Hurricane Rita is ready to pound some Gulf coast towns into rubble tonight. She is the second monster storm to hit the Louisiana coast in a month's time. And we're all wondering why! Pornographers, perverts, pedophiles, and polluters will be blamed -- among others! We do the same thing when someone goes through a hard time in life. To make sure we don't have the same experience, we look for the cause and try to avoid making the same mistake. That's not all bad! Now that the link between much higher incidence of lung cancer and cigarette smoking is well known, there is more reason to teach our kids, 'Don't smoke!' Since it is a proven fact that excessive speed raises the probability of having an automobile accident, we should slow down.
But when things like hurricanes blow ashore, discovering a 'cause and effect' is much more difficult. We are tempted to invent one or guess at one, aren't we? It's an old human trait. Jesus disciples were wondering about a tragedy so they asked the Lord about a headline event that defied understanding. Jesus answer speaks to their hearts, because he knew they had made an assumption about the people who were suffering! They assumed that tragedy had befallen these people because they sinned. Jesus' response to their conclusion is compelling. Take a look. "About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were sacrificing at the Temple in Jerusalem. “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than other people from Galilee?” he asked. “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will also perish unless you turn from your evil ways and turn to God. And what about the eighteen men who died when the Tower of Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will also perish.”" (Luke 13:1-5, NLT)
You know what is curious about Jesus' reply to me? He didn't offer a reason for the tragedies mentioned. His comment was - "Repent!" His words carry this message: "Stop feeling superior and understand that you, too, live in a world full of unpredictable events. Get humble before God and understand that unless you're living right before Him, when these kinds of things happen, you will perish."
Remember Job's suffering? Who doesn't? It was awful! He lost his fortune, his family, his health, his dignity, and his reputation. His friends came to comfort him and ended up blaming him, saying that his suffering was surely the result of personal sin! Eliphaz preaches to a broken Job: "Is not your wickedness great? Are not your sins endless? You demanded security from your brothers for no reason; you stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked. You gave no water to the weary and you withheld food from the hungry, though you were a powerful man, owning land— an honored man, living on it. And you sent widows away empty-handed and broke the strength of the fatherless. That is why snares are all around you, why sudden peril terrifies you," (Job 22:5-10, NIV) Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? Except it wasn't true! Job's suffering was not the result of God's judgment, but because of God's trust! He allowed Satan to test this man to show the depth of Job's faith!
Let's continue throughout this day to be prayerful for those who will feel the crushing impact of this storm. Let's continue to pray for those whose lives remain shattered from Katrina's impact. Let's give generously. Let's listen to Jesus and repent, turning from our pride, our judgment, our assumptions and say,
"Lord, let me be your hands and use me to comfort those who suffer.
Help me not to blame, but to embrace.
Keep me from making a judgment that allows me to feel that I won't suffer in the same way because 'I don't deserve it' the way another did.
Lord, let me live mercifully and humbly in my world. Amen."
Friday, September 23, 2005
Thursday, September 22, 2005
From ‘me’ to ‘we’
Chris, Sara, Riley, and I met in my office. Riley was rude, making outbursts, demanding attention. He made conversation nearly impossible at times. At one point I tried to address him and he made faces at me along with a most disconcerting outburst of displeasure. He was incredibly self-centered, which was all right with the rest of us in the room because he is 6 weeks old! An infant is expected to be selfish. We do not have a problem with a baby’s cries for food. Riley’s needs were paramount and it would not have mattered who was in the room.
One of the painful lessons of growing up is learning to share! When a group of 2 year old children play together, you hear ‘That’s mine, give me that!’ They have a limited ability to share their toys. By age 4 or 5, a well-trained child has learned to respect others, knows when to be politely quiet, how to say, ‘please,’ and to share - well, most of the time. When I do pre-marital counseling, meeting with a man and woman who are contemplating a life together, one of the key concepts we discuss is that now is the time when they each make the switch in thinking from ‘me’ to ‘we.’ Time, money, privacy – are no longer exclusive property. A successful marriage grows in the soil of mutual respect and unselfish meeting of each other’s needs. As long as Tom thinks that his overtime money is for his toys, that his weekends are for time with his buddies, he is stealing from his wife. As long as Joy thinks that she can maintain a life that is separate, making her own choices without talking them over with her husband, she is ripping at the unity of her marriage. ‘Me’ must become ‘we’ in everything. Putting another’s needs first is a mark of maturity.
