Child vs Mature

I don't want to be a child all my life. I am glad I am a grown up who can drive a car and take care of myself and make important decisions. As I age I may become a child again but hopefully that won't happen - or at least not soon.

So why would I want to remain a child in my spiritual life? I've heard people remark about a church or pastor, I just wasn't being fed. They are not talking about a Wednesday night supper or Sunday dinner on the grounds but about being fed the Word of God. Now maybe that preacher doesn't preach from the Bible but I doubt it. And these are people who have been in church for years, claiming Christianity for years.

Why in the world would a grown up want to be fed? With actual food that's for young children or very old or sick individuals. Why should I expect the pastor to be my main source of nourishment from the Word of God? I have six days in the week to sit down with Jesus and the Bible to learn what He would have me do; how He would have me live; what truths He wants me to learn. Preaching on Sunday should be a reinforcement of all that I am learning on my own time. But of course, the preacher does play an important role in my understanding of Scripture. He is another - not the only - way I hear from God.

Maybe the person not being fed has not prepared his/her heart to hear from God or doesn't have a deep expectation of meeting with Jesus during the Sunday service. Maybe this person doesn't participate in corporate worship by singing AND praying AND giving tithes.

Or maybe, just maybe, God is stirring them to be a feeder of young believers. Bet they never thought about that. In Hebrews 5:12-14, the writer talks about those who ought to be mature but are still seeking milk like a child. Still going to the same Bible studies but never becoming a teacher who shares God's truth with others. They ought to be discerning, mature believers by now rather than seeking to be fed all the time.

Teaching may mean taking on a major responsibility to nurture young believers (regardless of age) in a group setting but it might also mean sharing truth with your children or a neighbor or a co-worker.

Gauntlet 2011 Part Two

What an amazing God we serve through the most amazing church on the planet! I didn't go to the Gauntlet so my information comes from twitter, vimeo and Facebook updates.

The annual youth trip to Daytona Beach had 1350 students, 450 adult small group leaders, and 100 support people. Forty buses carried people from 5 campuses, leaving early Monday morning. There were 130 kids who surrendered their lives to Jesus and 287 who publicly declared "Jesus is my Lord and Savior" and got dunked in the ocean at sunrise on Thursday. WooHoo!!

One of the things I like is the way the leadership strives to focus on Jesus and focus on building friendships. It starts at the very beginning by putting the guys and girls on separate buses. The trip is about Jesus - as is everything NewSpring does.

They stayed at the Daytona Hilton which is NOT a shabby place. They had morning and evening worship and teaching times - with big screens and lights and live band - everything the kids are used to at NewSpring. Pastor Perry even led worship for one session. In between times they had personal devotional time as well as small group discussion time. But of course, you're at the beach so there has to be play time as well. Nate thought it was cool that Perry and Charisse rode the slingshot.

I got to go with Holly and Bella, Nate's mom and sister, to pick up Nate when he got home Friday evening and he just couldn't stop talking about all he heard and learned. He told us about Jonah. He read us Bible passages he's going to memorize. He talked about wanting to read all the New Testament. (He read Mark, Ephesians and started on Timothy while there. He read John and Acts before he left.) He talked about idols in his life - cell phone (texting), video games and computer time. He talked about being asked to pray for his bus, up front, over the microphone and was excited to do it.

Thank you, NewSpring, for taking this child - he just turned twelve 2 weeks ago - and helping him get excited about Jesus and the Bible by presenting the Truth in a way that captures his attention and helps him to understand how great our God is.

Core Values

For the last two days I've been thinking a lot about NewSpring's core values and how I measure up personally. This is not brag about Nancy time but just an assessment of what God is doing in and through my life. This one is really just for me.

1. Growing people change - I read and study God's word daily. As I think about the launch of the Spartanburg campus, I see "stretch me" time; do things not done before. Change seems harder to recognize the longer I walk with Jesus.

2. I can't do life alone - in a small group and actively involved with my family and the teams I serve on at church. I could easily be a hermit and sit in a chair and read all day long. Perfectly content to be with me and my cat and a book.

3. Saved people serve people - take my grandson to Greenville each week for FUSE; serve on 3 teams through the church, volunteer with Mobile Meals. Content to be a background person; taking out the trash works for me. How does that tie in with my desire to be a hermit?

4. I can't out give God - at least a tithe is a firm discipline of mine as is giving generously to others as God provides direction and resources. Saving is great but hoarding is a sin.

5. Found people find people - always inviting; praying that the Spartanburg campus will get positive response from those I invite. Be bold and don't worry about the response, just keep inviting.

