Expanding Our Presence

" I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." John 15:5

I recently heard a radio ad for "expanding your digital presence". Basically the meaning was finding innovative ways to reach people through the internet, connecting them to whatever product or service you may be providing.

In the realm of evangelism using digital formats has been taken advantage of since the advent of the internet. There are more Christian resources at our fingertips than at any time in history. However I wonder if many of us are taking advantage of God's original model for "expanding our presence".

If you've observed wild vines, whether they be grape or Virginia creeper, you'll notice that if the vine is connected to a robust root, that vine will spread and engulf anything in its path.

The kingdom of God is supposed to be like this: constantly growing & overtaking Satan's kingdom. The vine, as Jesus clearly explains, does nothing on its own, but it wholly dependent upon the root from which it springs (and "Son" light, of course). Therefore when the kingdom of God is not expanding in our personal lives and in our churches, we need look no further than our connection to the root for the reason.

Abiding in Christ may be easier said than done, as millions of saints throughout the ages have endeavored to do this but have failed to fall into God's perfect plan for their lives. However if you search there are some who found the secret to abiding, and though we do well to steer clear of formulas to finding our own way, studying the lives of saints past who found the secret is very worthwhile.

One such saint was Hudson Taylor, the great missionary who started the China Inland Mission. He was facing great struggles and doubts in his faith and ministry until the above verse unfolded to him. He did not have to do anything to be a vine, he already was a vine. It sounds simple and maybe does nothing for you or me, but this realization wrought a profound change in him, and Mr. Taylor and China were never the same.

The common denominator in my studies of saints who have found the secret of "abiding" is that breakthrough was always preceded my a season of intense struggle, motivated by a sincere desire to find God's will for their life, as well a longing for personal holiness. When the breakthrough does finally come, look out! The person is radically changed: the fruit of ministry grows, ripens, and falls to the ground and reproduces of no fleshly effort of the person, but by that intimate connection of being "in Christ".

Each of us must "work out" (Philippians 2:12) the secret of abiding in our own way and in God's own timing. This may seem discouraging at first, but what a wonderful Creator that has personalized a plan for each of us to follow, custom made not only to draw us closer to Him, but to hide us in Him forever. (cf. Colossians 3:3)

Stay Awake, Stay Alive

"And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake." Mark 13:37

You may have seen the above sign on the highway lately.  A bit oversimplified, perhaps, but effective: I can remember once or twice driving to the point of my head nodding, which is not a good thing at all. My friend tells the story of himself and another awaking to the fact that they had rolled to a stop in the middle of a [thankfully deserted] highway. 

Seeing one of these recently got me thinking about our spiritual state. Some of us are awake, but not necessarily "alive", whereas others of us consider ourselves "alive", but are we awake?

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism (though really he was just an Anglican Church reformer), was keenly aware of the different spiritual states of man. The first, or natural, state of man, he believed scripture described as one of sleep: "his senses are not awake: they discern neither spiritual good nor evil" (Sermon 9).  The second state described is a man "under the law", or the "legal" state: one who is aware of his sinful state but still in bondage to it.  Between these two states, Wesley describes in other places a person who has been "awakened": that is, they become aware they are searching for something but they know not what. The class meeting, or small group of the day, was invaluable in guiding someone through this state, helping them see their need for a Saviour. 

If a person progresses and presses through the "legal" state, they reach what Wesley called the "Evangelical" state, or being "under grace". Such a state involved liberty from both guilt from sin and sin itself: a true liberation where one could truly say he or she was spiritually "alive". 

Some of us have experienced such liberation. We are freed from the guilt of past sins, and also, though occasionally stumbling, are freed from habitual sin that once bound us. We "rejoice in hope of the glory of God". (Romans 5:2) However some of us become satisfied that this is the "be all end all" of our faith, and need to ask the question again: "Are we awake?"

The painting above is called "Who Cares?" by Mauricio Palacio, and was inspired by "A Vision of Lost Souls" by Salvation Army founder General William Booth. It depicts a rocky island thrashed my waves, where some people have built a comfortable landing and are engaged in various leisurely pursuits. Below them in the waves are people drowning. I hope I don't have to explain the significance of the picture.

Have we forgotten from where we were rescued? Have we become asleep to the cries of the unsaved? Jesus' admonition above was to the disciples when he found them sleeping, to continue in prayer. What does our prayer life look like? Is it filled with cries to awaken the unsaved?

If we are comfortable in our faith and ministries, Jesus calls to us and has the same message: "Stay awake!"

Stick to the Template

"...look unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence ye are digged" Isaiah 51:1

Anyone familiar with basic carpentry will know that if you want to cut a series of identically lengthed pieces, instead of measuring every time you cut, you just take the first one (an exact cut of what you want), and use that as a "template" to measure successive pieces. If you were to continually take the last piece you cut to measure the new one, by the end your last piece would likely be a significant amount different than the first piece.

