On a Roll

We couldn't get our car window rolled up tonight. The rains were coming, and our power window was being quite stubborn.

We tried all the usual fixes - rolling it down again, trying to give it a jump start with our hands. It inched up a tad, then froze. Finally, we gave up and came inside for supper. Bob tried again right after supper - it inched up a tad more, then froze. He came in for dessert and then went out again to try once more before dark. We committed the matter to prayer but were getting tempted to just cover it up with cardboard.

When he came in a few minutes later, he reported that the window was up - and that he had put duct tape over the control so we don't get in that fix again :). The window had inched up a little more, and he was able to coax it the rest of the way.

So, what's the point?

Sometimes the trials that you are facing may not respond to the usual fixes. You may revisit a problem repeatedly. Perhaps you are even feeling tempted to take a temporary fix that will barely keep the rain out. Let me encourage you to keep bringing it before the Lord! Try once more ... and once more ... even if the progress only seems to be "inching" along. You never know when He might bring the solution on that "one last try".

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. (Luke 18:1)

Don't buy the lies!

Rev. 12:10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God."

Don't buy Satan's lies. Never forget that he is the accuser of the brethren (and, I might add, the sistren :) ).

Sometimes I watch something that drives home a spiritual truth so strongly that I can hardly focus on the show itself. Tonight, that happened with an episode, of all things, of Little House on the Prairie (season 3, "The Music Box", if you are a follower). In the episode, Nellie (the villain) is being her usual evil self. But this time, she has something on Laura - the theft of a music box. She convinces Laura that she will "tell" if Laura doesn't meet her demands - which includes being cruel to a friend who stutters. Nellie holds this threat over Laura's head and even tells her brother. Laura's nightmares and fears were far too familiar to me, as one who has allowed satan to hold things over my head! It soon becomes apparent that Nellie is going to hold this over Laura's head and even turn against her if Laura does everything Nellie demands. Ultimately, Laura confesses to her parents and, freed from the guilt, enjoys peace in her relationship with the friend she had betrayed.

As I watched I couldn't help think of Corrie ten Boom's illustration of this Scripture. She stated that she always wanted to walk in such closeness with God that she would beat the accuser to the throne room. She wanted to confess her sin, then have satan 5 minutes later go to God with his accusations - upon which time Jesus would say, "Oh, that? Corrie has already been here, and it's forgiven." That is my desire too - one I've learned saves me a lot of negotiations with the enemy, and a lot of heartache of being in his traps. In the show, Laura tells her Pa, "I wanted to try to fix it on my own." Boy, do I know that mistake. The problem is - we can't. Only Jesus can.

This doctrine is so relevant to you on the field. If satan can hold something over your heads, you become more focused on the sin you are accused of than the ministry you are called to. Like Laura, you forget the wounded people whom satan wants to turn you against. Live close to the throne room. Whatever you are trying to cover or hide, or fix it on your own, the enemy is winning. When you run to God, and confess to others, his true colors are shown -- and the Gospel shines through in vivid color!

A Prayer for you Tonight

Sometimes, it just takes a simple reminder of truth to encourage us.

When circumstances are overwhelming ... when we know we don't have the answers we're expected to have ... when we know that we are beyond the end of our rope ... then it is so refreshing to know that there are truths that are unchanging, truths that are simple and yet profound. Truths that have to be spiritually discerned.

That was Paul's prayer for the Colossians. He wrote to them:

Col. 1:9-14 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

The Colossians were in a confusing environment. Gnostic teachers claimed that people needed a "special revelation" to be truly spiritual - and that this was only available to a few. Legalists expected obedience to special days and feasts and seasons. The city, a trade center, was filled with pagan worship. And individuals faced their own personal struggles, as they do in every generation and place. Yet Paul laid out just some basics:

God's will - discerned spiritually and resulting in a pleasing walk. Strength, endurance, patience, thankfulness. And oh, the precious truth that we have been transferred from a kingdom of darkness to one of light.

Those are key thoughts for us all tonight - for you personally, I hope. Set aside the confusion and look at the simplicity of the message again. Are you trying to make a decision in line with God's will? Hear the reminder that it comes through spiritual knowledge and understanding - not natural! Do you struggle with whether your walk is pleasing to Him? Trust the promise that when you discern His will, He will lead you in a walk pleasing to Him. Take up His guarantee of strength, endurance, patience, and thankfulness. And remember tonight the basic gospel: He transferred you from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light! Can anything be more difficult than that miraculous transaction?

He is for you. Hear that tonight in Paul's reminders to the Colossians. He doesn't make it hard, He makes it simple. He is for you.

New Post on WCF Blog

I've posted my weekly lesson on my WCF blog: http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com.

A Prayer Request Close to your Hearts

I received the most awesome phone call tonight.

I know that older women are supposed to teach the younger, according to Titus 2, but tonight I was definitely the student. I pass the story along because I know this prayer request will hit close to your hearts.

A college student who is very dear called me tonight. She is called to long-term field service like you are doing, and is in a ministry program at a denominational university to prepare. She called tonight to request prayer from me and others about a summer opportunity working with an orphanage in Kenya. Sarah is considering serving there for most of the summer. She has been assured that this is a true "working" opportunity - her role would be to serve wherever needed in the orphanage. She is really praying about this as a possibility. Sarah has a clear call for the kingdom and has a passion for orphans, but isn't sure if this is God's plan for her summer or not. Please join me in praying for Sarah to have very clear guidance about God's plan for how she spends her summer.

I know you will rejoice as I did when I tell you that Sarah told me her summer isn't her time, it's God's time. She also has been convicted that God doesn't want her to spend her Christmas break "vegging" but instead to offer herself in service to her church.

What a powerful lesson! I think of what I hear on one of my praise and worship CDs ... a live version of "I wanna see Jesus lifted high" ... the worship leader says "This is not a youth movement ... this is the church." Folks, if Sarah represents the heart of the future of the church, then we have a lot to look forward to!

Be encouraged. Be renewed in your own passion for service. Know that there are young people out there getting it right from the beginning! And please, pray for Sarah.

Commended as God's Servant

4 ... as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, 5 beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; 6 by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; 7 by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; 8 through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; 9 as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything. (2 Cor. 6:4b-10)

I never cease to be amazed at the Apostle Paul's example. Here, he lays out for us a way to turn even those negative aspects of ministry into a testimony!

Look at the list he lays out here - afflictions, beatings riots ... appear right alongside sleepless nights and hunger. The fruit of the Spirit is laid out as a lifestyle, alongside spiritual warfare. The contrasts he describes are profound. The bottom line for Paul is that all of these things are part of ministry - all of the struggles and efforts to respond in a godly way, all of the ways of being misunderstood - are all part of their acts as servants of God.

Nothing is too big - or too small - to be a part of your service to God. Whether you're facing blatant warfare, or a struggle to be patient at work ... whether your challenge is to endure a great calamity or a sleepless night ... whether you need endurance or are going hungry ... whatever the situation, whatever the struggle, whatever the need - it is part of your service to God. In everything, put yourself out before Him as His servant!

The Power of Hope

"Ah, darling, it's Behrman's masterpiece - he painted it there the night that the last leaf fell."

closing line of "The Last Leaf" by O Henry

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick", wrote Solomon. But hope alive - can make a heart sing.

O Henry captures the power of hope beautifully in his short story, "The Last Leaf" (http://www.online-literature.com/o_henry/1303/). An ill elderly lady, convinced she will die when the last leaf on the ivy falls to the ground, has abandoned hope and her dreams of painting the Bay of Naples. Another man in the home hears of her lack of will, and sacrifices his own health - and ultimately his own life - to paint on her window a leaf during an icy storm one night while she sleeps. She takes heart, recovers, and remembers her dream. The painter, Behrman, dies from the pneumonia he contracted while painting the leaf that gave her hope.

