Tech Problems

I will post the third message in the series, "Going Toward God" (from Psalm 84) as soon as I can, but have encountered some technical problems with Blogspot. It's not accepting pastes from Word, and I sure don't have the time to retype it! Hopefully that will corrected soon.

The Journey Toward God

This is the second message in the series, which I shared this past Sunday.

Series: Going toward God—Psalm 84
Part Two: The Journey toward God
Psalm 84:5-8

You never stay the same. I talk to people all the time. I ask them, “What’s happening?” And over 50% of the time I get the answer, “Not much. Things are about the same.”

And when I hear that, there’s a part of me that says, “More is happening than you’re aware of.”

It is the nature of living things to change. So if you’re alive, you’re changing. You’re either becoming more of what God wants you to be, or less of what God wants you to be. You are not staying the same.

If you think that you’re relationship with God is OK and that it hasn’t changed much in the last month, or year, or decade, then I have bad news for you. If you think it hasn’t changed, it’s probably gotten worse.

It reminds me of that story often told about an old dirt road, where someone put up a makeshift sign: “Chose your rut carefully. You’ll be in it the next 38 miles.”

You were designed to have a deep and significant and growing relationship with God. You were designed to keep growing in that relationship. If that’s not happening, then you’re not living by your design. It’s like trying to use a blender as a pencil sharpener. It just doesn’t work.

Psalm 84 is a Psalm about our design. It’s a “pilgrimage” Psalm. In vs. 5, the writer says, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their heart on pilgrimage.” This is a Psalm for people who determined to get close to God.

One way you got close to God in the era of the Old Testament was by going up to Jerusalem, to the Temple.

Psalm 84:1-4 speaks of this intense desire to go and worship God at the Temple:

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah

The Psalm is divided into three sections, each one ending with the word “Selah” a musical notation marking the sections of the Psalm. The first part, vs. 1-4 is about that desire to seek God. We looked at that last week, and we considered some of the enemies of desire for God:

• Noise: all the distractions that can get our eyes off God
• Comfort: because we attempt little for God’s sake, we have no passion; when we are so comfortable, we fall asleep
• Ingratitude: we forget all His blessings, and so lose a passion to know and serve Him
• Sin: anytime we declare a cease-fire with sin in our lives, we put ourselves in a place where God can’t and won’t use us, and our passion drains away

Any of these can cool off our desire for God. We have to watch out for them, and resist them.

Next, in vs. 5-8, we see what the real journey toward God is like. That’s our focus today. Then next week, we’ll look at the lifestyle of a real worshipper as we examine vs. 9-12. That’s the destination of the Psalm, and it’s the real desire of God for us all, to become through and through, from-the-heart worshippers.

How do we get there? Well, now, let’s look at the central section of Psalm 84, the part about the journey itself, vs. 5-8:

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.
8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty;
listen to me, O God of Jacob.
Selah

OK, I want to suggest six things about the journey toward God based on these verses.

1. The journey has a goal: the presence of God (v. 1, 5, 8)

Here’s something you hear a lot: “I’m not religious, but I am spiritual.” My reply is, “I’m not religious, but I am relational.” Real spirituality is about a personal relationship with God.

The goal is not fuzzy; the goal is not a feeling; the goal is not a generality; the goal is a Person, God Himself. This Psalm is about someone determined to get closer to God. In vs. 1, he has the vision: “How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty!” That’s renewed in vs. 5: “Blessed are those whose strength is in you…”

This is not someone who wants to become “more religious” (whatever that means). This is someone who wants to know more of what it means to experience God’s own strength in their lives. They pursue God in prayer, as in vs. 8: “Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob.” They know that the goal is a Person: the God of Jacob.

This is not someone who wants to join a church, or join a class or take some lessons; this is someone who wants to get close to God. Now, joining a church, or getting some instruction is good, but it’s not the same; it may be a means to help achieve that end, but it’s not the same. The goal is being close to God Almighty, the Creator and the Redeemer, the one who gave His Son over to death so that we can have life.

2. The journey isn’t my journey; it’s our journey (v. 5-7)

Now this one is a little bit of a surprise, so let’s take some time to get it. First, look at vs. 5-7, and take note that this isn’t an individual’s quest; it’s a group journey:

5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.
7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

The Biblical vision of spiritual growth always involves the individual, but it’s never limited to individuals. Groups of people seeking God grow together. This is a concept that Americans have a hard time with. Individualism is a great thing for a country, but it produces some blind spots for a believer.

Look, this is not hard to prove. Think for a second. I’m guessing that 80% of us would say that the times of greatest spiritual growth in our lives occurred in the context of a group of believers. In a class or a youth group or a home Bible study—I’m guessing a lot of us can relate to that.

And some of you here right now are thinking, “I can’t relate to that. I’ve never had that kind of experience.” And a bunch of you are still wondering why you’ve never had that accelerated experience of spiritual growth. Here’s why: you thought you could go on this pilgrimage all by yourself. You can’t.

That’s why you’ll always hear me beating the “get into a group” drum. Get into a Sunday morning class or get into a growth group. Because that’s the way pilgrimage works: not lone hermits going up to the temple, but families and whole villages making the trip. The journey to get close to God isn’t my journey; it’s our journey, and I need you and you need me to make it to where God wants us to be.

3. The journey must go through the dry, difficult valley (v. 6a)

…they pass through the Valley of Baca…

OK, here’s true confessions time. This verse is the hardest verse in the Psalm to translate, so you’ll find a lot of variations in different translations.
Here’s what we have. “Baca” means “weeping”; “baca” is also the word for balsam tree. Balsam trees like really dry, arid places.

Another thing: we have no knowledge of a place called the Valley of Baca. The writer seems to be using it as a symbol. It’s the valley of weeping, the valley of dry places, the valley of hardship.

It’s kind of like Psalm 23 where David writes about “the valley of the shadow of death.” Well, that’s a symbol too.

Let me try to bottom line this for you where it matters: if you really intend to go on a journey toward God, it means that you’d better plan on going through some tough places. You’d better plan on a harsh desert. You’d better plan on going through places that will give you pain.

Is that because God will bring you pain? No, it’s because there’s a lot that’s bent and messed up in you and me, and when we say, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you wherever you say, and I will be the person you want me to be,” then God will take us through tough places to work that out in our lives.

Even Jesus had to spend 40 days in the desert fasting to get to the place where He could begin His ministry. The journey toward God, when it’s genuine, will always take us through some hardship.

Last spring I read the book Born to Battle by the late Australian missionary R. Arthur Mathews. It’s a spiritual gem. He was a missionary in China at the time of the communist takeover. He writes that when the communists were first coming into their area—near the border with Tibet—he and his wife and the other missionaries were constantly praying for deliverance. But the communists kept coming and the situation went from bad to worse.

