiah 49:1-2,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The LORD has called Me from the womb;<br />
<b>From the matrix of My mother He</b><br />
<b>has made mention of My name.</b><br />
And He has made My mouth like a sharp sword;<br />
In the shadow of His hand He has hidden Me,<br />
And made Me a polished shaft;<br />
In His quiver He has hidden Me. </blockquote>
But when He hid Jesus as the son of Israel within the Jewish Nation, God also hid Jesus as a child for all the world. Isaiah 49:5-6,<br />
<blockquote>
And now the Lord says,<br />
Who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant,<br />
To bring Jacob back to Him,<br />
So that Israel is gathered to Him<br />
(For I shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord,<br />
And My God shall be My strength),<br />
Indeed He says,<br />
‘<b>It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant</b><br />
<b>To raise up the tribes of Jacob,</b><br />
<b>And to restore the preserved ones of Israel;</b><br />
<b>I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles</b>,<br />
That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’”</blockquote>
Every "offspring," every "child," every practice and manifestation in our lifestyle that bears out in our community to take people away from faith in God will be destroyed before God's face. As He turned to destroy earthly Jerusalem, so He may destroy us. God will not be mocked, we will reap what we sow. Isaiah 63:10,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But they rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit; <br />
So He turned Himself against them as an enemy, <br />
And He fought against them.</blockquote>
Our lives are either manifesting this Son or else our deceptive idols of gaining peace with God. 1 John 4:17,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Love has been perfected among us in this: that <b>we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world</b>.</blockquote>
And how was Jesus in the world? John 4 shows us that Jesus was busy making disciples of God wherever He was accepted. He equated His own work at evangelism and disciplemaking (evangediscipleship) so critically as whether or not He would have access to food and water stored up in the next life. John 4:4,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
But <b>He needed</b> to go through Samaria.</blockquote>
When has God ever needed ANYTHING...? John 4:7,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, '<b>Give me a drink</b>.'</blockquote>
Jesus plays as much by Kingdom rules as we must. He was both thirsty and hungry. He needed to make babies. He knew this woman would make babies with Him. Her word of His gospel made the city believe. A whole city of believers were born. He taught the 12 how to prepare for the next life, by storing up food NOW. John 4:34, 36,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Jesus said to them, '<b>My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me</b>, and to finish His work. ... And he who reaps receives wages, and <b>gathers fruit for eternal life</b>...'.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jXX9LPQdvfXPq9zrrv5I4F9058S7raLTASVL6R9kmWzU6ltwWkDD7ncxbsULtjUCuhFyoScuiBN5OqbxCaInuX45MoeapA-wzVmGsLr4N0ofuOyScgJUk8XmHjM64QPPz5o/s1600/Bride+of+Christ+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5jXX9LPQdvfXPq9zrrv5I4F9058S7raLTASVL6R9kmWzU6ltwWkDD7ncxbsULtjUCuhFyoScuiBN5OqbxCaInuX45MoeapA-wzVmGsLr4N0ofuOyScgJUk8XmHjM64QPPz5o/s400/Bride+of+Christ+1.jpg" width="386" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her children rise up and call her blessed.... <br />
Give her the fruit of her hands, <br />
And let her own works praise her in the gates. <br />
Prov 31:28, 30-31</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
There will be desolation and famine for all who have not birthed with Christ a team of fellow Christ-followers from among the nations. They will eat in the next life, but they will have to find food from those who have it. Jesus equates "evangediscipleship" throughout the Old and New Testaments as essential to survival that He calls it:<br />
<br />
<b>Food.</b><br />
<br />
<b>Water. </b><br />
<b><br />
</b> <b>Clothing.</b><br />
<br />
<b>(No wonder Jesus relates to the least of these!)</b><br />
<br />
I believe that evangediscipleship is the oil in the lamps of the virgins. I believe that evangediscipleship will be the measure for our personal bodily resurrection described in Romans 8 and Philippians 3. I believe it is the purpose for Abraham's family. And more. There are so many theologies to unpack from the Bible. And I don't have the mind for it so much these days, even though I think about these every day. I just want to paint this quick picture for those reading here. Isaiah 62:5,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For as a young man marries a virgin,<br />
<b>So shall your sons marry you</b>;<br />
And as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,<br />
So shall your God rejoice over you.</blockquote>
I know the most important thing I can do after attending to my own inner persevering faith in God is to create disciples. To me, it is exciting to know that the sojourners I choose to bind as a community, as a team, as my Body, my church in this life are the people I will be in network with for all eternity. Is. 49:18,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
'As I live,' says the LORD,<br />
'<b>You shall surely clothe yourselves</b><br />
<b>with them all as an ornament,</b><br />
<b>And bind them on you as a bride does</b>.'</blockquote>
If you want to make babies, God has given you His Spirit through which you can exponentially redeem the lives of so many. It won't look as tangibly productive as literal childbearing or adoption. It won't feel like this awesome thing that is "done" like holding a baby in your hands and giving him your last name. You may never see or physically hold or call them your own, but God will cause them to come running back to you in the end. Isaiah 49:20-23,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The children you will have, <br />
After you have lost the others, <br />
Will say again in your ears, <br />
'The place is too small for me, <br />
Give me a place where I may dwell.' <br />
Then you will say in your heart, <br />
'Who has begotten these for me, <br />
Since I have lost my children and am desolate, <br />
A captive, and wandering to and fro? <br />
And who has brought these up? <br />
There I was, left alone; But these, where were they?' <br />
Thus says the Lord GOD: <br />
'Behold, I will lift My hand in an oath to the nations, <br />
And set up My standard for the peoples; <br />
They shall bring your sons in their arms, <br />
And their queens your nursing mothers; <br />
Then you will know that I am the LORD, <br />
For they shall not be ashamed who wait for Me.'</blockquote>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/T8iKvZ6Vejw" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-83564364020682976662012-12-18T15:00:00.000-08:002012-12-19T05:21:23.150-08:00My World is Already Different<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Is it safe to write????<br />
<br />
Every time I've tried to start a blog post in the last few weeks, a tragic or horrible piece of news comes in our direction. Here in the Painter household, we have been subject to secondhand news of upsetting things. If you are managing your own mental well being and do not want to read of upsetting things, I will list the worst at the end of this post.<br />
<br />
Skip this post when it becomes beneficial.<br />
<br />
Have your kids returned to public school this week like mine have? How has it gone for you as a parent? I posted Psalm 91 on facebook; it is a great set of promises from the Promise-Maker for the concerns of physical safety. I am praying for my kids every time I drop them off, and we are talking a lot about how to be safe and yet not live with fear.<br />
<br />
Lijie has afternoon kindergarden. I didn't want to be a nuisance as this tragedy was just coming across communication lines on Friday afternoon, but I really wanted to be present for my own sense of protecting my child as he went into his class. I did not walk down to his class like I have oftentimes, I let him go and then peeked around into the office to speak to the secretary. I asked,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"Do you have a different protocol for security at a time like this? I assume you've gathered what happened this morning?"</blockquote>I paused and waited while she gathered her thoughts. She replied that she just received an email about their security a few minutes prior. That there was a police car patroling the local streets around the school... that there were particular staff persons who were walking the grounds of the school at certain intervals. I nodded my head. <br />
<br />
I had seen a police cruiser with his lights flashing as we were driving to the school - only he had pulled over a fellow mother I knew and was giving her a ticket for speeding I assume. It was a comfort to see the police myself. Then I said to her,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">"Okay. I am afraid for copycats."</blockquote>She replied with a "yeah" because we're all trying to take this in without overreacting. I told her with a tear in my eye how much I was thankful for all they do. She was touched and said thank you.<br />
<br />
I am curious to brainstorm how I can be encouraging to the school at this time? I want to help, but I don't think I can do anything to be helpful, except give them winter break to gather their wits and come up with some substantial suggestions. I assume they will hold meetings for parents to describe their plans and solutions and on that day, I plan to be a part and offer my help.<br />
<br />
On Monday (yesterday), things were just as tense. Taped in the front door window there was a piece of paper which said,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">Please have patience with us. We are currently revising our security protocols for the school. At this time you may be asked for identification before entering the building.</blockquote>Well, I paused. And then I walked inside. I walk in a lot and have had my children attending this school for 7 years, so they "know" me. Right? No. Here's the deal: Adam Lanza was "known" too. It doesn't matter how long they've recognized me, or that I'm a parent. Anyone, anyone can put the children at risk including me. I stood inside and froze out of respect. Nothing happened. There was a teacher leading her students across the lobby area toward the gym. They followed one another in a perfectly straight line. The teacher, a beautiful young woman just like at Sandy Hook, stared straight at me, ignoring her students. She just stood there between me and her students, staring at me, but smiling.<br />
<br />
It doesn't matter who I am, I realized. All that matters is whether or not I pose a threat. I was wearing a coat that comes down to mid-thigh. Long enough to conceal a gun and I shook my head later when I thought about it.<br />
<br />