Obedience Through Suffering

"In the days of His flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears, to Him who was able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His reverence. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered." Hebrews 5:7-8

Who wants to suffer? Nobody that I know. Jesus didn't. The Bible tells us that the night of His arrest just before His beatings and crucifixion, Jesus prayed, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from me. And being in an agony, He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood dropping to the ground." Luke 22:42-44

Jesus certainly understands our pain when we suffer. But the passage in Hebrews says He learned obedience through His suffering. And how did He learn that? By praying, "Nevertheless, not My will but Yours be done." (Luke 22:42) We are told an angel came and strengthened Him. For us that strengthening comes through the Comforter,or Helper, the Holy Spirit. (John 16:7)

The question for us is are we able to say, like Jesus, nevertheless, not my will but Yours be done? Are we able to continue to believe God is good even when we don't see it? Are we willing to surrender our hurts, our emotions, our fears, our doubts to the sovereignty of God? Is it easy? No! But obedience and a deeper relationship with Jesus is the result..."that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death," (Philippians 3:10)

Exhort One Another

"But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin." Hebrews 3:13

Exhort means to give urgent advice, recommendations or warnings. Pastor Perry and Brad Cooper have been doing that all week at the Gauntlet. Perry does that on Sundays in his messages. But what about me? Am I to give urgent warnings about the deceitfulness of sin? Should I expect someone to warn me? Absolutely!

But that doesn't mean I'm to stand on a street corner with bullhorn screaming at random people about the wrath of God. This verse is about believers warning other believers. I can do that through small group conversations as we talk about life. I can do that one on one with people I know and love. I can do that with strangers if they tell me about a sinful lifestyle. (And that does happen to me!) However, anything I say must be tempered by the love of God and the knowledge that I once walked that path but God, in His mercy, turned me around and set me free.

We see the results of the deceitfulness of sin in the family of God when a believer succumbs to sexual temptation and destroys his marriage and/or ministry. When the lust for more stuff causes believers to be deeply in debt. When the lure of a "power play" at work causes a believer to lie or sacrifice the family for the job. When we begin to accept the world's standards as our own. And once our heart is set on something we're trapped in sin. "But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desires. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown bring forth death. DO NOT BE DECEIVED, my beloved brothers." James 1:14-16 (emphasis mine)

So we do have a responsibility to "speak the truth in love" to each other. To help each other through the rough spots. To point out the deceitfulness of sin. But always reminding each other of Christ's great love and forgiveness.

Gauntlet 2011

It is Thursday morning, day 4 of Gauntlet 2011, and I continue to be involved with the Gauntlet from afar. My grandson, Nate, is on his first Gauntlet trip and I can not wait to hear, first hand, what God has done in his life.

I am so thankful for all the technology - twitter and vimeo and iphones and instagrams - that gives me an ongoing glimpse of all God is doing in Daytona Beach. Many prayers have been answered so far with about 125 kids saying yes to Jesus. Around 287 were baptized this morning in the cold waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Hopefully one of then was one of Nate's roomies, Chad, who surrendered his life to Jesus 2 or 3 weeks ago at FUSE.

In addition to the salvations, many kids are confessing sins and letting go of idols in their lives. I am blown away again and again by those who lead the youth at NewSpring Church. They don't mince any words, don't sugar coat the Gospel but at the same time have great fun together. (Nate is on the right in the "Second Chance" t-shirt.)

Jesus said, "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself." John 12:32 Jesus was speaking of His death, burial and resurrection and today, thousands of years later, when the truth of Jesus Christ is spoken boldly, HE draws people to Himself. Heaven will be more crowded because students went to the Gauntlet, met Jesus, and their lives are forever changed. Thank You, Jesus, for being "the same yesterday, today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 

The Next Verse

Sometimes when I read my Bible I come across a very familiar verse. Perhaps I have it underlined or maybe I have even memorized it. It is a verse full of truth that I should not ever forget. But then I read the next verse and think, have I ever read that before?

That happened to me tonight as I was reading Hebrews 4:12, "For the word of God is living and active, sharper then any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart." That is such a great verse, spoken often from pulpits across the world. And it was proved to me to be living and active as I read the next verse and was pierced with a knowledge that I sometimes try to suppress.

Hebrews 4:13 says, "And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." That gets a whew! Naked and exposed! Give an account! Those are hard - but true - words just as those in the previous verse. Unfortunately, we don't hear too much preaching on that. Maybe we need more.

The knowledge that God KNOWS everything about me including my thoughts and "secret" sins - the anger, the unforgiveness, the attitude, and will ask me to account for EVERYTHING should spur me to daily, perhaps hourly would be better, realign myself with Jesus. To take "captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Corinthians 10:5)

God's Superior Son

"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs." Hebrews 1:1-4

These verses really speak to my heart to build faith that nothing is impossible with God. To know Jesus is to know the power that created the universe. To know Jesus is to see God - for Jesus is the radiance of the glory of God and the EXACT imprint of [God's] nature. To know Jesus is know purification from sins. To know Jesus is to hear God speak.

What powerfully majestic verses pointing to a powerfully majestic Savior.