At this point, God brought to their attention the story of Jesus asleep in the boat while the disciples battled the storm. They woke Him: “Don’t you care that we’re perishing?” Well, of course He cared; the fact that He was sleeping was no proof that He didn’t care. Gradually their prayers changed. He writes,

We found our strength, not in dreams of escape, but in complete surrender to whatever God wanted to do with us. We realized that God’s claims are absolute and that we must accept them without bargaining…we almost wanted to pray for greater troubles because of the greater joy they brought in God’s assurances.

They were going through the Valley of Baca. If you’ve set your mind on pilgrimage toward God, you have to go through the Valley of Baca. God has some things to teach you in the Valley of Baca, things you can’t learn anywhere else.

Now, something really good happens in the valley—now let’s read all of vs. 6:

6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca,
they make it a place of springs;
the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

That leads to fourth observation…

4. Perseverance in the journey turns the same hard place into a place of blessing (v. 6b)

The dry place, the desert place, becomes the place of springs, the place blessed with the autumn rains. Go through Baca with faith and God turns into a place of blessing.

Some of you here today are dragging your soul through a spiritual Death Valley and you’ve wondered where God is. Here’s the truth: under ever rock in that valley, there’s water. There is spiritual nourishment and hope and peace of mind right there, you just have to trust God.

God’s on your side. Maybe you know the story of Elisha and his servant. It’s in 2 Kings 6. Whenever the Syrians were planning to attack Israel, God would tell Elisha what they were up to, and then he’d warn the king and the Syrians would be defeated. The Syrians eventually figured out that Elisha was the secret weapon, so they sent an army just to capture him. The servant looked out one morning to see them surrounded by a battalion of crack Syrian soldiers. He ran to tell the old prophet, who said, “Don’t worry; we have more on our side than they do.” The servant counted 1-2 and looked out the window and said, “I don’t think so!” Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, open up his eyes so he can see.” Then he saw that they were surrounded by an angelic army of soldiers and horses and fire.

Hang in there in faith, and God will show you the army too. Trust Him and your dry place will start to bubble up with springs. He can turn your desert into a meadow. If you set your face toward seeking God and do not flinch, God will send you all the blessings you can handle.

5. As we continue on the God-ward journey, we become stronger and stronger (v. 7a)

They go from strength to strength…

Whenever the Bible uses the formula, “from X to X” it means “with ever increasing X.” In Romans, Paul talks about “from faith to faith” and in 2 Corinthians he speaks of “from glory to glory.” In both places the context demands that we understand this as meaning “with more and more faith, with more and more glory.” So also here: the pilgrims go with more and more strength. Holding on, persevering, going through Baca, makes them stronger and stronger.

Increasing faith! Check out 2 Thessalonians 1:3-4:

3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

Their faith was “growing more and more.” How did this happen? Because they also know what it was like to go through the Valley of Baca. Look at vs. 4:

4Therefore, among God's churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.

I’ll say it again: want a strong faith? You will not grow it on your couch. You will grow it on the battlefield, in the valley and in the arena, striving for the kingdom of God and His righteousness. The Russians have a proverb: hard carrots make for strong teeth.

6. We then, as individuals, appear before God (v. 7b)

Imagine you’re in that ancient caravan, going up to Jerusalem. You’ve traveled for days, singing your songs of Zion when in the distance the city comes into view. Your heart leaps with joy, and then again when you come into the gate. Through the streets you go until you go up the hill called Moriah where the temple sits.

Vs. 7 says,

7 They go from strength to strength,
till each appears before God in Zion.

You’ve “arrived.” You kept the faith in Baca and saw what God can do. Your spiritual muscles are toned now. You’re not perfect—far from it. But you have endured.

And now you, as an individual are there, “till each appears before God in Zion.” You know God and you know that God knows you. He is high and holy, but He is also close and loving.

In John 15:15, Jesus says something amazing:

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

To really get this, to grasp this; this is the goal of the journey. In Old Testament terms, it is to “stand before God in Zion.” In New Testament terms, it’s to know God as friend. It is when, as Psalm 37:4 says, we “delight yourself in the Lord.” We come before God strong and joyful and in a place where God can use us in ways we never imagined.

Dave and Lynn Philips started Children’s Hunger Fund in 1992. It was the culmination of a lot of soul-searching and God seeking. It meant the end of their guaranteed income life—it meant stepping into a life of faith with no safety net.

Just six weeks after getting started—when CHF was operating out of their garage, Dave got a desperate phone call from a hospital in Honduras. He still doesn’t know how they got his number (this was BG: Before Google!) On the other end was a doctor telling Dave that he needed a certain drug to save seven kids’ lives—seven Honduran kids with cancer. Dave wrote down the name of the drug and told the guy in Honduras that he had no idea how he’d get the drug. So he said, let’s pray.

The prayer went something like this:

Lord, we love you and we’re doing our best to obey you. And we know that you love these kids. I don’t know what to do, so you’re going to have to show me. Thank you Jesus, amen.

As he hung up the phone, before he could even let go of the receiver, the phone rang again. It was a drug company in New Jersey asking Dave if he could use 48,000 vials of that exact drug! Not only that, they offered to airlift it anywhere in the world.

God has things he wants to do through your life. Will it be this dramatic? Maybe not. Maybe yes. But you’ll never know, unless you take the journey toward God.

The Desire to God Toward God

This was my message August 15. I had several requests for copies, so here we go. I will post parts 2 and 3 shortly.

Series: Going toward God—Psalm 84
Part One: The Desire to Go Toward God
(Psalm 84:1-4)

All your life, you’re either going toward God or you’re going away from God. It’s like the continental divide, where rain on one side flows to the Pacific, and on the other side to the Atlantic. It’s one direction or another, all the time.
You never just stay the same. If you coast, you crumble. If you rest, you rust. If you stay, you stumble.

So, I have to ask you—do you want to stand still? Tell me, how much of God do you want? Just a manageable portion, to come along side you as you do what you want to do, set your own priorities and run your own life? If that’s the case, then I have to tell you that Jesus does not like to be used. He will not be your sidekick or your good luck charm. He is Lord, and to treat Him as your assistant is not a role that He will fulfill.

No, either you are going toward God or you’re moving away from Him. Jesus said that you can’t serve God and Mammon. You can’t serve God with God as partner or second in command to anyone or anything else.

Do you have a deep in your bones longing to have God as first, truly first in your life? Seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness, said Jesus. Do you have that fire in your soul for God? Or has the fire died down, down to a memory, down to a tiny fraction of what it once was and what you wish it could be.

How many of you remember a play called “Fiddler on the Roof”? There’s a song in it called “If I Were a Rich Man.” Tevye the milkman sings about how his life would be different if he were rich. He’d have a big house and full barns and he’d dress his wife in nice clothes and he’d be the sort of man that others would come to for advice. And near the end of the song, he sings about what he’d really like to do if he were rich:

If I were rich, I'd have the time that I lack
To sit in the synagogue and pray.
And maybe have a seat by the Eastern wall.
And I'd discuss the holy books with the learned men, several hours every day.
That would be the sweetest thing of all.

