What Disturbs Me?

As I was reading the NewSpring devotion this morning in Acts, verse 16 of chapter 17 reminded me of something Perry said recently. He was telling how he was disturbed about the state of the church so God led him to start NewSpring. Christine Caine was disturbed by the pictures of missing women who might be in the sex slave trade so God led her to start the A21 campaign. In this verse in Acts, Paul is disturbed by all the idols he sees so God led him into the synagogue, the market place and finally the Areopagus to tell everyone about Jesus.


I think of Matt Beasley, a college student, who started a bus ministry for disadvantage kids to get to Fuse to hear the gospel. He was disturbed that they didn't know Jesus. Now this has grown into The LOT Project helping the homeless and disadvantaged in Anderson.


My friend Donald's son Nathaniel is raising money through the Boy Scouts for mosquito nets for Africa because he is disturbed by those who suffer needlessly.


So the question for me is what disturbs ME? I don't know that anything disturbs me enough to START something that has not been done. So what disturbs me enough to join something that is already in progress? To give of my time and my resources?

God Keeps His Word

The people of Israel came out of Egypt just as God had said they would around 1300 BC after 400 years as slaves just as God had had told Abraham around 2100 BC. When God finally brought them to the land He had promised to Abraham, they found it to be a land "flowing with milk and honey" just as God said.

But the people were so used to complaining and being contrary by this time that they refused to believe God and refused to go up to possess the land. Only Caleb and Joshua were champions for God in this endeavor. So God sent the people back into the wilderness to let that generation die out. He had Moses take a census before all this happened and again after 40 years in the wilderness. No one was left of the first census except Caleb and Joshua.

Because Moses was angry with the people and struck a rock to bring out water when God had told him to speak to the rock, Moses and Aaron were denied entrance into the promised land, just as God said. 

From the very beginning of history, God has been proven to be One who keeps His word. That should be a clarion call for me to speak Jesus into the lives of people around me. Why? Because God has promised a day of judgement when He will separate the nations as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats and when He will declare, "Depart from Me I never knew you." But this is also tied into the sheep caring for the poor and the hungry - feeding and clothing them in Jesus name.

It is both comforting and somewhat fear inducing at the same time that God ALWAYS does what He says He will do. 

Spiritual Gifts

Perry talked to us today about recognizing and using our spiritual gifts to serve the body. His three gifts are leadership, evangelism, and teaching. Those are pretty obvious gifts in Perry now but when he first became a Christian he had to spend some time trying out things to really figure out how God had gifted him.

That was true in my own life as well...at least to recognize the gift of service. Well, maybe not the gift but where and how it should be used.

The gift of faith was made manifest through all the trials that I faced 5 or 6 years ago. I came away with a faith that took every worry out of my life. That sounds a little weird but I don't know any other way to say it. I believe this gift was unrecognized until I faced situations that tested it. Every day is a gift from God but if Habakkuk 3:17-19 should come true in my life, I really, really believe I would be OK with it. No freaking out or falling away or saying why me.

And then the gift of encouragement. Since I joined the prayer team at NewSpring I have been able to use this gift and the gift of faith in ways I haven't in a long time. Joining the prayer team completed the circle of my giftedness. I had known something was missing over the last 3 years and the prayer team was it. Now I believe I am using all my gifts in the local church once again.

The Word Spread

Sometimes I forget that if it were not for courageous men and women 2000 years ago who told the story of Jesus every where they went, I might not be a believer today.

Oh, I know God's plan goes along no matter what but I am thankful for the disciples in the early church who ran from persecution but did not keep silent. They were instrumental in the spread of the Gospel...taking it out of Jerusalem and getting it to the rest of the world.

I pray for that kind of courage for me...to always speak about the love of Jesus when I have the opportunity. It seems every time I ask God to give me an opportunity to share Jesus or to pray for someone, He does it. I just wonder why I don't pray that prayer EVERY day.

Worry

Yesterday I heard someone say that a mother worries about her children. Those around her agreed and I really wanted to ask - and how productive is worry in your life - but there were people there I did not know so I kept quiet. I didn't want to embarrass any of the 3 women there that I know are HUGE worriers or sound smug or haughty by saying I don't worry 'cause I give 'em up to Jesus. I do know it means I need to keep speaking Jesus into their lives on a one on one basis - not in group therapy!

This morning as I was reading in Numbers about the spies who went into the promised land and came back worried and afraid, saying we can't do this. They instilled fear into all the people who refused to take possession of the land God gave them so God sent them off to die in the wilderness.

I don't want to be the person who misses the things God has for me because I am worried about the future, about things that may never take place. I want to trust God completely. That is a day by day giving up of me. A day by day surrender of my will, my thoughts, my desires to the sovereignty of God.