Our "template" for all things spiritual is contained in the Bible (anyone who does not agree with or is open to agreeing with this idea will find little benefit reading further). Specifically the template I'm thinking of is that of the church as contained in the book of Acts. Throughout the pages of that book, glimpses of the manifest power and unity of that body show us clearly and painfully how far we have gotten off the template. 

What were the characteristics of that church? One as we mentioned was unity. Another was close community. They broke bread and met much more than once a week. A third was devotion to and precise knowledge of the scriptures (which during the very early years was primarily the writings of Moses). The church was "lay led" (not even yet a concept at that time). Lastly, It was mission and spirit driven. 

There will always be those who say that that was for that specific time, and such a church is not practical today, but I respectfully disagree. All of these characteristics are essential for a church that pleases God. They are timeless, yet we have deemed ourselves smarter than God and have gotten away from them.

The first salvo lobbed at the church was the institutionalization of the church under "converted" Roman emporer Constantine*. The "Jewishness" of the church was forcibly taken out, including feast days prescribed by the law of Moses, and extemporaneous worship was replaced with dry, formal worship modes derived from Greek stoicism (mirroring emporer worship). John Wesley and others did much to recapture the movement of the early church, but Roman structures remained in place and the church for the most part relapsed into a dry institution obsessed with self-preservation. Templates were being cut that bore little resemblance to the original, and the church has drifted farther and farther off course. 

Is this a grossly simplistic representation of the church's history? Perhaps. But I strongly believe that a powerful revival is going to sweep the nation in the near future: one which will occur when we truly regain all the God-ordained elements contained in the book of Acts church. 

We need to go back to the original template. The salvation of this and future generations depends upon it.

* Constantine still worshipped the pagan sun god Mithras: he just though Christ to be a manifestation of that God. Think sun halos around artistic representations of Christ from that and succeeding periods. 

Universal Adaptor

“I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some”  1 Corinthians 9:22 
I am traveling to England right now. There’s always many things to consider while traveling to a different country. One thing I’ve learned from traveling with my wife is that you need the proper adaptor to be able to connect to electricity in the region you’ll be in. Otherwise you will have no power!
One of the complaints I’ve heard from Americans since I was little is how “snooty” people are in other parts of the world, particularly Europe (even more particularly, France!) I always just assumed this to be true (along with everything else I was told), until I actually travelled to other countries, and found out that it’s usually the Americans who are obnoxious! To be sure Europeans can be “snooty”, but it’s usually when an American makes absolutely no effort to engage or understand the culture! If there is a degree of respect and accommodation on the part of the American, the host will usually respond with kindness.
As stewards and ministers of the mystery of God (1 Corinthians 4:1), we are to be extremely adaptable in order to get God’s message across. As Paul put it, he was made “all things to all men”.
Does that mean Paul was watering down God’s truth to make it more palatable? Hardly. Read through any of his letters and you’ll find someone who was uncompromising in the truth of the gospel. We must do everything in our power, however, to “grease the skids”, so to speak. Any human element hindering communication must be removed if we are serious about spreading the gospel.
The truly successful missionaries over the centuries have been the ones who have made steps to understand the culture and adapt to it as much as possible without compromising God’s truth. I think of St. Patrick (who recent research has revealed to actually be a Messianic Jew) among the “barbaric” Celts who once enslaved him. Or Hudson Taylor, perhaps the most successful missionary ever, who adopted the dress of the Chinese (even going so far as shaving his head and sporting the traditional “queue”). These men laid down their rights and personal preference, so that men would be saved.
We should do the same, considering the lengths our Lord went to save us. 

Our Change and God's Patience

 ^"I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." John 16:12

We all have those moments where we wish God would just change us already (for crying out loud). For me it's usually after a time where I've really thought myself to be obedient in all things: rising early and praying, reading the Word, serving, etc. Then I find myself in a situation I just can't overcome and lose my temper or fail in some other way, and then the inevitable angry outburst at God follows. 

It usually goes something like this: "What the %&*, God?! Are you going to help me out, or what? I'm doing all you ask, what the %&* do you want from me?"

It may surprise you to hear that I occasionally use such language toward God, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't. It's not something I'm proud of or recommend, and as I've gotten to know God better these type of outbursts have become much less frequent. But I believe that willingness to pour ourselves out emotionally to God - no matter what it looks like - is a key ingredient of having a close relationship with Him (cf. Psalm 62:8). We are in a relationship, for better or for worse. We wrestle until we are changed (Genesis 32:24-28). 

