Monthly Archives: June 2016

Praying For Orlando

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As I sat the other morning before the word of the Lord and let my heart ponder the recent shooting in Orlando I prayed, seeking guidance from my God. When things like this happen I try not to respond immediately because if I do, usually it will be in the flesh, and it will be a reaction not a response. So I pray and I wait for the Lord to direct my heart.

This morning in my daily Bible reading the Lord had this verse waiting on me.

He who mocks the poor taunts his Maker;
He who rejoices at calamity will not go unpunished.

Proverbs 17:5

As a Christian how am I to respond to this appearing Islamic terrorist who went into an openly homosexual club and murdered many?

I think Proverbs 17:5 tells us how…

If I am a true believer, if I truly believe that Jesus Christ is the One and Only Way and that those who truly love Him obey Him, then what I just learned from Orlando is that in one moment 50 souls that were created in the image of God Himself, 50 souls that Jesus died on the cross to save, just possibly perished into a Christ-less eternity.

This should break my heart.

This should cause me to look to my own community, my own neighbors, my own family and see if I have loved enough. Have I shone His light in the darkness of the world around me in my city? Have I been about His business or have I chosen to snarl my nose and be repulsed or just flat out afraid of those that don’t fit in my box of approval?

The state of our nation need not cause me to grow hard and angry, but instead ever more soft and pliable in the refining fire of the Lord. This should be, so that I might become even more useful in His hands, to reach this lost and dying world for His glory. I don’t want to be this cold, unfeeling, bitter soul that finds the “I told you so” more satisfying than the grace and mercy of God.

If Jesus could be on the cross and cry out “Father forgive them, they know not what they do…” then who are we to mock or hate anyone. If Paul could be stoned and whipped time after time and still keep coming back for more, then by all means so shouldn’t we who today believe? If they loved people this much because God so loved people this much… shouldn’t we?

Those that perished in Orlando have names. They have families. They have stories. They had hopes, dreams, and plans for their future…

I can’t help but be saddened at what happened in Orlando. I can’t help but be angry… but when I bring my anger to the Lord He reminds me of who I truly should direct it toward. I am not to be angry with man. I am to be angry at the one who put it in the heart of man to do such an evil thing. I am to be angry that so many are so easily blinded and swayed to do his bidding.

During supper, the devil having already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray Him…

John 13:2

Who is this one, this devil, that has the ability to put thoughts and intentions in our hearts? He is that very same serpent of old… 

He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

John 8:44

I am angry at this evil one who has someone managed to fill our nation with such frustration and weakness and fear. I am angry because we, as a whole, are so distraught and distracted that we don’t understand that the reason why we are frustrated, weak, and afraid is because we have forgotten our God. We have forgotten our Maker. We have forgotten His word.

By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action.

Daniel 11:32

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I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one.

1 John 2:14

Knowing our God is what gives us strength. Knowing our God is what gives us courage. Having His word abiding in us is what keeps us sure and steadfast and able to respond in and with love. Jesus said the world would know that we are His by our love. Love is sure. Love is strong. Love is courageous. Oh, and beloved let us never forget that love is kind. Love is all these things because love knows and walks according to God’s commands.

And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments.

2 John 1:6

Let us who profess to know Christ never forget who we are really fighting and why we fight. Let us not forget who we ALL are apart from Christ. Let us never forget that we have been called to Christ to call others to Him. Let us never forget that we are the one’s who have the access to the throne of God and are the chosen. We are to be His priests and to declare His excellencies and intercede on the behalf of those who know Him, and those who know Him not, yet desperately need to. 

Let Orlando drive us to our knees. When anger rises up in our throat let it not cause us to sin, but let it cause us to cry out to our Holy God.

But we prayed to our God, and because of them we set up a guard against them day and night.

Thus in Judah it was said,

“The strength of the burden bearers is failing,
Yet there is much rubbish;
And we ourselves are unable
To rebuild the wall.”

Our enemies said, “They will not know or see until we come among them, kill them and put a stop to the work.” When the Jews who lived near them came and told us ten times, “They will come up against us from every place where you may turn,” then I stationed men in the lowest parts of the space behind the wall, the exposed places, and I stationed the people in families with their swords, spears and bows. When I saw their fear, I rose and spoke to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people: “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives and your houses.”

When our enemies heard that it was known to us, and that God had frustrated their plan, then all of us returned to the wall, each one to his work.

Nehemiah 4:9-15

The enemy of our souls wants to put fear in us so that we stop our work… don’t let him. The fields are white for harvest but the workers are indeed few.

The Most Honest Answer

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Yesterday concluded our VBS week at Central. The past couple of years our church has added an event for 7th and 8th graders that coincided with our VBS. This year I helped with this older group. We had over fifty 7th and 8th graders attend a week long event of three Bible studies a day… and they loved it!

Not one time did I see apathy in the eyes of those attending. Not one time did I see boredom. Not one time did I see, “what? another Bible lesson?” Instead those who sat before me were kids with eyes wide open and hungry for truth.

On Thursday we gave those attending an opportunity to make a decision based on what they had experienced during the week. It was the classic decision card asking about more church information, prayer request, baptism, rededication, salvation, etc. Each child filled out a card so that every child could be uninhibited in their answers. I am so glad that we chose this route because on one of these cards I saw one of the most honest answers I have ever read.

One of the kids checked all the boxes and at the prayer request line they wrote, “I want to believe, but I still feel like I don’t” My heart stuck in my throat as I read the words and my mind went straight to the Word of God…

And He asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!” And Jesus said to him, “‘If You can?’ All things are possible to him who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”

Mark 9:21-24

I told my friend how this was one of the most honest answers I have ever read on a decision card and I have read hundreds. As we both stood there in awe of what God had done this week, her reply was that this one was probably more saved than any of us. (Disclaimer: “more saved” was just an expression to capture the joy of our hearts at this young person’s response to the gospel.)