I need to be thought of as the bad guy: this is the teachers' job, now. To size up risk, to keep me out. That is exactly what I want for my child while he is at school. I just wish it wasn't happening to me, because obviously I along with 99.999% of people who walk into that building, am not the enemy, but an ally.<br />
<br />
My world is different now. <br />
<br />
So is my daughter's. Grace came home from school. She said that a week prior they practiced their "lockdown drill." I asked her to explain. <br />
<br />
<b>Level 1</b> This is the level the school is commonly on every day. It means the doors on the exterior of the building remain locked during school hours. <br />
<br />
<b>Level 2</b> All classroom doors must be locked from access in the hallway. Students stay in their seats and class continues.<br />
<br />
<b>Level 3</b> All classroom doors must be locked from access in the hallway. Students are supposed to hide in the corner of the room where there is no visibility from the window on the door, or hide in closets or cabinets. Anything to make the room look vacant.<br />
<br />
On the one hand, I was like, wow. That's great. They already have thought through a situation like this. On the other hand I marvel. I never did "lockdown drills" as a kid. We did earthquake drills, and tornado drills when I was in Illinois. I remember learning how my parent's generation had atomic bomb drills. I guess this is the next generation's most likely terror...? What kind of a world does my daughter live in, today? Why should she have to learn how to hide from a gunman... or a team of gunmen?<br />
<br />
I drove along Broadway Street, past another elementary school. I saw children outside, lined up against the wall, perhaps preparing for recess. For a moment I thought, "oh my God" ("oh my God" is not a cuss word, it is an address to God directing His attention to a situation that needs Him). A sniper could take them out so easy. The playground is out in front of the school, right next to the street. How can teachers send them out to play? How can they protect them from a gun, there?<br />
<br />
Fear creates such a mess. Like the airlines after 9/11, I just wonder if life in schools will ever be the same. I wonder if it is going to be just as bad as that tragedy, just as far-reaching.<br />
<br />
This is going to be a hard time as a nation. It is going to be hard on everybody, especially those who directly care for children. I am praying for God to give me wisdom for how to encourage teachers and staff.<br />
<br />
<b>Public Places</b><br />
<br />
Secondhand experiences have reached us from the tragedy at Clackamas Town Center Mall. Ben's mother had time off from work as an elementary teacher. She planned to go to that mall the very next day after the shooting. She shops there frequently. It is a suburban, upper-scale mall. Not the first choice for an act of home-grown terrorism. I know that she shops a lot at Macy's. She called to share her experience that night, and Ben lovingly called her the next evening to see how she was doing again. It is hard to imagine her entering that place again. <br />
<br />
A couple days later, Ben forwarded me an email from one of his martial arts teachers of the last 9 years. His teacher's email was filled with sadness to share that one of his students, a fellow black belt in their martial art (Kosho Ryu Kempo) and friend of 20 years, Steve Forsyth, was one of the two victims (the male victim) that was killed in the shooting at the Mall. Ben had not met Steve personally, but it certainly made the grief more profound.<br />
<br />
And then yesterday, Ben came home from work again after Kempo class. His other teacher who taught him today is a black belt and police officer with Clackamas County. He was called to the scene at the Mall and was one of the first responders as an officer. I asked him what he experienced. He said,<br />
<blockquote>"things that can't be said with little ears present."</blockquote>Tonight Ben tells me part of his story: that there were well over 10,000 people in the mall. That as a first responder he had to go from room to room to room to release people in hiding. The eerie state of seeing not a soul but hearing Christmas music playing overhead and seeing strollers, purses, food -- everything abandoned in an instant when people ran for their lives.<br />
<br />
<b>Personal Relationships</b><br />
<br />
My friend Elena as I mentioned in the previous blog post was murdered. We had known Dave since before he filed for divorce, and Ben and I had built some friendship doing couples things to try and share in life and a sense of understanding. It is difficult of course, now. Ben and I joke how crazy it is that we personally know a murderer. I was told by a certain individual that she was shot in the cranium, however their were multiple gunshot wounds. It's awful. The Statesman Journal reported from police officers that Dave confessed to have thought previously of murdering her in ways other than with a firearm. I don't know if Dave is guilty of having done any wrong. It's not my place to judge; I am quoting what is commonly known. This is quite unnerving, and we occasionally have poured over our knowing him to try and come to the mindset of this outcome, but, of course, we can't understand it. As with the other tragedies, how can someone logically come to the decision to murder, which is by definition not an accident, not self-defense? <br />
<br />
We are left picking up the pieces. The local funeral home is trying to arrange for a cost-effective way to get her home. The memorial is this Saturday and they'll release her cremated remains to me so that I can transport her to the church for the service. Tough stuff. I spoke again to Kathie at Victim's assistance and after a few minutes we both felt the need to talk about the national sense of devastation this last week, how everyone stopped processing heartache about Elena while that was happening. Kathie said that she is also working on the case of the victims at Clackamas Town Center. Crazy. She is a great lady. I love her manner. She is slow. Her tone is just perfect for grieving people. I couldn't think more highly of her.<br />
<br />
<b>One Thought at a Time</b><br />
<br />
I recognize that I am overreacting, in some ways, to what I see as risk for children to be shot while attending school. I do recognize it. I'm allowing myself the grace to experience it as it comes. I believe this is the only healthy way to do it. I haven't yet processed fear of generally public places, such as the mall, theaters, even church. I'm trusting God, but I just haven't thought out how to be as safe as is attainable without robbing joy for life. I haven't processed yet the fear completely that the people in my own life are people who are possibly capable of doing much harm. I've seen scary moments before in my life, and I felt like I learned the lesson of walking by faith and in victory in Christ, but I guess with each new wound, it must be regained, it must be relearned. And if it takes time, it takes time.<br />
<br />
How can anybody not feel like a jerk for having ever felt anger in their heart.... When we can all see the fruit of hate... which is murder? Jesus warned us about this. He said that hate is murder in the heart. These are horrible realities on the human condition. I want Jesus in my life so much more than I did three weeks ago.<br />
<br />
If I'm concerned by all this, perhaps there's something wrong with me. Am I too responsible for others? Am I not responsible enough? What am I supposed to be learning about my pride and self-reliance? An unspoken goal I've had for a few years is to be a pastor without the title. Lots of people do this, it's obviously easier than attending seminary. How much does it serve to have the title of pastor or minister? Every Christian is a minister (has priesthood), there is no distinguishing ministers in God's Kingdom but by an exceptional love relationship with God. I can be even less ambitious-minded by not thinking of myself as "Christian". Ministry simply amounts to no more than living life as God intended it in community. Am I able to hear His voice in the place that I am? I could have attended seminary for a few years now. The Spirit asked me about whose kingdom I'm building, and I'm not convinced that seminary is God's best. Life seems too short to secure a measure of authority to interpret the bible by a paper's certification. If God opens doors for me to do all the work of a pastor, church-planter, etc., without ever holding a title I would be as happy as a sunflower in the sun. However, if it turns out I could really stand to grow in Kingdom relevance through seminary, if seminary would make me grow in humility or character then I trust God to lead me in that direction.<br />
<br />
<b>What's the Good News?</b><br />
<br />
Psalm 91 has been good news to me. God's word has been good news. And His power has been good news. At a time when I feel my worst... at a time when my head is the least functioning than it's been in a couple years... I can say this: God has favor for me, and it isn't because I am on the ball. It is only because of His grace that He calls me servant in such a state as I am in. I am amazed that the story of my personal life coincides to bless the local sphere.... Translation: I never would have dreamed my friend would leave this earth. If I could change it, I would do it in a heartbeat. But it prepared me a few weeks before the whole nation, the whole culture started suffering with the same issues: Guns. The mindset of murder. Trauma. Feelings of living in an unsafe world. Wanting desperately to depend on the normalcy of people who live around me. How is God not amazing in His plans that He prepared me just a little bit so that I could send the comfort that He has given me to others.... I never saw such a thing coming my way. I would take the entire month back in every aspect if I had a choice. But it never will go back to being exactly the way it was before.<br />
<br />
I am proud of my husband. He adds such a love for things that are pure, and patient but consistent boundary for things that are not pure. He understands grace and compassion better than fewer people I've ever known. And most importantly he loves taking risks to affect transformation. I could not have asked for a better life-partner. It means so much to me that we both have a deep, true, unfailing love for people.<br />
<br />
God has caused His providence to protect me. Dave called me the day before he allegedly murdered my friend. I didn't pick up the phone. I didn't call him back. He didn't leave a message. At the time I was led to hear, "let the call go." I did. Generally when he calls it's because something is happening with their relationship and he wants me to listen or mediate. Sometimes it is to pick her up. If he had asked me to come and get her on that day or the next, I would have done it. I might have been there the moment that this situation turned for the worst. I've been included in their disagreements at times in the past. These things add up to tell me that God said: No. He was going to make sure that nothing would happen to me. I cannot explain why I was protected. I cannot explain why my friend died. I cannot explain the mystery of God's will. But I am thankful that God protects me. Always, God will protect me until it is also my day to begin eternity at His side.<br />
<br />
