Are you Poor? Who are the Poor?

Good morning insert your name! I really want you to know that I am writing to you because God, who is sovereign (absolutely in control of all things), knows you and it's not by accident that you are joining me here today.  Welcome insert your name.

Yesterday I spent an hour or so with Ivor in a coffee shop (drinking an Americana for the first time) discussing this ministry and also spending some time in prayer.  I'm sure there were some people looking over saying to themselves, "What in the world are those two dudes doing?"  Praying in public can be a bit uncomfortable but I realize that we come to God when and where we are but that's a topic for another post.  We were talking about the I-61 Project and what we are to be doing.  We began to look at the Scripture that inspired the name of the ministry: Isaiah 61.  We began to read the verses slowly and pick them apart carefully.  I want to share with you one part of the scripture and show you what the Lord revealed to us.  Here is the verse.

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor."  Isaiah 61:1

Firstly we understand that there is no greater purpose in any ministry than to preach the Good News.  (i.e..  Jesus came to die on our behalf so that, by faith, we can be made right in the sight of God and live forever with him).  Just a quick interlude here.  I think that God does have a sense of humor.  Don't misunderstand me.  I know he is all powerful and can breathe out stars with the word of his mouth but there are times when he makes me smirk.  Do you have a typo that you make almost every time you type a certain word or phrase?  Nearly every time I type the words "Good News" it comes out, "God News".  I always think, "Yes Lord, you are right in saying the the Good News is God News."  It makes me smile.  But I digress.

When Ivor and I looked at this first half of the first verse of Isaiah 61 we had a question. Who are the poor?  Who are these people that God sent Jesus (and subsequently his disciples) to share the gospel with?  Was it the people who lived in poverty?  For sure.  Was it the people who were poor in spirit?  For sure.  So we looked into the Word to see to whom Jesus shared the Good News and also looked to see who Jesus described as "poor". 

The Bible mentions the word "poor"178 times and most often uses the word to describe the physically or financially poor and it certainly directs us to reach out and relieve their suffering but it also describes a person whose spirit is impoverished and whose soul is famished.  Isaiah wrote these words from God in chapter 41:

"The poor and needy search for water, but there is none; their tongues are parched with thirst.   But I the Lord will answer them; I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them."

Are you hungry?  Thirsty, maybe?  Is there a part of you that has sought pleasure, happiness, joy but no matter what you do it seems to pass through your fingers.  Every time you think you have a firm hold on it it vanishes like a mirage on a hot summer road.  Are you rich in your finances but your heart seems poor and lacking?  Maybe you are rich and you say,"Nope.  I'm rich and I'm just fine.  No hunger here.  I have all I need."

Jesus, in revealing himself to John, spoke these words to the church at Laodicea (and subsequently all of us):

"You say, 'I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.'  But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked . . . " Revelation 3:17

Jesus reminds us that no matter what our IRA or savings accounts look like we may indeed be poor.  Pick up the latest "People" magazine (just once because it has little value except to reveal the truth of the words of Revelation).  Look at the lives of the "rich". Tiger Woods, Lindsey Lohan, et. al.  In God's eyes, "poor" is a thing that lies well beneath the skin, the clothes, the roof of our homes, and the covers of our financial portfolios.  

I was rich once.  I had a big bank account, a big career, and a big ego.  Under it all I was starving.  In the family album I looked like a man with a full plate, a full belly, and a healthy smile.  The portrait of my spirit (if it were painted on canvas) would have shown me sitting in the dirt with a rounded belly of starvation, holding an empty bowl, with a tongue failing to wet my cracked lips.  I was poor.

Here is the good news.  When we are touched by God and begin to see our spiritual portraits we have an opportunity to do what the poor did in Isaiah 41, "search for water".  It's when we begin to understand our need for God, our spiritual poverty, that we seek him.  The Bible says that when we seek him we will find him.  It says that Jesus came to seek and save that which was lost.  It's like a man lost in the wilderness who is seeking a way out and at the same time there is a rescue party seeking him.  

With that said, I want to conclude today but sharing with you the rest of the words of Jesus to John in Revelation 3:

"I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes so you can see.  Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline.  So, be earnest and repent.  Here I am!  I stand at the door and knock.  If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me . . . "

Last week we talked about wedding clothes.  Jesus reminds us here again that he is the one who provides the covering for our shame.  He reminds us that his gold is the only true wealth.  He reminds us that it comes through fire, through trials, and through discipline.  He reminds us that we need to repent.  He reminds us that he loves us.  And, finally he tells us that is it up to us to open the door.  He won't barge in but if you are hearing his voice today (and I pray you are) then open the door.  He will feed your soul.  I promise.  