Believer, this is a key concept for the Christian life as well! Repeatedly, the Scripture reminds us that we are called together into the Body of Christ. While we often speak of Christ Jesus as a ‘personal Savior,’ in keeping with our cultural exaggerated sense of self, the truth is that without close, deep, and intimate ties to other Believers, we will never find the greatest joy in our Christian experience, nor the highest effectiveness in our service. The Bible explains our interdependence with this metaphor- the human body. Gaze for a moment at your hand. It has a distinct purpose, a critical function, doesn’t it? But if your hand were severed from your arm, it becomes utterly worthless!
Paul draws out the comparison at length, pressing on us the importance of the Christian community."If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it. But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance.
For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of.
An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own.
Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons." (1 Corinthians 12:17-23, The Message)
Are you a big baby? Do you make outbursts of protest the moment you think your needs are being overlooked? Do you demand that others pay attention to you, now? Do you think that the world revolves around YOU? It’s time to grow up.
The call of God is that we "Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness…." (2 Timothy 2:22, The Message)
Here’s a word about the mark of maturity. Take it with you today.
“… I show you a more excellent way. … Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." (1 Corinthians 12:30-13:7, 11 NKJV)
Now, let’s start to change our thinking from ‘me’ to ‘we.’
One of the painful lessons of growing up is learning to share! When a group of 2 year old children play together, you hear ‘That’s mine, give me that!’ They have a limited ability to share their toys. By age 4 or 5, a well-trained child has learned to respect others, knows when to be politely quiet, how to say, ‘please,’ and to share - well, most of the time. When I do pre-marital counseling, meeting with a man and woman who are contemplating a life together, one of the key concepts we discuss is that now is the time when they each make the switch in thinking from ‘me’ to ‘we.’ Time, money, privacy – are no longer exclusive property. A successful marriage grows in the soil of mutual respect and unselfish meeting of each other’s needs. As long as Tom thinks that his overtime money is for his toys, that his weekends are for time with his buddies, he is stealing from his wife. As long as Joy thinks that she can maintain a life that is separate, making her own choices without talking them over with her husband, she is ripping at the unity of her marriage. ‘Me’ must become ‘we’ in everything. Putting another’s needs first is a mark of maturity.
Believer, this is a key concept for the Christian life as well! Repeatedly, the Scripture reminds us that we are called together into the Body of Christ. While we often speak of Christ Jesus as a ‘personal Savior,’ in keeping with our cultural exaggerated sense of self, the truth is that without close, deep, and intimate ties to other Believers, we will never find the greatest joy in our Christian experience, nor the highest effectiveness in our service. The Bible explains our interdependence with this metaphor- the human body. Gaze for a moment at your hand. It has a distinct purpose, a critical function, doesn’t it? But if your hand were severed from your arm, it becomes utterly worthless!
Paul draws out the comparison at length, pressing on us the importance of the Christian community."If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it. But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance.
For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of.
An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster. What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place. No part is important on its own.
Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”? Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”? As a matter of fact, in practice it works the other way—the “lower” the part, the more basic, and therefore necessary. You can live without an eye, for instance, but not without a stomach. When it’s a part of your own body you are concerned with, it makes no difference whether the part is visible or clothed, higher or lower. You give it dignity and honor just as it is, without comparisons." (1 Corinthians 12:17-23, The Message)
Are you a big baby? Do you make outbursts of protest the moment you think your needs are being overlooked? Do you demand that others pay attention to you, now? Do you think that the world revolves around YOU? It’s time to grow up.
The call of God is that we "Run away from infantile indulgence. Run after mature righteousness…." (2 Timothy 2:22, The Message)
Here’s a word about the mark of maturity. Take it with you today.
“… I show you a more excellent way. … Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things…"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." (1 Corinthians 12:30-13:7, 11 NKJV)
Now, let’s start to change our thinking from ‘me’ to ‘we.’
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
Are you in the ekklesia?
Ekklesia – (ek·klay·see·ah ) sounds like a disease or something bad, doesn’t it? But I assure you, being in the ‘ekklesia’ is a very good thing! Today we use the word, church. Paul called those gatherings of Believers the ‘ekklesia.’ In so doing he borrowed from a common civic practice of the time. Imagine trying to get a message to a town in an age preceding TV, radio, newspapers, or email. The quickest and most effective way was to send out runners to summon the people to the town square, to call an assembly. If there was an issue to be decided, only citizens could participate in the debate and the voting. When those citizens were called into a gathering, they were the ‘ekklesia,’ literally – ‘the called out ones.’
