evangelism

Not My Will

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“And shall I pray Thee change Thy will, my Father,
Until it be according unto mine?
But, no, Lord, no, that never shall be, rather
I pray Thee blend my human will with Thine.

I pray Thee hush the hurrying, eager longing,
I pray Thee soothe the pangs of keen desire—
See in my quiet places, wishes thronging—
Forbid them, Lord, purge, though it be with fire” (Amy Carmichael).

I’m revisiting Shadow of the Almighty, the story of Jim Elliot. This time it’s the audiobook read by Elisabeth. My first impression is that sometimes I think Christianity in the early part of the 20th century seems quite a bit different than today’s version of it. For one thing, people talked a whole lot more about taking up crosses and laying doen lives for the sake of the gospel.

I wonder if all the prosperity and freedom of our present culture hasn’t made for a soft Church. You can go back and read that the Church grew the most when it was persecuted the most. A famous early Christian leader said that the blood of the martyrs watered the seed of the Church, and that’s why it grew the way it did.

But also, there’s something to be said for surrender. It’s one thing to pray “Thy will be done” glibly as part of the Lord’s prayer and not really mean it or think through what you’re praying. But as Elisabeth Elliot famously said, when you pray God’s will be done, you’re also praying that your own will be undone if necessary.

If you want to go beyond comfortable cultural Christianity, you’d do well to read the biographies of the faithful of old, especially missionaries like Jim Elliot, Amy Carmichael, Hudson Taylor, and Darlene Deibler Rose. They did more than talk of sacrifice. They did it. They gave up everything that was comfortable and familiar and took the gospel into places it had not been before.

The scary part of praying God’s will is that you don’t know where God will lead you, but the best part is that God will go with you, whether it’s to the other end of the world or across the street. It’s the prayer that never ever fails.

Refined

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“One day we took the children to see a goldsmith refine gold after the ancient manner of the East. He was sitting beside his little charcoal fire. (‘He shall sit as a refiner’; the gold- or silversmith never leaves his crucible once it is on the fire.) In the red glow lay a common curved roof tile; another tile covered it like a lid. This was the crucible. In it was the medicine made of salt, tamarind fruit and burnt brick dust, and imbedded in it was the gold. The medicine does its appointed work on the gold, ‘then the fire eats it,’ and the goldsmith lifts the gold out with a pair of tongs, lets it cool, rubs it between his fingers, and if not satisfied puts it back again in fresh medicine. This time he blows the fire hotter than it was before, and each time he puts the gold into the crucible, the heat of the fire is increased; ‘it could not bear it so hot at first, but it can bear it now; what would have destroyed it then helps it now.’ ‘How do you know when the gold is purified?’ we asked him, and he answered, ‘When I can see my face in it [the liquid gold in the crucible] then it is pure’ (Amy Carmichael, Gold Cord).

I love the idea that gold is considered pure when the refiner can see his reflection in it. The same goes for me. When my Maker can see His reflection in me, that’s when I know that I have been refined and made pure.

Lord, refine us so that we will faithfully reflect Your image wherever we go. No matter how long it takes or how hot it gets, keep us in the fire until we are purified from anything that hinders Your image in us. Amen.

Singing in Every Season

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“I will sing for joy in God, explode in praise from deep in my soul! He dressed me up in a suit of salvation, he outfitted me in a robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom who puts on a tuxedo and a bride a jeweled tiara. For as the earth bursts with spring wildflowers, and as a garden cascades with blossoms, so the Master, God, brings righteousness into full bloom and puts praise on display before the nations” (Isaiah 61:10-11, The Message).

If you stop and think about it, you have way more reasons to sing from a heart of gratitude than to complain. Just like it takes more muscles to frown than to smile, it takes more effort to see the glass as half empty. Especially when you’re God’s child.

If you’ve truly been born again, how can you not help from singing? How can you not help but be thankful? How can you not see that the blessings far outweigh the bad, more so when you consider the future that awaits every saint.