If you are blessed by this Blog I want to ask a favor.  Would you pass the link to your email list or share a link on your Facebook page or on Twitter.  I know there are some who are "poor" in spirit among your family and friends who might need some good news.  Thanks!

Peace insert your name,

David

I'm Sorry

I have an apology to make.  I have written for fifteen months (66 posts) and have reminded you (as the Lord has reminded me) that our man-made routines can often get in the way of seeing and hearing God.  For most of the last year I have diligently sought the Lord's direction for my posts and he has faithfully provided but I have begun to do what I wanted not to do. . . gotten mundane and predictable.  I'm sorry.


I started this post twice earlier today and both times realized that they were of me and not of God.  I believe they were scripturally true but were not what the Lord delivered today. Actually God didn't deliver anything today until He reminded me that I had been a hypocrite.  I preach fervently about following the lead of the Holy Spirit and the danger of wrought repetition.  I know that when we sit, stand, repeat the words on the screen, and follow the script we planned out days earlier and close our spiritual ears to the voice of God, we often fall short of all that God has for us.  So what have I done?  Just that.  I've written every Saturday morning at the same time.  I've pasted a neat little picture in the upper left hand corner and then hit "Publish".  I'm sorry.


I have urged people to spend more time praying and less time trying to plan and figure things out and my knees have lost their callouses.  I'm sorry.


I love God but I want to love him more.  I love people but want to love them more.  I hate sin but I want to hate it even more.  I like the world way too much.  I'm sorry.


Lord,


Refresh me and fill me to overflowing with your Spirit.  Humble me where I need humbling and show me grace where I have failed you.  


In Jesus name I pray, Amen




Grace, peace, and again I say, "I'm sorry"


David

Always Be Prepared To Give and Answer . . .

1 Peter 3:14-15

"But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect."

I have been writing this Blog for over sixty weeks now and I want to do something a little different today.  Peter gave us a model here for helping people understand the Good News to which he clung to for hope.  We are to set apart Christ as Lord, be prepared to give an answer to those who ask, and do so with gentleness and respect.  With that in mind I'd like to open the door for you to drop us a question you have about God, about the Bible, or about life that you'd like us to address.

I have had many people ask questions privately in emails, most of which I've tried to answer without putting them forth to the general public.  I understand that many questions are deeply personal and sensitive but I also know that they are not uncommon and people need answers.  I'd like to ask you to send us questions and if you'd like to remain anonymous we will be sure to maintain your anonymity as we share the questions openly.  I promise that your questions and your particular circumstance are not limited to you.  As I look at people and I look back in the Word of God I see abuse, addiction, depression, fear, sin, death, sickness, doubt, love, betrayal, and every other emotion and situation ever known.  I believe that we often don't broach those things in church but we need to.  Jesus met the people in the midst of their brokenness and brought them the answer.  He said, "Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest."

So with that said, the door is open.

1)  If you are visiting this blog directly on the website you will see in the upper right hand corner of this post (and every post) a small box with a red circle and a number.  The number represents the number of comments for a particular post.  If you click on the number it will open a comment box.  You can comment as a member of Google, aim, Wordpress, etc or if you don't have an account you can enter a comment as "anonymous".

2)  If you've received this post in an email or through a subscription then there will be a link at the bottom that says, "email the author".  Click on the link then send us an email.

3) If you want to send us a question or comment you can also do so through the main "I-61 PROJECT.ORG" website.  Click on the envelope/billboard or the "contact" link at the top and a comment box will open for you to enter your comments or questions.

Please know that we will respect any question or comment you send and will respect your privacy if you wish to be anonymous.  No topic is off limits.  Depending on the response today we will do our best to address each one as a post but if we can not get to every one as a post we will always answer each one personally to you if you include contact information (we will never publish that info publicly).

We pray for you all today and ask that God draw you near to his grace and love.

David and the I-61 Project

Jesus says, "Come" and then he says, "Go"

Do you remember the movie Stripes with Bill Murray, John Candy, and Harold Ramis?  I know its not a Christian movie for sure but there is a scene and a concept that I'd like to use as a powerful visual to segue to what I feel God led me to today. The characters that these men played were initially longhaired, undisciplined, and unmotivated.  They were going nowhere fast in life and needed help. There was a poster that was famous at the time.  It was Uncle Sam pointing his finger at you saying "I want you." It was a message to young men who needed some direction, some skills, and some discipline to "Come!"