Ask one of the ten thousand people inside Clackamas Town Center Mall why they were protected from harm and someone else was not and they will probably have no better answers. Some things are just too big for us to explain. Close call? Not by a longshot. God directs me on a level path. I gave my life to Him, and He guards it. Matthew 10:28,<br />
<blockquote>And fear not them which kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul...</blockquote>Missing my friend. Her life is still unfolding like a gift to me. Look forward to seeing her in eternity so I can tell her again that I love her.<br />
<br />
So thankful for the template of one tv show in four iterations all these years. I'm thankful for art. For fanvids depicting the subtle interweavings of significance in the human experience. Life... and your story of it, is art. It is the genius of a Master. Ephesians 2:11 ("workmanship").<br />
<br />
I'm thankful for a nation becoming my community overnight. For the fellowship with everyone in recent mourning. For the never-wished-for-but-welcome companionship mirroring this specific battle to recover.<br />
<br />
I'm thankful for the chance to absorb all that God has purposed me to become in the image of His Son.<br />
<br />
<iframe class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="300" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/mIkAZk86emI" type="text/html" width="450"><br />
</iframe><br />
<br />
"I'll Be Your Soldier" by Gavin Degraw<br />
<br />
<blockquote><i>Where did all the people go?<br />
They got scared when the lights went low.<br />
I'll get you through it nice and slow,<br />
When the world's spinning out of control.<br />
<br />
Afraid of what they might lose<br />
Might get scraped or they might get bruised.<br />
You could beg them, what's the use?<br />
That's why it's called a moment of truth<br />
<br />
I'll get it if you need it,<br />
I'll search if you don't see it,<br />
You're thirsty, I'll be rain,<br />
You get hurt, I'll take your pain.<br />
<br />
I know you don't believe it,<br />
But I said it and I still mean it,<br />
When you heard what I told you,<br />
When you get worried I'll be your soldier.<br />
<br />
Funny when times get hard,<br />
At the last moment when you're supposed to charge,<br />
Always on the longest yard,<br />
Oh, they feel their feet getting cold.<br />
<br />
Hiding here, hiding there,<br />
Find them underneath the stairs,<br />
People hiding everywhere,<br />
Trying to be still like a stone.<br />
<br />
I'll get it if you need it,<br />
I'll search if you can't see it,<br />
You're thirsty, I'll be rain,<br />
You get hurt, I'll take your pain.<br />
<br />
I know you don't believe it,<br />
But I said it and I still mean it,<br />
When you heard what I told you,<br />
When you get worried I'll be your soldier.<br />
<br />
My aim is so true,<br />
I wanna show you,<br />
I'll try forever,<br />
I'm never gonna say "surrender".</i></blockquote></div><br />
<br />
</div>Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-75714343230826879842012-12-02T14:42:00.000-08:002012-12-02T22:56:53.647-08:00Love is Enough<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Some readers here may have known through facebook about what happened to Elena, a friend of mine. I created a multi-admin blog for everyone who loved her who is internet-inclined to publish their own feelings at this time. It's not much, I feel otherwise useless.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqfbBV-YPxMMsW11qSs-ECs1eObPUnk8W2E4jKTfHGuPDufR0MxzT7Vy_EiiOrms2otQ8yY5VY_lZFVB9cI8xjuKB1vHpCzBPweVAuE6HRmFG7CUoBaF7R4K0FH9heIrejt5jDA/s1600/love.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilqfbBV-YPxMMsW11qSs-ECs1eObPUnk8W2E4jKTfHGuPDufR0MxzT7Vy_EiiOrms2otQ8yY5VY_lZFVB9cI8xjuKB1vHpCzBPweVAuE6HRmFG7CUoBaF7R4K0FH9heIrejt5jDA/s1600/love.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
<a href="http://elenaremembered.blogspot.com/">For Elena, Our Dear Friend</a><br />
<br />
When a heart grieves, it becomes confused and hurt, and doubts. Things that were once clear are now muddy. It's the love that clears things again. It is never a waste to love someone to the point that my heart is now naturally wounded. It's not a waste of my heartbeats even if it ends in a shocking and unexpected way. Even if I never get to see someone be strengthened by the mutifaceted nature of Christ's salvation. Even if they fail or lose their way and get worse, it is still enough. Love is enough. I am so thankful to God that I was filled to share the love of God with her! I am thankful that she was truly loved by the Church, God's people. I praise God knowing that she was loved by Jesus so deeply through His people! It makes me celebrate inside.<br />
<br />
Why is love enough to Jesus? <br />
<br />
There's a most famous verse about love <i>not</i> being enough. Jesus sent out the 12 on their first mission trip. Well, that word "mission trip" sounds too haughty sometimes to me. How about describing a mission trip the way Jesus did? "Freely you have received; freely give" (Matt. 10:8). Verse 14,<br />
<blockquote>
And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.</blockquote>
This would mean that if people don't demonstrate marked improvement because of the gospel of Christ, we should move on. But that isn't all He said. In a less-quoted verse (vs. 40) a little further down, Jesus says,<br />
<blockquote>
He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.</blockquote>
"Receiving" is, like, having God, the Person. In verse 14, Jesus dismisses a combination of bad indicators; "if they won't receive you AND they even won't hear your words, THEN shake the dust off your feet." But sometimes people don't receive the words at first. Sometimes, we're too broken to get it... for awhile. Thank God for His mercy! Where would I be without mercy?? It is enough to receive someone who you know ultimately what they are all about - they do all they have done in the name of the gospel of Christ. It was rare for my friend to call to talk about the bible, or ponder how to be a follower of God. But she would say, "Michele, would you come and sit with me?" <br />
<br />
Jesus was the Master of being received into the house of the disenfranchised and simply celebrate being together. <br />
<br />
If we get to have a funeral I hope to hear many stories of God's power in Elena's life, and how she believed in Jesus even though she suffered from mental handicap. I wanted most for her to be safe and stable. We often prayed or talked about Jesus. She started a bible study with me over skype. We were good friends, we both loved fashion and many of my most favorite items were Elena's selections for me. I want to write fun memories of her. Her being far from her country made her friends, her family.<br />
<br />
It's hard to know someone you wanted so much to be safe - has been murdered. I know that it was beyond my control and it enters the realm of God's plans and Satan's craftiness, which is beyond me. I fear God. There are some things I'm struggling to understand, and one of them I can share out loud. I want to get my theology straightened out in case it's wrinkled. I could use some discussion.<br />
<br />
I'm trying to jump start my brain about a God who sees us and cares for us. The usual religious word for God's overall power to shape our lives is called God's "sovereignty." But there's a flip side which is also true. This flip side is what is often referred to with various names: free will, free agency; basically, human choice. God dignifies human choice. Both choice and sovereignty are real. But how can I wrap my mind around it?<br />
<br />
What can I say? I'm not a Calvinist. I don't believe everything is in God's power and none is in ours. I believe "it's up to us," yet God will completely lead and empower us in an ironic state of biblical "rest" through letting Him work. Vying for someone's physical, personal safety here on earth is important to God. Just think of abortion as a great example of how we believe in the importance of safety. I wonder what happens to real people when they are helpless and they really don't receive tangible help? Don't they really perish? <br />
<br />
"Freely you have received, freely give."<br />
<br />
Does God vouch for us as we love those we are passioned for? Does His Spirit partner with us and our righteous, Kingdom-advancing intents? Or does He have a plan that is so mysterious that we shouldn't take our human sense of responsibility and ambition for the gospel (Romans 2:7) too seriously?<br />
<br />
I'm just trying to sort out what happened, here. I need a few new notes in my head to encourage my heart. Maybe I'm short on the mystery of God and His sovereign choices. I knew what my plans were... you know? It was to continue to love those whom I love, with God's power which works in me. <br />
<br />
God is always altogether different than me. I want to see Him and know Him as He is. What do you think God might be up to? Can this be at all related to what God permitted Satan to do to Job?<br />
<br />
Look forward to some thoughts. </div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-53998865402683087922012-10-15T23:00:00.000-07:002012-10-16T00:17:52.422-07:00How I Help My Children Be Righteous<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
There are six things my children need to be righteous: love, truth, outward ministry, pursuit of the Kingdom of God, good doctrine, and deploying-debriefing.<br />
<br />
<b>Love and Truth</b><br />
<br />
My job as mother is to love my children like Jesus loved us. He was sent to us and moved into the neighborhood to dwell with us. He was available. I want to emulate Him and be available too. I want to be interrupted to hear them when they speak (but this is not at all an easy discipline, right?). Jesus loved and nurtured and protected and provided for us. But it wasn't pointless love. It was not love without the love of wisdom, it was not love without a message. Truth was meant to help His children be happy and know freedom no matter what trial might come their way. My father confessed recently that his deepest aspiration for his children was that as adults they would know happiness, real and lasting happiness. Is that not a great insight into why we've been given grace through Jesus Christ?<br />
<br />
<b>Outward Ministry</b><br />
<br />
The best way to show my children how to live in the Kingdom of God is to practice the Great Commission as a family. Whatever passage we read from God's Word will become real when they see it "working" out there in the real world where outsiders have no obligation to me at all.<br />
<br />
I am certain one of the most common ways the enemy gets Christian parents out of the work of making disciples is to convince them that their number one purpose is to sell their lifestyle to the world. "Lifestyle" is the principles by which I run the house and interact in society. In my heart I'm like every other parent; I think I'm wise. I admit that. I am so desperate to make sure, especially on my best days that my children not believe there is anything good in me. <i> I don't want them to get a tolerable way of life from me and miss everything that Christ is going to be for them.</i> The truth is, if I try to persuade others to do the same things outwardly that I do, I am sickeningly building my own kingdom, not Christ's. So what I want to listen for is what God is telling my children to become for Him.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="169" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/i-50SqhSllQ?rel=0" width="300"></iframe>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Pursuit of the Kingdom of God</b><br />