The sweetest thing of all would be to pray and be with God and go deep in His word. Tevye imagines that if he were rich, he’d finally have time to go toward God.

That’s the same longing that you find in Psalm 84. Last fall I was reading through the Psalms and came to Psalm 84 and I’ve had trouble leaving it ever since! There are a couple of reasons. One is that as you read it, you may well recognize several verses in it as the source for some of the worship songs we sing. So immediately you have a feeling of familiarity when you’re reading this Psalm. Another thing that got my attention is the fact that this is a “pilgrimage” Psalm. In vs. 5, the writer says, “Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their heart on pilgrimage.” This is a Psalm for people who determined to get close to God.

Now, the way that idea of getting close to God worked on in the era of the Old Testament was by literally going from wherever you live and getting on your donkey cart and going up through the hills to Jerusalem. There were several times a year that thousands would gather at the Temple, coming from all over the land to worship God at His temple. There was Passover and the Feast of the Firstfruits (called Pentecost in the New Testament) and the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) as well as some other times. Some villages would practically empty out as the people dropped everything to go up to Jerusalem.

As they went, they would sing. A number of Psalms began as the songs they would sing as they made their way to Jerusalem. One collection of these Psalm are Psalms 120-134, which are called the Songs of Ascents, because you had to go uphill pretty much from anywhere to get to Jerusalem. But not all the pilgrimage songs are there. This is one that’s not. It’s a Psalm about deeply desiring to move closer to God, to worship, and lifestyle of a real worshipper. That’s really the outline of the Psalm:

• A desire (v. 1-4)
• A journey (v. 5-8)
• A lifestyle (v. 9-12)

Each of these sections is marked by the Hebrew word “selah.” That’s probably a musical notation, telling you to stop for a musical interlude. It also means “Hey, stop and think about it!”

If you look at the title (which is very ancient and in Hebrew), you read this:
For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm.
The “sons of Korah” weren’t a bunch of boys whose daddy was named Korah; they were a kind of musical guild working for the temple. “Gittith” was probably a musical style. So these guys probably took one of the songs that people would sing on the way to Jerusalem and tidied it up and put it in the final form we have here in Psalm 84.

So I want to take three weeks and move through these three sections of Psalm 84. Moving toward God starts as a desire, becomes a journey and results in a lifestyle. Today is about the desire to move toward God, next week is about the journey and the week after about the lifestyle.

Let’s look at vs. 1-4, the “desire” section of Psalm 84.

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.
Selah

In his book Reflections on the Psalms, C.S. Lewis comments on the opening of Psalm 84:
I have rather—though the expression may seem harsh for some—called this the “appetite for God” than “the love of God.” The “love of God” too easily suggests the word “spiritual” in all those negative or restrictive senses which it has unhappily acquired… [The appetite for God] has all the cheerful spontaneity of a natural, even physical desire.

To move toward God is to be awakened for this desire, this deep inner longing to know God and to be known by God and to touch God and to be touched by God. Jesus spoke of this in the opening of the Sermon on the Mount—Matthew 5:4—where He says, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for the will be filled.”

They advertise Gatorade as something “for that deep down body thirst.” There is something in the human spirit that can only be satisfied by God Himself—a deep down soul thirst.

For the Psalmist, the presence of God is a real place, the temple in Jerusalem. In Hebrew, the word for temple and palace is the same word: hekal. The idea of the temple for the Jews was that it was God’s earthly palace. The cover the Ark of the Covenant was considered God’s throne. Ah, to be close to God, to be at His palace, to be near His throne! That was the greatest privilege of all.

The Psalmist thinks of a bird who has made her nest in the eave of the temple, and he envies her. To be so near the altar, all the time. Nothing could be better.
Now, while there is this longing that can only be satisfied by God Himself, the truth is—the problem is—that we human being are experts at ignoring this hunger, or feeding it with the wrong stuff. We don’t always want God. Why is that and what can be done about it?

I want to give you four reasons why our desire for God can shut down and some strategies for dealing with that. There are many reasons, but I think that it can be boiled down to these four:

• Noise
• Comfort
• Ingratitude
• Sin

Noise

By noise, I mean the incessant demands that living places on us, so that we get deaf to really important things because of all the urgent things. I mean, we have cell phones and iPhone and iTunes and Xbox; we have wii and email and Twitter and blogs; we have friends, in-laws and out-laws; we have kids and spouses and we have to pick up milk on the way home. We have gridlock and Sig Alerts and Rush Limbaugh and Keith Olberman; we have Nancy Pelosi and Sarah Palin and the Drudge Report. Life is noisy. And all that noise can drown out the voice of God.

While it’s true that Jesus never had to respond to a text message, He knew what it was like to be surrounded with noise and activity. In Mark 1, He’s surrounded by people making immediate demands on His time. And He withdraws from the noise. Mark 1:35 says,

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed.

Sometimes you have to push your way to a place of quiet. You have to have a grit, a determination that you’re going to spend time with God. You have to be like a running back shaking off a tackle. If you don’t, every buzzing, blinking noisy thing will call out to you without end. Don’t let noise drown out your passion for God.

Comfort

Comfort will do it too. Ever notice how easy it is to pray in a crisis? And how hard it is to pray when things are going fine?

One of the parables of Jesus is the parable of the sower. One of the soils the seed falls into the thorny soil, where “the worriers of this life, and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22)

You won’t have a desire for God if you’re too comfortable. It’s like what Jesus said about the rich man having a hard time entering the Kingdom.

Let me give you some advice here: if you want a real passion for God, attempt something hard for His sake. If you do, you will never lack for passion for God. I read about the South Korean missionaries who were taken captive by Taliban in 2007. The South Korean church is amazing, and they have an incredible missionary vision. These guys will go places that everyone else is afraid to go to.

So they went to Afghanistan—23 South Korean Christian missionaries in Afghanistan. The Taliban captured them and executed two of them.

So there are 21 missionaries left, and there they are praying and dedicating their lives for the gospel, saying, yes Lord, if our deaths will bring you glory, we are ready to die. They even had a little argument about who would get to die first!
The next morning, the Taliban guards woke them up early and marched them out in the hot July sun, lined them up and told them that the South Korean government had made a deal for their release.

Now, here’s the thing: most of these guys were from the same church in Seoul. They see each other all the time. And whenever they do, and they start talking about their time with the Taliban, they say, “Man, wasn’t that great! Don’t you wish you were still there?”

Listen, you don’t have to go to Afghanistan, but if you’re spiritually dry and your fire for God is low, can I suggest, stick out your neck for God. Take a risk. Share your faith. Teach the growth group. Go on that missions trip. Do something where you’re going to need God, and He’ll show up. Your heart for God will be energized. Your desire for God will kick in. Take a risk, and feel the heat of passion for the Kingdom of God.

Ingratitude

In the New Living Translation, Psalm 32:1 says, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!”

