Revival at what cost?
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. ~Ephesians 4:4
I had been thinking about this over the last few weeks, how desperately we were all seeking revival and a change of heart. Not only in this country but around the world. My conversation last week with Christians about immigration(see here) spurred me to really think about it more.
My conclusion is the Lord is moving…despite Christians.
We can’t get out of our own way. It’s ridiculous. There is so much in-fighting. So much he-said / she-said bickering that the Lord is forced to use others in our place. You’re church is not “the body”, my church is not “the body”. We are ALL the body. Knock it off. Without a doubt, God is up there saying Knock it off.
There is a lot of prayer going on around the country and world for revival. It certainly is a great prayer to have but we can not all just sit on our laurals and hope to all hope that someone else is going to do the dirty work for us. God called us to get our hands dirty. To reach out to sinners and prostitutes, to the desolate and broken hearted.
Revival needs to start in the hearts of you and me but we can not continue to preach it in to a lifeless congregation and hope that one day they’ll “get it”. Someone needs to decide to step up to the plate and take action. Is it you?
Are you willing to sacrifice? To be chastized, perhaps even by Christians, for the sake of what you believe is the true way of Jesus? Will you lose your grip on the things that are holding you back in this life? Will you give the Lord your anger, your fear? Will you put your life in His hands and make the cross your only defense?
I’ll be honest, those last words scare the crap out of me. And for a long long time I let that fear control my actions. It’s not that I was doing wrong, it was that I was doing nothing. I was sitting there waiting to join the bandwagon. Like the old saying “if you want it done right do it yourself”, I realized I could start my own bandwagon.
There is no one on this earth who can tell you what your called to do for Christ. You need to ask Him. And if there is someone trying to tell you what you can or can’t do for Jesus, or someone who is putting rules and limitations on your actions you need to figure out why and ask the Lord what He would have you do. Because you will only answer to God when the time comes and not any authority here on earth.
This all seems good on paper but maybe you’re someone out there only 16 years old and feel helpless to make a difference. I’m sharing something I figured out way to late in life; It doesn’t take much. Bring an extra sandwich and hand it to someone who needs it on your way to work, help someone out in school, hold the door for someone. Kindness spreads like wildfire. Try it and watch the doors open to share Jesus. It’s been an eye-opening experience for me. If we want revival, it starts with us, and it starts with the little things. How can we expect the Lord to entrust us with large undertakings when we aren’t willing to accept the little challenges of our day?
When Care Turns to Crutch
And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber… ~Romans 13:11
It’s possible that every generation sees what I see. That the cycle continues on and I am just maturing enough to recognize it from my adolecense. To see it through my eyes in the lives of those younger than me(and some older) becomes a sharp pain in the heart. And yet, I am only human, and I wonder how God feels about it? I’m talking about relying on grace as our “out”.
I readily admit that I am a victim as well. On more than one occassion I have thought about my actions beforehand(understand this means the Spirit prompting me)and thought well, the Lord forgives. There is an air of arrogance to our actions. To feel as though we have time as young people to fool around and do what we want. To “be a kid” and grow up later. I’m sad when I think about the years I’ve wasted on meaningless activities. Wasted opportunities haunt me.
The below lyrics really typify the way I’ve felt a lot:
This Beautiful Republic – A Point Between Extremes
I’ve been thinking about
The paths that my life
Has gone down
I’ve pushed a crown
Of thorns in my brow
To show my salvation
Worked out
With all the knowledge
I had learned
Anchored to righteousness
I’d earned
Now I’ve gone the other way
Depended too heavily on grace
I need a reprieve
A point between extremes
I’ve come to a breaking point. To the realization that I need a reprieve. I need repentance for the grace I take for granted. Peter in his first letter says: “As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry.(1 Peter 4: 2-3) I’ve wasted to much time using grace as a crutch.
If my heart hurts for these people what in the world is God doing right now? Is it that unrealistic to think that He cries all day? Is He dropping signs down in front of you like falling boulders every day but you shrug them off because you are so far from him you don’t remember what He sounds like or what His signs are anymore? Gideon asked for a sign and when he got it he said “wait, one more and I’ll know it’s you”.(Judges 6: 36-40)
I can see God annoyed at the implications here. Gideon has requested 3 signs. I think at this point perhaps Gideon has to much confidence. Maybe arrogance is creeping in and God says you know what, you have to many men. 32,000 men widdled to 300…now I can use you.