Besides, there are so many commands and admonitions to sing and to praise all through out the Bible. Note that it does not say that you have to have an operatic voice to sing praises. You don’t even have to be able to carry a tune in a bucket. The Bible says to make a joyful noise, even if you sound like an orchestra of scorched cats and dogs.

Even if singing is absolutely not your thing, you can still express thanksgiving and gratitude toward God in any number of ways. I do think it helps to express your thanks out loud in some way, even if it’s only you in the room. But whatever you do, make sure you err on the side of joy rather than gloom.

We Need to be Needy

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“The disciples are needy in every way. They are simply ‘poor’ (Luke 6:20). They have no security, no property to call their own, no piece of earth they could call their home, no earthly community to which they might fully belong. But they also have neither spiritual power of their own, nor experience or knowledge they can refer to and which could comfort them. For his sake they have lost all that. When they followed him, they lost themselves and everything else which could have made them rich. Now they are so poor, so inexperienced, so foolish that they cannot hope for anything except him who called them” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer).

We need to be needy. I think American Christianity has made it to where the idea of a life of faith is one where you gradually become more and more self-sufficient, where God is great in theory but you get to where you can handle just about anything on your own.

Then I look at those ragtag disciples of Jesus. I remember how the religious leaders who tried to shut them up recognized two things right away about these men: 1) they were unlearned and ignorant about a lot of things, probably uncouth and uncivilized, and 2) they had been with Jesus.

That was what being a disciple meant back then. Your whole life revolved around your rabbi. You ate when he ate, slept when he slept, moved when he moved. You learned to quote the rabbi in all matters of conversation. You eventually got to where you spoke and acted just like your rabbi.

We’ve made discipleship into head knowledge where having a head full of Bible facts means that you’re mature. But then why are so many older believers still acting like spiritual infants and still ignorant when it comes to what they believe and how to live it out? Why do so many Christians not look very much like their Christ?

The key is obedience. We don’t need new information as much as we need to live what we’ve already learned and obey what we already know. We need to get back to being children when it comes to faith (as opposed to being childish) and be willing to look foolish and needy in the sight of others so they can see how much we rely on Jesus for everything.

Lord, help us to be wise and childlike, willing to appear ignorant in the eyes of the world but identified as those who have been around Jesus a whole lot. Amen.

We Wrestle Not

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I’ve been thinking a lot about what the late John MacArthur said. When it comes to those who are holding views that don’t align with the Bible, we must not view them as enemies but as our mission field.

Ephesians 6:12 says, “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places (Eph, 6:12. NLT).

In other words, people are not the enemy. The real enemy is the spiritual deception behind the lies. The prince of the power of the air is the enemy. And he is a defeated foe.

The best way to deal with those who wish to undermine biblical principles is to pray for their salvation. Pray that God leads them to the truth — not my truth or their truth or anyone else’s truth but THE truth that is personified in Jesus Christ.

Perhaps the best example of someone being loved into truth is the Apostle Paul. He was an enemy of the Church. He persecuted and hated everything that the early believers stood for. Yet it was their prayers and an encounter with Jesus that led him to the light — in this case a literal blinding light on the road to Damascus. From there, this Paul became the most stout defender and proponent of the faith.

How cool would it be if some of the people who currently malign or twist Scripture eventually became the biggest apologists for the Bible? How amazing would it be if they were the ones pointing people to Jesus instead of to false doctrine or false worldviews?

Obviously, we should defend gospel truth. We should never stand by when people are being lied to and deceived. But we should also remember that those on the other side are just as much people that Christ died for as we were. They’re not the enemy. They’re the mission field, as we once were.

Getting Hold of God

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“Whenever the insistence is on the point that God answers prayer, we are off the track. The meaning of prayer is that we get hold of God, not of the answer” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest).