I Will Go With You

When Jacob (now Israel) was old and feeble, he learned his favorite son, Joseph, was still alive and well and living in Egypt. Not only living there but prospering!

When Joseph was 17 years old, his angry, jealous brothers sold him into slavery. When he was 30, he became second in command with only Pharaoh being greater. Thirteen years is a long time to be a slave, to be in prison, to be forgotten. But what did Joseph say when finally reunited with his brothers? "...for God sent me before you to preserve life. And God sent me before you... So it was not you who sent me here but God." (Genesis 45:5-8)

Joseph sent for his father so he could take care of him during this awful famine. All of this was to fulfill what God told Abram in Genesis 15:13-14. Now as Israel prepares to leave his home, God tells him, "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again." (Genesis 46:3-4)

I wonder where we got the mistaken idea that to be blessed by God means to have life easy. It should be enough to know that God goes with us. Joseph was very aware of God's purpose and presence with him although he was not pleased with his circumstance.

Jacob knew that he was leaving the land that had been promised to Abraham and to Isaac and to him. He must have wondered if he would ever come back to the land of God's promise. So God reminded him that HE is in control. He will go with him - and for Jacob that was enough. He packed his bags and left.

I don't know too many people who like change. Especially when the change is not our idea. And it requires something drastic on our part. But God WILL go with us wherever He sends us. Even if it's not "fun" it WILL be right because God is in it!

It's Gauntlet Time

I am so excited for my grandson, Nate. He should be at the TD Convention Center now, checking in for his first trip to the Gauntlet. This is the annual (and only) youth trip NewSpring has each year. There are about 280 students and 100 adults going from Greenville (about 1300 students and 500 or so adults total who will be loading up at each campus) and heading to Daytona for a week of Bible study, music, Jesus, sun and fun.

Nate is going to have a blast. He will make new friends, get closer to the ones he already has, learn more about Jesus, play at the beach, laugh, sing, read his Bible, get a little homesick and probably not enough sleep. I hope I hear "can't wait to do that again next year" as soon as he gets home.

The "theme" for the week at the Gauntlet is AWAKENING. Praying them up for God to move among the students and adults in amazing ways.

WOW! I Mean WOW!

That's the best I can do after the Volunteer Vision Event we had Friday night at all NewSpring campuses. And I just HAVE to brag on God and all He is doing. Perry brought a powerful word from the Lord. I especially like his comparison of the streams of water flowing from the temple in Ezekiel 47 with rivers of living water that will flow out of believers. (John 7:37-38) What we are seeing at NewSpring is that river of water flowing out because we believe Jesus will do what He says He will do which is to make dead people alive.

Perry's philosophy from the very beginning eleven years ago has been "Listen to God and do what He says!" Perry is always the first to say we don't know what we are doing; we are just listening to God and then doing what He says. So we are out of space for children and youth in Anderson after building new facilities a few years ago. Columbia campus is already out of space. Charleston is setting attendance records. Florence is exploding. Greenville has gone from 1900 to over 2500 per week in the last year. But it's not just attendance. We are seeing hundreds of people surrender their lives to Jesus. It is so much FUN to watch God work these miracles week after week.

And God just keeps pouring out His blessing on this body of believers. The excitement, the anticipation, the reach our cities (and the world) attitude is electric. Tonight Perry announced 3 new locations for campuses to be started in 2012. SPARTANBURG - WooHoo!! Myrtle Beach and Greenwood. Of course we always list our campuses in alphabetical order so Spartanburg will be at the end of the list but it is first in MY list because it is my home.

This is a bittersweet announcement because I am so actively involved in the Greenville campus and have been since day one, three years ago, and will miss those I serve with and love so very much. But this is an "it's not about me" moment because I know lots of lost people in Spartanburg who will not make the 30+ minute drive to Greenville. NOW THEY WILL HAVE NO EXCUSE. God's gonna get at least some of them into His kingdom!

For the last two Sundays Perry's been saying we were going to start two campuses but if someone would give $2,000,000 (two million dollars) we would start a 3rd campus. On Monday of this week Perry got a call from someone saying you have the money...so in addition to Myrtle Beach and Spartanburg, we got to add Greenwood. Our God is so awesome!!

I am just overwhelmed that God allows me to be part of what He is doing all around South Carolina and the world through NewSpring. We also help support churches/ministers in Ukraine, the UK, Israel, and Kenya. People from all over the world are showing up in Anderson, SC to encounter God. There were two pastors from South Africa at the Vision Event. Last Sunday there were a couple of people from Switzerland who had been watching online and wanted to find out more. It is mind boggling! God is just so amazing.

Help me, Lord, to hear Your voice; to listen and then do what You say! Help me to be the conduit for the rivers of living water to my friends who are dead and don't even know it.

