Gripped by Rapture Fever?

Hurricanes blew through our southern states, floods came displacing thousands. An earthquake shook Mexico and there was loss of life. North Korea’s Kim Jong Un fired off more missiles while making nuclear threats. And, predictably some Christians started speculating about ‘the end of days!’  Jesus will return in the Father’s time. But, why must we think that every crisis is a sign of the times? 

Yes, I do pray, “may your Kingdom come and Your will be done.”  Yes, the frightful state of the world often causes me to want to see the King coming on the clouds! “Lord, let Your Kingdom come.”  When the Curse of sin brings real and lasting pain to people sometimes the only words I can find in prayer are, “Lord, let Your Kingdom come.” But, I know that praying for the Kingdom is not just about Jesus’ Return. It is my responsibility to live as Kingdom subject, now, here, in this present world.

What does that mean? It means that I love justice, I practice compassion, I live with mercy, I advocate for what is good! Kingdom Christians are making their King known, representing Him well, in the middle of the pain, the problems, the panic of this present world. (Or, at least they ought to.) Christ is my King. In a real sense, His Kingdom has come. A recurring theme of Jesus’ message was to tell people that the Kingdom of God has come near you.   Let me quickly qualify that by acknowledging we do not yet know His reign perfectly. Like Paul, we are works in progress.  "Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:12-14, NIV)

Are you only hoping for a future Kingdom, Christian, or are you entering into God’s provision, protection, and power now?

This does not take away from the fact that when we pray for the coming of His Kingdom we also anticipate the second coming of the Lord!  This hope does not rest on a few isolated texts in the Bible. That promise appears again and again. Isaiah looked for the Kingdom of God to come with peace. Ezekiel saw frightful visions of the Kingdom to come. I love Daniel’s prophecy is about the Kingdom to come. “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. “The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy.” (Daniel 2:44-45, NIV)

Let’s not turn our Blessed Hope of Christ’s return into sensational speculation. Rapture fever distracts too many Christians from Kingdom living! Though we long for the glory of sin’s defeat and the wonder of the full realization of our salvation, there is yet much to do while we wait.  The Scripture’s promises of a renewal of all things, a final defeat of evil, and the revelation of God’s glory is not meant to distract us from doing the work of the Lord. It is a promise to keep us on purpose, boldly facing the world, our sinful nature, and the Devil himself with tenacity in proclamation of Christ’s Gospel. 

Are the headlines about disasters, wars, and violence tearing at your soul?

Does the cruelty of sin get you down? Are you weary, Christian, wanting to be holy but finding yourself failing too often?

The word from the Word embraces the ‘now and not yet’ of the Kingdom. Lord, make us Kingdom people who make You known. "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." (Titus 2:11-14, NIV)

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Song For The Nations

May we be a shining light to the nations

A shining light to the peoples of the earth

'Til the whole world sees the glory of Your name

May Your pure light shine through us

May we bring a word of hope to the nations

A word of life to the peoples of the earth

'Til the whole world knows

There's salvation through Your name

May Your mercy flow through us

May we be a healing balm to the nations

A healing balm to the peoples of the earth

'Til the whole world knows

The power of Your name

May Your healing flow through us

May we sing a song of joy to the nations

A song of praise to the peoples of the earth

'Til the whole world rings

With the praises of Your name

May Your song be sung through us

May Your kingdom come to the nations

Your will be done in the peoples of the earth

'Til the whole world knows

That Jesus Christ is Lord

May Your kingdom come in us

May Your kingdom come in us

May Your kingdom come on earth

Chris Christensen

© 1986 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music [DC Cook]))

CCLI License # 810055

Will we learn anything?

Today Floridians are digging out of Irma’s destruction, that entire state torn by hurricane winds and floods.  It’s a day when some will weep over loss and others will rejoice in what the dawn reveals. This day is also significant that it is the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America. 19 terrorists visited destruction and death on us that those of us alive that day will never forget. 9/11 changed so much about the world.  But, all in all, after tragedy, after storms, after attacks,  life goes on.  In no way am I intending to dismiss the sorrow and cost associated with loss when I say that. But, despite all the fear and frenzy that come before, during, and after terrible times – the sun comes up, life finds a ‘new’ normal, and we press on, too often failing to learn much if anything.