As I thought about this story, I considered each of you. So many of you are in spiritually dark places, with circumstances that contribute to feelings of hopelessness. When you look at the history and the "big picture", you see little reason to believe that things will change. Even in your little corner, you sometimes question whether you're making any difference at all.

I want to encourage you tonight with this thought: Jesus desires to bring worshippers from all people groups into God's throne room (as pictured in Rev. 7:9). He is the One working underneath the surface of history toward a kingdom goal, the summing up of all things in Him. He painted the leaf on the window, giving us hope in our efforts to reach some little corner of this world of ours -- and the ink he used was His own blood. As a result, as Abraham Kuyper noted, "There is not a square inchin the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'"

Friends, that is Hope defined ... the hope that even your challenging regions belong to Him.

Be blessed with truth tonight!

New Post on other Blog

Hello! I've posted my weekly lesson on the other blog at http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com.

Have a good day!

The Elusively Simple Solution

I spent almost a day and a half on a really simple problem at work this week.

My Excel charts didn't turn out right ... and I couldn't fix the problem. I blamed all the usual suspects: new Office 2007; Microsoft (of course); the lack of response from the campus Excel "expert". I turned elsewhere for solutions and managed to get a helpful soul at Computing Services who offered to devote her afternoon to trying to solve "my" problem.

In the end, the solution was almost elusively simple. Moving column B to column C solved every chart problem I had fought for the better part of 2 days. I praised God for rescuing me, called the friendly lady at Computing Services, and finished my charts.

Isn't that how we are with God sometimes? When we were separated from Him, we looked everywhere we could for the solution to our soul-problem. We blamed everyone and everything; we turned elsewhere for solutions; we failed miserably at finding a solution because it was elusively simple: look to the cross and trust Christ alone.

But even after salvation we can be stubbornly insistent on making things harder than they have to be. The fact is, God's Word contains everything God deemed important for us to know about this thing called the Christian life. We underestimate the power in us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. Really, God calls us to get out of the way so that He can make it clear that He is at work instead of us! He calls it the crucified life - death to self, living to Him (Gal. 2:20).

The book of Colossians is an eloquent reminder of the simplicity of the Gospel, the simplicity of the Christ-life. Paul elevates Christ as pre-eminent over all things, and reminds us that our role is one of a faith-walk, not a frenzied pursuit of knowledge or fastidious keeping of rules and regulations. Simply put, Paul reminds us that it's all about Jesus.

Your life on the field is filled with challenging problems. Issues of contextualization, administrative details, theological questions I can only imagine, political dilemmas - all can press upon you to make it seem like the problems are overwhelming. Tonight, remember the simplicity of the answer: Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Col. 1:27 To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Peace in the Storm

Our pets are scared of storms.

If left alone in a room during a storm, our 81-pound dog George will whimper, moan, even howl. He's been known to butt open a door with his head in order to get to us. More than once I've awakened during the night with his head under my hand, alerting me to a storm going on outside. Our bird, Petey, will screech and flap his wings frantically during a storm, especially if he's left near a window.

So we have developed the habit of bringing Petey's cage into our bedroom on potentially stormy nights. George already has gained the privilege of his 11 dog years to sleep in our room every night, so on stormy nights Bob and I lay in bed with George on the floor on my side and Petey at the end of the bed in his cage.

What's amazing is that no matter how bad the storm, if they are in our room they are calm, peaceful, and restful. Their sleep isn't affected by thunder and lightning even when, at times, mine is!

Last night as I lay in bed listening to the storm and thinking about the contrast between our peaceful pets and their reactions when they are not with us, I realized that this is the "peace in the storm" that God wants us to have.

Life is full of storms. Even if we enjoy a brief lull, usually the stormclouds rise, the lightning flashes, and something occurs to shake us. But Jesus tells us not to be anxious; the Apostle Paul elaborates with the command to be anxious for nothing.

The fact is, God wants us to be as much at peace with Him in the storms of life as our pets are with us. More so, actually. He wants us to make a willful choice to rest in Him, to allow His peace to pass all understanding.

What storms are keeping you awake at night? What thunder and lightning cause your peace to be rattled? Are you acting like George and Petey when we're not around - or are you surrendering to the peace of your Father's presence like they do when they're with us during a storm?

I pray that God will encourage you to see the reality of His presence in your storm tonight. May the words of this song minister to your spirit.

Sometimes He Calms the Storm
song lyrics written by Tony Wood and Kevin Stokes

All who sail the sea of faith
Find out before too long
How quickly blue skies can grow dark
And gentle winds grow strong

Suddenly fear is like white water
Pounding on the soul
Still we sail on knowing
That our Lord is in control

CHORUS
Sometimes He calms the storm
With a whispered "Peace be still"
He can settle any sea
But it doesn't mean He will

Sometimes He holds us close
And lets the wind and waves go wild
Sometimes He calms the storm
And other times He calms His child

He has a reason for each trial
That we pass through in life
And though we're shaken
We cannot be pulled apart from Christ

No matter how the driving rain beats down
On those who hold to faith
A heart of trust will always
Be a quiet peaceful place

CHORUS

Underneath the Surface

So often we live life at surface level. We get caught up in the concerns, fears, and frustrations of daily life. Political races, tribal conflicts, the exchange rate, logistics of travel, even the fight for survival, can cause us to focus on what we see. Even as we look at 'the big picture' we often see the historical challenges that are still part of that surface level.

But if we look just a little deeper ... if we dig into the heart and soul of our people, often we see something underneath the surface that cries out "never give up". That speaks of hope and future.

Christopher Dawson, in Religion and the Rise of Western Culture, highlights for us how the Apostle Paul's experience in Europe and Asia effected such a subterranean change that the world hardly saw it coming:

When St. Paul...came to Philippi in Macedonia, he did more to change the course of history that the great battle that had decided the fate of the Roman Empire on the same spot nearly a century earlier, for he brought to Europe the seed of a new life which was ultimately destined to create a new world. All this took place underneath the surface of history, so that it was unrecognized by the leaders of contemporary culture....a new principle had been introduced into the static civilization of the Roman world that contained infinite possibilities of change. (p. 27; emphasis mine)

"Infinite possibilities of change" ... isn't that what you long for? Isn't that what you pray for? I know that is my prayer for you, for your people! Yet look how Dawson says it happened ... "underneath the surface of history" - unrecognized by the "leaders" of the day!

Fight the tendency to see things on the surface. For goodness' sake, ignore the media! How I pray that we will have God's eyes - that we will see where the "new principle" of the Gospel is taking root, bringing with it infinite possibilities of change - of turning the world upside down!

"...These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also..." (Acts 17:6)

New Post on Other Blog

I've posted another entry to the World Christian Foundations blog ... http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com if you want to check it out. Thanks!

"Save yourself and us!"

The words of the first thief echo through history. His approach to Jesus was accusatory, demanding: "Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" (Luke 23:39).

It's interesting to look at the crucifixion narratives and see how many times people in the scene use the word "save". The onlooker, the rulers, the soldiers, the first criminal. Everybody with his own sense of meaning of the term - and none realizing that they were looking at Salvation Himself.

Only the second thief seems to have a glimpse of this truth prior to Jesus' death. He doesn't even ask for "salvation", only that Jesus "remember me when you come into your kingdom". Jesus exceeds his expectations - as He is so prone to do - by telling him, "today you will be with me in Paradise" (see Luke 23:39-43).

God has convicted me, as I see myself in the words of the first thief. How many times have I insisted that God fix a situation? How often have I crossed the line from faith to presumption? When have I been focused on being saved, rather than on Salvation Himself? When have I claimed a victory for the kingdom - "save yourself" - when my real motive was selfish?