I Am Not Worthy

"I am not worthy of the least of all the deeds of steadfast love and all the faithfulness that You have shown to Your servant..." Genesis 32:10

When I read Jacob's words this morning, I was reminded once again of God's great, great love for me. He didn't have to save me. He didn't have to take my heart of stone and exchange it for a heart of flesh. He didn't have to cast my sins away. He didn't have to give me hope and a future. He didn't have to provide for my needs. He didn't have to draw me back when I wandered away.

He didn't HAVE to do anything on my behalf but He did. I am overwhelmed and in awe of God's great love for me expressed in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus left all the splendor of Heaven to become like me so that I could know Him and know the Father.

I am just dust - but dust that God used to create a person He cherishes. I don't know whether to leap for joy or fall on my face in worship. Well, really, both are completely appropriate and necessary to express my love and gratitude to God.

What Goes Around Comes Around

Most people believe that is true. If you do good things, good things happen to/for you. If you do bad things, bad things happen to/for you. 

We find an example of that is the life of Jacob. (Genesis 25-30) When Rebecca gave birth to the twins, Jacob and Esau, Jacob came out second and was grasping the heal of his brother. Jacob means "He takes by the heel" OR "He cheats". Interesting that Jacob is named "he cheats" because that is just what he does.

These boys were nothing alike. Esau was red and hairy at birth and grew up to be a hunter and outdoorsman - a man's man. Jacob was more fair and smooth skinned and hung around the tents - a mama's boy. As their father, Isaac, was nearing death and at his mother's insistence and coaching, Jacob cheated Esau out of his blessing. Jacob dressed in Esau's clothes, wrapped goat skins around his arms and neck, and actually told his blind daddy, "I am Esau, your firstborn" so that he could get the blessing that traditionally went to the firstborn. 

When Jacob ran away to find a wife (and to keep Esau from killing him), he was dealt the same treatment. His father-in-law promised him Rebecca but gave him Leah as his wife. Jacob went to Laban and asked, "Why have you deceived me?"  The cheater becomes the cheated. Laban promised Jacob all the spotted, speckled, mottled and black goats and sheep, then removed them from Jacob's herds so they wouldn't breed. What goes around comes around! Serves him right! That's what we would say.

But God had different ideas. Before the twins were born, God had told Rebecca "the older shall serve the younger."  Jacob will soon be humbled before the Lord - and his brother, Esau. All of this is part of the preparation for Jacob to become Israel, to fulfill the covenant with his grandfather Abraham and with his father Isaac and eventually with him that all the nations will be blessed through their offspring.

Because of that blessing to the nations, because of Jesus Christ, what goes around does NOT come around for those who believe on His name. My sins are not counted against me. They are canceled and I never have to suffer the penalty that should be mine. How good is my God who loves me so much to take care my future before I was even born!

Names of God

One of the things I like about reading in Genesis is how often God reveals Himself with a different name. In ancient cultures, and maybe some still today, names were important because they spoke to the character of the person.

In Genesis 1:1 the name is God. By Genesis 2:4 He is LORD God. The Hebrew for LORD is the proper name, or the unspeakable name, that we translate Yahweh or Jehovah. Then in Genesis 14:18, Melchizedek is identified as  "priest of God Most High." A little further along in the story, Hagar says, "You are a God who sees me" (Genesis 16:13) when she was in the desert running away from Sarai and God came to speak to her. The well at that place was named "the well of the Living One who sees me."

When God talks to Abram to give him the covenant of circumcision, God says, "I am God Almighty." (Genesis 17:1) After Isaac is born and Abraham makes a treaty with Abimelech, we are told Abraham "called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God." (Genesis 21:33)

These are the obvious names of God - but 6 of them over the course of time. As God reveals Himself to us we also have many names for Him but we usually think of them as actions, not names. Faithful, true, merciful, gracious, provider, healer, comforter and more. God is all that He is. He can not be anything else. So to know Him as Faithful is to recognize Him by that name. To acknowledge Him as Healer takes us to a deeper understanding of the healing only He can bring to us.

There are times when I wish we had more descriptive words in our language to speak to who God is so that we could better distinguish between the Living One and all the other gods of the world.

Don't Deny It

The Lord visited Abraham when Abraham was nearing 100 years old and Abe's wife, Sarah, was about 90, to tell them that "I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah your wife shall have a son." (Genesis 18:10)

Sarah is standing in the door of the tent and she laughs, thinking I'm so old and my husband is so old, and I've wanted a child for so long and now, NOW, he tells me I'm going to have a child. I can see her standing there kind of shaking her head in disbelief. And of course she thought she was unseen and unheard. But the Lord new what she was thinking and confronted Abraham about it saying, "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" (Genesis 18:13-14) Sarah tried to deny it, saying wasn't me - I didn't laugh. But the Lord said oh, yes you did!