<br />
One of the most challenging places to make disciples is in my own family. Yes, because they know me most intimately. They reveal whether I truly am walking in the Spirit because they get me at my most natural state. I try to admit that to them so that they can get a true picture of the difference and see grace to continue after failing.<br />
<br />
But it is also challenging because I have to somehow find a way to teach our children to look past the culture of being a Christian family in the normalcy of Christian friends and by-and-large Christian community, and gain true faith and fellowship with God for themselves. This requires the most creative and diligent work of reading the Word of God and then acting on it by the grace of Jesus Christ. My job as mother is to make tangible the Kingdom of God in their midst. It is much easier to disciple someone who does not come from a church-background. <br />
<br />
I'm not all that good at it. I'm doing my best. I wish I was better.<br />
<br />
If the church at which we attend and serve was gone tomorrow, would my children know how to advance the Kingdom of God successfully in their sphere of influence? This is my concern as I listen to their concept of God. Matthew 19:14,<br />
<blockquote>
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”</blockquote>
Every time the Kingdom of God shows up, the people experience it as Good News. They get cured. They are fed. They are forgiven. They are reconciled. I want to live in a way that invites my children to experience the Kingdom as good news to them. And I don't want them to be judged or made to feel criticized until they're ready to taste and see that the LORD is good, because criticism is not good news.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="169" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/hSJ0jYCFTqw?rel=0" width="300"></iframe>
<b><br /></b><br />
<br />
<b>Insufficient Doctrine</b><br />
<br />
My delightful husband Ben hears well the need for true righteousness and gave me an <a href="http://www.albertmohler.com/2012/09/11/christian-values-cannot-save-anyone/">article</a>. It said,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Parents who raise their children with nothing more than Christian values should not be surprised when their children abandon those values. If the child or young person does not have a firm commitment to Christ and to the truth of the Christian faith, values will have no binding authority, and we should not expect that they would. Most of our neighbors have some commitment to Christian values, but what they desperately need is salvation from their sins. This does not come by Christian values, no matter how fervently held. Salvation comes only by the gospel of Jesus Christ.</blockquote>
The article presented a story of a 16-year-old girl who was raised in the church and said "I don't think I believe in God anymore" to her mother, who understandingly panicked. The mother's number one sense of loss in this situation was for her daughter's morals and manners. The article replies to this concern saying, "Hell will be filled with people who were avidly committed to Christian values. Christian values cannot save anyone and never will."<br />
<br />
Being righteous does not mean being right. It does not at all mean superiority. Being righteous means that God has credited a certain supernatural capacity into a child's life, to bear with life and experience victory to the praise of God. Every other moral or virtuous code that does not give the glory to God's supernatural enabling is what Revelation describes as Lukewarm. Rev. 3:14-21,<br />
<blockquote>
‘These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. <b>Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked— I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see</b>. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.</blockquote>
The question I ask myself is this: Are "Christian manners and morals" inadvertently teaching my children to be self-sufficient from God's righteousness?<br />
<br />
<b>Good Doctrine</b><br />
<br />
"But seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you" (Matt. 6:33). I totally trust Jesus' righteousness to make my kids moral and mannered!<br />
<br />
Here are some basic truths about righteousness for the Christian parent to read and digest. You might not be able to pass the teachings below directly on to your children, but hopefully they will help you read passages from the Bible to your children with an angle of revealing His Kingdom to them.<br />
<br />
I used to believe that once I got saved, God dumped all Christ's righteousness into me, into my spirit. So the righteousness I had when I got saved is Me-Centric. But that would mean that once I'm saved I no longer are in need of God in order to be increasingly transformed. This was a wrong belief. Even after salvation, righteousness is not Me-Centric, it is still in-Christ, it is Christ-centric. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OvuzBqfhJgPS7ISRNkjmnjH7hdVIbYNLvur4no5C_c0cVCqpsM92tZP57E1Nkv0ww5yr1UcDz9Q5tKaydpnICR8MEYapPw2x_tndAlLVlGRgD5kpxVVYk38MnX88MiEIzMGlhg/s1600/christ+centric.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3OvuzBqfhJgPS7ISRNkjmnjH7hdVIbYNLvur4no5C_c0cVCqpsM92tZP57E1Nkv0ww5yr1UcDz9Q5tKaydpnICR8MEYapPw2x_tndAlLVlGRgD5kpxVVYk38MnX88MiEIzMGlhg/s320/christ+centric.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Isn't that a great picture?<br />
<br />
How then am I connected through salvation to Christ, where His righteousness dwells? Legally it's mine, the righteousness and holiness I need is in an account that Christ has set up for me to use. But the salvation funds have not been transferred in to the way I live unless I approach God by faith continually and ask Him to give it to me.<br />
<br />
How are the righteousness funds transferred?<br />
<br />
They are transferred through faith. Sometimes most specifically through asking God directly, even knocking diligently by prayer to have them. If there is a Christian parent here who is reading and knows way down deep that God is elusive and distant and you can't seem to break through the barrier, don't give up on God or on His credits toward you. They are there and they are definitely yours because of Jesus. For me too sometimes He expects me to directly ask Him to be kind toward me, and help me in the name of Jesus. Even at these most difficult moments, God has always given me the righteousness for which I asked. He is good!<br />
<br />
Look at the picture of water below. The water is righteousness. Faith is the straw. Faith is the conduit through which what you seek is given to you. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhd8OIYXVi6A2vhHtnY5nICoju7gM5Elsl-vkP0tn1AImwkLioyuhar_pGdU97mh891NpdSNWSWRcWrrhdzUfaM96M_lFM8L_kQOTrD0yDm1RoXsCud0nzEPE9Z3-bbm0pZasgzA/s1600/straw+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhd8OIYXVi6A2vhHtnY5nICoju7gM5Elsl-vkP0tn1AImwkLioyuhar_pGdU97mh891NpdSNWSWRcWrrhdzUfaM96M_lFM8L_kQOTrD0yDm1RoXsCud0nzEPE9Z3-bbm0pZasgzA/s320/straw+water.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Faith is the way we were saved and it is also the same conduit through which we are being made holy. Here is another graphic illustration on where righteousness comes from.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-b5aEoRXh-9icOz0Uch44pMBNns5AeYKb3G2ePZEYJ7a6Tzyv9y4SFZXvz9Odq-dgLNEz7UMh4E8jJ5fneWBa_kDpyl6KHAeBMlnjKDgg2dxjcTjIrept9WP4BFgcwyP7PU3iQ/s1600/foundation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP-b5aEoRXh-9icOz0Uch44pMBNns5AeYKb3G2ePZEYJ7a6Tzyv9y4SFZXvz9Odq-dgLNEz7UMh4E8jJ5fneWBa_kDpyl6KHAeBMlnjKDgg2dxjcTjIrept9WP4BFgcwyP7PU3iQ/s1600/foundation.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Children may be able to understand that their life choices are like erecting a building. 1 Corinthians 3:9-15 says,<br />
<blockquote>
For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, <b>you are God’s building</b>. According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For <b>no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ</b>. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
</blockquote>
As a parent, I want my children to consider having their life's choices tested by God's holy fire. The quick and easy answers here, are, first - no one can lose their salvation based on their performance as a Christian (See the cross in the building above? The foundation has been laid; see Ephesians 1:13). <br />
<br />
Second - when your child yields to the Holy Spirit and allows God to lead them by faith, those building materials (life choices) construct more building onto the corner foundation of their salvation. Works done in the Spirit are God Himself at work and obviously will endure eternally because there is no sin or imperfection in them. <br />
<br />
Third - when your child does things in his own strength or his own ideas and purposely excludes God, those life choices are like hay and stubble - they also add building onto their foundation. However with fire they disintegrate. More, they are the materials which make the fire hotter. Everyone will pass through that fire, yet every child of God is guaranteed to pass through to the other side and live. See the cross stones embedded in the picture above? Those are the materials <i>at minimum</i> that are guaranteed to pass without burning up. <br />
<br />
Lastly - if my children have any sort of edifice remaining after the Day of testing by fire, then over those life-choices they will eternally experience the joy of their LORD.<br />
<br />
<b>Deploy and Debrief</b><br />
<br />
Devotions with kids can quickly become busy work, another task to lay upon our already busy lives. May I suggest another model that I believe works: Help children hear Jesus deploying them out with power on a mission just like He sent His disciples in the Gospels. And just like the disciples, children need to come back in to our huddles to debrief. Debrief means to report on what happened and what it means. Instead of scripting out their Christian experience through a book written by a best-seller, I want them to discover God in the day they share with me.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwjcX-8BQlu5xkEm5XKKzLLzePU38tTd61Fdx1zGaOycKVQVNxawm-sAh2-msy4IVW_Ln1zqhlvmsWj3XVY6JoByM_Rzb69Za9VAEMPaLvGJ4KHu5GjidpKnUdXYAd7SeCofdPA/s1600/jesus_sends_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFwjcX-8BQlu5xkEm5XKKzLLzePU38tTd61Fdx1zGaOycKVQVNxawm-sAh2-msy4IVW_Ln1zqhlvmsWj3XVY6JoByM_Rzb69Za9VAEMPaLvGJ4KHu5GjidpKnUdXYAd7SeCofdPA/s1600/jesus_sends_12.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I don't want to parent them as much as possible. When they present a problem to me, I want God to fix it in replacement of me. When they are sad about a friend who can't come to AWANA, I want to ask them to pray about that person coming, rather than try and arrange seats in the minivan for them as just another thing that I do for them. When they are scared about laying in bed at night, I would rather them pray than find comfort from mom sitting in their room another night. The more they turn to Him, the less pressure I have as an adult. And, most importantly, we become a family of coequal-servants of Christ.<br />