Believer, God assembles His people in a gathering that is distinct from the rest of the world, that has a high purpose of carrying out His purpose. He calls us His Church. Note the capital ‘C.’ That denotes the universal Body, those who are called out of the world to be ‘in Christ.’ The Church is bigger than my church or your church, our local congregations. It encompasses Believers of many persuasions concerning styles of worship and particular practices of faith. We do real damage to God’s work when we assume that ‘our’ group is ‘the’ group – that we (whatever our denomination or fellowship) alone are the ‘ekklesia’ of God! The Church is made up of all those who have heard the Spirit’s call and responded by faith to receive Christ Jesus as Lord. As we look at other Believers, even those who differ from us in secondary doctrines, we need to take our cue from Paul who said that he gave "thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth." (2 Thessalonians 2:13, NIV) The Church is God’s assembly, not my club! Neither you nor I get to choose who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out.’ He elects, we accept!
Being part of God’s ‘ekklesia’ is a high holy calling! When I was a young boy, I attended a tiny congregation of 40-50 people that met in a non-descript chapel on a side street in an ordinary town. But we had a real sense of belonging to God! I understood, at a very young age, that I had been given a special privilege as a member of God’s own ‘ekklesia!’ It caused me to live differently; hopefully not as one who felt superior, but as one responsible to bear the mark of my King. I didn’t look down on my friends, but I looked up to Jesus and prayed that He would help me to live in a way that was worthy of His calling to be a citizen of His kingdom! I still feel that same holy responsibility today, years later. The fact that I am “God’s own” is never far from my thoughts.
Are you ‘in?’ Believe the Good News about Jesus Christ. Let the Spirit of God flow into your life. Hear the call to the ‘ekklesia.’ Then, live a worthy life, filled with love for Christ, connected to His Church, and overflowing with compassion for those who are yet to be called into His great assembly.
Take this word from the Word with you today. Meditate on it.
"…when he comes to receive glory and praise from his holy people.
….you will be among those praising him on that day, for you believed what we testified about him.
And so we keep on praying for you, that our God will make you worthy of the life to which he called you. And we pray that God, by his power, will fulfill all your good intentions and faithful deeds.
Then everyone will give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus because of you, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the undeserved favor of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 1:10-14, NLT)
Believer, God assembles His people in a gathering that is distinct from the rest of the world, that has a high purpose of carrying out His purpose. He calls us His Church. Note the capital ‘C.’ That denotes the universal Body, those who are called out of the world to be ‘in Christ.’ The Church is bigger than my church or your church, our local congregations. It encompasses Believers of many persuasions concerning styles of worship and particular practices of faith. We do real damage to God’s work when we assume that ‘our’ group is ‘the’ group – that we (whatever our denomination or fellowship) alone are the ‘ekklesia’ of God! The Church is made up of all those who have heard the Spirit’s call and responded by faith to receive Christ Jesus as Lord. As we look at other Believers, even those who differ from us in secondary doctrines, we need to take our cue from Paul who said that he gave "thanks to God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth." (2 Thessalonians 2:13, NIV) The Church is God’s assembly, not my club! Neither you nor I get to choose who is ‘in’ and who is ‘out.’ He elects, we accept!
Being part of God’s ‘ekklesia’ is a high holy calling! When I was a young boy, I attended a tiny congregation of 40-50 people that met in a non-descript chapel on a side street in an ordinary town. But we had a real sense of belonging to God! I understood, at a very young age, that I had been given a special privilege as a member of God’s own ‘ekklesia!’ It caused me to live differently; hopefully not as one who felt superior, but as one responsible to bear the mark of my King. I didn’t look down on my friends, but I looked up to Jesus and prayed that He would help me to live in a way that was worthy of His calling to be a citizen of His kingdom! I still feel that same holy responsibility today, years later. The fact that I am “God’s own” is never far from my thoughts.
Are you ‘in?’ Believe the Good News about Jesus Christ. Let the Spirit of God flow into your life. Hear the call to the ‘ekklesia.’ Then, live a worthy life, filled with love for Christ, connected to His Church, and overflowing with compassion for those who are yet to be called into His great assembly.
Take this word from the Word with you today. Meditate on it.
"…when he comes to receive glory and praise from his holy people.
….you will be among those praising him on that day, for you believed what we testified about him.
And so we keep on praying for you, that our God will make you worthy of the life to which he called you. And we pray that God, by his power, will fulfill all your good intentions and faithful deeds.