Jesus said, "Don't worry..." so I don't...at least not for long.

Acts 4

Our NewSpring daily devotion today included Acts 4. This chapter of the Bible always amazes me...the religious elite are more concerned with their position than the acts of God. They recognize the healing the disciples performed can not be denied so what to do!? People might believe what the disciples say!

Has this happened in modern history? Has a move of God been denied or questioned because it wasn't through the correct denomination or didn't follow the correct protocol? Could it be denied because it makes the religious elite, the religious conformists uncomfortable?

The disciples are recognized as unschooled men yet they speak boldly what they know to be true. When commanded not to speak anymore by the ruling religious, they say they must obey God. When praying later, they do not ask for protection but for boldness to keep speaking in the face of danger and threats.

Am I willing to speak boldly or have I ever used the excuse that I don't know enough or don't have the proper training. If opposition comes do I quit and slink away or do I ask God to continue to give me opportunities to speak about Jesus?

And the believers live in unity of spirit and purpose...no one is in need because all their possessions are to aid those who need it. No hoarding or selfishness here.

Do I give generously to help those who need help?

I thank God that His word is ever fresh, ever new and that it causes me to ask questions. But my greatest prayer is that it will lead to action. This Sunday Christine Caine said real compassion causes us to cross the road and actually do something. Help me, Lord, to know what You would have me DO!

Save Yourselves

There is so much wrong in the world today, so much blatant sin and corruption, that we often forget that it has always been this way. But we just have to read the stories in the Bible such as Sodom and Gomorrah in the days of Abraham or Romans 1 in the time of Paul to see that ungodliness and unrighteousness have been the way of man since Adam first declared his independence from God.

As followers of Christ we often have a tendency to shun unbelievers, to cross to the other side of the street to avoid them. Or we get angry when unbelievers act and think like unbelievers. What we should be doing is what Simon Peter did in Acts 2...stand up and tell the story of Jesus, what He did on the cross and how He has changed our lives.

When the people were convicted of their sin by Peter's words, they asked, "What must we do?" Peter told them to repent and be baptized. But he continued to speak to them saying, "Save yourselves from this corrupt generation" and over 3000 gave their lives to Christ. (Acts 2:37-41)

I don't believe I will ever speak to that many people at once, but I do have one person at a time I can bear witness to about the life change Jesus has made in me. One person - who needs to hear how Jesus transformed me from a God hater (Romans 1:30, Matthew 6:24, 1 John 4:20) to a God lover.

An Uncaring God

As I was driving home from work today, I heard a book review on NPR. A Jewish man (I assume) named Rosenblatt has written a book called Making Toast. Seems his daughter, a young doctor - married with 3 small children - was running on her treadmill at home and died from a very rare heart problem.

The mom and dad moved in with the son-in-law to help take care of the kids and have been there ever since. This is the dad/grandfather's memoir of his daughter and his journey of grief.

I found it extremely sad as he spoke about his belief in a god who set us spinning and then stepped back and actually cares nothing about us. A god who would say I did the best I could but I couldn't really do anything to prevent your daughter's death. That echo's the sentiments of a book called When Bad Things Happen to Good People by another Jewish author.

What kind of god is that impotent? Maybe it makes him feel better to think god is impotent that to think about God who is all powerful and certainly could have done something but didn't. His statements of unfairness are repeated often by those who don't know the living God, the one true God, Creator of heaven and earth. The God who loves us so much that His Son died a cruel death that we might be free to live an abundant life.

That does not mean we don't grieve or hurt or question or get angry but it does mean that we do not grieve as those that have no hope. In listening to this man that is what I felt - he has no hope. His eternity for her is believing her spirit is nearby. It's so very, very sad.

The Poor Among You

Before the Israelites entered the land of Canaan, God talked to them about the land. Every seven years was to be a year of Sabbath rest for the land...no sowing or reaping of harvests. If anything grew on its own it could be eaten but God promised to send such a boat load of crops in the 6th year that they would have enough to last until they could harvest in the 9th year. 

Farm management in this country didn't catch on to the rest cycle for a long time. God knew that the land would become depleted if it was over planted. The Sabbath rest was also a time to refocus on God and His provision.

The Year of Jubilee for the Israelites was instituted by God as a time every 50 years to set free those who had become poor and sold themselves as hired hands or if they sold land, for the land to be returned. And why was the land to be returned? Because it belongs to God.