I think that’s what I’m going through, and what each of us deals with at some point in our own way. We say give me a sign you want me to live different, wait one more, maybe just one more…Maybe when I’m out of school, maybe when I get married, maybe…Arrogance slowly oozes over us like oily sludge and the Lord begins cleaning us up and breaking us down. We get to such a low and He says, NOW, now I can use you.
But the human side of me is still disappointed that it takes all that work to get me to that point. The Lord is like the father of the prodigal son(Luke 15), so excited that I’m back, but I’m so disappointed it’s taken all this to get me here. We depend to heavily on grace being there when we’re ready. Truth is, your time may run out before your ready and then what do you make of the life you wasted away?
The start of the song above goes like this:
My heart is tired
Of feeling suffering
My mind keeps wondering
Who I should be
If all of the above goes in one ear and out the other, let this one question stick in your mind for some time and really ask yourself: “Who should I be?”
Shattered Dreams
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. ~John 16:13
Today was arguably one of the worst days of my life. I saw a side of humanity I had only experienced second hand. Something I had seen in movies and heard from friends of friends but never one on one. I saw a family shattered today and it broke me.
Last Wednesday my brother was to have back surgery. A major mountain to climb for any person or family, exacerbated by the fact it had been two years in the making(a story for another day). Tuesday of that week came and the call came to unpack his bag. The surgery had been pushed a week to the following Tuesday. Even the best laid plans are but a breath to the Lord. He had bigger plans.
Chris was disappointed but took it all in stride. It would only be 7 days, and what was that, given he had waited over 729 days already?
I sat at work patiently waiting word on the surgery as I glanced at the clock hoping it would read 5pm sooner. Around 2pm I was told it went well and headed over at 5pm to visit for myself. Upon reaching the hospital I was told not only did it go well but it went so well that his hospital stay of 5 days could be as little as just one day! Who says prayer doesn’t work?? In my estimation the Lord had performed a miracle, so why was it the worst day of my life?
The man was older, perhaps early 40’s. Clutching a stand which held his IV bag he rolled in to the room to take the bed next to Chris. Following behind him was his daughter holding two coffees. She appeared about 22 with long curly hair and a pale complexion. They were reserved, quietly talking to each other as they sipped their coffee. Suddenly her hand was on his stomach, then on his leg…clearly not his daughter. Holding hands and then laying in the small medical bed only further confirmed it.
Weirded out by the whole thing I tried to ignore it and focus on a conversation with my brother and mother. Around the corner comes a little boy followed by a young girl and their mother. My initial thought was the ex-wife and kids had come to visit. Nothing really awkward seemed to occur so why would I think anything different, until I noticed the large diamond on the woman’s hand
The girl left the room moments later and the questions began. Valid questions. And in that moment I knew I had to do something. But what? There is no moment of clear conscience in a rapidly developing situation such as this. And as the lies got thicker like wading through a pool of melted marshmallow I felt sick and jittery.
I left the room, I could no longer take the level of arrogance these lies required. I headed down stairs and outside to make a phone call. I tried five different people before finally getting a hold of someone. Explaining my predicament and looking for guidance didn’t seem to clear the fog any better than I had hoped. There was no black and white answer on this, but something needed to be done. I asked for prayer from several people who had finally responded and headed back up stairs.
Do you speak to the man? Do you plead with his humanity, his moral obligation, the father? Out of his mouth spew lies that only complete his fate. Can he be trusted to understand and do the right thing?
Do you talk to the woman? Do you confirm her questions and give her the answers she seeks? Do you break through the glass and potentially separate a family?
Do you say nothing?
There were so many other questions that raced through my head as I sat there, partially fuming, partially praying. I was thrust in to a situation I did not want to be a part of. It was made my business by being done in front of me. I was torn and I honestly can say I have no idea how counselors and pastors do this on a daily basis without crying every night.
After making my decision I knew the right thing had been done. I sent a text to a friend and told them I was about to break down. I had witnessed a family shattered. They called immediately and talked to me for several minutes calming me down but I was still near tears.
My decision and the end of the story are a powerful piece to this puzzle but I leave them off because I want to pose the above questions to you. What would you do? Would you say something at all? What would you say and to who?