So here is the scene:  There is a long line of recruits in bell bottom jeans with long hair and unshaved faces smiling, laughing, and joking as they waited their turn to enter a building to be processed and get their uniforms.  They had listened to the recruiting mantra and followed the prompt to "Come" and they did just that but the Army wasn't going to leave them they way they came.  The scene unfolds with the men having their heads shaved and then they emerge from the building humbled and painted with sad puppy dog faces.  But the Army called them not to keep them in the barracks but to train them, grow them, discipline them and then send them "out".  In other words they first said "Come" and then said, "Go".

Here is the segue: God says, "Come" then he says "Go"

The Bible says that Jesus came into the world to save sinners, to seek and to save that which was lost.  When he did come, his message was clear but he also reminded us of our need for God's help as well.  Jesus said, "Come to me all you are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." He said, "Let the little children come to me.” and "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink."  His offer to the people was for them to "Come".  He reminded us of our weakness and our innate tendency not to come and told us that we needed the Father to first draw us to him.  Jesus was saddened by those who were drawn to him, grabbed hold of religion but not to him and in the end had not come.  "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life.  These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life."

We come to Jesus like Bill Murray and John Candy did (broken, weak, undisciplined, and unfit.)  We didn't get shaved up, cleaned up, and in tiptop shape first but we came as we were. It was the Holy Spirit who came in and started us in boot camp.  The message to the world is to "Come!"  Business men, athletes, tall people, skinny people, heavy people, black people, white people, Asians, Scandinavians, and Africans.  Prostitutes, tax collectors, porn addicts, crack addicts, straight, gay, millionaires, and the homeless. Republicans, Democrats, Socialists, and Communists.  Jesus knew that sinners came in all shapes and sizes and then ALL need to be reconciled (made in right standing) to God.  Did Jesus come to justify sin? NO! But he came to free us from it.  Isaiah said in chapter 61 (the impetus for this ministry) that he came to preach good news to the poor, bind up the broken hearted, free the captives, and to release prisoners from the darkness. AMAZING!  So if you are human and in need of freedom and life then COME!  

So what happens after we come and receive life through Jesus Christ?  God by the power of his Holy Spirit begins to clean us up and get us into shape (spiritually). We are made into the likeness of his Son.  This is a slow process that the Bible calls "sanctification" but just means to be made holy like God is holy.  The Bible really shows this both as something that has happened and is happening.  But here is where God has shown me that he brings us in the door and then sends us out again.  The Word tells us that Jesus "sent them (the Apostles) out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits."  It says he "sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick."  In Matthew 28, Jesus said, "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

So here is the thought for the day:  If you have been nudged by God to seek him or have felt emptiness in the meaningless pursuit of life without God then COME. Jesus tells us that those who come will in no way be cast out. Remember though, when you come God will not let you hold unto your sin no matter how much you cling to it, rationalize it, or justify it.  His desire is to see you whole. And, if you have already come and are born again into the family of God you should not just sit comfortably in your grace and life but need to GO OUT and lead others to Christ.  You can do it with the gifts you've been given.  For some it may mean caring for the homeless in the name if Christ.  For others it may mean raising your children with the love and knowledge of Christ.  For some it may mean flying to Cambodia to bring Bibles to those in dark and dangerous house churches.  The Army brought the men in one door and sent them out another. They came in as a ragtag group of hippies and walked out as a "mean lean fighting machine"

Grace and Peace,

David

They Examined the Scriptures to See if What Paul was Saying was True

Please, don't just believe me!  Yes, you heard me right.  Please, don't just believe me.  Here is what I'd like you to do instead:

Pray for God to reveal to you the truth, his truth.  Search the Scriptures to see if what I say is true.  When you ask God to reveal the truth you have to be honestly willing and desiring of truth.  God is a good Father and won't give you a stone if you ask for bread.  The Bible says to "test the spirits to see  whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1)

I started the post in this way because not every teacher of the Christian faith is telling you the truth.  Not every little white building with a cross on it is truly a church of Jesus Christ, even if they use his name.  You need to be earnestly seeking the truth and willing to look carefully at what you are being taught in order to be sure that you're not being mislead and I want you to start right here with me.  Don't just believe me, please.