Then everyone will give honor to the name of our Lord Jesus because of you, and you will be honored along with him. This is all made possible because of the undeserved favor of our God and Lord, Jesus Christ." (2 Thessalonians 1:10-14, NLT)
Tuesday, September 20, 2005
Church, who needs it?
They come in all sizes – a dozen people gathering in a storefront chapel to thousands thronging a cathedral sized edifice. They have differing missions: some feed the hungry, some teach the young, some reach out to seekers, some supporting many world-wide missions. Their practices vary widely from very formal to extremely casual, from holding to ancient tradition to cutting edge innovation, from highly ritualized to free form. They are led by young and old, black and white, educated and uneducated. Yes, I am talking about the Church.
Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Church in Barrington, Ill, writes: “I believe that there is nothing like the local church when it is working right. …Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community. It builds bridges to seekers and offers truth to the confused. It provides resources for those in need and opens its arms to the forgotten, the downtrodden, the disillusioned. It breaks the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers belonging to the marginalized of this world. Whatever the capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness… Still to this day, the potential of the local church is almost more than I can grasp. No other organization on earth is like the church. Nothing even comes close.”
The church I am privileged to lead will have her annual meeting this coming Sunday. The various ministries will report on their activities and financial reports will be presented. Reading over those reports in advance, I began to weep with joy, giving thanks for the people that serve Jesus at the Assembly. What I saw was miraculous, evidence of God’s Spirit at work in ordinary circumstances. Washington Assembly is not a large church, nor is she rich, but the breadth of her reach is amazing! On any given week, she is touching hundreds of people- feeding families, providing education to children in her Christian school, inviting people to experience the Presence of God in worship, reaching into local prisons with hope, training boys and girls in faith, and counseling the confused- just to mention a few things. It is not professional staff members doing this work. A volunteer network that includes dozens of faithful men and women makes this possible!
Are you part of a local congregation? It is the place where God will most effectively use you in His work, the place where the gifts of the Spirit He’s invested in you are brought to full fruitfulness and matured. "The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t." (1 Corinthians 12:25, The Message) Christians cannot function as God intends without being ‘in the Body.’ Yet, many dismiss the church as unnecessary in disobedience to the Bible’s clear teaching. Others show a real lack of respect for the church by allowing other activities to pull them away from regular attendance, by putting other lesser commitments in the place of their commitment to worship and service. Again the Scripture is so clear that the Believer must give the highest priority to being part of the Body. "Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT)
I’ve heard many people criticize their church and/or their pastor – sometimes reasonably, often unfairly. It is true that some churches do ‘church’ better than others. Some leaders are more effective and mature in the Lord than others. But, becoming a critic, a person who works towards the destruction of a church, is a terrible thing. That person is attacking what God loves! Yes, indeed! The Church, which includes local congregations, is His Bride. He doesn’t take lightly those who come against her, those who dismiss her, and those who cause her pain. In Ephesians 5, we learn that “Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness.” If He gives her such love, how can we so easily attack, criticize, dismiss, and destroy her?
I know why many tear up the church, both those who lead and those on the other side of the pulpit. Selfishness- that’s it, pure and simple. The moment any person says, “I’ll have my way here,” the Enemy of God steps in to fan the flames! Pastors who see their church as a vehicle to meet their needs, as a place to find ego gratification, as belonging to them- will become abusive shepherds who tear down the church they are called to love. Congregants who think that the church exists to make them happy and/or to conform exclusively to their expectations will fight, squabble, and hinder the pure work of God. All must remind themselves, again and again -- The Church belongs to God, to serve His purposes.
Church – you need her, I need her! Let’s love her, give ourselves to make her great. Let’s raise our level of commitment to her, allowing nothing – not hobbies, not family gatherings, not work nor play - to become more important than being part of her, week by week. Let’s pray for her to succeed, to be a place where the Light of Christ shines brightly in a very dark world.____________________________
A Glorious Church
Do you hear them coming brother,
Thronging up the steeps of light,
Clad in glorious shining garments,
Blood washed garments pure and white?
Do you hear the stirring anthems
Filling all the earth and sky?
'Tis a grand, victorious army,
Lift its banner up on high!
'Tis a glorious church,
Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb! -- Ralph Hudson
Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Church in Barrington, Ill, writes: “I believe that there is nothing like the local church when it is working right. …Its beauty is indescribable. Its power is breathtaking. Its potential is unlimited. It comforts the grieving and heals the broken in the context of community. It builds bridges to seekers and offers truth to the confused. It provides resources for those in need and opens its arms to the forgotten, the downtrodden, the disillusioned. It breaks the chains of addictions, frees the oppressed, and offers belonging to the marginalized of this world. Whatever the capacity for human suffering, the church has a greater capacity for healing and wholeness… Still to this day, the potential of the local church is almost more than I can grasp. No other organization on earth is like the church. Nothing even comes close.”