Only God knows the burdens that lie on your shoulders. Only He sees the trials you face under your very roofs. Learn from the thieves on the cross. Don't focus on demanding that He "fix it" - that He "save Himself". Instead, look to Him as Salvation Himself ... trust Him as the second thief did, to remember you. He'll always be more than you're expecting.

Tent-Pegs of Prayer

Ministry can be a crazy experience at times. Some days or seasons, you feel a strong message of love, grace, mercy ... other times, the focus is on truth and righteousness. Worship might become a focus, or doctrinal issues might rise to the surface. If you're like me, some of these focuses come easier to you than others, and you might find it hard to maintain a balance and note find yourself in the shifting sands of circumstances.

Out of a desire to maintain a balanced perspective personally and in ministry, I sound the Lord for guidance. He taught me 4 basic areas that have become the "tentpegs" of my prayer time. I share them here, for His glory and hopefully your benefit.

Almost every morning I pray that I will be:

1) Doctrinally sound. Wrong doctrine causes so many problems - it even causes us to act wrongly because we believe incorrectly. Worst of all, though, wrong doctrine teaches us wrong things about God, and we glorify Him when we understand who He really is.

2) Passionately worshipful. Jesus said true worshippers worship "in spirit and in truth". What that means is that while doctrine is vital, it isn't complete without a spirit of worship behind it - the Holy Spirit. Passionate worship isn't necessarily exuberant - it may be very quiet. It may involve singing or dancing, throwing yourself into a project, sitting before the Lord reluctant to leave. But it involves our WHOLE hearts - passionately seeking to throw the praise back to Him.

3) Genuinely loving. Paul teaches we are to love "without hypocrisy". Whatever it takes - intense prayer, intercession by others, radical actions - we are to make sure we love, and love genuinely. Loving God and others is the greatest and second commandments, and we must prioritize them in our lives.

4) Carefully obedient. Obedience rarely, if ever, is accidental. We have to discern how to walk out the commands of Scripture, and set about to intentionally follow through.

May God bless you as you seek Him today. For the only true balance we'll ever find is in the moments with Him!

Rest for your soul

I can barely stay awake.

I'm not sure why, but as I was studying tonight I just kept falling asleep. After repeated attempts to focus, I finally yielded to what my body is apparently telling me, and decided to call it an early night.

Rest is hard! I think of what is undone ... the studies tonight, or another time housework, phone calls, a meaningful project. Yet I've been around enough to know that if I don't take rest, my body will force it on me!

Rest is such a biblical principle. God "rested" on the Sabbath, and gave the Sabbath principle to man for our sake, not His. Rest is carried through into the New Testament as a reminder that in Christ, we rest in faith from a works-oriented religion (Heb. 4). But one of the most poignant words on rest is from the mouth of Jesus Himself:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matt. 11:28-30

He promises rest - it's part of following Him! Rest of legalism, to be sure ... but also rest from the endless cycle of feeling that success is up to us ... that this ministry is up to me ... that this person or that church will suffer mightily if I take a night, a week, a year off. Not as an excuse for laziness, but as a serious effort at following Christ in obedience when He calls us aside for rest.

Despite my willingness to press on and my sincere efforts to stay awake, my fatigue tonight tells me He is calling me aside for rest. Is He asking the same of you - maybe for a season? Learn from Him in the ministry of rest.

Sometimes it's the most spiritual thing we can do.

What Makes an Effective Ministry?

To someone with a passion for God's kingdom work, it's the worst feeling in the world.

I've lost it. I'm no longer effective. My prayers hit the ceiling ... my sermons are flat ... words of encouragement fail me ... I can't understand the Scripture I study ... how can I possibly be of use to God after ____________________?

That sick feeling in the pit of your stomach tells you something's wrong, but you just can't fix it. There's no blatant sin in your life; you aren't harboring a secret sin; and yet things are "off". Are such times really indicators of an ineffective ministry?

Each of us has to work through these seasons on our own. Only at the feet of Jesus will we discern if the struggle is spiritual attack (Satan would love to put us out of commission), emotional (fatigue and the stresses of the field can weigh us down), physical, or a combination. It's possible that we do need to change something spiritually - perhaps God will reveal an area of unseen disobedience. But it's also likely that we will learn a much-needed truth: While God always cares for the minister as much as those he or she ministers to, God also is not bound by how we feel about our effectiveness. In fact, as we all have learned, God often ministers through us not because of us, but in spite of us.

In spite of us. In spite of the weaknesses of our flesh, which give up far too easily. In spite of choices we make to obey one scripture which seems to cause us to disobey another. In spite of a lack of perfect understanding, where we know that only God knows the right answer and we do the best we can, in heartfelt obedience to His word, and wish we'd made a different choice later. In spite of us.

John Newton, the famous hymn-writer of "Amazing Grace", is known for eventually repudiating the slave trade. Yet he continued to be involved for several years after his conversion. Biblical heroes had feet of clay as well. David was an adulterer and murderer. Peter denied Christ and was, shall we say, impetuous? Elijah suffered depression. Feet of clay, all of them.

What made their ministry effective is the same thing that will make yours and mine effective - and it's not a 12-step formula. In the nitty-gritty of faith lived out daily, "where the rubber meets the road", as we walk with God through the power of the Spirit in the best of our understanding, He brings the effectiveness as only He can - for His glory. We all realize, often at our "best" moments, that what was done was totally God, because we know where we were. This is not an excuse for unpreparedness or lackadaisical Christianity - instead, the confidence that God is taking it upon Himself to bring effectiveness for His glory and kingdom purposes, should encourage us to do our part in that process.

The Apostle Paul put it this way:

Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart....

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.

(2 Cor. 4:1, 7)

These verses - the foundational passage for this blog - remind me continually that "my" ministry is really God's - and was given to me by His mercy. It keeps me from losing heart, reminding me that the whole purpose of this "treasure" - the Holy Spirit - in my jar of clay is to show the power is God's, not mine. If He can be glorified in my weakness, so be it. The effectiveness of the ministry will only be increased in the long run.

New Post on other blog

I have posted my week 3 lesson on my other blog: http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com . I've changed the blog name to "The Big Picture", so just be aware that it is really the same blog when you get there! Please feel free to post comments, too.

What you can and cannot do

When the needs surrounding you seem so severe, and what you have to give seems so miniscule, it's easy to become discouraged. Human nature, after all, tends toward the dark side of things, which means we see the negative quicker than we see the positive.

If you're in that situation tonight, please receive a reminder from the Lord: He knows precisely what you can and cannot do. He doesn't call you to do what you can't do. If all you can do is show love and give a hug, that's all He is calling you to do. If all you can do is organize an office, that's His call to you. Even if all you can do is survive from day to day and get out of bed and go through your daily routine, because the dark clouds are so oppressive, then that is what He desires for you to do.

Do what you can. Do it with all your heart, with love for God and others, with the fullness of the Holy Spirit. He will do the rest.

The Battle Belongs to the Lord

Sometimes the battle can seem overwhelming.

If you're in the midst of serious warfare, you know the feeling. Sometimes you hit a point where you know the battle is raging, but you're not quite sure what the battle is for. You can see if things go one way a victory of one sort; another direction would be a victory of a different sort. All you know is the enemy is pressing in hard, you desire the glory of God and His victory - and maybe that's all you can discern.

Maybe you don't even know how to pray or what, specifically, the fight is about.

Take heart. You are not alone. Such is the challenge of many who enter spiritual battles. But the awesome truth is that we don't have to figure this out! The fact is, the battle belongs to the Lord.

As I prayed tonight I sensed the need to post this song and words to the blog. It's a simple version, but one that focuses on the Victor. Thanks to YouTube for allowing posting on the blog.