<br />
I do not want my children reading the Bible like homework. The tone of approaching scripture should come from interest to approach God Himself. When I interact afterward with what my child has read from the Bible, I should but rarely ask them comprehension questions. "What was the man's name in the story?" "What did God tell this person to do?" Why do I suggest comprehension questions are a bad thing? Because it teaches them to read the Bible like scientists observe nature. It trains them to think the major point of any passage is to answer the five Ws (who, what, why, when, and how). My kids come home angry about looking at a Bible. They say, "uhh, I already know the stories Mom!" That breaks my heart. Instead, they should be reading it to hear what God is saying to them and to respond in their daily life, to choose something differently because of what they have seen and heard of God. The best answers come by asking the best questions. I try my best to do this for them.<br />
<br />
I respect what God wants to do through them and I make sure not to invade any space that God wants to have to reach their hearts.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
I also want to create children-disciples who can think for themselves when it comes to God. Questions are at the heart of understanding His promises and watching those blessings unfold through faith. I want them to think about their issues in life and feel safe sharing them openly with me. I want to treat them as just as responsible for following Jesus as I am capable of being responsible. They understand what it is to feel something, and God cares for their emotions.<br />
<br />
Uprightness of a child is one who, though he fails God 7 times, he rises back into the presence of God 8. No accusation from the enemy will blind this child's eyes from trusting that God is the only one, the best one and the sufficient one to advocate for their soul. <br />
<br />
I accidentally left out prayer. My friend Chelsy has a heart for Christian mothers to pray for their children, and she has imparted a godly example to me.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-21724931834750576662012-10-14T17:49:00.003-07:002012-10-15T07:36:52.798-07:00Birth Control: A Five Hour Discussion with Five Christian Ladies<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
About a year ago 4 ladies and I got together for a miniature conference on birth control and God's will for childbearing. It was not a "church-sponsored" event. We gathered together in a home and let our kids play together while we sat in an adjacent room and opened our Bibles together.<br />
<br />
Our questions were these: How many children does the LORD want a man and his wife to have? Is any kind of birth control a sin? <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8l14UAKL9gKTTrh9xPWAO9RUmT3DuzA_epnjVepCTdegwYlK4K65UvjJz5umr27WENo-A6tLGwBlT7_SFZn4ujjsbFaiCROXunko0caA6x8AC438xZxAQ-Zd4XCLJGYH8OAGqVw/s1600/family+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8l14UAKL9gKTTrh9xPWAO9RUmT3DuzA_epnjVepCTdegwYlK4K65UvjJz5umr27WENo-A6tLGwBlT7_SFZn4ujjsbFaiCROXunko0caA6x8AC438xZxAQ-Zd4XCLJGYH8OAGqVw/s200/family+4.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Three ladies came from the perspective of believing that any form of restricting the conception of a child between a man and his wife was not an expression of trusting in God. Their main verse was the command given to Adam and Eve to "be fruitful and multiply."<br />
<br />
One lady came to sit and listen because she wasn't sure exactly how she believes about the issue.<br />
<br />
I represented an alternative position. I'm not sure what to call my position, but I intend to use this post as a way of outlining what I believe the Bible says about children and therefore paint an alternative perspective on the will of God for women as mothers.<br />
<br />
<b>With Love and Respect</b><br />
<br />
I don't believe as the other ladies do but I want my readers here to know how much I honor the women who shared their stories with me. I hope that everyone would emulate their faith.<br />
<br />
I walked away totally blown away by the servanthood of the three ladies who represented this conservative view on birth control. One lady's inspiration is <a href="http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/">Katie Davis</a>, an American woman who at the age of 18 knew that she was called to adopt children and live in Uganda with them. She at the age of 22 has I believe 14 girls who she has now adopted and raises as her own. How does she get up and have the strength to do what she does? Only by the amazing power and love of Jesus Christ! This lady shared for the group her own story of having deep faith in Jesus for her own family. She has 4 children and is expecting her fifth at this time, and she also credits Jesus for her strength to serve and love her children. I am humbled by her faith and by the example of Katie Davis.<br />
<br />
I believe that these ladies are called to serve Jesus Christ by opening their hearts and their homes to as many children as the LORD will give them. I applaud their faith and their testimony of God's power. However I am at the same time sure that not all married women are called to glorify Jesus in this same manner.<br />
<br />
<b>Birth Control Methods</b><br />
<br />
We all agreed at the forefront that any kind of contraception that harmed a fertilized embryo was not a reflection of God's heart. So off the top we skimmed out a discussion on the pill, Plan B, IUDs, etc. But that still leaves at least two methods of contraception to use that do not harm a child: abstinence, which 1 Cor. 7 prohibits except in mutual agreement for a short period of time so that a couple may pray, and NFP. Natural Family Planning (NFP) is a method similar to the Rhythm Method, but it claims a higher success rate of 99% contraceptive effectiveness. NFP uses no chemicals nor physical barriers. It monitors cervical mucus and the woman's body basal temperature to pinpoint when she is ovulating so that for only 6 days out of the woman's 28-day cycle she must abstain from intercourse in order to avoid conception of a child.<br />
<br />
Should married couples use something like NFP to control how many children they conceive? <br />
<br />
Some families are actually incapable of having children. Are they not obedient because they have not multiplied? These ladies say, "no, of course not. They are operating by faith in God to give them as many as He has planned for them, even if it is to have no children." Some families only want one, two or three children. Once they reach a certain dynamic in their family they do not want to have any more children. If they should prevent further conception, are they in sin? These ladies say, "Yes they would be. That is, assuming they are capable of having more children and they take it out of God's hands and into their own."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjew1C_A7m5OmUqVf2XMT8y-aab2yVI_d-Qmiu2xyaTLDQ3nXmWPQ9OU7pZbzkWpvSDkMazDNXvLIoZ6VLLbesfvTaD4vSMuEtQ6McMSEvoiruZqEUyKzKQH87qo4vO8Rksiv-Kug/s1600/catholic+family.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjew1C_A7m5OmUqVf2XMT8y-aab2yVI_d-Qmiu2xyaTLDQ3nXmWPQ9OU7pZbzkWpvSDkMazDNXvLIoZ6VLLbesfvTaD4vSMuEtQ6McMSEvoiruZqEUyKzKQH87qo4vO8Rksiv-Kug/s320/catholic+family.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
This is an important issue in my mind because it gets to the heart of our purpose as Christians.<br />
<br />
What do you think?<br />
<br />
<b>The Scriptures</b><br />
<br />
The three ladies representing this most conservative take in opposition to birth control believe that no efforts should ever be made to limit the number of children born into a family. They see so much of God's character and lovingkindness through trusting Him to give them exactly what they can handle. They trust God completely and so they believe that using birth control would be an expression of doubting God's plans for their lives.<br />
<br />
A central supportive text the ladies used was the story of Tamar and Onan. The account is in Genesis 38:9. Onan was punished for refusing to conceive a child. My response is as follows: I am not sure the story of Onan is prescribed for every man and wife everywhere, especially for the Church. What was Onan's sin, exactly? Was it disobedience of the command in Genesis, "be fruitful and multiply?" Onan was not hardened against conceiving children generally but he was hardened against producing an heir on behalf of his deceased brother. Birthright and inheritance was traditionally a battle between sons. The law of levirate marriage was also supposed to provide for Tamar in the loss of her husband.<br />
<br />
I believe that "be fruitful and multiply" is inextricably linked with Spiritual dominion, not merely an earthly and physical dominion. Producing physical children is not the picture of holiness God expects of Christians. Remember that John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:9,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFME4kFTW7BpiX-NesOyAkoKLTpIyRhIZI-aj3BHInybqMO50-R4HfxuD-0VGQB73eLapjKgqgF0yiGEf_q81V0CADc5hM-IB9ZCBx7TCWwZ6paM2FvjQN3Yd6PRlsadIqdpbdjg/s1600/living-stones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFME4kFTW7BpiX-NesOyAkoKLTpIyRhIZI-aj3BHInybqMO50-R4HfxuD-0VGQB73eLapjKgqgF0yiGEf_q81V0CADc5hM-IB9ZCBx7TCWwZ6paM2FvjQN3Yd6PRlsadIqdpbdjg/s200/living-stones.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<i><br /></i>
<i>The Jews looked to their physical birth as some sense of accomplishment of God's purpose. </i>But because there was no righteousness in God's people, God could not accept them as His children (Rom. 9:7) on that standing alone. It is not all Israel who are of Israel (Rom. 9:6), and they were cut off from the LORD (Rom. 11). He wanted a physical descendant, yes, for salvation is through the Jews (Jesus Christ). But He also required a righteous-acting descendant. Let's go back to the garden of Eden.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “<b>Be fruitful and multiply</b>; fill the earth and subdue it; <b>have dominion</b> over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
</blockquote>
Not only did God want them to multiply physically, but moreover He wanted them to have dominion. Dominion means that God wanted humanity to have spiritual control over this earth, and this spiritual power wielded by mere men would come through walking in fellowship with God. Psalm 8:3-8,<br />
<blockquote>
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, <b>What is man that You are mindful of him</b>,
And the son of man that <b>You visit him</b>? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor. <b>You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet</b>, All sheep and oxen—
Even the beasts of the field, The birds of the air,
And the fish of the sea
That pass through the paths of the seas.</blockquote>