How many times have I done that? Committed some sin and then tried to deny it or rationalize it. Or what about unbelief? Denying God's ability to do what He says He will do. The Bible is full of promises that God will fulfill on my behalf if I will not deny his willingness and ability to fulfill it.

We would never come right out and admit that we don't believe God but we show it to Him by the attitude of our hearts, the fear and worry in our lives, our unwillingness to do our part of God's "if, then" promises. One of my favorites is in the Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 6:25-33. This story ends with [If you] seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, [then] all these things will be added to you."

It's not always easy to believe God because we don't know what will happen tomorrow. But we must believe that God will not allow anything in our lives that is outside His purpose and is always used by God for our good. We are refined by trials. Trials hurt but the end product is spectacular! (1Peter 1:6-9)

God's Covenants

In the very first chapters of Genesis, God has made a couple of covenants. He made one with the Noah, his sons and all living creatures of the earth. (Genesis 9:8-17). After many years have passed God makes the first covenant with Abram. (Genesis 15:17-21)

Covenants are legally binding agreements between two people. What I particularly like about God's covenants is that He initiates them and takes on the responsibility of keeping them. Because He is perfect and can not lie, He then becomes faithful to the covenant even when people are not. (2 Timothy 2:13) Like the bow in the clouds when it rains. That's been going on for 6000 or so years.

When the people of God break the covenant, they do reap the consequences of their sin. But God renews the covenant over and over by saying return to me, by offering salvation and renewal. Even until the last days, the ark of His covenant is in the temple of God. (Revelation 11:19)

The covenant I live under is a later one given to Abraham (Acts 3:24-26) and the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-33) because Jesus is the fulfillment of both. (Luke 22:19-20) How comforting it is to know that God made a covenant with me through Jesus for salvation that can not be broken. (Joel 2:32; Romans 10:12-13) 

Open Letter to My Son

Jeremy,

I was not the best influence for you for many years of your life. My emotional struggles as a single mom led me down paths that I wish I could erase for me and for you but that is not possible. I do ask that you forgive me for all the ways I failed you during some pretty dark days - and nights.

I thank God for the influence of Granddaddy on your life. His gruff exterior covered a heart full of love for you. I am also grateful for Richard and Sharon and the way they took you into their family when you and Andrew became such good friends. They helped you to see what a normal family with a mom and a dad should look like. That you have turned out to be a man who loves and cares for his family is more their influence than mine.

You have overcome many obstacles without a hint of bitterness or anger. You are a man full of grace and forgiveness. I see the love you have for Holly and your children; your patience; your interest in them as individuals; your desire to teach and correct and to be the leader that your family needs. I am grateful that you gave your heart to Jesus years ago and have let Him turn you away from the destructive paths you walked for a few years and back to His paths. "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" Jeremiah 29:11

You work so hard to provide for your family plus you are going to school and you are volunteering at church. You and Holly together are striving to teach your children to love Jesus and to provide them opportunities to learn and grow and just have fun. I don't know how you do it all. 

I love you and I am so proud of you.

Mom

Choices

The choices we make today can have tremendous impact on our lives way down the road. No one knows this better than me. The problem with my choices long years ago is that most of them were wrong. In some ways I am still seeing the consequences of those choices as is my adult son.

Too often I thought only about me - what I wanted, what I needed, what would make me happy - without any thought of how those things might impact me or my child. He walked a lot of the same paths I did much to my horror. I remember once his telling me, in the midst of an argument about his choices, something like I had had my fun so I shouldn't try to keep him from having his. Of course the fun, and it was for a time, was destructive in so many ways.

Lot, Abram's nephew, made choices that impacted his life in serious ways. When he and Abram got too rich, with herds too big to keep together, Abram told Lot to choose first where he would settle and Abram would go the other direction. So Lot chose to pitch his tents near Sodom. He made this choice for selfish reason - it was more fertile than the other land. He wanted the best for himself.

Not long after, though, the Kings of the area waged war and Lot and his family and all his stuff were carried off as spoils of war. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And he was there because of a selfish choice. But Uncle Abram came to the rescue. Of course this wasn't the last time bad things would happen to Lot because of his choice to live near Sodom.

In my life, in my family, I am praying for God to break the curse of bad choices, to break the curse of a rebellious spirit, so that my grandchildren can walk close to God all their lives. Nate is making a great start, thanks to his small group leaders at FUSE and to Perry's teaching on Sunday mornings and our time to talk as we travel back and forth. Bella is also learning to love Jesus in KidSpring. She is memorizing scripture and learning Bible stories and how to apply them in her life.

My choice to follow God's leading to NewSpring has had so many good consequences I can hardly contain my joy and my gratitude to God that He would continue to lead me to HIS paths. His love overwhelms me!!

A Good Read

I love reading. Mostly I love reading murder mysteries. Not really gory stuff but stories that have lots of twists and turns and unexpected outcomes. Recently I've found some stories by female authors that have comedic characters and I find myself at times laughing out loud as the "sleuth" tries to figure out what happened. I just love a good read.