Paul was sharing the Gospel in a Greek city called Berea and here is what Luke said of the Bereans in the second chapter of Acts:

"Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true."

How did the Bereans know if Paul was preaching the truth?  They examined the Scriptures.  Luke didn't tell us that they knew based on how it made them feel.  He didn't say that they gathered together afterward and took a vote for a majority rule.  He didn't say they weighed it against worldly opinion.  They examined the Scriptures.  Why?  Because they knew that God couldn't speak against himself or contrary to his Word.  They understood the prophetic word to be true.  Jesus said in John 10 "The Scripture cannot be broken."

Peter was very aware that, as the Gospel of Jesus spread throughout the Middle East, Asia, and to Rome and that many false teachers had arisen (and would arise), that were perverting the Gospel.  He knew that there was "no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."  He understood that Scripture was "God breathed" and the words of the prophets were not just stories they made up.  He knew that the Gospel that he and the Apostles preached was given to them by Jesus and now went forth in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Listen to Peter's words:

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (2 Peter 1:6)

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:20-21)

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  (2 Peter 2:1)

If there was true teaching it must have had some solid foundation and some points that these false teachers were veering from.  I want to put forth a word that many in the liberal church (not politically liberal but theologically liberal) avoid like the mumps - "Doctrine".

Doctrine can be defined as - a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief.

If anyone holds to sound doctrine they are called "fundamentalists". I have been called a fundamentalist and I am thankful that they recognize the same fundamentals in me as were in Paul, Peter, and in Jesus himself.  What does fundamental mean?

-serving as an original or generating source

-of or relating to essential structure, function, or facts

You see, the fundamentals that I have been given were first given to the Apostles both in the form of the Old Testament and later in the Word made flesh - Jesus Christ.  It was the original and essential part of their faith!  How important were the fundamental beliefs of the Apostles?  Listen to Paul's words:

He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it. (Titus 1:9)

You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. (Titus 2:1)

Paul also reminded the Corinthian church of the Gospel he was given and said he passed it along as "first importance" then shared again the facts of Jesus' life, death, burial, and resurrection.

I'd like to remind you of some of the Biblical truths that are being called into question by some in the pulpits of the church, especially the comfortable western church.  

1) the divine inspiration and truth of the Bible 

2) the virgin birth, the resurrection, and the divinity of Jesus (i.e. Jesus being being God)

3) Jesus being the only way to God

I was told by a pastor that people from other nations and those with different belief systems had their way to God just as we have ours and that it was not the responsibility of Christian leaders to "foist" Jesus into their equations.  I have been told that I have put God in a box.  So here is the deal.  Please don't believe me.  Pray for God to reveal the truth to you and then listen.  Search the Word of God (if you indeed believe the Bible to be the Word of God) and see what is true.  Did Jesus place himself into groups of people from different nations and belief systems?  Did the Apostles travel to far away lands to share the Gospel of Jesus with those who were worshiping false gods?  Did they die violent deaths in order to do that?  Did Jesus tell us that he was one of many ways to the Father?  Did Jesus teach a social Gospel to feed the poor, clothe the naked, and heal the sick void of  himself and the kingdom of God?  

Paul said that there would be a time when people wouldn't put up with sound doctrine but would instead surround themselves with teachers who would tell them what their itching ears wanted to hear.  Today Jesus is being watered down and combined with and blended with other belief systems.  It has a form of Godliness but is void of its power.  It looks a little like Christianity but is not.  Jesus is a great moral teacher and many say "he is the way for me" but don't find him terribly necessary for others if they have found their own way.  If you want to know the truth you have to be open to it.  If you come into the Word and to the faith clinging to your agendas (no matter how apparently noble) you will come out with a religion that is partly Jesus and mostly you. As for me, I don't want more of me but less!

Peace and Grace,

David

Wow! God Really Showed Up Like He Said He Would!

I often wondered what it would be like to just show up with no agenda but to seek God; I mean with no plan, no notes, no songs selected, no set time to wrap it up, and no one in the driver's seat - except for the Holy Spirit that is.  Who would want to join me for a moment like that?  What if we all just sat there and nothing happened?  What if we all just looked at each other for a while, got bored, then packed up and left?  Worst yet, what if one person decided it was his time to take the stage and it became an out of control, prideful fiasco?  But what if God showed up and rocked our world, then what?