You have so much to be thankful for. You are a child of God. Your sins are forgiven. You will spend eternity with Him. Jesus went to cross out of His love for you. He’s called you to be a part of His plan to change the world. He watches over you. He promises never abandon you.

Yet with all that, I encounter unhappy Christians all the time. Their passion for God couldn’t fill a teacup. They obsess on what they don’t have, on the money or the job or the opportunity that they don’t have.

Remember a movie called Men in Black? Aliens come to earth demanding “the galaxy on Orion’s belt.” That doesn’t make any sense—Orion’s belt is just an imaginary line in the sky between two stars. But then they discover that a dead alien’s cat is named Orion and that around his neck is a belt with a marble-sized galaxy inside. All the power of a whole galaxy hanging from the collar of a cat!

Ephesians 1:3 says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

Every spiritual blessing? He didn’t leave any out? We have a galaxy of blessings just hanging around and we don’t recognize them. We obsess on what we think we don’t have.

How do we stir up that gratitude, and our passionate desire for God? We do that by His word. God’s word is full of God’s promises. God’s word reminds us of all the ways He’s shown His love for us. If you neglect that word, you forget His promises. If you forget his promises, you will become ungrateful.

The Word of God stirs up faith, life, hope and joy in a believer’s heart. In sales, they talk about ABC principle: “always be closing.” We need to be people who are devoted to the principle of ABO: “always be opening”—God’s word. Don’t dare go a day without it. If you do, you will slide toward ingratitude and toward losing your passion for God.

The last passion-killer is…

Sin

By this I mean that sin that we harbor, protect and deny, that sin will make us cool off toward God. It can be a secret lust, uncontrolled anger, back-biting, unforgiveness, envy, you name it. It’s the sin that you say is “just the way you are.” You’ve given up fighting against it. That’s the kind of sin that kills passion for God.

Christian counselor Ed Welch says that we need to have a “mean streak” when it comes to fighting sin. Hebrews 12:4 says, “In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.” That’s real resistance!

Without that determination, that sense of engaging in hand to hand combat with sin, we are worn down and start to drift away for a full-force passion for God. Instead of moving toward Him, we move away. I wonder, are you moving toward God today or are you moving away? This week, did you come closer or go farther away?

Do you want more of God? Do you want to draw near? Is noise, comfort, ingratitude or plain old sin drawing you away? Do you want to renew your passion for Him?
I want to do two things as we close today. First, let’s hear again these for verses. They were the prayers of people nearly 3,000 years ago, but today, make them your prayer. Then let’s pray together about this passion-blockers that get in the way. And next week, we’ll go into detail on the journey, the pilgrimage toward God.

Let’s hear vs. 1-4 again as our own prayer:

1 How lovely is your dwelling place,
O LORD Almighty!
2 My soul yearns, even faints,
for the courts of the LORD;
my heart and my flesh cry out
for the living God.
3 Even the sparrow has found a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may have her young—
a place near your altar,
O LORD Almighty, my King and my God.
4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house;
they are ever praising you.

Lord God, who loves us and who is our tower of strength, may we be that kind of worshipper who seeks after you with such longing. Teach us to find the quiet place and get away from the noise; to trust you to do the hard thing instead of seeking comfort; to be grateful of your blessings instead of forgetful; and to struggle against sin instead of giving in. In Jesus we pray, Amen.

Alliance Defense Fund Email on Today's Prop 8 Ruling

This was received less than an hour ago:

As we explained in a recent email, a federal judge in San Francisco declared "unconstitutional" California's voter-approved constitutional amendment protecting marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Just moments ago, the same judge denied a motion filed by the ProtectMarriage.com legal team to stay the August 4th decision in Perry v. Schwarzenegger. His decision will not go into effect until August 18th.

ADF Litigation Staff Counsel Jim Campbell:

"The Protectmarriage.com legal team will appeal immediately to the 9th Circuit to stay the trial court's decision. This case has just begun, and ADF and the rest of the legal team are confident that the right of Americans to protect marriage in their state constitutions will ultimately be upheld. It makes no sense to impose a radical change in marriage on the people of California before all appeals on their behalf are heard. If the trial court’s decision is eventually reversed, refusing to stay the decision will senselessly create legal uncertainty surrounding any same-sex unions entered while the appeal is pending."

ADF is committed to victory, but we need your support to continue to defend marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Please give as generously as you can today. The future of marriage and religious freedom is at stake!


DONATE - https://www.alliancedefensefund.org/sdonate/billing.aspx?referral=E0810T3A


To gain a clear understanding of this federal judge’s ruling, visit http://www.nationalreview.com/bench-memos/243083/judge-walker-and-supposed-lack-evidence-marriage-s-procreative-purpose-ed-whelan to read an expert's analysis.

Thank you for standing with us to protect the sacred institution of marriage. Together, we can – and will – win!

8 Reasons Some Churches Do Not Grow

This is from Perry Noble's blog from July 21, 2010

#1 – The Vision Is Not Clear - If people don’t know where a church is supposed to be going…then it will attempt to go everywhere and eventually wind up nowhere.

#2 – The Focus Is On Trying To Please Everyone – There is NO church on the planet that will make everyone happy every single week…and…according to the Scriptures that isn’t really supposed to be our obsession. Too many times we become so concerned with offending people that we actually offend Jesus.

#3 – Passionless Leadership – When a leader does what he/she does for a paycheck and not because its their passion…it’s over. I’ve said at this site before…I want difference makers not paycheck takers. AND…also…it is hard to be passionate about a place when a persons average stay at a church is two years or less.

#4 – Manufacturing Energy – If a program is dead in a church…then it needs a funeral and the people need to move on. Investing time, energy and money into something that is dead will not revive it. Celebrate the fact that “that” program had its day…and then move on. AND…quit trying to fire people up over events that you would not attend if you were not on staff.

#5 – Lack of Prayer – Many times we work so hard putting our ideas together than we actually think there is no need for the supernatural power of God to be involved. Prayer should not be the good luck charm that we stick at the beginning or the end of what we do…but rather it should be our constant desperation to see God do the undeniable among us. Intense desperation often brings undeniable revelation!

#6 – Unwillingness To Take Risks – When our focus becomes to play it safe rather than to do whatever it takes to reach people far from God…it’s over. NOWHERE in the Scriptures did God ever ask anyone to do anything that didn’t involved [risk]. We’ve GOT to be willing to embrace the uncertain if we want to see the unbelievable.

#7 – Disobedience To The Scriptures – Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:15, Luke 24:48, John 20:21, Acts 1:8, II Corinthians 5:16-21, Luke 19:10…I could go on and on…but we MUST understand that Jesus didn’t come to earth, live here for 33 years years, give HIS life for us and then return back to heaven to intercede for us so that we could get in really little circles and talk about ourselves and condemn those who are not as good as us. We are called to REACH PEOPLE FOR GOD–PERIOD!