That means man was born to rule spiritually, having all his supply to rule righteously from intimacy with God. Through faithfully practicing dominion, a life's stewardship would be rewarded by inheritance of the earth. In the end, the faithful Church will have dominion with Jesus on the earth because Jesus took dominion back from Satan. Satan controlled it temporarily only because man abdicated his own seat of power. Until Jesus, there was no one who had righteously managed the reins of dominion given to Adam and Eve. Jesus took the keys of dominion back from Satan's grasp when He offered Himself as a sacrifice for sins at His own adoption, perhaps His seal, His certification of son-ship, His "adoption, indeed" in Hebrews chapter 1, verses 3-4; 9,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
...who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, <b>having become so much better</b> than the angels, as He has <b>by</b> <b>inheritance obtained a more excellent name</b> than they. ... <b>You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness more than Your companions</b>.</blockquote>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLb-K0JwrMHCRDa_ZVeaxiyjRcZ1x3H-1_jXyvNvlh5QoMcMHwcQSn_nhMCD8n0mvr8KXYblGfzdwf0qCEOND_Q6RJdSrRk6JOQSCu1EpSpOS4wGqBXk0pKbBVUt1-uGtIVLos-A/s1600/jesus-discipleship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLb-K0JwrMHCRDa_ZVeaxiyjRcZ1x3H-1_jXyvNvlh5QoMcMHwcQSn_nhMCD8n0mvr8KXYblGfzdwf0qCEOND_Q6RJdSrRk6JOQSCu1EpSpOS4wGqBXk0pKbBVUt1-uGtIVLos-A/s320/jesus-discipleship.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Here I am, and the children whom God has given Me." Heb. 2:13</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At His resurrection, Jesus inherited that over which he faithfully practiced dominion through the supply of His heavenly Father. <br />
<br />
We the Church are meant to have dominion now in this life, with the expectation of inheritance in the next dispensation (Psalm 8, Revelation 2:26-27). It is possible now not only because it was originally a gift of dominion handed to Adam and Eve and their descendants, but most especially because Jesus Christ overpowered the enemy who overpowers us, and is graciously supplying it through faith alone as King of his brother partakers.<br />
<br />
It is important to note that even though God could raise sons of Abraham from mere stones, God has not planned to accomplish His will in such a way. For us to seek to be spiritual descendants to the point of despising Christians who create physical descendants is to go the way of Gnosticism, and I do not suggest such a preoccupation. There is nothing wrong with pursuing the physical and earthly, the bodily. Having children is one of the most satisfying blessings God gives to the living. I am only suggesting that bearing children not be elevated to a holy work without bringing forth righteousness as well.<br />
<br />
<b>Be Fruitful and Multiply</b><br />
<br />
God said "be fruitful and multiply" to Adam and Eve. Does this mean that He commanded the Gentiles as well as Israel to produce children? <i>Is this command for all humanity?</i> I would like to suggest that <i>this command was not for Gentiles</i><b> </b>in Old Covenant times. It is for Israel, proto-Israel, and in a Great Commission sense, the Church.<br />
<br />
If God wanted Gentiles to multiply and have children, someone must explain why God looked with grief at humanity's first grand corruption, their choice to do evil in Genesis 6. God decided to wipe out humanity forever with the flood. Why did He want to destroy them all? <i>Was it because of their failure to have physical children? No! They were plenty multiplied. It was because they were not righteous! But Noah was righteous. </i> And he and his family found favor in the sight of the LORD and they were spared. The flood is sure evidence that God does not desire ungodly people to bear children! God wants a righteous descendant, not only a physical one.<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwYGU_m8TOz0scuybCh4ij3DZHrdMjygLoMSVdnqP8KQfvZnmok9MfSSe121WcxHO7qFSNRoDN-T6hyphenhyphen6XhwQrRYXKRFtgURTQIBc7hyphenhyphenjLGh7URYeJKljA6o-Qf_A20dOXoipi0g/s1600/noah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIwYGU_m8TOz0scuybCh4ij3DZHrdMjygLoMSVdnqP8KQfvZnmok9MfSSe121WcxHO7qFSNRoDN-T6hyphenhyphen6XhwQrRYXKRFtgURTQIBc7hyphenhyphenjLGh7URYeJKljA6o-Qf_A20dOXoipi0g/s200/noah.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">righteousness will protect our children</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The covenant with Noah prevented any subsequent flooding as His way to deal with unrighteousness. His promise is that no future grand corruption of humanity will affect nature and result in our immediate physical death. As God commanded man to have dominion in connection with the land of the earth, so God would no longer destroy the earth immediately because of wickedness. God's promises to people are tied to land. <br />
<br />
Since Noah, as Jesus teaches in the Gospels, God causes the rain to fall on the just and the wicked (Matt. 5:45). He's spending His grace in a pay-it-forward sort of manner. In the end we will be consumed just like Genesis 6, this time by fire. There will be wrath, but for now it is being stored. At judgment we will have no excuse for the way we have chosen to spend this life which has been relatively wrath-free because of the covenant God made with Noah. God uses his wait-till-judgment-day-to-settle-accounts, pay-it-forward grace as a model (Matt. 5:45) for how we ought to make disciples of all nations.<br />
<br />
"Be fruitful and multiply" was brought up by the ladies as a command reiterated by God throughout the Old Testament. It's true, it is indeed spoken by God more than just in Genesis 1. However, in every case where God gives this command, He gives it to those who are already His people, and <i>He gives it to those who are already in fellowship with Him</i>. This command was not only pointing at the physical; God was pointing at us to replicate a people who would be taught how to walk in fellowship with God, who would be taught to practice true righteousness. He wanted a people who could inherit the earth through practicing spiritual dominion in this life. I do not believe we can believe as Christians that because we bear children, we therefore please God. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjst9-p7g-2LIaPJpNsjd-aRzYfag6qwuNoXEFXb1Lf4X5s_immA3kkh9TBojhXvgWf2moo8YU7TB1Xmm0yEOKYtQ-nW6rBRUyUPvykczGoU6i6xbn0E7iBQeUKvDhWaxcW4a8Aw/s1600/ye-bear-fruit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjst9-p7g-2LIaPJpNsjd-aRzYfag6qwuNoXEFXb1Lf4X5s_immA3kkh9TBojhXvgWf2moo8YU7TB1Xmm0yEOKYtQ-nW6rBRUyUPvykczGoU6i6xbn0E7iBQeUKvDhWaxcW4a8Aw/s200/ye-bear-fruit.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"fruitful" in the NT refers to discipleship not babies</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
"Be fruitful and multiply" was only spoken to Israel, or proto-Israel (the fathers of those who became Israel; Adam and Eve and Noah). "Be fruitful and multiply" is never repeated in the New Testament. Can a Christian be certain we are commanded today by God in this age to bear children or else be counted disobedient?<br />
<br />
<b>A Woman Will Be Saved Through Childbearing</b><br />
<br />
These ladies also make a scriptural case by 1 Timothy 2:15,<br />
<blockquote>
And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence. For Adam was formed first, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression. Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.</blockquote>
Childbearing, they say, produces tests and trials which refine and grow our faith in God. <br />
<br />
It is always a good idea to interpret obscure verses in light of clear Biblical truths. We know that a woman is not granted eternal life by works of any kind including childbearing but by faith alone in Jesus Christ who gives it freely as a gift to anyone who will trust Him. We also know that a woman or a man is not sanctified by childbearing per se, but more Biblically by obeying the Word of God. <br />
<br />
I do agree with the Ladies, that having children certainly is a sanctifying force in my life. It causes me to need God in such a bigger way, it helps me to understand the sin nature and how important grace is. It helps me to understand the role a Father plays with His children in all its facets such as withholding blessings for the sake of not spoiling a child, and why discipline is absolutely necessary to raise a child to be happy.<br />
<br />
But God does not need me to have children in order to sanctify me. The only pictures of Christ sanctifying me through others is the husband toward the wife, which is a picture of Christ and the Church. That is the relationship designed for a woman to have a partner with which to grow in the LORD, along with a community of believers in the local church. <br />
<br />
<b>What is Family in the Kingdom of God?</b><br />
<br />
Jesus taught very clearly on who we should count as our family in this life as well as the next. He said in Matthew 12:46-50,<br />
<blockquote>
While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “<b>Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.</b>”</blockquote>
The Family that endures eternally is not necessarily the one that lives with you in your home as you read this post. I mean, read it and flame this blog post all you want but Jesus is the audacious one to say such a thing. He doesn't wait till the resurrection to call disciples His true family. He says, "Here" these disciples are His mother, His brothers, His sisters. So here is what I as a Christian lady ought to be asking myself: Is my husband Jesus' brother? Are my children, Jesus' brothers and sisters? I certainly want them to be. All my faithfulness and unconditional love are a picture of this hope for them.<br />
<br />
In fact, the quintessential heart-test Jesus gave for discipleship was forsaking the orientation of our earthly family. Luke 14:26,<br />
<blockquote>
“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. </blockquote>
I truly hope that Christian women everywhere see the importance of making their children into disciples, not simply making children, as God's heart for families. As much as it pains a parent if our children should not choose to follow Jesus (and I can understand this pain), the truth is He will not recognize the resemblance of God in them when the Kingdom is ushered in. What can I do to give them life in Jesus? As a mother I must do everything I can to teach my children to forsake the natural orientation of our family, as good as I think my lifestyle happens to be. I want them to count the cost of offending me as a parent and find Christ for themselves, seeking the Kingdom of God first.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfDAnOlDybejO7peo1RgCikWNpScUKpwZ3ZhXaTZtdMxe9WpvxomtBeR_EQ_DT1I7lXPG8ds7atwD4m1eNmeNoff72OsodHaZQUg6UU4Rw9do7DtD_PkFQ06qm9K9tMj-w9MmYQ/s1600/Born+Again.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOfDAnOlDybejO7peo1RgCikWNpScUKpwZ3ZhXaTZtdMxe9WpvxomtBeR_EQ_DT1I7lXPG8ds7atwD4m1eNmeNoff72OsodHaZQUg6UU4Rw9do7DtD_PkFQ06qm9K9tMj-w9MmYQ/s320/Born+Again.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Children who Inherit their Parents' Faith</b><br />
<br />