May you be richly blessed to remember in the depth of your battle, that you don't have to have the answers or know what form victory will take.

You just have to be under the standard He has raised up. The battle belongs to the Lord.

In heavenly armor we'll enter the land
The battle belongs to the Lord
No weapon that's fashioned against us will stand
The battle belongs to the Lord

We sing glory honor, power and strength to the Lord (2x)

When the powers of darkness come in like a flood,
The battle belongs to the Lord
He's raised up a standard the power of His blood
the battle belongs to the Lord

When the enemy presses in hard do not fear
The battle belongs to the Lord
Take courage my friend your redemption is near
The battle belongs to the Lord

"No Name Offense"

This is probably the only post I'll ever make about football -- but the analogy is too awesome not to pass on.

The 1972 Miami Dolphins had a perfect season - the first in NFL history. They were best known for their famous offense that included 2 future Hall-of-Famers. Their defense was equally powerful, but did not have the name recognition -- and was thus dubbed historically the "no name defense".

Paul Pierson, in his lectures on the historical development of the world Christian movement, observes an apt parallel: Christ's kingdom workers are His "no name offense".

The difference is notable: You are not on the defensive, holding the enemy back. You are on the offensive, taking God's Word into areas that belong to Him but which are held captive by the enemy. Yet you are "no name" ... for the most part, the world doesn't know you. Even within the church, many just know you generically as "the workers". You may feel you're toiling away in anonymity, and to a degree you are right.

God designed His kingdom work so that no one person can do it alone. No one person, or one church or ministry, has all the gifts and resources that God put into His body. We are interdependent, and when the job is done, we should not be able to credit any one person. Such would detract from the glory that is God's alone. Paul told the Corinthians that one plants, one waters, but God gives the increase - and the emphasis should lie on Him, and not us. The person home who faithfully gives and prays is as invaluable as the one martyred for her faith. So the "no name offense" works to guard our human tendency to glorify man and instead secures glory for God alone.

But the "no name offense" stops at the gates of heaven. Because, dear one, God knows you by name. He knows every hair on your head. He knows your struggles and identifies with your pain. He takes attacks against you very personally. Whether your role in the kingdom battle is a prayer warrior while you nurse babies or work on the farm, an encourager to co-workers as you go about your job, a pastor or Sunday school teacher ... or perhaps you are in a "foreign" land (from our perspective only, of course), trying to help a seemingly hopeless nation rebuild, or raise children in a place where you can't easily obtain Christian literature for your homeschool efforts ... or even on the front lines of church planting and street evangelism ... He knows you by name. You are anonymous only in the eyes of the world. You work for His glory, but He doesn't take your sacrifices lightly. He loves you dearly, and understands all you go through for the sake of His name.

As you exalt His name at the sake of your own, rest assured that it doesn't go unnoticed. Your "no name offense" has a powerful name in the kingdom of God ... a name for wanting to make God famous.

Press on, friends. All of heaven is cheering for you!

Week 2 Post on Other Blog

Hi everyone ... the Week 2 World Christian Foundations post is up on the other blog (http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com). Blessings to you all!

For the furtherance of the Gospel...

Phil. 1:12-14 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Paul was in prison.

Those of us who have fervently prayed for imprisoned kingdom workers over the past weeks can understand how the church at Philippi must have felt: "Get them out of there, God, so they can do your work!"

And yet, Paul remained imprisoned. God had a change of scenery for his ministry. Rather than the familiar synagogues and town squares of the cities of Asia and Europe, Paul's view was the inside of a home in Rome. Instead of evangelism and discipleship in small and large groups, Paul's audience was scattered throughout the Empire. Instead of a preacher, Paul became a writer. One of his manuscripts was to the church at Philippi.

Paul didn't write to solicit their assistance - he wrote to encourage them. "Rejoice" is the theme of the book, and Paul doesn't make his circumstances an exception. Instead, he demonstrates to them specifically how his circumstances have served to advance the Gospel: by giving him opportunities from within (tradition says that the Roman legion had to keep replacing Paul's guards because he would convert them), as well as giving others opportunities outside. The bottom line: Paul's circumstances were submitted to God's sovereign purposes, and God kingdom was advanced.

What circumstance are you facing today that seems to undeniably restrict your ministry, your significance for the kingdom of God? Ask God to give you His eyes to see how He may already be using this circumstance for the advance of the Gospel. Submit the situation to Him and allow His sovereignty over your circumstances to wipe away all fears that you are not furthering the kingdom. When you see it from God's eyes, you'll learn how it really has advanced the kingdom of God - even if your role looks very different than you are used to!

Experiencing Mercy

Have you experienced God's mercy?

If you are a believer in Christ, of course you have. But sometimes we forget that. Other religions proclaim that God is merciful; but only in Christianity is our faith based on experiencing that mercy.

Colin Chapman observes, "It is one thing to proclaim the mercy of God, but another to be sure of experiencing that mercy."

God's mercy means that He doesn't give us what we deserve. It means that we can be sure He isn't waiting for us to mess up. It means when we do sin, we can rest assured of God's willingness to forgive.

Sometimes it's hard to line up our feelings with our message. If God's mercy has become just a theological truth to you, rather than a certainty of experience, draw near to Him and allow Him to reveal Himself to you afresh. I'd love to pray for you about that need as well.

If you are certain of God's mercy, then trust that He can use that. It is a dramatic contrast from what the rest of the world experiences.

Spreading the Gospel in Overwhelming Circumstances

One of Satan's biggest goals is to keep us from advancing the kingdom of God. One tactic he takes is to convince us that we can't pursue kingdom work because the needs around us are so overwhelming.

For individuals, this might mean our family or personal struggles. For churches, internal conflicts and challenges might seem like obstacles. Others see the needs in their neighborhood as so severe that they simply can't look to the ends of the earth.

And yet Scripturally, the Great Commission was unveiled and the Spirit's power released in some pretty tough circumstances. Fulfillment of Acts 1:8, however, was not restricted until Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria had it all together.

Case in point: Antioch. This early church is depicted in Acts 13 as one with a passion for God - and a willingness to release two of their strongest ministers to the ends of the earth. Yet Antioch, like most ancient cities, was literally a mess! Rodney Stark, in The Rise of Christianity, does an excellent job describing Antioch based on both excavations of the area and general research about ancient cities in the region:

"Any accurate portrait of Antioch in New Testament times must depict a city
filled with misery, danger, fear, despair, and hatred. A city where the average
family lived a squalid life in filthy and cramped quarters, where at least
half of the children died at birth or during infancy, and where most of the
children who lived lost at least one parent before reaching maturity. A city
filled with hatred and fear rooted in intense ethnic antagonisms and exacerbated
by a constant stream of strngers. A city so lacking in stable networks of
attachments that petty incidents could prompt mob violence. A city where crime
flourished and the streets were dangerous at night. And, perhaps above all, a
city repeatedly smashed by cataclysmic catastrophes: where a resident could
expect literally to be homeless from time to time, providing that he or she was
among the survivors." (p. 160-161; read chapter 7 for more information)

And yet, they sent the first missionary band. They saw beyond their own needs. The Gospel spread despite the tragedy that was first century life.

And yet in a way, it spread because of that very tragedy. If you have been sent TO an Antioch, take heart; Stark also notes that in Antioch and other cities, "Christianity served as a revitalization movement that arose in response to the misery, chaos, fear, and brutality of life in the urban Greco-Roman world" (p. 161). Christianity offered hope and eternal salvation, but also very practical ways of meeting the multitude of needs; Christians were less likely to abandon people during times of crises and so served as nurses, took in orphans and widows, and generally provided the social services that were desperately needed.