Another thing I've learned is that it's always our fault that we are not changed, not God's (imagine that!). When we are on our "best behavior" it is still to some degree in our own strength and willpower, and we are setting ourselves up for failure. God patiently watches it all happen, knowing it is for our best when we fail and the hard lessons we will (hopefully) learn.

As a father of two young boys it brings tears to my eyes to think of this from God's perspective. To have to let your children go through misery, not able to speak to them because you know what is best for them and that they are not yet in a position to receive it. They then curse you to your face and you patiently and lovingly bear it. It is only after we have exhausted ourselves as children in our tantrum that we are suddenly able to see clearly that we were in the wrong, and how patient God has been with us all along. This is called contrition (cf. Psalm 51:17).

The words Jesus spoke to the disciples at the top of this devotion were before he had died and risen, and before the Holy Spirit had been given to men. Without the indwelling Holy Spirit the disciples were short-sighted and railed against Jesus' will when they couldn't understand it (cf. Matthew 16:21-22). So it is with us when we so easily slip into the natural while trying to do God's will, rather than fully rely on His Spirit to accomplish everything in us. As Jesus very clearly put it, "without (literally "apart from") me you can do nothing." (John 15:5: the Greek word for "nothing" is very interesting: it means "nothing"!)

Full reliance on God (FROG) is a lifelong lesson, and even in the midst of our confusion and suffering, we should rejoice in the fact that the God of the Universe has deigned to teach it to us, so that one day we can be one with Him.

Keep Moving!

 

"By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went." Hebrews 11:8

I have learned a lot in my spiritual walk from Oswald Chambers. He drives right to the heart of matter without sentimentality, often forcing us to forego our "pity party" and move on the task at hand. 

One of the things Chambers talks about is "drudgery".  That is, when our lives are bereft of uplifting experiences, and all that lies ahead are the daily menial tasks of "life". No credit is given to you for what you do - no one even notices. He believed that this was the true test of the saint: to shine in times like these.

We've talked about the folly of trusting emotions before on this blog. God can seem cruel at times, but our whole lives He is lovingly engaged in the most profitable things of all for us: to be stripped of everything that prevents us from fully relying on and having our every joy in Him. The scripture doesn't say in vain He is a "jealous God" (Exodus 34:14). He wants us all for Himself!

Abraham is rightly held up as an example of a faithful person in the Bible. God told him to grab everything he had and leave his home and family. To go where? Don't worry I'll show you! (Genesis 12:1) 

There is a reason we are told to "walk" by faith! (2 Corinthians 5:7) . Yes, we are also told to "rest" (Psalm 37:7) and that we are "seated" (Ephesians 2:6), but these are spiritual realities to be applied to our ever-dynamic walk. Just keep moving! Like Abraham, even if you have no idea where you're going, keep moving forward in faith! 

The reason why we falter or even go back can always be traced to doubts of God's goodness, that the place He is leading us will not be worth it in the end. Brothers and sisters, it will be worth it beyond our wildest imagination (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:9). 

Keep moving! 

Alignment

 

"If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Romans 12:18

The other night I gave my wife an overdue back massage (she is a pastor, after all). As I pressed and ran my thumbs up along either side of her spine we both heard a series of pops. "What was that?!" she exclaimed. I continued and the pops lessened and then stopped. We both then realized I had inadvertently aligned her spine. 

The human body is an endlessly amazing structure, paradoxically unbelievably strong and fragile at the same time. I am nowhere near the expertise of a chiropractor, but I know the smallest discord in our spine or any other part of our skeleton necessary for our movement can have a "ripple" effect on other parts. For example, a malfunction in one area can cause us to favor one side and change the way we walk or stand, causing strain in other areas and sometimes chronic issues. 

In our spiritual "walk" one of the greatest things to cause us to be "out of alignment" is our relationships with others. It doesn't take much: a forgotten "I'm sorry" or "thank you" can add up, causing us to be "off-balance" in our relationships with God and man. It's the reason Jesus laid such stress upon it: "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift." Matthew 5:23-24  God won't accept our offerings if we are living in unforgiveness! In fact the Bible even says He won't even forgive us! (Mark 11:26 - actually, the word "will" is not in the Greek text, so I believe the sense is more He can't forgive us)

Most of us have had that pricking in our conscience by the Holy Spirit when we need to apologize to someone. We ignore these prickings to our detriment, until we develop "limps" so pronounced we have no choice but to address it! Sadly, many go through their whole lives living in unforgiveness and pride, crippling themselves in the process (sometimes even physically), until it's too late. 

Let us keep short tabs with our fellow men. There is nothing too small to say "I'm sorry" or "thank you" for.* Although others may think you foolish, let God be your standard, and you will be blessed with divine "alignment". 

* The enemy will sometimes come into our minds and cause us to feel guilty and confess things we have no need to confess - this will perhaps be addressed in a future entry