To even consider saying something requires your heart to be in the right place. The anger can not overshadow the situation or people involved. You must be composed and sure of your motives. The Lord must speak through you and not you speaking for the Lord.
When my brother woke about 20 minutes later he gathered a few pieces of the story from the buzz that still resonated through the room.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I’ll tell you later” I said softly. “But know one thing; This right here is why your surgery was moved.”
This little light of mine
I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ~2 Timothy 1:6
I’m sure most of you have heard the song, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine! Hide it under a bush, oh no! I’m gonna let it shine…” and I pose this question: Why do we always make it little?”
We seem to do just enough to be Christian and just enough to conform to the world and not be labeled weirdos. In a world of black and white we live in shades of grey. Perhaps your grey is lighter than mine, but we fail to pick a side. Because of this our flame never gets any bigger. We keep it small, tend to it on Sundays and forget about it for the next 6 days.
Revelation 3:15 says “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other!” Christ’s wish for us is to be smoking hot! We each need to pick a side and my prayer and hope is that you chose Christ.
In his book “Not Peace but a Sword” Vance Havner writes:
A band of genuinely converted and Spirit-filled young people, yielded to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and witnessing by life and lip to Him could shake the world, and all the social benefits some are championing so loudly would follow as secondary benefits.
Shake. the. world. How about set it on FIRE! You want real change? It only comes through Christ Jesus.
The Lord has been slowly working on me trying to fan my flame and I constantly shield it from the wind, thinking I’m protecting it from blowing out. In all reality I’ve been snuffing it out from providing any real warmth. I can no longer hold back the will of God, the stone is rolling down hill and there’s no stopping it.
There is a desire in my heart to fan the flame of others. To get people desiring Jesus and moving out into their communities helping others. We need to stop hiding our little flames, start fanning them, and start catching others on fire for Christ. Time is running out.
Are you satisfied?
…that they might be with Him and the he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons. ~Mark 3:14-15
Am I satisfied with 2 out of 3?
We can be complacent and okay with being with him and speaking about Him openly but what about the authority He has given us? The authority to bring change to someone else life. Am I willing to take that next step and grab hold of the authority?
The short answer, for me anyway, is no. I’ve been completely satisfied rolling along in my life living day by day. And each day I wake up and ask myself “what am I doing?”, yet I keep doing it over and over.
I’m saved, and if it gets brought up I’m happy to say that I believe in Jesus and what He’s done for me, but I lack the faith to grasp that authority and in essence be all I can be.
As I was waiting for my train the other day I spotted a small turtle on the tracks. He was inbetween the two rails and was lazily moving towards the other side. There was no hope for him. He was far to small to get over the tall steel rail.
As the metal began tinging ever so slightly I knew his time was running out. He had reached the other side, but realizing he could not climb over, he had stopped. The train rolled around the corner and I caught a glimpse of the turtle ducking for cover inside his shell as the large locomotive went right overhead. Goodbye mister turtle.
I waited as the train left, and something miraculous happened. The wheel had missed. His head poked out of his shell, he slowly turned around but He headed right back the way he came!
Are you kidding me? Angels must be up there marveling at our ineptitude. I lack the faith to trust that Jesus is going to come pick me up and lift me over the hurdle so I turn around and head back to the place I knew.
Read Numbers 13 and 14. Verse 13:1, the Lord tells Moses he’s giving them the land but by verse 3 of chapter 14 they want to go back to Egypt! Jesus has given us the authority to change lives. We are indwelled with the Holy Spirit but when the time comes and something suddenly blocks our path we tend to go back to what we know rather than pushing through to the place the Lord has for us.
Don’t be like that turtle, satisfied with walking between two points over and over and ducking for cover every time a trouble comes your way. Recognize the pattern, focus on Christ and let Him be your eyes when you can’t see, your ears when you can’t hear, and your strength when you feel weak. He can pick you up and over that hurdle and set your feet on solid ground.
That turtle had the whole world on the other side of that rail but lacked the faith to reach it.
About
He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed. ~Matthew 21:44
Would you rather be broken and molded into a bigger and better version of yourself or crushed under the weight of problems and circumstances which you have no control over?
That is the question I was posed with several years ago as I struggled to make my way in a world destined to destroy me.