Whether you serve an Antioch or are trying to reach the world despite your circumstances, take heart! The church was born in overwhelming circumstances. The Roman Empire in which it was birthed is long-dead, but the church of Jesus Christ will stand against all obstacles.

Even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it!

Encouragement for Wives

1 Peter 3:1-6 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, when they see your respectful and pure conduct. Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening.

What an interesting - and hard - passage this is. It even uses they horrible four letter O-word! And yet, the heart of the passage is really encouraging.

As a missionary and a wife, you've probably experienced times when God inexplicably refused to let you in on the plan ... times when your husband felt led a direction and you didn't, or maybe even you were outright resistent. That's not a missionary experience, that's a wife experience!

As I've pondered this passage recently I've come to grasp something I never saw before. This passage has been so taken out of context to justify enduring abuse (something God NEVER intends) that we fail to explore what "do not fear anything that is frightening" might truly mean!

As often is the case in Scripture, the answer lies in the context. The example of Sarah and Abraham is an example of CHANGE. When Sarah was 65 God called Abraham to leave home and go to an unnamed land, the land God would show him. Sarah might have wanted a retirement home, to be sure, but she probably had the location already spotted! She didn't want to be adventurous at that point! If there's anything that women across cultures desire, it's security. Change typically doesn't make us feel very secure.

Then there was the whole "let's go to Egypt - and oh, let's just focus on the sister part, just don't mention 'wife'" episode. Who among us wouldn't be afraid to move -- again -- and then be placed in a dangerous situation?

And of course all those promises about the Seed ... so many of them were to Abraham. When Sarah finally got to hear the word it was from behind a curtain.

I've finally decided that the fear mentioned here relates at least in part to the fear of the unknown that Sarah surely experienced because of God's words to Abraham.

So how is that encouraging for you or me? Simply put: We don't have to be afraid of where God's leading our husbands. If we feel they are on the wrong path (what Peter calls "disobedient to the Word" - not necessarily an unbeliever!) then we can pray for them and maintain a respect and proper attitude, that can "win" them ... but regardless, we don't have to fear when we are called to follow to a place that they are led where we just don't get a "word" to go. We don't have to fear when God chooses to speak to them rather than us.

In the Bible study Daniel, Beth Moore relates Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego having to trust that Daniel's vision (Dan. 2) was correct. Literally, their lives were on the line. She recalls an experience when she had to trust an important decision into someone else's hands. "I don't think I can trust them with that decision", she told the Lord. His reply? "Can you trust me with them?" Of course. That's what it really boils down to.

Are you struggling to trust your husband with a decision today? Try shifting your focus ... trust God with your husband instead. Like Sarah, don't fear the unknown.

God is still in control, even when He guides us through someone else.

When you don't have strength

Sometimes, God calls you to minister when you know deep down that you need to be on the receiving end.

It's great when you're able to "check out" for some R&R, but if you're on the field and you're faced with someone in crisis or someone opening up for the first time, and there isn't another believer to refer them to, you know it's "your job". The need becomes the call, and there you are.

It's great to minister from our strength. When we're feeling rested, had a great quiet time, feel close to the Lord, we feel effective in our ministry. Ministry from our overflow feels great!

But at other times - maybe most of the time, where you are - God calls us to minister from our weaknesses. He calls us to have a word for someone else when we desperately need one ourself ... to give that can of Pepsi to another person when we've waited for it a month ... to encourage someone when we're feeling depressed. At those times, we see His power made perfect in our weakness, and we see His glory come through.

Perhaps more than anything, at those times we know that "our" ministry isn't ours at all, but His ... and it's not about us, but Him. He is faithful to His task, and while we can do things to be effective vessels, it's really not about us at all.

Are you being called upon today to minister when you feel weak yourself? Is checking out for some spiritual R&R not an option? Draw upon the strength He provides, and offer what you have. Our God does amazing things with loaves and fishes.

2 Cor. 4:7-18
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you. 13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God. 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

New Blog

Hi everyone ... in case you're interested, I have a second blog that just started today. It's called "It's Not About Me" and what it IS about is my study program, World Christian Foundations. I post weekly about the lessons I learn that week. Feel free to drop in at http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com.

I'll still be posting here as my primary blog, but the purposes are totally different and that's why I started the second one. You can continue to come here for what I pray will be words of encouragement.

Have a good evening!

Be anxious for nothing - Really?

This morning I did an inductive study on Matt. 6:25-34. I was amazed at how many times the word "anxious" appears in the passage. The clear theme is that we are not to be anxious - for anything! Put together with Paul's admonition in Phil. 4:6-7, the message is: "Worry about nothing, pray about everything."

Really, Lord? I mean, my budget is tight and the car might break down and the kids are sick and the computer is running slow.

"Be anxious for nothing."

Really, Lord? More hostages were taken this morning and I can't even walk to the market by myself.

"Be anxious for nothing."

Really, Lord? No one signed up for the school we were supposed to teach and we spent months preparing. All those people gave money to support us and now I have to put this in a newsletter. What if we lose supporters?

"Be anxious for nothing."

Really Lord? My mom is sick and I can't even go see her.

"Be anxious for nothing."

Really Lord? My world's falling apart here. I never thought that relationship would end. Am I doomed to be single all my life?

"Be anxious for nothing."

Come on Lord. I just told you my problems and you're talking about grass and birds and flowers. Don't you know that in today's world sermons are supposed to be practical? Tell me what to do?

"Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness."

Oh, Lord. Seek You ... so you're not minimizing my needs after all. You are talking about priorities. Perspective. Okay, I can set this aside and pray right now. I know you know what my needs are. But, if this is the answer be forewarned - I may be praying a lot today! It's the only thing that can keep me from being anxious.

Hey, You asked for this! I have an idea that you're okay with it.

Mt. 6:25-34 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Upside Down World

In my reading last night I was reminded how upside down the world is. Oh, it seems like World Christians are the ones upside - focusing on other people around the world, seeking to sacrifice for the sake of the message. But that's not what Jesus says. Jesus says this is the only way to get it right. He lived an upside-right life in an upside-down world, and calls us to do the same.

Ralph Winter notes that the modern Christian bookstore would lead one to believe the message is "I have come to give you life affluently". How popular would a book be titled, 'How to bleed, suffer, and die for Jesus Christ", he wonders. I don't think we have to ask.

The thing is, when we maintain an emergency, war-time mentality, it's so much easier to prioritize. And it's even easier when we realize Jesus' priorities were not to hobnob with religious elite and make a network of connections. He came to seek and save the lost, to minister to "the least of these".

Winter says the disciples' "own agenda [was] written with such large letters that they cannot understand how His agenda could be different from theirs." I had to ask myself - what about mine? Is my daily list written in permanent marker or pencil? Do I leave room for His agenda? When I affirm His lordship, do I realize He is Lord of the Great Commission as well - and has the right to readjust my life to suit it?

We become spiritually and emotionally healthy by focusing on others. It's upside down to the world, but upside right in the kingdom. Be prepared to be flexible today - it might just be God sitting you on your feet to turn you upside right!

Oblivious to Danger

What would you do if you knew a nuclear warhead was going to fly over your house at a given hour? I, for one, would be hunting the nearest bunker -- even if I was told that it was safely attached to a plane!

But what if you didn't know?

That's not a theoretical scenario. Last week, an aircraft accidentally carrying 6 nuclear missiles flew from North Dakota to Louisiana - and its path went literally over the town I live in. I didn't have a clue.

Thankfully there were no accidents, and our country was delivered from a disaster we didn't know was even a potential. But it got me to thinking of the scriptural parallels.