Over the past few months God has led me to a number of people who were hungry, I mean REALLY hungry for God.  They wanted to get past the routines and the man made protocols and go to into the inner sanctuary.  They were people who would call me at eleven PM sounding like they just won the lottery and when I ask what all the fuss was about they would share "an amazing scripture that God opened up" to them that night.  They were people who would talk to me about grace and not be able to finish because they couldn't stop crying.  They were people who would give up nights, lunches, and free time to talk about Jesus.  They were people who went to Cambodia, Haiti, and homeless shelters here in the states because they realized when they were saved that they were now not there own but were bought with a price.  They were people who wanted to worship God in Spirit and truth.  God wanted me to gather them together.  For what I wondered?  That's right.  That wasn't my issue.  So I sent out some emails:

“Dear _ _ _ _ _ ,

God has placed it on my heart to gather this group of people together on Sat. March 6th and seek his face.  I don't have any idea what this means or what this looks like.  I have no plan or agenda.  I hope you can make it.  

Peace, David”

That wasn't the exact Email but it was close.  I sent it to 16 people that God put on my heart.  They were from 21 to 80 years of age.  They were black and white.  They were Pentecostals, Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, and Non-Denominational Christians but they were all believers.  There were eight men and seven women.  There were married people and single people.  There were 16 sinners and 16 saints.  Most people knew one or two others and no one knew everyone but we were all brothers and sisters with the same father.

As we gathered in an urban warehouse turned photography studio (Thank you so much Bob, Julie, and Rob) tears began to flow as one man began to pray then share how God turned his life from one of hostility and anger to one of love and gentleness.  God opened men up to share their previous lives of porn addiction, drug addiction, adultery, and abuse and then turned the power of their testimonies into songs of praise.  Papa Stokes (a wise and Spirit filled, eighty year old, pastor) shared some things God put on his heart but later said with tears in his eyes, "I learned something today...  I was humbled".  We laid hands on him, anointed him with oil and prayed over him as another was led to do.  We were in the Word and grew in the knowledge of God.  We started at 10 AM and when we looked up it was 1PM.  No one was tired, bored, or ready to leave.  Some wanted to stay.  God was glorified, people built up, and I was humbled.  As we were ready to leave it was said that while we were gathered to grow in our faith it was in preparation to "Go" out. The church was never meant to be "in" but to always be going "out".  

I have said this before and I'll say it again, "I love the Church!"  I mean the bride of Christ, the redeemed, the Body of Christ, the Born Again, the Children of God.  I also love those who don't know God yet, those still dead in their sins, those still weary and heavy ladened.  Jesus said, Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy ladened and I will give you rest."  Are you weary?  Come  

Please, Please, Please, if you need prayer, if you aren't sure about your salvation, if you have done some religious activities but have never known the power of God then drop us a note.  We'd love to listen to your story and help you along your journey.  

As always, Grace and Peace,

David

Sin And Holiness - Even Though The War Is Won, Battles Rage On!

Someone smart once said that misery loves company.  Now I know that it’s probably not very Christian for any of us to wish misery on someone else but the truth is that when we are struggling it is comforting to know we aren’t alone and that someone else might not just sympathize but empathize with our plight.  We are in a battle friends and we have to be careful that as Christians we don't pretend that we have arrived at holy perfection.  We need to be transparent with each other and to those who haven't yet come to know Christ because the battle for our minds doesn't end the day we say yes to Jesus.

Yesterday I had one of those Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde days when I didn’t even recognize myself part of the time.  Now I know that I love God and he loves me more.  I know that I have been saved through my faith in Jesus Christ and am thankful for the amazing gift he gave me at the cross. I know that the Holy Spirit of God lives in me. I know that I’m being conformed to the likeness of Jesus - a process the Bible calls “sanctification” (a big word meaning the process by which we grow closer to God and our lives become more holy).  But I also know that until Jesus returns to call me home I am stuck in this body of flesh and some days the flesh wins out over my spirit. 

Yesterday was one of those days.  I was tired, not feeling that great, and had a very frustrating morning. I found myself thinking thoughts I shouldn’t have been thinking and saying things I shouldn’t have been saying.  Toward the end of the day I was feeling like I totally let God down and that he might just want to find someone else to do this work because there MUST be someone much more “righteous" he could use.  But as I was contemplating writing God my letter of resignation I spoke to two believers who reminded me that it is the holiness of Jesus in me and not my own holiness that is the power God uses through me.  Good thing because I didn’t have much good to bring to the table yesterday.