#8 – Selfish Attitudes – Matthew 20:28 says it all…and if we are going to be more like Jesus we’ve GOT to serve others rather than expecting the church to be our servant all of the time. When a person (or group of people) refuse to embrace that a call to follow Jesus is a call to serve…then we’ve lost sight of who He is and eventually we will make being a Christian all about Jesus following/serving us rather than us taking up our cross and following Him!

Remains of John the Baptist--Found in Bulgaria?

You can read about it here.

This is only a step...

The judicial aristocracy--kings in black robes who rule over us--sneered at the people today and struck down Prop 8 in California. But this is only a step. I expect at least one other slap from the House of Lords (AKA the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals) before someone who has more than a passing knowledge of the constitution gets to rule on it (that is 5/9ths of the US Supreme Court).

For more details, see here.

The Four Pillars of Ministry

The Four Pillars of Ministry

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about balance in the ministry of the church. Maybe it’s because as I age, I see areas where I, or the churches I have served, were out of balance. I think I have found it—the four pillars of ministry. Like a great building, the four pillars must be equal at the four corners of the church. However, there is a logical progression, moving from the knowledge of God to human relationships and activities.

The First Pillar: Right Faith

Sound doctrine, based on Scripture, centered on Christ, certain and settled on all essential truths of the faith. The starting place is always God. He wants us to know Him rightly. Doctrine matters because doctrine is all about who God is, what He is like, what He does and what He commands us to do.

Are you well grounded in Scripture? Are you constant in your study of Scripture? Is your understanding of what we believe and why we believe it growing?

The Second Pillar: Right Devotion

Passionate worship and personal devotion to God expressed in corporate worship, attention to Scripture, daily prayer and commitment to continuous spiritual growth. God calls us to have more than right faith. He wants us to have a vital, passionate relationship with Him. Pharisees knew plenty of doctrine, and it was 90% correct, but Jesus said their hearts were far from God.

What’s you’re spiritual temperature? What’s your quiet time with God like? Are you able to worship with passion and abandon? Are you closer to God today than you were this time last year?

The Third Pillar: Right Relationships

Speaking the truth in love, compassionate, kind, humble, gentle and patient; generous in forgiveness, brimming over in love. We turn that same commitment to love God toward one another. Jesus said that our love for one another would be the evidence to the world that we are His disciples.

My friend Steve Robbins (www.robbinsnestministries.org) once did a survey at a church conference asking the question, “What’s holding your church back from its potential?” His discovery: BMWs! By that he meant “busy-ness, meanness and worldliness.” All these are relationship killers: when we’re too busy to develop and cultivate relationships, when we are downright mean and rude to one another, and when are allow the world to contaminate our hearts.

How high up are relationships in the body of Christ on your priorities? While all your efforts may not be reciprocated, are you making an effort to develop, deepen, and repair relationships?

The Fourth Pillar: Right Practices

The application of the best practices in administration, ministry and outreach throughout the ministry of the church. Most of us have heard the term “best practices” from our workplace. There are “best practices” when it comes to ministry as well: there’s a right way to evangelize, to connect people, to disciple people, to encourage stewardship, and so forth. But “right practices” come last. You can’t lead with best practices unless right faith, right devotion and right relationships are in place.

Are you striving to do what you do better than you’ve done it before? Are you striving to be a learner, a grower and goer than strives to do your “utmost for His highness”? Do you seek out opportunities to grow in service?

The church is made up of people. In 1 Peter 2:5, Peter says that we are “living stones…being built into a spiritual house.” (Paul says much the same thing in Ephesians 2:19-22).

How balanced are you as a stone in the house of God? Where do you need to grow and change? Which corner—faith, devotion, relationships and practices—needs to be shored up? Are you willing to work on it?

Pocupines Redux

This is "reposted" from almost exactly a year ago. I just found myself thinking about this, and hope you benefit from it.


Porcupines and the Goal of Discipleship

When I was in school, I would create numerous memory aids when preparing for a test. “The Thompson girls ate strawberry ice cream” might remind the answer to “What were the effects of the French revolution on the development of political thought in Europe in the 19th century?”

I have another memory aid for you: “Killing porcupines creates stinky carcasses.” Hmm…disgusting, huh? Well maybe not when you realize that this little ditty helps you remember the purpose of discipleship—the five areas of life that God would transform in a fully developed follower of Jesus. It stands for knowledge, perspective, conviction, skills and character.

A recent Barna study report found that 81% of self-identified Christians equated spiritual maturity with “trying hard to follow the rules described in the Bible.” (That sounds like drudgery to me!) They found that 50% of churchgoers were unable to guess at their church’s definition of a mature follower of Jesus. It’s not rules, it’s life development through the word of God, through the Holy Spirit of God and through the joy of fellowship-instruction. Here’s what it means to be a mature Jesus-follower:

1. Knowledge of Scripture and basic theology

Theme verse: “Let me understand the teaching of your precepts; then I will meditate on your wonders.” (Psalm 119:27, NIV)

We start with basic knowledge about what our faith teaches. Of course, this is overwhelming knowledge of Scripture.

Example: Who wrote Romans? What is the Trinity? Where can I find the 10 commandments? How many gospels are there?

Unfortunately, many have assumed that if you pump enough knowledge into people, the rest will follow. Sadly, many of the most carnal Christians I’ve met have also been well-versed in Bible verses, but not well-versed in Bible living. Knowledge is essential, but it’s not enough.

2. Perspective on life solidly based on Scripture

Theme verse: “My mouth will speak words of wisdom; the utterance from my heart will give understanding.” (Psalm 49:3, NIV)

Next comes a transformed perspective. Knowledge must lead to a Biblical worldview, where we can see reality the same way God sees it. In the Bible, this is often called wisdom or understanding.

Example: How do I resist temptation? How does the Bible speak to the issue of same-sex marriage? How do I face the reality of death?

3. Conviction that secures passionate loyalty to God and His kingdom

Theme verse: “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” (Philippians 1:21, NIV)

Conviction is when knowledge and wisdom catches on fire. This is truth we really care about, that we would sacrifice for, and that we would defend. Knowledge sees the cross; perspective loves the cross; conviction carries the cross.

Example: I would die for my faith. I will give the tithe and beyond for the sake of the kingdom.

4. Skills which enable disciples to effectively serve

Theme passage: “And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.” (Psalm 78:72, NIV)

Disciples also develop specific discipleship related skills, usually as they get involved in ministry and discover the gifts and heart for ministry. Disciples then need to engage in a lifelong process of skill development in their area of life contribution, and they need to open themselves to new ministries and new skills as God develops them and as opportunities arise. Skills share the cross.

Example: I know how to study the Bible for myself. I know how to share my faith. I know how to serve joyfully in a specific ministry.

5. Character which reflects the character of Jesus Christ

Theme passage: “The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.” (1 Timothy 1:5, NLT)

God wants us to become like Jesus. He wants above all else for His life to shine through our lives. This is the ultimate goal, one that won’t be finished this side of heaven, but one which we are to run after with all our effort. Character lives out the cross.

Example: I am growing in love for my church family and for lost people.