So I have started reading in Genesis this week as my Bible study time. It is certainly a good read. It's full of intrigue and drama, spectacular moments with God, the best of human beings and the worst, and lots of thought provoking moments. What makes it so special, though, is it's real, not something made up from human imagination but God's communication to me of His interaction with mankind.

I recently read about Noah and the flood. I wonder what it was like to be shut up in a huge floating zoo for a year with only 8 people. I wonder what it felt like finally to be able to open the door and smell fresh, clean air. I wonder what they thought at being, not only the only 8 people in the ship, but the only 8 people in the world. I wonder what it would be like to live 950 years as Noah did. I wonder if Noah had ever had wine before or if the drunken episode we read about was his first encounter with fruit of the vine. I wonder what it felt like to have his first steak or roast duck. I wonder what it was like to see the first rainbow - and the second. It really is a good read.

The one thing I don't have to wonder about is how Noah felt at being found righteous and selected for salvation from the flood. I, too, have experienced God's grace and mercy and salvation. Although God found no righteousness in me, He gave me the righteousness of His Son so I can walk with Him.

Man, the Bible is not just a good read, it's the BEST read!

Sin

Sin is a word many people don't want to hear. Even in church circles we don't always use "sin" to describe our behavior when our behavior is just plain wrong. We want to live with a lot of gray areas so we say we missed the mark or turned away from God or were rebellious or ran from God - all of which are true. Those are certainly good descriptions of what the word sin means but I also think those terms have less sting to them.

God Himself calls our wrong behavior sin. The first time the word appears in Scripture is Genesis 4:7. God is speaking to Cain about the offering he brought to God which God did not accept. Cain was angry with his brother and probably with God as well. "The Lord said to Cain, 'Why are you angry and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.'" (Genesis 4:6-7) God told Cain you must rule over [sin]. You can't rule over something if you won't admit that it's there. Cain certainly did not rule over sin and ended up murdering his brother.

The Bible tells us "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Until we admit we are sinners destined for God's wrath, God's punishment, for our sins, we really can not accept the free gift of salvation offered through the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can't repent of sin if we don't call sin, sin.

Sometimes when we refuse to submit God will allow us to pursue our sins. (Psalm 81:11-13, Acts 7:41-42, Romans 1:24-25) I've been there, done that, and it is a scary place to be. It is when I take the attitude of David when his sin of adultery and murder was exposed that I can experience the grace and mercy of God whose love is beyond measure. (Psalm 51)

Precepts vs Preferences

Pastor Perry preached a great sermon yesterday as he continued the On the Farm series by answering questions people ask the staff.

One of the questions he answered was about whether multi-site campuses are biblical which led him to talk about the differences between God's precepts/commands and our preferences. In the Bible God commands believers to take the gospel to the world but He doesn't tell us how to do it so the "how" is a preference. The senior management team (or elders) at NewSpring obey the command to "go", God is honored, and the gospel is preached to lots and lots of people through the multi-site concept we use.

God doesn't have a big, one size fits all approach to ministry. Peter stayed pretty much in Jerusalem; Paul traveled all over the middle East ending up in Rome. Paul traveled by various methods; Phillip got "beamed up" to a new location. God didn't use the same methods all the time so there is no reason for us to use the same methods. Whether there is one church location or 50 under the same leadership doesn't matter.

Perry shared some statistics about attendance growth and salvations but what struck me was when he said more people attend the satellite campuses and watch the preaching on a big screen than actually see him preaching live. (He wasn't live on any campus this week.) We have no expectation of meeting the pastor or shaking his hand or talking to him between services but rather interact with our own campus pastor and staff who challenge us to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Perry is one of the greatest preachers I have ever heard but NewSpring would go on even if he wasn't there.

Thinking about preferences got me thinking about convictions. God has given me some convictions about money - like not spending it on a smart phone (which I want) or cable TV (which I don't) - so that I can use that money to impact lives. But that doesn't mean that is the right thing for everyone. The convictions God puts on my heart are mine and no one else's. There is no reason not to talk about my convictions but I should never expect others to live by them. That applies to a lot of things in the Church like music style, Bible translation, clothes to wear and the number of services to have.

Perspective

I find it interesting as I read about Paul in Acts and his confrontations with the Jewish leaders that they accuse him of stirring up trouble and causing riots. It is true that there were often riots when he spoke in the towns and synagogues but it was the Jews, not Paul, stirring up the trouble.

They disagreed with his teaching and were jealous of his influence so they followed him from town to town and told lies and called his motives into question so that the people would be inflamed with fear and anger. From the Jews perspective it was all Paul's fault. THEY were the righteous ones, the guardians of God's law. They could not accept that God just might be doing something new, something that would take power from them and give salvation and freedom to all people who would believe in the name of Jesus Christ.