These Christian ladies truly hope to make disciples of their children in their home. I can attest to this because I know their children and how they raise them. They hope that multiplying and adopting children who inherit the Christian faith is a way to transform culture around them to be Christ-followers. But is physical descendancy the model of multiplication given by the New Covenant?<br />
<br />
Israel needed physical and righteous descendants. They got that through Jesus Christ. No Jew is going to top that. What is left of "be fruitful and multiply" that means anything left to await fulfillment? This is why that command for physical birth was only used in the Old Covenant. Jesus' New Covenant was targeted to the Gentiles; strangers to the physical family of God's people. He is calling a people who were not once His people, a people who are not related to Him at all by blood. I know that I, Michele Painter, cannot trace my lineage back to Jesus Christ or Abraham. I'm not a Jew. Birth by blood is not the course of the New Covenant. It is Spiritual birth that matters. In order to see and enter the Kingdom of God, Jesus said in John 3:7,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Do not marvel that I said to you, 'You must be born again.'</blockquote>
The word "born" in that passage also means "citizenship." This is a fulfillment to the prophecies about Zion. Psalm 87:5-6,<br />
<blockquote>
And of Zion it will be said,
“This one and that one were born in her;
And the Most High Himself shall establish her.” The Lord will record,
When He registers the peoples:
“This one was born there.” </blockquote>
The Spirit and all his ridiculously rich wealth of grace is now poured into a Gentile's account by faith. So why should I be preoccupied to think that the Christian heritage is going to be primarily transferred through physical relatedness?<br />
<br />
<b>Let's Crunch the Numbers</b><br />
<br />
It takes 20 years to raise a maximum of say 20 children in your home. Conversely, let's take 40 Christians who commit to disciple 3 strangers into the Kingdom of God. They do disciple those 3 people each, and then require one thing of them: that they go and in like turn, disciple 3 additional people into the Kingdom of God. Guess how many repetitions are needed to disciple the entire United States? Only 25! It takes more or less about 1 year to disciple a person. And each Christian believer can disciple 3 people at once. <i>That means 25 repetitions to disciple our entire nation! It would take only 37 years to disciple the entire world!</i> That's it. Which is more effective for creating a righteous people on the earth - physical descendancy or church planting?<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="169" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/HELlLaXj3kk?rel=0" width="300"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
What do you believe the LORD's will is for a married woman regarding childbearing? I do believe that God works with us all according to conscience where Scripture doesn't give us detailed answers. Some of us need to exercise faith in God through opening our homes to as many children as God would give. Some of us have handicaps whether they be emotional, physical, or whatever it may be. I believe that if we do not feel equipped to bear endless numbers of physical children, God knows our condition and has grace for us. In the end, I believe the question of "how many" children is not terribly relevant.<br />
<br />
However, it is clear that a Christian woman's purpose <i>is</i> to multiply in Spiritual births. <br />
<br />
Luke 11:27-28
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”
</blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-40317534685840643642012-09-24T11:43:00.000-07:002012-09-24T13:10:37.898-07:00Bank on Commercial St. is Robbed, Christian Responds<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_x3TjJkDIuthM3rxnW6Q-fSRmJxj700R6G3CGqMOQd560sZbwBJXdmvpkgG3o1Ef7pxVmgnAH0gce4jSUJEKPY8vNuNsOd-cI0H6s9AQjwcMhFxdnEXtIS05-_GGuxBaanoUP2g/s1600/knife+robbery.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_x3TjJkDIuthM3rxnW6Q-fSRmJxj700R6G3CGqMOQd560sZbwBJXdmvpkgG3o1Ef7pxVmgnAH0gce4jSUJEKPY8vNuNsOd-cI0H6s9AQjwcMhFxdnEXtIS05-_GGuxBaanoUP2g/s1600/knife+robbery.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">a knife robbery<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Our church services on Sunday prepare us to be light to our communities. We celebrate stories of God working in His people every time we gather, and God commands us in the Psalms to declare His works publicly. Here is a story that inspires me.<br />
<br />
Last Friday (September 21st) a man with a knife walked into Umpqua Bank at about 10 am. The robbery took place about two blocks from McKinley Elementary School where my friend, April, has three of her five children attending during the school day. When the bank was robbed, the Elementary went on lockdown for about an hour; in addition so did South Salem High School and Howard Street Charter School.<br />
<br />
The man escaped on foot into the local neighborhood and the police could not locate the man. If you have any information about this situation, please contact the police. <a href="http://www.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012309220021">Here is the article in the Statesman Journal</a>. <br />
<br />
School let out later that afternoon and April's children walked home and were animatedly talking about how their school had been on lockdown. The kids knew that the robbery took place where their family did their banking. April's heart was moved by her kids and most especially because she regularly goes into the bank and knows the people who work there pretty well.<br />
<br />
God moved in April's heart to do something about it. :) She told me later when they came over for pizza and a movie that night. And she doesn't yet know that I'm writing this blog post. Her story was presented to me rather briefly and with a ton of humility, and I might get some of the details wrong of how it went. Hopefully she will read here soon and can tell a little more of the story of how it went. <br />
<br />
She got her kids all "cutified," all five of them, ages 10 years to 10 months old. She made a homemade card and wrote a scripture in it and also got some balloons. The whole troop walked into the bank. She said to them, "I know what happened to you this morning and how horrible it was, and I thought you could use some cheering up."<br />
<br />
The scripture was Isaiah 40:10. "<b>Fear not, for I am with you;
Be not dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you,
I will uphold you with My righteous right hand</b>."<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuqAQGx7FeBbGmMVY8SoyPRl9wmg0vbbZWzxKuAeHNTQTVENEVzKms6vB8Ffg2v2Rj1VuGNCc5U8Jifqm0lVMZBccX7B2ZqM_LmnLlaRhsdQkQllrpLkWxnpEDTFsyITPKfp6xg/s1600/balloons.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEuqAQGx7FeBbGmMVY8SoyPRl9wmg0vbbZWzxKuAeHNTQTVENEVzKms6vB8Ffg2v2Rj1VuGNCc5U8Jifqm0lVMZBccX7B2ZqM_LmnLlaRhsdQkQllrpLkWxnpEDTFsyITPKfp6xg/s200/balloons.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Umpqua Bank usually has about three people working in front but at this point there was a full staff of about eight people and they were all on edge and watchful. They might have been called into work because of what happened. April said that one woman cried when she interacted with April and her family.<br />
<br />
This is the sort of love that transforms culture and helps bridge belief for people who would turn to Jesus if only someone would lead them to Him. I'm so impressed!!! I have so many excuses why I don't think I should share Christ publicly. April's example has renewed my heart about how the gospel changes lives, changes communities, changes cities. I want to celebrate with her the hope Christ had planned from the beginning of time to bring to the people at this bank. Even acts of thoughtful love without an accompanying scripture are a touch of God in this world. <br />
<br />
I'm reminded of an article I read at <a href="http://www.vergenetwork.org/">www.vergenetwork.org</a> about a business that was impacted by a tragic suicide of one of their employees. Two Christians there started seeing God open the hearts of their fellow co-workers who were looking for hope. A pastor of a local church took a chance and started meeting in the gym facility at this company with these two Christians. It was really simple. They sang praise music with a guitar. Their coworkers came. People were believing in Christ for eternal life. Attendance kept growing from 10 to 20 and finally 100 employees. The pastor went back to his local church which had been more or less stagnant in growth for several years and resigned because God was calling him to pastor this new church plant, born in a business.<br />
<br />
Can there be a church in a bank? How about in a gym? Who lives for this sort of thing? God does! Anything can happen when we plant the gospel! How can we join in the great commission? Here are a couple of thoughts.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.vergenetwork.org/2011/10/04/tim-chester-10-simple-ways-to-be-missional/">10 Simple Ways to be Missional</a><br />
<br />
"<b>Over and over again when people begin to engage a life lived on mission they wonder or ask, “How would I ever have the time to DO all of this?!” But God has designed our lives in such a way that we already live in a rhythm of opportunities to both display and proclaim the gospel. It is not a matter of adding new things to our life; it is about living with increasing gospel intentionality. We must shift our thinking from “Additional to Intentional”</b>." - Caesar Kalinowski<br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-72284470872275847302012-09-19T15:05:00.001-07:002012-09-19T15:09:06.223-07:00Meet Lauren<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMl0H-PlMUlsLjywldiUX2n8bN0f7MYyxt6lkC6tn8GcrD5Yi-GwRGbqKzhfc_eqvtp6UFR5DZ1KHUs0vpLjGpowCkLWzLO_I5oKAZ4L6KFRhScnapfow40xO_sFsls80lVrhg9Q/s1600/repair+lobby.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMl0H-PlMUlsLjywldiUX2n8bN0f7MYyxt6lkC6tn8GcrD5Yi-GwRGbqKzhfc_eqvtp6UFR5DZ1KHUs0vpLjGpowCkLWzLO_I5oKAZ4L6KFRhScnapfow40xO_sFsls80lVrhg9Q/s1600/repair+lobby.jpeg" /></a></div>
This morning I met Lauren. She came into the auto repair place and sat down beside me and my son. She's in her 60s, and is holding the cash in her hand she's going to use to pay for her car's repair. The money is sticking straight out from her hand and she's sitting there with a face of concern. I asked her about her car's problem and I cracked a joke, and she actually laughed at it for some time which is cool because I'm not that funny. She said she had come all the way from Independence hoping that they would be able to fix it and that they had helped her before by charging her such a little price. I said it was a far way to come and she said that she had a daughter who lived in town. She said she comes in to help her two children a lot but they do not come out to Independence to see her, and she looked sad but trying to hide it. I said do you have someone you can call if your car has trouble? She didn't answer. I said I think everybody needs a few support people. Would her children help her if she needed something? She said no. She said her comfort is in knowing that at least she's possibly a better person for being thoughtful toward others. I said well how about I give you my phone number. And if you need help you'll have someone to call. She waved her hand away at me like I was being too much. Then she lowered her head trying to hide a few tears about to fall. <br />