Think of these are five rungs on a short ladder. Which rung are you on? Have you mistaken that rung as the top step? Did you skip a set? Can you see a next reasonable growth step for you as a growing disciple?

Quick Take from Jeremiah

I'm currently reading Jeremiah. This passage, Jeremiah 16:19-21 caught my eye:

19 O Lord, my strength and my fortress,
my refuge in time of distress,
to you the nations will come
from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our fathers possessed nothing but false gods,
worthless idols that did them no good.

Wow, isn't that great? The day will come when all nations will come before God to admit that idols are trash! There's more:

20 Do men make their own gods?
Yes, but they are not gods!”

More of the same, even better!

21 “Therefore I will teach them—
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my name is the Lord.

And that is what God is doing NOW in the form of world missions! As we support our work in Thailand, Laos, Kenya and elsewhere, we are part of the fulfillment of this prophecy!

Is that cool or what?

For Such a Time as This

This was my July 4 message this last Sunday.

For Such a Time as This
Esther 4:12-16

I want to start today’s message by reading from the Book of Esther 4:12-14:
12 When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

The book of Esther is full of riddles. In ancient times, some pious Jews objected to it being in the Bible because of the simple fact that God is not mentioned once in its pages. You will not find one direct reference to God in this book. As a matter of fact, if you think of the situation and the people involved, and you realize that this is the most “godless” book of the Bible!

You see, Esther is the story of the Jews who did not return from exile. While Ezra and Nehemiah tells of the Jews who came back to the land of Israel after 70 years’ exile, this book is about those who did not, could not, or could not be bothered to return to the land. Many of these Jews had become lax in their faith. There were not especially religious. Sure, they thought of themselves as Jews, but they did not think of themselves as especially devout.

One of the great surprises a modern visitor to Israel is that fact that many Israelis are not particularly religious. As a matter of fact, Israel has one the highest rates of atheism in the world. Many Jews in America and in Europe are also highly secular. So also was it in Esther’s time.

Think of her name. In Esther 2:7, we’re told that she had a Hebrew name, Hadassah, which mean “myrtle” (like the tree). Esther was her Persian name, which means “star.” Esther 2:10 tells us that she kept her Jewish identity secret. She hid her religion and her Jewish ancestry as she pursued the role of the new queen of Persia.

Maybe you know the story: King Xerxes dumped his wife Vashti when she wouldn’t “perform” for his gathered generals and governors. So a contest—Persian Idol!—was begun to find a replacement for her. Esther won the contest by her beauty and her, well, how can I put it? Her bedroom skills? Is that clear enough?

Her uncle was a minor official in the Persian government, a man named Mordecai. A higher official was Haman. He was also the descendant of exiles, the Amalekites, ancient enemies of the Jews. When Mordecai refused to bow to him, and when he discovered that Mordecai was a Jew, he cleverly induced Xerxes to sign a decree to wipe out the Jews, effective 11 months from the signing.

The Jewish community across the Persian Empire was shocked. Mordecai went into mourning as well, wearing sackcloth and ashes. Esther’s attendants saw him in this state, and told Esther.

A word about the palace: in ancient Persia, royal palaces had a kind Disney, “happiest place on earth” philosophy. You know, you can’t buy a newspaper at Disneyland. Do you know why? Disney doesn’t want anything to make people unhappy at their parks. Well, a Persian palace was the same way. Servants weren’t even allowed to look sad in the palace. People in mourning were kept away from the gates. Esther lived in royal isolation from all forms of suffering or sadness. She had no clue about the decree to wipe out the Jews. She had no idea why Mordecai was in mourning.

So when she first heard about how he looked, she sent a change of clothes for him, which he refused. Then she sent Hathach, a guard, down to speak to him (there was no way on earth a queen of Persia would go out of the palace herself). Mordecai told Hathach the whole story—with the implication that Esther needed to do something about it.

Her first response is not promising. Look at Esther 4:9-11:

9 Hathach went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. 10 Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, 11 "All the king's officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that he be put to death. The only exception to this is for the king to extend the gold scepter to him and spare his life. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king."

At this point, her bottom line was “I wish I could help, but…”

Hold on a second. Is this ever our response when God puts something in our laps? We recognize that there is a problem, even a crisis, but we beg off our involvement because of our particular personal situation. “I wish I could help, but…”

Starving people? Someone else will have to help. People living and dying without knowing Jesus? Someone else will have to reach them. Our nation in crisis? Someone else will have to fix it.

Now, it’s true that not all of us are in such a strategic place as Esther was for her people, but all of us are in a strategic place for somebody and for some situation.

There’s no one as well-placed as you are to reach the people in your home and your workplace and your school as you are. You are strategically placed by God in these places.

And in our free country, where we can all vote and where we can all write and email and talk to our representatives, we are all strategically placed.

That’s what Mordecai had to press upon Esther in the following verses, 4:12-14:

12 When Esther's words were reported to Mordecai, 13 he sent back this answer: "Do not think that because you are in the king's house you alone of all the Jews will escape. 14 For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father's family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?"

First, a warning: don’t assume that you’ll be spared. The fact that you’re Jewish will come out. If the Jews perish, you will too.

Second, an observation: if you remain silent, deliverance for the Jews will arise from somewhere else, but you will still perish. Mordecai does not mention God, but it seems he has enough faith to believe that God will send that deliverance from somewhere—maybe even an invading enemy or a coup—in which case Esther would also die.

Third, a speculation: “And who know but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”

Remember how I mentioned that the name of God never appears in Esther? I think that is part of the genius and the theme of the book—that even when we don’t see God, He is right there, behind the scenes, moving and working in ways that we often have trouble seeing.

In the Message Translation, Proverbs 16:33 says,

Make your motions and cast your votes, but GOD has the final say.

Behind all the human efforts and ambitions, God still stands. He has the final say. Mordecai warned Esther—God will get it done, one way or the other. But perhaps the reason that you are where you are is for this very purpose—to appeal to the King to deliver your people from death.

God will get done what He wants to get done, but He wants to use you and me to get those things done. Esther was perfectly positioned to be used by God to make a huge difference.

So what does she do—and what does that have to do with me and you? And what does that have to do with our people—the people of the United States of America? I want to look at what happens next and see if we can see a pattern of how God works that we can transfer to our time so we can see what we’re supposed to do “for such a time as this.”

So look at Esther 4:15-16:

15 Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai: 16 "Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish."

Here’s what I see here in these verses, and how they speak to us in our own time:

1. When facing a crisis, first come together
2. Come together to seek God in prayer and fasting
3. Then and only then, take bold, God-directed action

When facing a crisis, first come together

Crisis tends to either drive people together—or or pull them apart. Remember after 911, that amid all the pain of the attack, that we came together as a nation? Maybe it only lasted a few months, but that was the great thing about 911—that sense of unity.

Somebody described the church as being like Noah’s Ark—that if it weren’t for the storm outside, you couldn’t stand the smell inside! But what I observe is so many Christians who are unconvinced that there is a storm anywhere.