Jonah, the preacher of the Old Testament, is best known for his time in the belly of a fish. An event that should have changed him for the rest of his life, did not! Here is his story briefly.  God spoke to him and gave the assignment to preach in Assyria to Israel’s enemies. Willfully, he took off in the opposite direction, found a ship and sailed right into a storm. Realizing that his disobedience was the cause, he told the sailors to pitch him overboard and he was promptly swallowed up by a big fish. 

In spare detail we are told this - "But the Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights." (Jonah 1:17, NIV)  The preacher prayed an eloquent prayer of confession as we all are so prone to do when life gets rough. He ended that prayer with this statement -  “Those who cling to worthless idols forfeit the grace that could be theirs. But I, with a song of thanksgiving, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. Salvation comes from the Lord.” (Jonah 2:8-9, NIV)  Sounds good, doesn’t it? He learned something, he found a new direction, right?

Well, not so much, actually.  Yes, Jonah did go to Nineveh. He did preach and there was something of national spiritual renewal. But, the preacher’s heart remained rebellious and he sulked about his ‘success’ knowing that it meant that Assyria would not be judged by God. He desired their destruction caring nothing for the lives of those people.  Look at his willful prayer of justification for his rebel ways. " his change of plans greatly upset Jonah, and he became very angry. So he complained to the Lord about it: “Didn’t I say before I left home that you would do this, Lord? That is why I ran away to Tarshish! I knew that you are a merciful and compassionate God, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love. You are eager to turn back from destroying people. Just kill me now, Lord! I’d rather be dead than alive if what I predicted will not happen.”(Jonah 4:1-3, NLT) Right to the end of the book, Jonah remains a willful, selfish man that seems to have learned nothing from his ordeal in the fish!

Remember the national unity that broke over America on 9/12/01? Remember how people were so kind and helpful to each other in the days when our national psyche was bruised and we forgot our divisions?  It did not take very long for the old ways to sweep over us, and even worse divisions now exist all these years later!

Here is my strange line for the day.  Don’t waste a tragedy!  What does that mean? Hurricanes blow. Terrorists strike. Cancer comes. Children rebel. Business fails.  What I know, from the Scripture and from my life experience is this: God is at work around us and will work through the things that we cannot understand, that hit us hard. Will we feel the impact, make a temporary change like Jonah, and then go back to doing the same things as before? Or, will we humbly seek the Lord, learn, grow, and become His intimate friend?

The story of another man offers a much different example to us. Saul was an angry man, hating Christians and seeking the destruction of the Jesus’ sect. He went off in a rage to find new Believers in Damascus, but God met him on the road. "When he got to the outskirts of Damascus, he was suddenly dazed by a blinding flash of light. As he fell to the ground, he heard a voice: “Saul, Saul, why are you out to get me?” He said, “Who are you, Master?” “I am Jesus, the One you’re hunting down. I want you to get up and enter the city. In the city you’ll be told what to do next.”  (Acts 9:3-6, The Message)  We know him as Paul, the apostle, a man forever changed by his encounter with God. He was blinded by that meeting, but found healing for his eyes and his heart and went on to change the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He kept on learning from the many tragedies that he experienced along the way. 

His words that express hope in the Lord are the word from the Word today. All of  “this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us^..”  (2 Corinthians 1: 9-10) 

As a new week begins, walk wisely with the Spirit. Let God lead you through the trials, an eager student, ready to learn, growing in grace and the beauty of the character of Jesus!  Don’t waste a tragedy!

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Great Is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

O God my Father

There is no shadow

Of turning with Thee

Thou changest not

Thy compassions they fail not

As Thou hast been

Thou forever wilt be

Summer and winter

And springtime and harvest

Sun moon and stars

In their courses above

Join with all nature

In manifold witness

To Thy great faithfulness

Mercy and love

Great is Thy faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness

Morning by morning

New mercies I see

All I have needed

Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness

Lord unto me

Thomas Obediah Chisholm | William Marion Runyan

© Words: 1923. Renewed 1951 Hope Publishing Company

CCLI License # 810055

The Mistake of Panic

Hurricane Irma is aimed at Florida. My children and grandchildren are in the forecast path. I confess to feeling some fear, helpless to do anything, unable to ‘take care’ of them.   That concern is just piled on top of other situations that give me reason to be concerned, but I am resisting the mistake of panic. My prayer goes like this:  “Father, You love me and when all else is changing, You are the anchor, the Unchanging One. Help my heart and mind to hold onto You.”  In my mind, I can see Bev leading children in one of my favorite kids song – “and I won’t worry about tomorrow, I’m trusting in what you say – today is the day.”  If I allow fear to rule, a gnawing anxiety sucks the breath out of me!  