I chose to be broken and made some drastic changes in my life. I didn’t want to live the same way, or make the same mistakes over and over. The Bible tells us not to be surprised at the painful trials we will face but to count it all joy to be suffering for the sake of Christ(1 Peter 4:12-13). I began to look at the situations I faced in a different light. Rather than moping around depressed at my situation I began trying to look forward to a reward greater than anything I could find on this earth.
My life isn’t near perfect and I continue to struggle with many things I thought would be far in my past. And that’s the point. Life is a daily struggle with which we all wrestle. I hope the vision God has given me for this site and movement among His people helps someone along the way, even if it’s just one.
We are all being built into temples of God. He molds us and shapes us and makes us bigger and better.
What better way, then to come together as Christians. Not different denominations, but ONE church, united to make a difference
As you come to him, the living Stone – rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him – you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4-5
Get off your butt
“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. ~2 Corinthians 12:9
Any one who’s ever been in a relationship long enough or who is married has seen this scenario. You both are exhausted, you can barely keep your eyes open. Maybe you’re lounging on the couch or falling asleep in bed. And then men, you hear “Honey, could you get me a glass of water?”
Perhaps if your relationship is young you jump up and grab that glass of water or whatever she asked for. But the day comes later on when you’ve been together so long that the voice in your head wants to tell her “Your legs aren’t broken, I’m tired.”
See, the Bible tells us to die to self(1 Peter 2:24) but inevitable our selfish nature creeps back in. When we started out as new Christians with our baby relationship we wanted nothing more than to please the Lord. ‘Yes Lord!’ ‘What now Lord?’
We eventually hit that brick wall of Satan. We’re tired and down-trodden. We just need to rest, we want to close our eyes for just a minute and recover. And we look up and say “I’m thirsty”. Jesus said ‘whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst’(John 4:14)
While I might selfishly make my girlfriend or wife get her own glass of water, as Jesus bride he never will say ‘Nah, I’m tired too man. I’m helping 6 billion people here. Get your own water.’ What an amazing revelation! I wanted to quickly look at two things to ponder as we go about our day. One for men in particular and one for us all.
Ephesians 5:25 says ‘Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her’. I love this because you know what? It means I need to get off my lazy butt and get that glass of water. It means surrendering my life for the sake of my wife. It means loving when I don’t want to love, it means striving when I want to give up, and it means sacrificing when I want something else. Because if we look at the love of Christ for the church we need look no further than the foot of the cross. Where he bled and died and gave up his spirit for each and every one of us.
Romans 8:28 – 39. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him(28)… If God is for us, who can be against us?(31)… nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.(39). Read those 11 verses and tell me you aren’t amazed at the love of Christ.
We can hit that brick wall. We can be broken, tattered, left for dead and know that ALL things work together for good. We know that God is for us. We know that Jesus is at the right hand of the father interceding for us. We know that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. And we can get back up and fight with him right along side us.
why does God allow satan to live?
this little excerpt is taken from John Piper’s blog (you can read the rest here):
Why does God allow Satan to live?
…before I answer it, let’s make sure that we agree that it is true that God could take Satan out anytime he chose. Because I think there are some who would say, “He really can’t, because of some rights (or authority, independence, free will, etc.) that Satan has.” But the reason I know God can take Satan out without turning me into an automaton or breaking any rules is because he is going to take him out. He is going to throw him in the lake of fire.
And the question is, “Why didn’t he do it yesterday? If he had done it yesterday I wouldn’t be tempted the way I am today. The Bible says, ‘Lead me not into temptation.’ Well, the best way not to be led into temptation is to take the Tempter away! Isn’t it? Take him out! I’ve got sin in my life plenty enough to make me struggle. I don’t need Satan on top of my sin making my life more miserable. So God, take him out! You have the right and the power to take him out. You’re doing nobody wrong when you take him out. Take him out!”
here’s my first problem (of many) with this article: “if he had done it yesterday i wouldn’t be tempted the way i am today.” while this is true in some respect, it puts on display that which Piper, an elite reformed theologian, places the most emphasis: his sin. is there something wrong with this picture or is it just me?
when i was reading this i thought he might say something like, “if he had done it yesterday pain would cease. there would be no more murder, no more hate, no more thievery, no more orphans and widows, no more poverty, no more deceit, no more tears, etc.”
this is really bothersome to me. not only does this kind of thinking play directly into the hands of individualism, it is not representative of a holistic, Biblical model of redemption. it is not all about ME and MY SIN!
we are redeemed. we will most certainly continue to fall short, but that is the beauty of being in relationship with God through God’s Son! since we are redeemed, we have been given the distinct privilege of sharing the greatness of the Gospel with those who are dying. God has freed us through the incarnation of God’s Son, and through his submission to death. he freed the captives. therefore, we are already free from Satan’s power on us so that we may have a hand in freeing others (through the power of the Holy Spirit of course).