Like I said at the opening, it’s good to know I’m not alone but I don’t think just anyone who told me that they fight sin and temptation would suffice.  I needed someone who everyone thinks is so “HOLY” but still admits the battle exists.  I looked around then I found him!  The Apostle Paul or St. Paul.  Oh yeah I forget that New Testament saints were all of those who were saved and following Jesus.  St. David? Hmmmm?  I feel like one some days but yesterday I think they would have needed to retire my statue!

So what did Paul say about his battle against sin and the flesh?  I recommend you read the whole seventh chapter of the Book of Romans but I will share with you verses 15-25:

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me.  I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.  So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Look, Paul was not saying it was ok to sin or falter but he was acknowledging the battle that is raging in those who have been saved.  He goes on later in Romans to remind us that we who are in Christ Jesus are not under God’s condemnation but also that we are to be controlled by the Spirit of God.  He promises that we can do all things through Him (Jesus) who gives us strength.  The Bible also says that God’s mercies are new every day and as I write this I feel a fresh shower of God’s grace over me.  I also see the work that God has done in me since the day he reached down and plucked me from death.  He is SO good.  So, if you are a child of God and have failed Him, let him know your sorrow over it and trust that if you confess your sins he is faithful and just and will forgive your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.  WOW!  How much unrighteousness?  ALL!  Thank you Father God for that and thank you Lord Jesus for doing what I could NEVER do!

Grace and Peace, David

Hearing God's Still Small Voice - You Have to Keep Your Ears Open

I've heard people say this many times, "I wish God would speak to Me." or "How do I hear the voice of God?"  I think as God has grown me I am beginning to understand.  I have met people who have the amazing gift of revelation from God in audible words, dreams, or visions and that is amazing for sure!  And when I tell my wife that the Lord gave me a verse today she wants to know how I heard it.  I have a hard time explaining it.  It's not audible but it’s not just a thought either. It’s clear and direct and unmistakable.  But most times, I think, God’s voice is small and quiet and we need to be open to hear it.  Today I want to share with you a story that reveals how God sometimes speaks to us and gives us the choice to listen and be amazed or shrug it off and miss a blessing.  This is a story of Don Frey, a man made in the image of God.  I called Don this morning for his permission to share this story and he seemed pleased to have it told so here it goes!

A couple of years ago I was asked to fill in for my pastor and preach from the pulpit (or I guess not from the pulpit if I so chose).  I spent a few weeks praying and seeking God's direction and I felt Him leading me to speak about man's being made in the image of God.  I had recently learned of Nick Vujicic a man who was born without arms or legs but was preaching the Gospel all over the world.  A man who swims, trades commodities, and types with the toes of his small, deformed foot.  I planned on showing a video clip of Nick and his ministry "Life Without Limbs" in the middle of my message. 

On the Saturday before I was to preach I was meeting with Ivor (my partner in this ministry and our worship leader) at a small local coffee shop.  We were discussing the I-61 Project and while we were there a man came into the coffee shop and walked up to the counter.  I was not aware of this but Ivor happened to be at the counter at the time.  The man appeared to be in his late fifties.  He was somewhat disheveled and his shirt was buttoned up wrong.  He told the young woman working at the counter that he had schizophrenia but was on medications and was looking for work.  Ivor came back sat down and our meeting went on as before.  I never saw the man that day.

Sunday morning comes along and I am on the platform getting ready for worship when I see Ivor walking up to me with that look on his face.  It was one of those, “I just heard from God” looks.  Here is the dialogue:

“David, the man from the coffee shop is here!”

“What man from the coffee shop?”

He tells me the story I told you from Saturday at the coffee shop then continues,

“David, he walks in and the Holy Spirit pushes me to introduce myself and when I do he says, ‘My name is Don. Do you have any doughnuts?’ So I tell him that I don’t think so but when I look down the hall a lady is walking toward me with a plate of . . . you guessed it . . . doughnuts!  So I say, ‘I guess we do have doughnuts after all.’  Then Don asks me if we have a piano in our church so I show him the piano in our fellowship hall.  He sits down and starts playing Chopin, like I mean,  flawlessly.”