The saddest part of that is it still goes on today. In the Church Jesus established to carry the gospel to the world traditions have become more important than revelation. Status quo more important than change. Comfort of the saints more dear than reaching the lost. And then there those that wants to throw Truth out the window and just include everyone with no repentance of sin.

The Church = people, not a denomination or group that meets together in a building on Sunday. People, me. I am the Church, I am a saint. What about my perspective of the people I know and encounter on a regular basis. Do I just let them go along as they are? Do I speak to them of Jesus? Do I just assume they will be saved "some day"? Do I put aside my prejudices to include those who are different than me? What about my religious traditions, my comfort? Am I open to God turning it all upside down? Am I ever jealous of someone else who reaps visible rewards while I don't?

Too often we want to box God in and say things like God wouldn't do that! I've said that myself. How presumptuous!! But that is the perspective the Jews had. Although they knew God was going to send the Messiah, He wouldn't be from Nazareth and He certainly wouldn't be a "nobody" - an child born out of wedlock, a "sinner" who broke the rules to reach the people.

I guess the problem with perspective is mine is pretty flawed unless I am seeking God's wisdom daily. Even then I still need to keep God out of the box. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thought than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9

Is Jesus My Treasure

I've listened to three days of interviews with John Piper on Family Life Today. Piper reminds me a lot of T W Hunt whom I first encountered in 1997 when studying the Mind of Christ.

Anyway, Piper had a lot of good things to say but the one that really stuck with me was Jesus as Treasure. He said most people can easily say Jesus is Savior and Jesus is Lord - but what does that mean to them. Piper likes to ask is Jesus my Treasure?

Is He? Do I treasure Jesus above everything else? Do I treasure Jesus above family, friends, job, home, car, money, security, reputation, food, exercise, health? Do I treasure Jesus more than what He does? Do I treasure Him because He is the Treasure that will never fail?

Those are hard questions for me. As I've thought about it, I'm not sure I could honestly say yes, Jesus is my treasure - but I know that I want to be able to say that. I'm nearer to that reality now than I was 10 years ago. Maybe it's just because I'm getting older - or maybe not.

One of the stories Piper told was of a couple who retired in their 50's to spend the rest of their days playing softball and picking up seashells on the beaches of Florida. So just getting older does not mean wiser. What a waste of their days as they are getting closer to meeting Jesus face to face.

Hopefully I am not wasting my days in my retirement. I am volunteering about 12 hours a week plus pouring a lot of Jesus into my grandson during our time each week as we eat supper together and I drive him the 35 minutes to and from FUSE.

Treasuring Jesus above all else requires a lot of knowing who Jesus really is. I am getting to know Him more as I read my Bible every day, allowing Jesus to reveal Himself to me. Part of the treasure that is Jesus is His faithfulness and He said if I seek Him, I will find Him. (Matthew 7:7-8) That's also why the Bible is not a "read it once" book. I've been reading the Bible for years and EVERY time I read, God gives me an "a-ha" moment. Sometimes it's a very little thing and sometimes it's huge but God is always ready for me to receive and to find and to open His truth for me.

Respect

One of the things that bothers me about some Christians is there lack of respect for people who are not believers in Jesus Christ. Sometimes they ignore non-believers. Sometimes they are rude. Sometimes they make fun. Sometimes they argue. I believe my best friends should NOT be unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14) but I certainly believe relationships should be built so there is opportunity to share the gospel. (Acts 1:8) There is no reason for me to be friends with unbelievers if I don't plan to tell them about Jesus at some point. But the command from Jesus is clear that I must be His witness.

I like Paul's approach. In Acts we see several accounts of him going to the synagogue and REASONING with the Jews. He goes to Athens and although "his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols", he addresses the people with respect and talks about their idols and especially the one "to the unknown god". He tells them he knows this one they call unknown and proceeds to tell them about the Creator and ends with Jesus. He even quotes one of their poets. (Acts 17:17-31) Some of the people believed but most did not. However, Paul left the gathering with opportunity to speak again.

Paul did get angry at times, especially with the Jews because they refused to believe. But the most important thing to Paul was telling the people about Jesus. When Paul went to Ephesus, he spoke in the synagogue for three months until the Jews began to "speak evil of the Way". Then Paul left the synagogue for another place and continued to preach for two years so that "all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks". (Acts 19:8-10)

I don't ever want to forget that I was once an unbeliever. I was once on the path to hell. I was once ignorant of the saving grace of Jesus Christ. I don't want to forget what it was like - the fear, the emptiness, the uncertainty of the future. Help me, Jesus, to always remember you died for the world! Your grace is sufficient for the vilest of sinners like me! Give me opportunity - and boldness - to share Your love and Your grace with a hurting, dying world.