But there is a storm. A few examples. In 2008, the Barna group asked a series of questions of American citizens to determine what their worldview is. Only 19% of Americans have a clear Biblical worldview. Sure, nearly half of Americans say that they Bible can be fully trusted, and almost three-quarters are professing Christians, but less than a fifth really believe it when it comes to the way they lives their lives.

And so church attendance and adherence still is in decline in America. Church attendance nationwide has dropped from about 44% to 39% since 2000. At that rate, Christianity in America is history by about 2070.

And of our nation—what kind of time is this? Is it a “such as time” as it was in Esther’s time? We seem beset by problems internal and external. Within, we are struggling with high unemployment, stagnant wages, a weakening tax base and political class unwilling or unable to face the problems. Americans are crying out for leaders who will just tell them the truth. But we are polarized left and right and blue and red.

The last few years, I have heard over and over again something I have never heard before—people saying, serious people saying, that they are afraid of our own government.

And beyond our borders, things get worse. To the south, drug cartels kill the innocent. In the Far East and in Iran, half-crazy dictators pursue the means of mass destruction with the full intent of using them on us and our friends around the world.

This is—“such a time as this.” When Haman launched a plan for genocide, God had a woman in place at just the right spot. And He put the plan in her heart and the words in her mouth.

First, come together. Gather all the Jews in Susa together.

When God wants to do a new thing, He gathers His people together. He draws us together. As they came together, old grudges were forgiven, old hostilities forgotten. Something more important than the here and now is pressing in; something that will matter centuries from now, and for eternity is happening; it’s time to set aside little things.

Consider another gathering—the disciples awaiting the coming of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The same thing—people gathered together, knowing the moment was crucial, and that God wanted to do a marvelous thing, but that they had to be in the right place—the right place spiritually for God send His power. Hearts had to be melted, reconciliation had to happen and forgiveness had to be extended. This is all part of coming together.

Come together to seek God in prayer and fasting

Then Esther gives the reason, the goal of coming together:

Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my maids will fast as you do. (vs. 16b)

Fasting is never an end to itself, not in the Bible. You fast to intensify your praying. It is one practical way to live the experience of hungering and thirsting after God.

Fasting here is the clue that unlocks the Book of Esther. You only fast to pray, and you only pray if you are calling out to the Lord. God stands in the shadows in this book, but at this moment you can see Him, his shoe showing under the curtain.
If we also are in a “time such as this” today, can I ask you, do you pray for America? Do you pray that this great land will turn back to God?

A few years ago, a movement of prayer turned back the unholy practice of same-sex marriage in California. That battle wasn’t won at the ballot box. It was first won on bended knees and then that victory was ratified by voters. But prayer came first.

In 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Paul writes,

1I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness…

“First of all…” That means that prayer for leaders and nations are a priority for Jesus-followers.

Praying for our nation and its leaders isn’t a right-wing or a left-wing thing: it’s a Bible thing. So pray for your city council and your state rep and your governor. Pray for upcoming elections, this fall and in coming years. Pray—for such a time as this.

Then and only then, take bold, God-directed action

Then Esther says in her message to Mordecai,

When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish. (4:16c)

After a three day’s fast, then, says Esther, I will go to the king. Not before.
Recall that this was a bold action. In the same chapter, vs. 12, Esther reminds Mordecai that no one—not even the queen—could approach the king without permission. (This is not exactly a model marriage!) On top of that, it had been a month since Xerxes had called for her.

This detail, by the way, is confirmed by the Greek historian Herodotus. Persian rulers were notoriously moody and unpredictable. She had no clue as to why she hadn’t seen the king in thirty days. Had she fallen out of favor, as Vashti had? She knew nothing.

But with the wind of the prayers of her people behind her, Esther gambled her life for their cause. The king could have her killed on the spot if he was so inclined. That’s why she says, “And if I perish, I perish.”

Bold, God-directed action. It is not God’s will that problems lull us into numb inaction. First pray, but then go. Pull the trigger. Buy the ticket. Cross the river. Engage, warp factor seven!

Fifty years ago, President Kennedy enjoined us to “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

Let me ask you, in light of God’s word, the same thing. Stop asking government for things; pray for the government instead. Stop expecting America to bring heaven on earth; it’s up to us to pray “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Stop complaining about the country and start praying. Stop complaining and instead, get informed and vote.

Celebrate this great nation’s heritage. Remember those who went before. And remember the faith of those who went before. Do not surrender their legacy. Come together, and ask God to bless America again. And then, go forth boldly in faith.
That’s what’s needed—for such a time as this.

Independance Day, 1940

Pleasure Chats, Sorrow is Silent

An old Barry McGuire song called "Walked a Mile" draws lyrics from this poem. Eight lines of pure wisdom!

I Walked a Mile with Pleasure

I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow,
And ne’er a word said she;
But, oh! The things I learned from her,
When sorrow walked with me.

-Robert Browning Hamilton

Great Last Words

Moments before Billy Graham's grandmother died, she suddenly sat up in bed and said, "I see Jesus. He has His arms outstretched toward me. I see Ben [her late husband]. I see the angels!" Then she slumped over, alive there and gone from here. Recently I heard Tyler Guy of South Shore Baptist tell about a saint in ...his church whose last words were, "It's all true! LIVE IT!"

FBC Podcast Starts Tomorrow!

OK, here we go: a few weeks ago, I announced that FBC messages would be available as a free podcast on iTunes "soon." Well, I was a little ahead of things, but now I can say: I have confirmation that we'll be podcasting by no later than 6 PM Thursday! Just search for Temple City and Baptist on iTunes.

Rick Warren on Structuring the Church for Ministry

I don't normally do this, but since this column was already posted on Nelson Searcy's blog, I'm going to do the same!

Structure your congregation to encourage more ministry
By Rick Warren

“The more organizational machinery your church sets up, the more time, energy, and money it takes to maintain it. That is precious time, energy, and money that could be invested in ministry to people instead. ”--Rick Warren

I love my congregation and so this past weekend I told them I needed to be honest: “If you just want to sit around passively over the next 10 years and waste your life on things that won’t last, you probably want to find another church because you’re not going to really feel comfortable here. Because if you’re in this church, I’m coming after you to be mobilized.”

I want them to know that a non-ministering Christian is a contradiction of terms. God calls all believers to minister to the world and the church.

But here’s a common mistake I’ve observed over the years with churches who want to mobilize their members: we teach our people that every member is a minister, but then we take the brightest and best and turn them into bureaucrats! They aren’t able to mobilize for ministry because they’re too busy attending meetings about the budget or taking care of the building. They have no time left for frontline ministry.

You can drain the life out of people by scheduling a constant string of committee meetings. In fact, when I meet cantankerous and critical Christians, I usually discover that they’re not involved in a ministry that fits their shape, strengths and abilities. Yet, I’ve seen again and again that all it takes to change their attitude is to get them directly into ministry where they can see how God uses them to change lives.