So they we were looking at each other with the same crazy thought:  “God wants Don to play for us at church today.”  Alright, I reckon that I’ll never be asked to preach here again but let’s pray about it and see where the Holy Spirit leads.  So I preach the first half of my message and queue up the video of Nick Vujicic, sit down, and begin to pray like crazy!  In my spirit I hear the Lord say, “Chuck your notes.”  I’m like, “No Lord.  I worked for three weeks on this message!”  Again I hear, “Chuck your notes.”  I look up and see Don sitting in the front row and Ivor sitting behind him.  Ivor was smiling a “God said go for it” kind of smile.  OK God, this is your service not mine.  I stood up and said, “I had a fair amount more to say to you today but the Lord has other plans.  God wants us to see one of the people made in his image. God made music and made Don to share that music.  Don would you like to play the piano for us?  Don smiles, stands up, gives the congregation a somewhat lengthy but interesting introduction then sits at the piano and plays like an angel from heaven.  I wept and others wept as well.  Some, as you would expect were like, “Who in the world let this random guy, off the street, play piano during a ‘church’ service?! His name is not even in the bulletin!”  What if Jesus showed up?  Would he be permitted to play?  Hmmmm?

Here is the moral of the story.  God by the power of his Spirit directs our lives but we have to be willing to listen and obey.  I have spent way more time with my eyes closed and in willful disobedience but as I walk with God I am starting to see miracles and they are blessing me almost daily.  One last bit of trivia and a little icing on the cake (God does that I think just because he can):  Don’s father (Eric Frey) invented and holds a US patent for one of the Braille Typewriting machines. Don just wanted you to know.

Grace and peace,

David

Ninety-Five Percent of Church Should Happen Outside of Church

I've struggled so much with "church" lately.  I don't mean the "Church" as in the Body of Christ but the places, the denominations, the politics, the programs, the plans, and the rest of what most would call the "church".  This isn't about one church but the general trend of the church particularly in the west.  I will say up front that this is a generalization and that there are local bodies of believers that don't fit this mold.  I will say that we each need to look at ourselves individually and then as local bodies to see where we stand.  Self-examination is important because if we don't regularly check our walk we may find that we have taken a slow but dramatic detour from the path God had us on.  There is a trend away from the truth of Scripture, away from God's call for holiness, and a seeming  scarcity of consumed, Holy Spirit filled, passionate, radical lives changed by Jesus.

I remember the day I was saved.  I don't remember the day I was born but I remember well the day I was born again. I've seen childbirth and what I can say (at least from the perspective of an observer) is that it is both brutal and beautiful at the same time.  It is a time of pain and a time of immense joy.  It is a miracle.  Well, the birth of a spirit that was once "dead in transgressions and sins" is no less a miracle.  But here is the question I have for us today:  Why?  Why does God save us then leave us here in this broken and sin-filled world?  What did the church of born-again believers look like in the first century as depicted in the Book of Acts.

So, what am I getting at?  I want to start by answering the question I posed at the beginning.  Why didn't God just take us to heaven when he saved us?  So that we could be comfortable and happy for a few more years here on earth?  So that we could fill our bank accounts and houses with more money and trinkets?  So that we could gather together once or twice a week to do church.  I think not.  As far as I can tell there are three main things to do while we are here:

1)  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself.  Luke 10:27

2) ". . .  to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  Isaiah 58:6-7

3) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  Matthew 28:19-20

What does it look like to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind?"  Seems pretty consuming doesn't it.  A life radically changed by the grace of God through the sacrifice of Jesus becomes consumed.  What is the word that is repeated here? "All" That means God consumes our emotions, our thoughts, and our efforts.  It's like from the moment we wake to the time we lay our heads on the pillow, our lives are consumed with the things of God.   Paul said these words in his letter to the Philippians:  "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him." Where are you and where is your church?  See also Galatians 2:20

Can we break the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, feed the hungry, cloth the naked, or provide shelter for the wanderers if we spend 95% of the time as the "Church" within the walls of the "church"?  Doubtful.  When I look at the disciples in the book of Acts (By the way, they were the Church) it seems that they were on the streets and in homes more than they were in the temple or specific buildings called "churches".  This isn't to condemn buildings called "churches" but if we gather like a small social clubs and fail to get out of the walls we have failed.  One more thing here.  Just because a church does a mission trip or donates some money to the needy doesn't mean we are doing what the Lord has asked.  Acts 4 tells it like this:  "There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need."  Where are you and where is your church?