If I’m not careful, prayer can become like my childhood letterd to Santa. Those typically started off with me stating how I’d been good all year and thus was worthy of all the loot I had coming to me. The specifics of those letters escapes me, but I’m sure that I was like every other kid back in the day who mailed actual letters in envelopes to an address somewhere at the North Pole.

We do the same with God. It’s like, “God, thanks for being God. Here’s what I want from You” and then the list of wants and needs begins. Sometimes, we even have a list of people we’re praying for (which is by no means a bad thing to do).

But prayer isn’t as much getting things from God as it is getting to know God. The more you know God, the more your wants and needs change. By the end, I suspect we’re praying God’s prayers back to Him. That means we’re asking God for what God wants for us and in us. We want the same things He does.

In the mean time, it is perfectly acceptable to come to God in prayer without asking for anything but simply to adore Him and thank Him for who He is. I think the less we’re concerned about getting answers, the more we’ll see God at work because our focus won’t be so narrowly limited to His hand.

The good news is that even if you feel you’ve been doing it all wrong in prayer and treating Him as Cosmic Santa, you can always start over in a sense. You can spend at least part of your prayer time in adoration and thanksgiving before processing to petitions. You can look for opportunities throughout the day to thank God for what He’s doing, even if you can’t always see what that is.

Again, the point as always is to pray. The best way to get better at praying isn’t listening to more sermons or reading more books about prayer but praying — and being around people who pray often and pray well. That has helped me a lot. I still think reading books of prayers is good, like the Book of Common Prayer or The Valley of Vision. But mostly just pray.

Another New Favorite

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I ran across another great worship song that strikes me as being a bit of a lament. It’s telling God, “This is where I am, and this is how I feel, but this is what I’ve come to learn about You.”

I hope these words will speak to you, especially if you’re in the midst of a struggle or a low period in your life. I’ve also included a video in case you want to hear it:

“How long will I have to hear the stories
Of how you were able
How long will I have to celebrate
The miracle that’s not my own
How long will I lift my voice and sing again
That you are always good
When I’m feeling all this distance
I thought I never would
How long

As long as it takes for my heart to find its song
As long as it takes to know I’m still not alone
And at the end of the day
I’ll stand right here and say
I know that you love me miracle or not

How long will I give myself
Before I give up waiting
How long will I have to hide behind this smile
That says that I’m okay
How long will I hold on to the promises
I thought I heard you speak
When every passing day
Just leaves me broken down and weak

As long as it takes for my heart to find its song
As long as it takes to know I’m still not alone
And at the end of the day
I’ll stand right here and say
I know that you love me miracle or not

I will sing it ’til my broken heart believes it
I’ll declare it ’til I smell the smoke of faith
And with my hands held high
I’ll scream it to the darkness
‘Til hope is finally louder than the ache

I will sing it ’til my broken heart believes it
I’ll declare it ’til I smell the smoke of faith
And with my hands held high
I’ll scream it in the darkness
‘Til hope is finally louder than the ache

As long as it takes for my heart to find its song
As long as it takes to know I’m still not alone
And at the end of the day
I’ll stand right here and say
I know that you love me
I know that you love me
I know that you love me miracle or not
Miracle or not” (Michael Farren / Mark Alan Schoolmeesters / Lou Fellingham)

A Prayer for Sunday Services

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“May God our Father himself and our Master Jesus clear the road to you! And may the Master pour on the love so it fills your lives and splashes over on everyone around you, just as it does from us to you. May you be infused with strength and purity, filled with confidence in the presence of God our Father when our Master Jesus arrives with all his followers” (1 Thes. 3:11-13, The Message).

Lord, I pray for all Your children who will be worshipping You around the world in various places and ways. I pray for all those who will come into Your presence with joy, and also for those come to You with deep grief. I know You meet each and every one of us where we are and at the deepest point of our need.

Help us to seek not what we can get out of the services or come to worship to be spectators seeking to be entertained but how we can outgive and outserve one another as we seek to please and glorify an audience of One.