How easy it is for me to forget that everything I have belongs to God. How selfish I get sometimes in wanting to keep stuff for myself rather than sharing what God has so abundantly given me. I live in one of the richest countries in the world and never want for anything. Food, clothes and shelter are givens for me and most people in America. But what about the poor, the homeless, the disadvantaged? Does God give me stuff just for me and my family, or does God give me stuff to be able to share with those who are really in need? And if not my stuff or my money, what about my time? How am I serving those who really can not help themselves?

Plucked from Eternity

What an incredible day at NewSpring on Sunday. Perry said our guest speaker was a fireball and he was right! Christine Caine made some powerful statements as she talked to us about the church and what our role in the lives of our community and the world should be.

She also shared her story of abuse and her abandonment and adoption as a baby (that she didn't find out about until she was 35). She told us that we are not a product of our past; we do not get our identity by what has happened to us. Our identity comes from being children of the living God.

The thought that most captured me was that God plucked me out of eternity and put me into time - this time, this place - for a purpose. I had never thought in those terms before. The Bible tells me that God created me and knew me and placed a calling on my life before I was ever born.

I've never doubted that God has a plan and purpose for my life. Or that I will live for eternity with Jesus but had just never thought that I came from eternity. If I existed in the mind of God before I was born, then the thought of being "plucked from eternity" makes sense. That's something I will ponder for a time to come.

Mold & Mildew

I've lived in a house that had mold in it. One time left clothes in the washer for days. When I finally remembered them, they were rank with mildew. A huge industry has grown up to help us destroy mold and mildew.

Way back when, God told Moses how to deal with mold when the Israelites got to the land of Canaan. In Leviticus 14:36-49 He tells them to tell the priest who is to shut up the house for 7 days. If the mold has spread, any contaminated stones and plaster should be removed and thrown away after the walls have been scraped. Then new stones and new plaster are to be put in place. If the mold returns, the whole house is to be torn down and carried outside the camp. Mold can be very destructive.

But what I find most interesting about this is verse 34. God says,"When you enter the land of Canaan, which I am giving you as your possession, and I put a spreading mildew in a house in that land..."

God is in control of everything, EVERY thing. Even the things that we don't like such as mold and mildew. If God is sovereign and God created all things and God is active in this world and in my life personally, even the yucky stuff like mold and mildew can be teachable moments from God. Moments of obedience, moments of patience, moments of faith, moments of service, moments of letting go of my stuff.

Seminary

Perry Noble, who started NewSpring Church and is the senior pastor and principle preacher, does not have a seminary degree. In fact, I think Clayton King is the only person on staff at any campus who has a degree from a seminary.

Perry did go for a semester but what he saw made him want to quit ministry. We have become obsessed with degrees and "learning" in our churches. At my previous church when the pastor was retiring after 26 years of ministry, the members were actually given a survey sheet to fill out about our next pastor. This included things about his marital status, age, education and teaching style so the search committee would know what the congregation wanted. In spite of this, I believe they were able to find God's choice for the position.

As I read John 7:15 today, the Pharisees were wondering about Jesus and how He got so much knowledge since He had never studied. Later, in Acts 4:13, the Pharisees are astonished at the disciples teaching because they are uneducated. The clincher, though, is the end of the verse when they "recognize that they had been with Jesus".

The same is true today. It's not how many seminary degrees a person has that gives him powerful words to say. It's whether or not he has been with Jesus. Spending time with Jesus every day, reading God's word, praying, seeking Him above all else is what gives one the ability to speak truth.

I am so grateful for Perry and the burning desire He has for hearing from Jesus and for his encouragement to me to seek Jesus for myself.

The Work of God

I'm participating in NewSpring's 30 day Bible study. Today's reading is from John 6. The accompanying study was about Jesus being the Bread of life.

But the passage that really caught my attention was verse 29. Jesus has just fed the 5000 and the people are following him around. He is rebuking them for not caring so much about Him as about getting their bellies filled with food. So they want to know what to do to do the works of God. Jesus tells them to believe in Him.

That sounds so simple...believe in Jesus. But it was very difficult for the people around Jesus and it is still difficult today. Too many times we have a "Sunday" belief but don't want it to interfere with the way we do business or how we spend our money or our time. We don't want Jesus to interfere with our hobbies or our indulgences but we do want Him to get us out of a jam.

Or perhaps we believe when everything is all rosy and clean and nice but when the bottom falls out and our world turns upside down, we don't really believe in Him much anymore. We accuse him of abandoning us or not being who He said He is. Just like the Pharisees at the foot of the cross when they said if you are really the Son of God, save yourself, we yell if you are really God why are you letting this happen to me.

The work of God is to believe in Jesus. If I REALLY believe, I will follow Him no matter where it leads, no matter what He asks of me. I will be obedient to do what He says.