Social justice is good but if we stop there we have left people with full bellies and warm feet but still dead in their spirits.  We are commanded to go and make disciples.  I think the key word here is "go".  We expect them to come.  Jesus didn't say wait for them to show up at church then tell them the "Good News".  He said, "go".  Our most important task is to bring people to the cross.  Jesus also said, "teach them" so that they would know the commands and obey them.  Holiness and obedience have very much been put out with the dogs as we have preached grace.  Grace is amazing but Jesus said obey as well.

I want to finish by saying that I don't believe we can do these things with finely tuned plans devised by men void of the power and direction of the Holy Spirit, for man's plans will never produce more than man-sized results.  So like I have said before, we should probably spend way more time praying, fasting, and seeking God than meeting in committees with rigid agendas and a final vote or two to make it official.  The Holy Spirit says, "Go." and you go.  He says, "Speak." then you speak.  He says, "Preach your sermon." Then you preach.  He says "Tear up your sermon and say this instead" then rip away!  

Love God. Love and care for the people.  Share the Gospel and teach the people; all with an all-consuming passion.  I understand that some days you'll not feel passionate or consumed but this isn't about emotions.  I understand that even in the first century the people, like us, were flawed and imperfect.  But let's not get stuck in the mundane and the irrelevant.  Let's get a little crazy for Christ!  

Peace in the risen Jesus!

David

Do I have that Kind of Faith? I Don't Know....

It was Christmas morning 1980.  I was seventeen years old but I remember it in HD with surround sound.  I vividly remember each agonizing step of the basement stairs that my mother crawled down to reach the Christmas tree. I recall the rest of my family standing at the bottom of the stairs looking up while my little sisters cried.  I was pleading with my mother to let me carry her down the steps and end the pain but she resiliently and somewhat angrily said, "No!  I can do it!"  There were thirteen steps and it took about half an hour but she made it to the bottom, sat there, and cried.  That was the last Christmas we spent with her.  The cancer that started in her lungs had spread to her bones, her eye, and her brain. She was a strong woman and I admire her courage and her fortitude.  There came a day however when she became weary and gave up.

What if I had to suffer this kind of pain not in the grip of cancer but for the Gospel of Jesus Christ; could I keep moving?  It seems like a daunting proposition.

I look back at martyred followers of Jesus Christ, from those in the New Testament to those on foreign mission fields today and wonder how they had the strength to carry on until the end.  Paul reminded us of the struggles he endured for the Gospel:

"Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches."

Paul was eventually beheaded in Rome.

Sanctus, in the first century, suffered for the Gospel:

"He suffered many torments devised by men. When these men could do no more, they fastened hot plates of brass to the most tender parts of his body. He withstood all the suffering, but his body was one continued wound, mangled and shrivelled, that had entirely lost the form of man to the external eye. Again, he passed through the tortures. These included the strokes of the scourge, the draggings and lacerations from the beasts, other tortures demanded by the audience, and the iron chair upon which his body was roasted. Other tortures followed until he died."

We live a pretty cozy Christianity these days.  We worry about silly things and argue about silly thing but what if Jesus asked us to walk a road like Sanctus or Paul.  What would we do?  What kind of faith did these men have to endure the pain, fight the fear, and not deny the Lord Jesus?  Was it a weekend faith?  Was it a faith that was spoken of or one that was lived out?  Where did it come from and how can I have that kind of faith?  I want that kind of faith.  It scares me to even ask for it because it seems like an invitation to suffering.  I don't want to suffer.  Who does?  But I think that one day as we stand before the Lord (the Bible says to whom every knee shall bow) we will understand what our lives really looked like.  We'll see clearly what our priorities were, what our aspirations were, what our desires were, and how much we truly walked with Christ.  So while Paul spent his days fearing for his life in spreading the Gospel and Sanctus' was dragged through the streets I wonder what it looks like when we bicker over which hymns we're going to sing or what color the sanctuary carpet is going to be.  I wonder what it looks like when we spend more time in church than on the streets.  I wonder what it looks like when we Jesus is a bracelet we wear and not a God we worship.  I wonder. 

Today I am a little weary and I have never been flogged, shipwrecked, or stoned. Today I pray for courage, for strength, for humility, for endurance, and for a Word from God.  I pray that God gives me a fresh filling of his Spirit so that I can do what he wants and not what I want.  The Word tells me that with God we can do anything, and if God is for us who can be against us, and all things together work for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose.  I'm glad.  So today I trust that God will lead us all the way to the finish line with just as much strength as we need.  

I'm not sure if I wrote this today for you or for me. . . maybe both.

Peace and faith,

David