Scripture tells us that we are all "shut up under sin" until we come to faith in Christ. We have the "sentence of death" and the good that happens to us is a result of God's common grace, the rain that falls on the just and the unjust. Frankly, apart from Christ we are all disasters waiting to happen ... nuclear warheads in an unsuspecting world. Enemies of God, according to Romans 5.

But God in His great mercy delivered us ... and now we know the risks and dangers. We are compelled to warn others of the nuclear warheads waiting to explode in their lives, apart from God's gracious intervention. Sometimes, we see the devastating results of those launched missiles. And we weep.

Stay in the battle, beloved. Only the power of God through the blood of Christ can deactivate the nuclear missile of sin. And without a messenger, they won't even know it's flying overhead.

What does it mean to be blessed?

No one doubts that most of us in the West are blessed. We absolutely adore the concept - whether as a mealtime prayer, a ritual when someone sneezes, or a cheerful greeting ("have a blessed day"), we recognize that blessing is significant.

Yet so few of us realize that we are "blessed to be a blessing". If we truly grasped that the blessing doesn't stop at our doorstop, I'm not sure that The Prayer of Jabez would have been nearly as popular!

Ralph Winter puts it this way: Blessing, he writes, is "not something you can receive or get like a box of chocolates you can run off with an eat by yourself in a cave....It is something you become in a permanent relationship and fellowship with your Father in Heaven." ("The Kingdom Strikes Back", in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement, 6th ed.)

Not something you get - something you become. He goes on to say that the blessing is contingent upon sharing it with others -- in other words, it's not a blessing until you pass it on. We think we've made progress when we "get" the concept of sharing part of our blessings - giving others a few chocolates from our box. But truly being a blessing goes beyond just sharing ... it is integral to who we are.

We are to become a blessing ... our very lives imparting blessing to others. This isn't surprising ... Jesus, after all, was the very incarnation of God, the ultimate blessing. Why is it surprising for Him to ask us to become something to bless others?

On the other hand, this concept is very liberating. "Blessing" others doesn't depend upon our checkbook, our pantry, or our house ... it is part of who we are. Is my life in every way imparting blessing to others? Am I becoming a blessing? These are the questions I asked myself tonight.

In your worlds, you may feel like you have nothing left to give. You struggle with the language, the culture, the food ... you don't have enough money for yourself much less others ... yet you have the Spirit of God in you, the Spirit they need. He is making you, in your very being, to become a blessing. That smile, that sincere question about a child's health, that cool hand to a feverish forehead, that second cup of tea to invite a guest to linger - all speak that you are becoming a blessing.

Don't let your circumstances define how you bless others. Open your heart and see all the ways God is making you a blessing today!

I know you are to me... never forget that.

Surrender

I found some old notes this morning in a ministry notebook I have kept for a couple of years. Isn't it funny how God brings things up that we sometimes conveniently "forget"? I love how He is faithful even when we are faithless ... how HE is the one who guarantees we will stand before Him "blameless, with great joy on the day of judgment" ... how He keeps us committed to Christ ... how His hold on me will always be tighter than my hold on Him.

All of this gives me confidence when He calls me to surrender. My note - dated 12/14/2005 - reads simply: "Today God has taught me that His call is open, awaiting who will respond. W eare all called to fulfill the Great Commission. I must learn to say "yes" and let Him tell me "no". Surrender says "yes" before knowing the question."

Or as my pastor likes to say, "No, Lord, is an oxymoron."

My husband and I are embarking on some new ventures. We don't know where they all will lead. The ministry doors that are open before me are in some ways beyond me. But God reminds me that "surrender says 'yes' before knowing the question."

It so happens that God has graciously allowed me to know the questions in this case - the specific things He's asked of me are clear. But that's not always the case for me and I know it's not for you. Know that I am praying for you to fulfill all He has for you ... even if it means saying "yes" before knowing the question. May we all surrender fully to Him today!

Imperfect Solutions for an Imperfect World

Maintaining a kingdom mindset in a fallen world can be a challenge. Not only are we tempted to give in to the world system, but when we perservere beyond that temptation we often are thwarted at the next level - discouragement.

For those of us who know God's plan and grasp that His kingdom vision is perfect, the reality often falls short. It may be when a co-worker we respect compromises to obtain a raise. It might occur when we see a bribe given where the giver only wishes to do someone good. It occurs in the US every four years when we elect a president - a periodic reminder that even in the best of circumstances, no one person outside Jesus will hold the keys to a perfect government.

Today's announcement that the Taliban will release the Korean hostages on condition of Korea's pullout from Afghanistan and promise of cessation of all work by Christians hit many as a bittersweet blessing - the hope of release, mingled with the loss of wonderful development works that show Christ's love in practical ways. It's important to note that this was not a decision by the Korean church but the Korean government. It's an imperfect solution by a world power, for an imperfect world.

At times like this we must rely on God's sovereignty. Only He knows why this solution and not another was ultimately put forward. He sometimes uses things like this to mobilize national believers. We can pray for that, and also for the Korean church to redouble its commitment to the Great Commission-wherever it takes them. Like Philadelphia in the book of Revelation, the Korean church has "a little strength" after this ordeal - yet God has placed before her an open door no one can shut. They need our prayer support and our understanding as they seek to be obedient to God in an imperfect world where all man-made solutions are imperfect.

Pray also for the hostages in their last hours/days/weeks (we don't know yet) of captivity. God still has a purpose for them there!

Focus!

We watched "The Longest Day" today. This classic WWII movie was a fresh reminder to me of the spiritual battle that we are in - and of the importance of focus.

The amazing scope of "Operation Overlord" - the D-Day attack on Normandy - was successful because of a tremendous number of small assignments successfully completed. The 101st Infantry and the 82nd Airborne each has specific assignments. Unique roles were assigned to the Scottish Brigade and the Royal Air Force. The paratroopers who overshot, landed in town, and were killed, were no less significant than the men who captured the town and ran the German soldiers into the woods.

Yet each team had to maintain its own focus. The commander responsible for leading a group of men to capture and hold a key bridge until relieved kept repeating that task to himself ... and it kept him from distractions. John Wayne refused to consider turning back from Omaha Beach - even though it meant going up for the 4th time.

It's like that in this spiritual battle as well. We each have unique roles to play - and the task is so big that it takes all of us. We must focus on the tasks God gives us, recognizing that each is integral to the overall battle. Most importantly, we must maintain the primary focus where God placed it: on Jesus Christ. Looking to Him, as Hebrews 12:1-2 tells us, the "author and finisher of our faith", we will play a significant role in the ultimate victory.

Rest assured, victory will come. For now, the wartime mentality requires an intense focus. May God grant that to you today!

"Grace and peace to you"

"Grace and Peace to you." These words appear in almost every one of Paul's letters to the churches and individuals he ministered to. Often in Bible reading, sermons, or even serious in-depth Bible study we skim over those words of the introduction, ready to get to the "good stuff". But have you ever thought about the significance of that phrase?

2 Thess. 1:2 is a perfect example: "Grace to you and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." If we slow down, we see that Paul and his team (Silas and Timothy) are writing them, and they greet them with this incredible phrase. The grace and peace aren't from Paul, Silas, and Timothy - they are from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. The Father and Son, through Paul's inspired words, personally extend grace and peace to the Thessalonians - a church in need of both!

The Thesslonians had been persecuted, we learn in 1 Thess., and now were troubled because some were claiming that the "day of the Lord" had come. Imagine thinking that Jesus came and you missed it! But Paul's first sentences - a phrase we take for granted - would be reassuring to them. "Grace and peace to you - from God!" Yes, the Father and Son are intimately involved in what concerns the churches.

Most people in the world live under legalism. Even many Christians fall into that trap. Grace is amazing because it is rare, and it is supernatural. Grace is inextricably bound with love, and reflects that love carried out in some unexpected, undeserved ways. Grace saves us, teaches us, and sustains us - and grace poured into someone else's life can result in transformation and a life of hope instead of despair.