The church I am privileged to lead will have her annual meeting this coming Sunday. The various ministries will report on their activities and financial reports will be presented. Reading over those reports in advance, I began to weep with joy, giving thanks for the people that serve Jesus at the Assembly. What I saw was miraculous, evidence of God’s Spirit at work in ordinary circumstances. Washington Assembly is not a large church, nor is she rich, but the breadth of her reach is amazing! On any given week, she is touching hundreds of people- feeding families, providing education to children in her Christian school, inviting people to experience the Presence of God in worship, reaching into local prisons with hope, training boys and girls in faith, and counseling the confused- just to mention a few things. It is not professional staff members doing this work. A volunteer network that includes dozens of faithful men and women makes this possible!
Are you part of a local congregation? It is the place where God will most effectively use you in His work, the place where the gifts of the Spirit He’s invested in you are brought to full fruitfulness and matured. "The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don’t." (1 Corinthians 12:25, The Message) Christians cannot function as God intends without being ‘in the Body.’ Yet, many dismiss the church as unnecessary in disobedience to the Bible’s clear teaching. Others show a real lack of respect for the church by allowing other activities to pull them away from regular attendance, by putting other lesser commitments in the place of their commitment to worship and service. Again the Scripture is so clear that the Believer must give the highest priority to being part of the Body. "Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near." (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT)
I’ve heard many people criticize their church and/or their pastor – sometimes reasonably, often unfairly. It is true that some churches do ‘church’ better than others. Some leaders are more effective and mature in the Lord than others. But, becoming a critic, a person who works towards the destruction of a church, is a terrible thing. That person is attacking what God loves! Yes, indeed! The Church, which includes local congregations, is His Bride. He doesn’t take lightly those who come against her, those who dismiss her, and those who cause her pain. In Ephesians 5, we learn that “Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything he does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant with holiness.” If He gives her such love, how can we so easily attack, criticize, dismiss, and destroy her?
I know why many tear up the church, both those who lead and those on the other side of the pulpit. Selfishness- that’s it, pure and simple. The moment any person says, “I’ll have my way here,” the Enemy of God steps in to fan the flames! Pastors who see their church as a vehicle to meet their needs, as a place to find ego gratification, as belonging to them- will become abusive shepherds who tear down the church they are called to love. Congregants who think that the church exists to make them happy and/or to conform exclusively to their expectations will fight, squabble, and hinder the pure work of God. All must remind themselves, again and again -- The Church belongs to God, to serve His purposes.
Church – you need her, I need her! Let’s love her, give ourselves to make her great. Let’s raise our level of commitment to her, allowing nothing – not hobbies, not family gatherings, not work nor play - to become more important than being part of her, week by week. Let’s pray for her to succeed, to be a place where the Light of Christ shines brightly in a very dark world.____________________________
A Glorious Church
Do you hear them coming brother,
Thronging up the steeps of light,
Clad in glorious shining garments,
Blood washed garments pure and white?
Do you hear the stirring anthems
Filling all the earth and sky?
'Tis a grand, victorious army,
Lift its banner up on high!
'Tis a glorious church,
Without spot or wrinkle,
Washed in the blood of the Lamb! -- Ralph Hudson
Monday, September 19, 2005
Go and tell!