Jesus Christ has already unhanded Satan and has endowed us with the power of God to extend the love of God’s kingdom throughout this broken world.
so, my foremost concern is not that Satan would be destroyed because i fall from time to time, but that he would become powerless so that those who are broken inside and out will more swiftly and easily come to find life in Christ.
Piper goes on to explain why he believes God allows Satan to live and does so without use of scripture to support his claims. despite this fact, Piper claims that if we disagree that his reasoning is in fact the way God handles pain and suffering “we will reject God, we will reject the biblical testimony, and we will perish forever in Hell.” strong words.
is it possible that not believing in God’s ordination of suffering at the hands of Satan will result in our eternal demise,” as Piper claims? does God really have a “long leash” on Satan (which insinuates God’s hand is in every awful thing that happens in this world)? what do you think?
-dave-
I met someone
I will lead the blind along ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. – Isaiah 42:16
Coming back from lunch, I parked in my familiar spot and reclined my chair. David Crowder was playing through my ipod as I day dreamed for the last 20 minutes of lunch. I like to zone out during lunch, take my mind off of things and just relax. I stare at a computer screen for 8hrs a day so breathing in some fresh air and closing my eyes does wonders to break up the day.
Moments later I caught a silhouette in my side mirror, followed it through my rear view mirror, and then suddenly through the passenger side mirror… She was walking up to my door! She caught me off guard, with a big grin waving and giving a thumbs up sign. Stunned, I fumbled for the key to roll down the window and turned down the music.
“Love the music. She said. I saw your fish sticker and thought ‘that has to be another believer.’”
She stood about 5′7″ with grey curling hair and sleek blue eyes. She was bubbling with enthusiasm as she spoke of God working and what he was doing at Ocean Spray. She wanted to invite me to a prayer meeting during lunch that she had put together with other believers.
How funny it is when your prayers are answered. Lately I’ve been struggling with finding “purpose”. I feel blind walking around every day. What is it God wants me to do? How can I make a difference every day? I sometimes feel useless in the job I have now. Computers. What am I gonna do with computers? And then a little old lady comes by and offers prayer and an opportunity.
Over the past year I’ve felt a calling to teach the word. I began helping and teaching awana (children’s church), I started a bible study on Thursday’s, and started this blog all under guidance from the Spirit. At the same time I’ve been challenged to clean up my life, to forgo the things of this world, and remove myself from situations that aren’t conducive to my relationship with Christ.
In the darkness of the days of the world I’ve struggled with all of this. The more I focus on trying to do what I’m called to do the harder Satan attacks every aspect of my life. As I’ve wrote about previously, he comes at you like a roaring lion.
I got a job interview/offer last week to work for a company in Hingham. Great group of people, good location, and a ton more money. In the interview one of them mentioned he was a Christian and told what church he went to. I was excited! God is this you? Are you telling me to leave? Are you giving me this opportunity?
On the other hand I have a great job now, great people, close to home, great benefits, but not so great pay. However, I know the Lord placed me where I am. In 2 Corinthians 12:9 the Lord says “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness”.
“My grace is sufficient”. Has he failed me over the past 2yrs? no. Have I ever not had food? no. Have my bills ever not been paid? no. And I think a part of me sees the benefits of a new job with more money and wants that for worldly reasons. Hey, I could pay down my debts, maybe I could get a new car, or fix up the house.
Yet I always come back to this one verse: “and my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”(Philippians 4:19)
Could God want me at this new job and bless me by it more abundantly than I ever could have imagined? Absolutely. In no way am I saying you have to turn down more money to serve God. What I am saying is regardless of your position and how much money you make, or how useful you feel God will use you and provide for you always. And like in Isaiah, no matter how blind you feel walking in the darkness God will work out the kinks and smooth out all the rough spots before you. Most of all continue to pray every chance you get and stay in Gods word. He will feed your soul and His plans will be revealed to you when your ready.