Peace is also a rare commodity in today's world. Not merely the absence of conflict, but wholeness and health of all parts of one's life, is a goal many reach for their entire lives. It's that stillness and quiet in the eye of the hurricane while all around the storms of the world rage.

In your own struggles, have you forgotten the simplicity of the grace and peace of God? Remember for a moment how incredible it is to realize that God personally gives us grace and peace. No matter how you feel today, that hasn't stopped. Don't rush over Paul's words here - let them be the balm of Gilead to your soul.

And when you seek to minister to other who are hurting, remember that we have something rare - grace and peace, not of our own effort but from God Himself.

May you experience His grace and peace in a new way today.

Do you know Him?

When you are overwhelmed with life, when you are tempted by the enemy, it is important to know God. Daniel 11:32 teaches us, "He shall seduce with flattery those who violate the covenant, but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action." Do you know Him? I know you do, but it's nice to be reminded who He is.

I had read this sermon before, but only when I heard it read in a dramatic way did I really experience it. I have been very blessed by this and hope you are too. Be sure to have your speakers on!

Thanks to YouTube for allowing the posting to Blogger.

Blessings today as you are reminded again who your God really is.

How Big is Your God?

Sometimes, in the stresses and strains of life, we make God too small. Someone said it well at church yesterday: A lot of us, to the question "How big is God?", answer, "A little smaller than we are."

Oh, we don't do it blatantly. Those of us in the church know enough to give religious-sounding reasons for our human-centered answer. But we have trouble envisioning a God who is capable of more than we can envision ... so we limit Him in our minds. Of course, we can't truly limit an omnipotent God ... but we miss so much of Him because we live in the zone of safety instead of the danger and delight of letting go of the reins.

I guess I've been thinking about it today because of a couple of awe-inspiring things going on right now. First, the space shuttle Endeavour started back for earth yesterday (Sunday). It will land on Tuesday, God willing. Now, I don't know how fast the shuttle travels but think of it - that high speed flight and it will still take two days to fly back from space. And the "outer space" it was in is just our little corner of one galaxy ... we haven't even talked about the reaches outside of this galaxy and the "far corners" of the universe where we talk in light-years rather than days.

Second, Hurricane Dean, a Category 5 storm, is the size of Texas. Texas. I'm from Texas. It takes a whole day to drive across the state! And yet, God controls the wind - even the wind from Dean - and upholds the earth it passes over by the word of His power.

No wonder Job said "Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; And how faint a word we hear of Him!" (Job 26:14). The incredible awesome things we see in creation, the wonder of it all - that is only the fringes of God's ways.

And to think we make Him so small. He is bigger than we ever dreamed. What situation has you overwhelmed tonight? Ask God to come in and be BIG.

He stretches out the north over empty space And hangs the earth on nothing. He wraps up the waters in His clouds, And the cloud does not burst under them. He obscures the face of the full moon And spreads His cloud over it. He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters At the boundary of light and darkness. The pillars of heaven tremble And are amazed at His rebuke. He quieted the sea with His power, And by His understanding He shattered Rahab. By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent. Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; And how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?

Job 26:7-14

The Gates of Hell

I slept fitfully last night, anxious about the latest kidnapping of a pregnant woman, tentative about whether the 19 Koreans will get out alive, feeling thankful and a little guilty that I was sleeping in a comfortable bed curled up next to my husband.

I awoke desperately wanting to pray for them, but needing a word from God before I could even proceed. I know you've been there ... overwhelmed by a need. How precious that whatever our role in the kingdom we are, first and foremost, His children, and the one thing that is needful will always be to sit at His feet first.

So, I did, and He answered dramatically. In the course of my regular Bible reading, He had me in Matthew 16:18 -

"...upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it."

Excitement and encouragement swept over me. The gates of Hades - that's right! I recalled that the "gates of Hades" was a reference that the church was the one doing the advancing; the gates were defensive.

I remembered all over again the truth that Satan is really a defeated foe and always strikes from a defensive posture. The picture I had was that of a cornered wild animal -- angry and able to inflict damage, but definitely on the defensive.

Regardless of how it looks over there, it's not the gates of hell that are advancing. It's the church of Jesus Christ ... the kingdom of God coming on earth as it is in heaven. It is in the context of the church's advance that Jesus says "Whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (v. 19). This echoes the Lord's Prayer: "Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." That's how the church advances and the enemy is defeated!

Sure, suffering and persecution are part of the process. Jesus immediately teaches about the suffering He will endure and the denial that the cross requires. But we have an assurance while that is happening that the church IS advancing! God's kingdom IS coming on earth, and the enemy IS being defeated.

Sometimes the darkest hour is just before dawn. Press on to victory.

Korean Christians - and Warfare

In case you haven't heard (and if you're in the US - you probably haven't), the "negotiations" between the Taliban and South Korea have failed. A Taliban tribunal will now decide the "fate" of the Korean hostages. An additional Christian NGO worker from Germany was kidnapped from a restaurant while eating with her boyfriend.

Now is a time for intense prayer, but also a reminder of the sovereignty of God. Only He knows whether these are numbered among those who will be martyrs. We can pray, however, for their boldness, perseverance, and peace in the midst of this storm. And, based on Paul's request to the Thessalonians (2 Thess. 3:1-3), we can pray God would deliver them from evil and perverse men. But if that doesn't happen, please don't lose heart. Continue to pray for God to use even their deaths for His glory and kingdom purposes.

Surely it is no mere coincidence that I am writing a paper on persecution at the very time I'm praying for persecuted believers halfway around the world. But this applies to you too - even though you may be in a "safe" country. Because Scripture makes it clear that we are in a spiritual battle ... a spiritual battle with a predetermined outcome. We know the contours of the battle, but God fills in the colors according to His plan. We don't always know how we fit into that. We just know that He is in control...He is sovereign. Yes, we pray and give and work because He ordains that certain things happen because of our prayer and gifts and work. But there is always an element of sovereignty about this war that we are in.

Josef Tson said it better than anything I've read outside Scripture:

"For many years...I was groaning and saying ‘Lord, why?’...Now I have as the main pillar of my theology the sovereignty of God. The sovereignty of God means Satan at the end always finds out that he just promoted God's cause. All God’s enemies combine to destroy His work, and they always discover at the end that they just promoted it. That’s the sovereignty of God." (emphasis mine)

Commenting on this, Herbert Schlossberg writes in A Fragrance of Oppression: “That is why a Biblical philosophy of history has to recognize that God’s victories often come disguised as defeats: persecutions, death, destruction of churches and so on. A theology of disaster that is true to a Biblical worldview recognizes the victory lurking behind every external setback to faithful followers of Christ.”

Victory in death and setback? The unfathomable ways of our God.

You are on the frontlines of this spiritual battle. You may not be persecuted today, but you are a target. Keep a prayer circle around you - I'd love to be part of it - but know that anything God allows against you has a victorious purpose. I like to put it this way: Satan always attacks from a defensive posture. The gates of hell will not prevail against the offensive onslaught of the church in spiritual battle.

Even if it looks like we just lost.

An Unexpected Blessing

Our car broke down today.

It's the hottest day of the year, the busiest week of the year on the University campus where we work. We only have one vehicle and our budget is extremely tight. We live about 5 miles from campus - a long walk without sidewalks most of the way, difficult even in ideal weather. When I rode home in the wrecker at 5 p.m., we didn't know how we would get to work tomorrow.

I rounded up the usual suspects ... called a couple of friends who often have extra cars, talked to a co-worker. The Lord whispered to me (as He does) to call a neighbor, but I was unsure whose voice I was hearing. When my efforts dead-ended, the voice became more urgent and I thought of the Scripture: "Better a neighbor nearby than a brother far away." Apt words since none of our siblings live here!