No Doubting

In James 1:5-8, James tells us we can pray for wisdom and God will give it. Then he goes on to talk about asking in faith and not doubting. "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

Does that apply to all my prayers, not just those for wisdom? No doubting is hard. I hear the diagnosis from the doctor; my spouse has left; the job has been terminated; my child is belligerent; there is trouble on the horizon. Will God come through? Will He even hear me? What if He doesn't respond the way I want?

Even the disciples were doubting in the early days. In Acts 12 we read the story of James being killed and Paul imprisoned "but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church." So an angel came and got Paul out of prison without a guard even waking up. When Paul went to the place where the disciples were and Rhoda told them Paul was at the door, they said to her "You are out of your mind." She couldn't convince them and Peter kept on knocking and finally...finally they open the door and "they were amazed."

How like that am I? I pray for something but don't really expect God to do anything, not really. And when He does do something, I am amazed. Sounds like doubting to me. Building faith is not easy. I MUST go through things that I can not control if I am going to learn to have faith in God. He is ALWAYS in control. I have to learn that He sees things I do not see. He sees outcomes I can not even imagine. He has a plan that I might not understand.

The disciples had been witnesses to Jesus' resurrection from the dead! And then they doubted God could get Peter out of prison? I am so thankful that God gives me examples of real people with real problems and real doubts so that I can know I'm not so different from them. And then I can believe He will act on my behalf as well.

Wimps

I'm reading through Acts these days and I have decided that modern day Christians, at least in America - and including me, are pretty much wimps. Especially when you think about the suffering and persecution the early church endured and that is endured by countless thousands across the globe today who worship Jesus with the threat of imprisonment, torture or even death hanging over their heads.

It seems we are always praying for God to protect us from the storms of life. When the apostles were threatened by the religious leaders, they didn't pray for protection from the authorities but for boldness to continue to speak. When the apostles were arrested and then miraculously released from prison, they went right back to the temple to teach the people. When the apostles were beaten, they went away rejoicing.

In America we are fortunate to have the freedom to worship Jesus without fear although we are losing our ability to openly speak His name and share His teachings outside the walls of church buildings. Jesus is not a politically correct figure. He says there is right and there is wrong. He says there is absolute truth. He says we will be held accountable for our relationship, or lack of it, with Him. And that is not welcomed in a country where everyone wants to do whatever they please, where we all have "rights".

But that is even more reason to speak the name of Jesus with boldness. The apostles spoke as eyewitnesses to Jesus and His resurrection. Today we speak as witnesses to the life change Jesus makes in our lives individually. All Jesus asks us to do is speak up when He prompts us. But what if "they" think I'm a fanatic. What if "they" won't let their children play with my children anymore. What if I lose my job. What if I go to prison. What if I'm put to death.

I don't face the persecution that many in the world face. I don't want to be a wimp with the life Jesus has given to me. So how hard is it, really, to speak to a neighbor or co-worker when Jesus whispers tell him/her about me.

A Glimpse of Heaven

I have not read the books "90 Minutes in Heaven" or "Heaven Is Real" and have not had any trips to heaven and back myself so I don't know what will be like. There are some descriptions in the Bible but I don't think it really matters what it looks like. What will matter is I will be in the presence of Jesus and will worship Him forever.

My glimpse of heaven occurred a few years ago when I had the opportunity to go to Kenya on the first of many mission trips undertaken by NewSpring Church in partnership with 410 Bridge. We had been told that each of us should be prepared, during Sunday church services, to share our favorite Bible verse and tell a little bit about why it is our favorite.

I was prepared with one of my favorite verses from Romans, "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you might overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." But as I sat there watching the Kenyans from different tribes - who used to be enemies - dressed in their colorful native dress singing and dancing and worshiping Jesus along side 12 or 15 very white people; when I heard the translators speaking in 3 or 4 different languages; when I saw the joy and heard the testimonies in spite of the very deep poverty; I was overwhelmed with God's grace and mercy. I thought of how God loves THE WORLD; Jesus died for the entire world!

And I had my glimpse of heaven. My Bible verse changed to Revelation 7:9-10. Every nation, all tribes and people and languages. I am too often isolated and insulated from the world and I forget how great the love of God is. To be halfway around the world with people who don't look like me, don't talk like me, don't eat what I eat, don't dress like I dress but LOVE Jesus just as much as I do caused me to weep tears of gratitude  for the greatness of God.

All this came flooding back as I was reading in Acts 2 about the coming of the Holy Spirit. God gave them that day, I think, a glimpse of heaven. "And at this sound the multitude came together and they were bewildered because each one was hearing them speak in his own language...we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God."

Help me, Lord God, to remember Your love, Your salvation is for ALL people including the drug addict and the prostitute; the bank CEO and the PTA chairman; the welfare mom and the soccer mom; the native born and the illegal immigrant. Take away my prejudices, my hardness of heart so that I might reach out to increase Your kingdom and help make heaven a little more crowded.