Paul was inspired to write this instruction to us.  "Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying, pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life." (Philippians 4:6-7, The Message)  Take a second and go back and re-read those words. Now, take the promise, breath it in!

Christian, though we live surrounded by storms, conflict, and uncertainty, we need not live in a panic. He promises us a ‘peace that passes human understanding.’ It is given to us freely, but we must choose to receive it. How?

First, submit your emotions to the facts. Declare your status as God's child.

We are not orphans, scrabbling to deal with life, defensive and alone. The Bible says, "you should not be like cowering, fearful slaves. You should behave instead like God’s very own children, adopted into his family—calling him “Father, dear Father.” (Romans 8:15, NLT) Because of Jesus, we are loved. That truth is so healing, the Enemy of God and good does everything he is able to do to keep us from believing it. He tries to keep us focused on our failures. He does what he can to amplify  the voices of our critics. He tries to narrow our vision to the sorry and sad side of life. So, when anxiety creeps up on us, we must turn to the Word and to worship, praising God for His love; personalizing it! "God loves me!"  Why?  John tells us that "perfect love drives out fear!"

Second, talk about your anxiety with your Father and, if necessary, with a mature Christian friend.

Remember when you were a child and the shadows cast on your bedroom wall by the moonlight were so scary? Everything looked bigger, the shapes turning into monsters! When we grow anxious even as reasonable adults, we can lose perspective.  When we try to be big and brave all alone, terror can take hold deep inside of us.  Prayer, real and heart-felt, is our privilege. Our words need not be eloquent. “Help me, Jesus!” is all that is necessary. We call on the Presence and power of the Lord and wait for the Spirit Who comes to lift us up into the Throne Room of God. The Word tells us that Jesus is “(a priest) who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence.”  (Hebrews 4:15)  And, we are privileged to pray with others of like faith, too.

Third, evaluate the situation in ultimate terms.

Take your fear and ask - What is the worst that could happen?  The Psalmist asks, "in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?" (Psalm 56:11, NIV) Again, this can be a solo exercise, but it is much more effective when there is a trusted friend who will listen, encourage, and keep your perspective on life in balance. Even death, the ultimate enemy of humanity, loses its terror when our lives are hidden in Christ.  Oh, I don’t mean to dismiss the awfulness of life. Suffering is awful. Grief is wrenching, believe me, I know!  But, Paul reminds us that “to die is gain!”

Fourth - do what's right!

Pain, especially the emotional kind, makes us desperate for relief, doesn't it?  When we are anxious, we become susceptible to the temptation of things that offer us a quick lift. Usually what gives short-term relief, produces long-term destruction.  So, put your mind in charge of your heart. Do the right thing,  just because it is the right thing to do! Share your need, your fear, even your temptation with someone who will offer wisdom. When we tell someone that we want to spend too much, quit our job, or get drunk- the very telling can help us to see the folly of the proposed 'solution' to our problem. Even in temptation, God promises that He 'will never leave us nor forsake us.' And, He has promised to make a way for us to stand up in times of temptation. So, do what's right!

Take this word from the Word for this day. "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:35-9:1, NIV)

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Today Is The Day

(listen and worship)

I'm casting my cares aside

I'm leaving my past behind

I'm setting my heart and mind on You Jesus

I'm reaching my hands to Yours

Believing there's so much more

Knowing that all You have in store for me is good

It's good

Today is the day You have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

Today is the day You have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

And I won't worry about tomorrow

I'm trusting in what You say

Today is the day today is the day

I'm putting my fears aside

I'm leaving my doubts behind

I'm giving my hopes and dreams to You Jesus

I'm reaching my hands to Yours

Believing there's so much more

Knowing that all You have in store for me is good

It's good

I will stand upon Your truth

(I will stand upon Your truth)

And all my days I'll live for You

(All my days I'll live for You)

And I will stand upon Your truth

(I will stand upon Your truth)

And all my days I'll live for You

(All my days I'll live)

Today is the day You have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

Today is the day You have made

I will rejoice and be glad in it

And I won't worry about tomorrow

I'm giving You my fears and sorrows

Where You lead me I will follow

I'm trusting in what You say

Today is the day (5X)

Lincoln Brewster | Paul Baloche

© 2008 Integrity's Hosanna! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music [DC Cook]))

Integrity's Praise! Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music [DC Cook]))

Leadworship Songs (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing (Integrity Music [DC Cook]))

CCLI License # 810055