“Biblical Christianity uses everyone’s gifts. At Saddleback, we teach that every Christian is created for ministry (Eph. 2:10), saved for ministry (2 Tim 1:9), called into ministry (1 Peter 2:9-10), gifted for ministry (1 Peter 4:10), authorized for ministry (Matt. 28:18-20), commanded to minister (Matt. 20:26-28), to be prepared for ministry (Eph. 4:11-12), needed for ministry (1 Cor. 12:27), accountable for ministry, and will be rewarded according to his or her ministry (Col. 3:23-24).”

Here’s what I want you to think about — most churches are structured where the lay people do church maintenance and the paid staff do ministry. So you end up with, say, two hundred members responsible for the maintenance of the church while one pastor is supposed to do all the ministry! How stupid is that? This kind of structure will not only burn-out the pastor, it will also keep members, who God gifted to minister, from being mobilized to serve.

This is how we’ve conditioned people to think that their responsibility as a church member is fulfilled by simply voting on church business!

If you’re serious about mobilizing your members for ministry, you must create a church structure that maximizes their opportunities to engage in ministry. The more organizational machinery your church sets up, the more time, energy, and money it takes to maintain it. That is precious time, energy, and money that could be invested in ministry to people instead. The kind of structure your church has does not cause growth, but it does control the rate and the size of your growth.

If you release people for ministry, and relieve them of the maintenance, you’ll create a far happier, harmonious, high-morale church. Fulfillment comes from ministry, not maintenance.

Come Close

"Knowing God without knowing our own wretchedness makes for pride. Knowing our own wretchedness without knowing God makes for despair. Knowing Jesus Christ strikes the balance because he shows us both God and our own wretchedness. Jesus is a God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair."

— Blaise Pascal

Not The Way It's Supposed to Be

Things aren’t the way they’re supposed to be. As a matter of fact, that’s the subtitle of the book, A Breviary of Sin by Cornelius Plantinga. Something in our gut tells us that this world is one messed up place. As I write this, I’m thinking of the man I just saw in CCU after a surgery that barely saved his life; of the woman I had lunch with last week whose twin sister suddenly died; of the news just received of a tragic death of a young person last night.

It’s not the way it was mean to be!

So does God sit up in heaven, smiling and content, and indifferent to human suffering? Recently I’ve had my attention drawn to Exodus 3:7-8a, 9a [New Living Translation]

Then the LORD told him [Moses], “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians…Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me.”

When God observes suffering, He opposes it. He does not assume responsibility for causing it, but He does set about to correct it. That is why He calls Moses in the passage: to be the human instrument to make it come to happen.

A few weeks ago, Lynann and I attended the retirement of Dale Salico as Mission Lead (the old title was executive minister) of Transformation Ministries. Dale didn’t want to retire; he’s only 62. But starting early last year he experienced one after another health problem and he had no choice.

Dale’s always had great health. Only about five years ago, he participated in a L.A. to Phoenix bike run.

Dale is also one of the most reflective and theologically-minded execs you’ll ever meet. He summoned the strength to make a few remarks, and instead of the normal retirement banter, he addressed the question of “why?” Why would God sideline Dale in these critical years of the new thing called Transformation Ministries?

Dale told us how when he became a believer, he told God that he was going to continue to read what non-believers said, and that if he became convinced that he was wrong to believe, he’d walk away from the faith. He’s done the first, but not the second: he still reads what the critics of the faith say, but remains convinced that the God of the Bible is true.

But along the way he’s come to this conclusion: there is enough evidence for the faith to believe, but not so much that one cannot believe. This, he maintains, is intentional on God’s part. Give humanity enough evidence for faith, but not so much that our freedom is compromised. That’s why God doesn’t have angels walking down your street knocking on doors presenting the gospel; that’s why God doesn’t flash signs in the night sky to prove that He is there.

So when Dale asks the question, “Why is God sidelining me?” he answers, “I don’t know, but I do know that God is good, that He has His purposes, in which He uses the fallenness of this world to move forward His plan. It falls to me now to trust Him and to be content.”

No, the world is not the way it’s supposed to be. But rest assured, God is good, and works His plan forward. He sees the oppression, and He hears the cries. And one thing I am sure of: He still calls people like Moses (flawed people, like you and me) to be His hands to continue to do something about such suffering. Do we always understand? No. But we can be sure that the loving-kindness of the Lord never fails or fades.

We interrupt this blog....

For the following announcement.

First Baptist Church of Temple City is accepting applications for the position of Office Manager. For more information, email glenn@templecitybaptist.org. Applications are being received for approximately the next three weeks. It is anticipated that a hiring decision will be made by around June 1 and the new person in place by about the third week in June, where the current Office Manager will train the new hire before her retirement July 23. This position may be job-shared.

Some thoughts on evil and suffering

Twice in recent weeks, I’ve had serious conversations with people about what theologians call “the problem of suffering.” It’s an old problem—as old as the Book of Job—if God is good, why doesn’t He stop evil and suffering? And if God doesn’t stop evil, is it because He can’t? If God is all good, but does nothing to stop suffering, He must be limited in His power. And if He is all-powerful, He can’t be good; only an evil deity would stand by and watch babies die under the debris of a house in Haiti.

I have books (massive books!) on my shelf that deal with the problem of evil. The newest I’m reading right now, If God is Good by Randy Alcorn. (Last year I read his massive book Heaven; now an equally massive treatment of another important topic.)
I can’t deal with all the issues involved in such a topic in a column like this. But what I can do is have you do a little mind experiment with me that’s helped me with this problem, and has helped others as well.

For the sake of argument, let’s assume that God is real, that’s He’s good and that He’s all powerful. Now let’s pretend that from now on, God punishes all evil and rewards all good, and He does it immediately. So if you help the proverbial little old lady across the street, if you look down you’ll see a dollar waiting for you on the corner. Smack you thumb with a hammer and say a naughty word? Well, hope you don’t mind the case of acid reflux that you get.

You get the picture. Do good, get good. Do bad, get bad. Not someday—right now.
Why then would we do good at all? We’d do good for the goodies. Why avoid evil? To escape pain. In such a world, morality would be impossible. All you have left are human hamsters pressing the bar for a bite of food.

We don’t live in that world. Instead we live this world:

God is all good, all powerful, and all knowing; He hates evil and suffering and will judge evil and end all suffering, but only after accomplishing a greater and eternal good.

Isaiah 25:8 says, “He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.” Right now, in a world in which evil exists, suffering results. God has begun the process by entering into suffering Himself—on the cross.

Years ago, a graduate student interviewed me as part of a research project on religious views of the Holocaust. “How has the Holocaust impacted your faith?” she asked. I think I surprised her. “In view of the Holocaust, I think I could not believe in God if God has simply stood by and done nothing. As a matter of fact, I could not believe in God in the face of all suffering if He had stood by and done nothing. But He did something. He became flesh and endured human life and died on a cross. That’s a God worth believing in.”