<br />
I gently took her hand and said softly, "honey I didn't mean to make you upset, I'm sorry." She said, "No it's ok, that sounds nice I didn't think I could meet anyone who would be nice like that." She smiled. I said, "Really, call me," as I was headed out the door. She said she really did not have a sense of family with anyone, to answer my real question about her kids. I said, "Well you do now. Call me sometime soon." She said, "That would be nice, even if it's just to visit, I don't have any friends." She was happy I could see, to say that out loud even though she felt some shame in admitting it.<br />
<br />
Because she didn't mention a husband but she did mention children, I'm assuming she's a widow. And she's a poor widow. I can't help but think of God's Word : "True religion is this, to look after orphans and widows in their time of need." (James 1)<br />
<br />
She needs something a little larger than I can give her. I can offer her my husband and my children, my family, but she needs a sense of family that's about extended-family size. It would be a lot for me to serve her and love her the way that she deserves, but if I could invite her into a family setting, it would be so neat to see the bold words I said in faith about having a family now, come to fruition, with many people loving her, serving her, each person being unique in how they do that.<br />
<br />
I'm praying right now that there would be a family of Christians who will step out to manifest Jesus to this dear woman. I want her to not be taken advantage of, to be served selflessly. I want her to experience the love of God in an unconditional way so that she has a safe place to understand what Jesus Christ has done for her - that He is that "better person" just as she knows is the right thing to do :)<br />
<br />
Would you like to meet Lauren?<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11892709.post-4961264018931848462012-09-17T13:18:00.000-07:002012-09-17T13:18:27.110-07:00The Prayer Closet<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
I need to listen a whole lot to what God says, more than I do everything else. The solution is to regularly use "the prayer closet." When I listen to anything else there isn't as much bigness for Christ to tell me who He says that I am. It means that even when someone throws something as gritty as judgment at me, I excuse myself politely and say I've gotta go. I've gotta have a prayer closet where I go spend some time and I come out afterward victorious... cleansed of whatever wasn't quite in alignment or affirmed that I was already on the right path... or whatever God discerns that needs to be discerned.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbQDmce3xlHu1zQL036hDlQ0netOXbic4tJcI98uN8qc0-T8vRRLK0sH00LIZIjTcsV7-UU-XONL-V2aiMjkCW-KNdWSqIac4W1ZGvYEPBBfrByHm9cbzbXhhhI4eH6MaPycW2g/s1600/closet+2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIbQDmce3xlHu1zQL036hDlQ0netOXbic4tJcI98uN8qc0-T8vRRLK0sH00LIZIjTcsV7-UU-XONL-V2aiMjkCW-KNdWSqIac4W1ZGvYEPBBfrByHm9cbzbXhhhI4eH6MaPycW2g/s1600/closet+2.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
It's a miracle to see God do this in a Christian's life. After a continuous experience in the prayer closet Christians care very little with whether they have been abandoned to some expectation because Christ has met that emotional panic inside their heart. Have you seen Christians who come out of a prayer closet? What do they look like?<br />
<br />
We ought to receive discipling-judgment from other Christians, because their voice often is one and the same Spirit; God. However without that prayer closet, it can cause a believer stalemate. Christians can overtake Christians with their Christian judgments which are actually true from His Word. These judgments are the tool that God wants to use, but it quickly should become God using them, after we first receive them from the Body of believers who know us. Why? There are several reasons why this is important. First, whether or not we attain victory over our failings is on the line. Second, our Savior wants to use these truths in a mentoring way. Christians are not always capable of imitating the mentoring, advocating grace of Christ. Most importantly He wants the glory for our having been mentored.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwboolN8LBC5PVtoxTRndffG8srUFhkctP2Cvotz7bQzTGv2rQ7zzv2qs4uKSHGNM6aRkHA1NSoe-a9naoDMibg7IU-xFRq6wGflTxrD08zGxzV8N87RW6GovriYUH1xOpQnYxg/s1600/prayer_closet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCwboolN8LBC5PVtoxTRndffG8srUFhkctP2Cvotz7bQzTGv2rQ7zzv2qs4uKSHGNM6aRkHA1NSoe-a9naoDMibg7IU-xFRq6wGflTxrD08zGxzV8N87RW6GovriYUH1xOpQnYxg/s320/prayer_closet.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<br />
Paul was a figure in the early Corinthian church upon which the congregation was deciding if he was the choicest orator of doctrine. It could have crimped his confidence. 1 Cor. 4:3-4,<br />
<blockquote>
But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.</blockquote>
For Paul, their odd use of him as a role model caused him to write back to the church about the spiritual mind of Christ. He was given this message to write to the church after first being set free in the prayer closet. <br />
<br />
I have seen Christians come out of the prayer closet who passively admit to their Body of people who know them, any variety of evils with a smile on their face because they recognize that they are forgiven. It's no longer a part of their lives because Christ has told them in the prayer closet that that unconformity is no longer a part of who they're seen as.<br />
<br />
But that's in the case where there is actual sin and I don't know for sure what God will bring out to me in the prayer closet. Sometimes the prayer closet is an experience where He acquits me, and the joy and power of the Holy Spirit only gets more incredible because He explains that I have an opportunity to share Him with them. Think Job at the end of that Book and how he advocated in the end for his critics.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMNpAD-ecXEgddfAg1qHLrkFnqv80hVD2chrDnTtSipPTZzJqbXvMfFZMLdporJvV7p-t30iSbGG-TURJl8O2t1DhzMk8ppM8CAqFN-6WA2F2rxa01OyiSuFy_OewoM9K7pzjbQ/s1600/bumper+closet.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOMNpAD-ecXEgddfAg1qHLrkFnqv80hVD2chrDnTtSipPTZzJqbXvMfFZMLdporJvV7p-t30iSbGG-TURJl8O2t1DhzMk8ppM8CAqFN-6WA2F2rxa01OyiSuFy_OewoM9K7pzjbQ/s1600/bumper+closet.jpeg" /></a></div>
<br />
I desire that when my heart receives someone else's opinion, my heart is already full of God's voice. Man's judgment either adds or subtracts only a little as it passes through the prayer closet. I want this for myself today, this morning, at this moment.<br />
<br />
I love the story of Hezekiah in 2 Kings chapter 19. Criticism has come against him and Jerusalem in 2 Kings 18:19-25,<br />
<blockquote>
Say now to Hezekiah, ‘Thus says the great king, the king of Assyria: “What confidence is this in which you trust? You speak of having plans and power for war; but they are mere words. And in whom do you trust, that you rebel against me? Now look! You are trusting in the staff of this broken reed, Egypt, on which if a man leans, it will go into his hand and pierce it. So is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him. But if you say to me, ‘We trust in the Lord our God,’ is it not He whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah has taken away, and said to Judah and Jerusalem, ‘You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem’?”’ Now therefore, I urge you, give a pledge to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give you two thousand horses—if you are able on your part to put riders on them! How then will you repel one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put your trust in Egypt for chariots and horsemen? Have I now come up without the Lord against this place to destroy it? The Lord said to me, ‘Go up against this land, and destroy it.’”</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPoEQcmp35wRSQVwkwm6qRgFwt2jBw7gkiU2qTcHeOggwNzKiBS25oT2aHDGEqhKZp9KcI1tZCG7808BQrCWRP5J2eEfW96WiULNy4modfsAdbR38BvL1XZJNGqankhFzCxfkkQ/s1600/hezekiah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIPoEQcmp35wRSQVwkwm6qRgFwt2jBw7gkiU2qTcHeOggwNzKiBS25oT2aHDGEqhKZp9KcI1tZCG7808BQrCWRP5J2eEfW96WiULNy4modfsAdbR38BvL1XZJNGqankhFzCxfkkQ/s320/hezekiah.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Hezekiah tore his clothes. To say it too simply, he was upset. He might have trusted in the chariots of Egypt but to do so would not have been singular trust in God alone. He took the letter of criticism and literally spread it out in the house of God. 2 Kings 19:14-16,<br />
<blockquote>
And Hezekiah <b>received the letter</b> from the hand of the messengers, and read it; and Hezekiah went up to the house of the Lord, and <b>spread it before the Lord</b>. Then Hezekiah prayed before the Lord, and said: “O Lord God of Israel, the One who dwells between the cherubim, You are God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. Incline Your ear, O Lord, and hear; open Your eyes, O Lord, and see; and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. ... Now therefore, O Lord our God, I pray, save us from his hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You are the Lord God, You alone. </blockquote>
<b>In Your Prayer Closet</b><br />
<br />
We believers have got to pour out the whole story before God. Literally spread it out on your bed, or whatever. Ask Him to look on those words said to you. Ask Him to speak to you about your heart in it. If you've ever experienced a moment where Christ sets you free so powerfully, it gets addictive and I'm sure that you've had a moment like this in times past, but today I want a rush of His opinions toward us to overtake us... because God is so much better of an Advocate than any man aspires to be. Including the closest friend in your life. Or a Christian you respect. Or a spouse. Or a crisis or confusion. Our low moments when we're judged means only "a little" in the hand of a God who prepared in advance good works that we should walk in them. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQb90WtyquwWkYUNNJnTPqa_FcoOIyqRs5kB08MTSWHh4EAxnIx6c2RTXOnGeN2U_Pi8auEoLSBi7GiVPvldQT0TiRmpW04jBsSKNq5j88hofwg3LJnyQeQGhu5-NX17LzTVWVwQ/s1600/out+of+closet.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQb90WtyquwWkYUNNJnTPqa_FcoOIyqRs5kB08MTSWHh4EAxnIx6c2RTXOnGeN2U_Pi8auEoLSBi7GiVPvldQT0TiRmpW04jBsSKNq5j88hofwg3LJnyQeQGhu5-NX17LzTVWVwQ/s1600/out+of+closet.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">coming out of the closet</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Don't let anyone have too much of the judgment seat in your heart before He does. <br />
<br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Sanctificationhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12840607408258267991noreply@blogger.com1