Lord, I pray that in any case of division or strife within Your body, we will choose instead to leave our offering and go and be reconciled with our brothers and sisters wherever possible first before entering into true worship. I pray You will move to heal broken families and restore broken marriages. I pray You will deliver people from all sorts of addictions and bondages.

Above all, call out people in Your midst to the mission field and to the ministry. Call out those who don’t yet know You in faith to trust You for salvation by calling on Your Son Jesus Christ. May the worship we bring not cease at 11:00 or 12:15 or whatever time the service ends but carry on throughout our day and into the next week. May our worship not just be songs and music but lives surrendered and hearts laid down at Your altar.

Bless and multiply Your Church. Redeem and restore us. Rebuke us wherever necessary. Be mindful of our frailty and fallenness and come among us to make us more like You. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!

One United Choir in Heaven

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“Blessed be God for this. Some of all sorts are saved, some of all colors, ranks, nations, and ages are saved; some of all conditions of education and morals, some of the poorest, and some of the richest are redeemed so that when we all assemble in heaven, though we make a motley throng on earth, we shall constitute a united choir, having all our voices tuned to this one note, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain'” (Charles Spurgeon).

I confess that I’m often distressed by the discord in this country. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems like America has never been more divided than it is right now. We’re to the point where we can’t even have rational discussions with those on the opposing side. It’s all about name calling and inflammatory rhetoric.

But that’s now how it is with God’s people. At least that’s not how it should be. But if I read my Bible right, that’s not how it will be. One day, we will be one united choir, singing one song to one Lord and King over all. The older I get the more I long for that day.

There will be no more Republican or Democrat, conservative or liberal. There will only be those who have been redeemed and washed in the blood of the Lamb. There will only be those who were lost sinners far from God who have been brought near by God’s grace and are now new creations in Christ Jesus.

I believe there will be people in heaven representing every single people group, even those who are as yet unreached. I believe that every language will be represented in heaven. I’m not sure if we’ll all speak one language in heaven or if we’ll be able to understand each other’s different dialects.

I know it will be glorious not for the golden streets or jewel-encrusted gates or the presence of all the saints who have gone before but because Jesus will be there. The Lamb slain from the foundation will be there still bearing the scars in His hands, feet, and sides. Suddenly, our petty squabbles won’t mean anything anymore because we’ll all be focusing on the King of Kings and Lord of Lord.

Lord, I long for that day more and more. Even now, make us one in You as You are one within the Trinity. Help us to draw outsiders into faith by how we love each other well. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Revisiting Downton Abbey

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Recently, I’ve started rewatching the Downton Abbey series from Season 1, Episode 1 to the very end. This time around, I have a bit of a different perspective because I have seen the series through all the way to the last movie, so I know how the story ends. And for those who still haven’t seen it, there are spoilers ahead (although if you still haven’t seen any episodes, it’s really not my fault, is it?)

That makes a difference. While I can commensurate with Bates and his early struggles, I’m not quite as anxious about his future. I see the daughters acting a bit spoiled, but I remember that’s not how they turn out in the end. That helps when I lowkey want to slap one or two of them upside the head.

The same applies for life. I’ve read the last pages of my Bible, so I know how it all turns out. I know that while the current struggles may seem interminable, they aren’t the last part of my story. As a very famous writer once said, your story won’t end with ashes.

For the believer in Christ, it only gets better from here. I don’t mean that all your pain and suffering instantly ceases in this life, and the rest is sunshine and roses, but we know that this life isn’t all there is. In fact, every part of what seems like forever in this world will only be light and momentary troubles compared to the eternal weight of glory that’s coming.

Another bonus for rewatching a series is anticipating some of my favorite moments from the first time around. In life, we have those moments as well, although they’re not as easy to predict. There will be fleeting glimpses of heaven on earth in this life that will only serve to make us long even more for the real heaven and the new earth.