How many of us hear and read the Word of God and our hearts cry out this very same plea.

I want to believe, but I still feel like I don’t.

I do believe; help my unbelief. 

Precious one, if this is the cry of your heart, God is not afraid of it. You are coming to Him just the way He asks you to… honestly.

When Jesus came and taught the disciples they did not understand it all. They really couldn’t process all that He was saying at the time. Jesus was completely aware of this… He taught them anyway.

These things His disciples did not understand at the first; but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written of Him, and that they had done these things to Him.

John 12:16

The name of our 7th and 8th grade event was “Accelerate”. On our last day I shared with the kids that acceleration, in physics, is the rate of change of velocity of an object. An object’s acceleration is the net result of any and all forces acting on the object.

God’s word and His Holy Spirit are the forces that act upon us, the object. God’s Word never returns empty It always accomplishes the purpose for which God sent it (Isaiah 55:11). It’s living and active (Hebrews 4:12). Therefore when we hear it, we will indeed accelerate. The question is in which direction will we go? Towards God… or away from Him? 

I want to believe, but I still feel like I don’t.

I do believe; help my unbelief. 

These are both heart cries that are accelerating toward God and that gives me reason to rejoice. We don’t have to understand it all to take a step in faith toward and into belief… even if that step is simply acknowledging that we want to believe, but need help to believe.

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But That Isn’t What Jesus Said At All

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Peter turned around and saw behind them the disciple Jesus loved—the one who had leaned over to Jesus during supper and asked, “Lord, who will betray you?” Peter asked Jesus, “What about him, Lord?”

Jesus replied, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow me.” So the rumor spread among the community of believers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that isn’t what Jesus said at all. He only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”

This disciple is the one who testifies to these events and has recorded them here. And we know that his account of these things is accurate.
(John 21:20-24, NLT)

I read this passage in my daily reading this past Thursday and it hit me in two different ways.

The first was the rumors…

Rumors have been floating around in the church since its conception. Words taken out of context. Assumptions made through pieces of overheard conversation. Misconstrued perceptions because of wrong perspectives. Conclusions set in clouds that move off with the wind. Rumors are like a grain of sand made into a mountain that stands on imagination alone.

How do we help to build these mountains on foundations of imagination? Let’s say we have a question, do we go to the source or do we ask someone else that we think might know and simply trust their account and then spread the rumor on? Are we in the habit of talking about others rather than to them? Look how quickly this momentary conversation between between Peter and Jesus spread a misunderstanding and a misinterpretation of Jesus’ words throughout the community of believers.

Think about it. I wonder if John heard this conversation himself or if he heard about it through the rumor of the other disciples? If he heard it through rumor, I imagine that he went straight to Jesus to ask Him if He indeed made this statement. Either which way, in his writings, knowing that he could not chase down the rumor, because rumors are spread  with the wind, he made sure to add the correct information concerning the birth of this rumor.

It’s human fallen nature really to misunderstand words and to make something out of nothing. I don’t believe that every person starts purposefully intended rumors, some do yes, but I don’t believe every person does. For example, just yesterday I posted that 900 kids were pre-registered for our VBS. I posted in full faith that I had understood the information correctly. However, I was off a bit. The number actually included both kids AND workers registered. Our pastor commented on my post and I was able to edit it at that point and correct my mistake.

What would look different about the church if we were willing to let people know when they have misunderstood? What if we were willing to simply be bold enough to NOT believe something the moment someone tells it to us especially if it is in any way second hand information?

This is something my husband and I try to teach our girls. They will come to us with information and the first thing we will ask is, were you there? Then we will begin offering up what if’s and alternative scenarios to the situation. We do so to show them that before they take a side, they might need to get a little more information.

Are there things that we hear going on in the lives of the people we know, that we go to church with, that we work with, that we love that are in our family? Have we pulled them aside alone to ask face to face or are we satisfied with the rumor version? What if we talked to the people we have been talking about? What if we dared to ask the hard questions? What if we were willing to feel awkward so that we could live outward?

The second way this passage hit me was the “but that’s not what Jesus said…”

There is a trend in christendom to open up the Word of God and claim there is some secret hidden message behind all the words of Scripture. There are movies made on the seven deadly sins and the number of the beast. There are traveling television teachers that claim they have some hidden insight that has been revealed to them and if you will follow them they will share it with you. We try to dissect blood moons and mayan calendars and Chinese proverbs with the Davinci Code. We let the latest TBN hyped up preacher give us a “word” that ain’t no where in the Scriptures because he told us we just didn’t get it because we haven’t been anointed in the spirit that he has..

What if we just picked up the words of Jesus and took them for what they are? What if we stopped listening to people who say, “I know the Bible says this, but what I believe it means is…”

Beloved before you can know what a passage of Scripture means you have to first just simply believe what it says. What if we just picked up the Bible and read it as a letter from our Father and Brother and Friend and King and took it for simply what it says? What if we just let God speak and didn’t affix an agenda or a mystery to it so that we could act like we have learned some secret that no one else knows? Or worse, so that we could twist it to make it conform to us instead of us being conformed to the Word.

In 2 Corinthians 4:1-4 we read,

Therefore, since we have this mystery, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Our first step in understanding is simply believing. Just take God at His Word. Don’t add to it. Don’t take away from it. Just let it be and believe it.

Start there beloved. Plain and simple. Just start there.