Did you know that God wants His people to be prophets? Prophet! That’s a frightening word for me. It brings up images of an angry man, shouting at the top of his lungs about the sins on which God will pour out His wrath. But, that is only one picture of a prophet. God’s spokespersons don’t have to be angry, nor do they have to shout. A prophet is a person who is full of God’s Spirit and whose life is a message, sometimes of judgment but mostly of grace. If you struggle with the word ‘prophet,’ try messenger. God wants you to be His messenger!Jesus’ last words to His followers were, “Go and tell!” “Go everywhere and announce the Message of God’s good news to one and all." (Mark 16:15, The Message)
What an awesome responsibility He gave to us and a privilege, too. We are authorized to speak on God’s behalf. Paul calls us “Christ’s ambassadors” who are authorized to call people to peace with God. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20)
It has been my experience that most people do not need to be hit over the head with a denunciation of their failures and sins. They know, too well, the ache of guilt, the loneliness of alienation from their Creator. They may not understand their symptoms, and may even misinterpret them. That is why Spirit-filled Believers are sent to represent the Kingdom. As we live in the Spirit, lives marked by the love of God, purposeful and rich with joy, without words the message is ‘heard.’ When others ask about our hopefulness, our peace, Peter says, ‘be ready to explain it.’ (1 Peter 3:15)
Let me encourage you to think through your role as God’s messenger. Major on grace first! Present God’s invitation to life. Yesterday I was told two stories where Christians meant well, but did more harm than good. In one case it was a family gathering where the Believers felt they needed to point out the ‘sin’ they saw in the lives of those who were not ‘Christians.’ Finger-pointing is seldom a good way to gain the ear of another who we feel is in need. “You sinner!” is not a good opening line! Even I, as a Believer, dread encounters with those who think that their prophetic mission is to correct, poking at my sins and sensitivities until they have managed to arouse my anger. Yes, I know, we must tell the truth – but the trust doesn’t always have to start with a denunciation of another’s failing, does it? The other situation was a gathering of hundreds who had come to a special benefit concert for people whose lives were wrecked by Hurricane Katrina. It was a night advertised as an event where people could come together for hope. One speaker decided it was a good time to make sure that everyone in the room ‘understood’ that New Orleans was devastated by the hand of God in direct retribution for her many sins of debauchery! Thankfully another speaker was able to quickly remind people that even if that were true, ‘where sin increases, God’s grace increases all the more!’
This week look for ways to be prophetic! That’s right—to be God’s representative, speaking the message of the Kingdom. It is a message of hope, restoration, and promise that needs to be proclaimed, first in the way we live, and then, in the words we speak._____________________________________
Miracle in My Heart- Author: Brian Houston
We are called to be prophets to this nation,
to be the word of God in every situation,
Change my heart - Change my heart today.
Lord, loose the chains of oppression!
Lord, set the captives free!
Lord, fill my heart with compassion!
Shine Your light, Shine Your Light,
Shine Your light thru me.
Work a miracle in my heart, Oh Lord, today.
What an awesome responsibility He gave to us and a privilege, too. We are authorized to speak on God’s behalf. Paul calls us “Christ’s ambassadors” who are authorized to call people to peace with God. “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. This is the wonderful message he has given us to tell others.” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20)
It has been my experience that most people do not need to be hit over the head with a denunciation of their failures and sins. They know, too well, the ache of guilt, the loneliness of alienation from their Creator. They may not understand their symptoms, and may even misinterpret them. That is why Spirit-filled Believers are sent to represent the Kingdom. As we live in the Spirit, lives marked by the love of God, purposeful and rich with joy, without words the message is ‘heard.’ When others ask about our hopefulness, our peace, Peter says, ‘be ready to explain it.’ (1 Peter 3:15)
Let me encourage you to think through your role as God’s messenger. Major on grace first! Present God’s invitation to life. Yesterday I was told two stories where Christians meant well, but did more harm than good. In one case it was a family gathering where the Believers felt they needed to point out the ‘sin’ they saw in the lives of those who were not ‘Christians.’ Finger-pointing is seldom a good way to gain the ear of another who we feel is in need. “You sinner!” is not a good opening line! Even I, as a Believer, dread encounters with those who think that their prophetic mission is to correct, poking at my sins and sensitivities until they have managed to arouse my anger. Yes, I know, we must tell the truth – but the trust doesn’t always have to start with a denunciation of another’s failing, does it? The other situation was a gathering of hundreds who had come to a special benefit concert for people whose lives were wrecked by Hurricane Katrina. It was a night advertised as an event where people could come together for hope. One speaker decided it was a good time to make sure that everyone in the room ‘understood’ that New Orleans was devastated by the hand of God in direct retribution for her many sins of debauchery! Thankfully another speaker was able to quickly remind people that even if that were true, ‘where sin increases, God’s grace increases all the more!’
This week look for ways to be prophetic! That’s right—to be God’s representative, speaking the message of the Kingdom. It is a message of hope, restoration, and promise that needs to be proclaimed, first in the way we live, and then, in the words we speak._____________________________________
Miracle in My Heart- Author: Brian Houston
We are called to be prophets to this nation,
to be the word of God in every situation,
Change my heart - Change my heart today.
Lord, loose the chains of oppression!
Lord, set the captives free!
Lord, fill my heart with compassion!
Shine Your light, Shine Your Light,
Shine Your light thru me.
Work a miracle in my heart, Oh Lord, today.
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