About an hour after the first prompting I called my neighbor. I had hesitated to contact this sweet elderly couple, her nursing him through his stroke. They're the grandparent-ly type, the ones who have trouble saying no if they love you. I didn't want them to feel obliged. I guess I was waiting for God to miraculously have them call me or something. I don't know what I thought - I just know that I was hesitant.

But what an unexpected blessing I received. When she answered the phone and discovered it was me, she asked how things were. I told her it had been a rough week. She had seen the wrecker and so asked about that. "That's why I'm calling", I confessed reluctantly, hesitantly, almost sheepishly. I'm sure I sounded 3 years old. Her next words touched me to the core, bringing tears to my eyes:

"How can I help?"

It wasn't the words as much as the eagerness. There was no hesitation, no hint of compulsion. I expressed our transportation situation and she put the phone down to talk to her husband. She came back and told me his words:

"Do they want the car or the truck?"

The tears flowed again, more liberally this time. When I walked over to pick up the vehicle, I hugged her and thanked her profusely. She pulled back and genuinely said, "No, thank YOU for asking."

What an unexpected blessing on a trying day. To see these people, in trials of their own, being so eager to help, actually glad I asked ... I was convicted but so honored and blessed as well.

"You have not because you ask not", God tells us about prayer. Sometimes that's true of our brothers and sisters in Christ as well.

I thought of each of you, out there doing the thing, hating to let people know how hard it is. Please know that God has put love in different peoples' hearts for you, and those individuals long to know how they can help. So much of the time that is in prayer, but there are tangible needs as well. Don't hesitate to ask God on whose heart He has placed you. And don't hesitate to let them know your needs. They'll be glad you did - and you'll be blessed in the process.

Eager to be with Him?

It's amazing how much I've learned from my dog over the years. I guess God knows that sometimes I need the simple things of the world to get His lessons through my head!

Our dog, George, is an 11-year-old mixed large breed dog. He came into our hearts and lives when he was only 2 1/2 weeks old...we literally had to wake him up from falling asleep in his milk. He's always been more comfortable with people than other animals, and as he has aged we've seen an increased dependence on us, an increase dissatisfaction when we are away.

He's always had his own bed, but would sleep in our room (on the floor) if there were storms which frighten him, or if it was too cold outside, or any other excuse one of us could muster. A few weeks ago we made a momentous decision: George is old, hurting, and alone while we are at work, and so we will let him sleep in our room every night.

Now, George may be old, but believe me, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! He has quickly picked up the pattern and knows at night when it's time to go to bed. Despite his pain from hip dysplasia, he wiggles around like a puppy when we tell him "okay" and allow him to go into our room and onto his spot right next to the bed.

Last night, his eagerness and expectation got me to thinking: isn't this how God wants me to be? George is eager to be with us - no matter what we're doing he is right there. Am I eager to be with God? George expects that we will call him into the room and he'll be in our presence - do I expect God to call me to Him during my quiet time?

Beyond that - am I growing more, or less, dependent on God as the years go by? Am I satisfied when He seems far away? Or do I anxiously anticipate that next time of intimacy, feeling something is wrong unless I'm at His side?

The simple things of the world - yet a deep truth for me.

Draw us close Lord - and let us never be more eager and expectant than when we get to be right next to Your side.

Beauty for ashes, hope for despair

As I look out my window at a beautiful lawn mowed last night by my husband, enjoying the shade tree in the front yard and the peaceful, quiet street we live on, as I sit and write freely on a computer with a high-speed connection in a country where I don't have to edit my words... my mind is thousands of miles away. I am thinking of you ... and you ... and you ... and the struggles you are facing. I'm thinking of what you see when you look around. I'm thinking of those of you who can't go out of town because of the threat of violence. I'm thinking of you whose computers are broken or who wait for the electricity to come up in order to access the internet at a very slow rate. I'm thinking of everything I take for granted every day, and everything I complain about, and how it pales in comparison to your lives and ministries.

And I love you for it.

I love you because you don't have to be there, not a single one of you. I love you because I know how easy it is to rationalize: I'll go when the kids are grown, when I retire, when I marry, when I'm a widow. I'll go where it's safe, where it's more like home, where the language is normal, where they actually like people from my country. I love you because I know that what I call sacrifice is nothing compared to what you have given up to be there, and because I know that you wouldn't trade places with me for anything (well, not permanently anyway - though you might for a weekend especially when it's 120 degrees in the shade).

I've told you before that I know you have feet of clay, that you struggle and are learning the same lessons I'm learning. I know you don't idealize your country any more than I idealize mine. But as I come face to face with some of the harder truths in the New Testament, the truths about mission and compromise and suffering and persecution, I realize afresh how important it is that you are out there doing the thing. You are still my heroes.

As you look around and wonder if you are making a difference, please know that you are ... you are making a difference in the Body of Christ as I learn from every email and every newsletter you send, as that gets filtered into my life and my church. You are making a difference where you are as well, bringing light to the darkness. I leave you with the words from Isaiah 61 that became Jesus' own description of His ministry when He taught in the temple (Luke 4) - and my own reflection on the passage.

May God bless you today. I love you!

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives,and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,and the day of vengeance of our God;to comfort all who mourn; to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,the oil of gladness instead of mourning,the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;that they may be called oaks of righteousness,the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. They shall build up the ancient ruins;they shall raise up the former devastations;they shall repair the ruined cities,the devastations of many generations.

Isa. 61:1-4

Beauty for ashes, hope for despair
What do you see, Lord, when you look over there?
The world calls it hopeless, or claims it's okay
That the darkness seems to hold such a sway.

Oil of gladness, garment of praise
When, oh, when, will their voices raise
In praise to You, Lord, to call you by name?
What will it sound like on that great day

When my voice and theirs, heart languages
Lifting up to Your throne in unity singing?
Let me see it Lord, Your eyes not mine
Oaks for Your glory, in Your perfect time.

Persecution or Compromise

One thing plays repeatedly through my mind as I've read the New Testament passages on persecution in preparation for my term paper. It's a painful and profound thought: Persecution is avoidable for those willing to compromise.

From Paul's admonition that it is those "who desire to live Godly lives in Christ Jesus" that are persecuted, to Peter and John's option of going free but just not speaking about Jesus, to the Galatians who were tempted to doctrinal compromise to avoid persecution, to the martyrs in Revelation who are paralled in the text both as those who are martyred and as those who "obey the gospel" ... we see the two paths laid out for us: Persecution or Compromise.

The compromise may be doctrinal ("Let's just throw in a little legalism here and there"), it may be lifestyle-oriented ("I have to joke like this to fit in and have a platform to share the gospel"), it may be intellectual ("Maybe Scripture against that sin doesn't apply today"). It may be more blatant ("Let's not evangelize"). But whatever the form it takes, compromise is the devil's way of tempting us to avoid persecution. And when we compromise, we don't advance the kingdom of God.

How grateful I am that His kingdom is bigger than my weaknesses! I know I've compromised, and God is teaching me through this study on persecution just how bad that is. Like it or not, His narrow path is the path of difficulty, of being misunderstood, and sometimes outright persecuted. Sometimes from other "religious" people, sometimes from the very people I try to reach. Even if I'm not "beating people over the head" with Scripture - something I definitely don't do -- I can still be a faithful, godly witness and find myself tempted to compromise to avoid persecution, to stay "popular".

Today, seek the Lord for the ways that He wants you to recognize your compromise, and recommit to the narrow way ... even if it leads to persecution.

Blessings to you!

God's Special Presence

I've just spent much of today with my head in books about persecution in preparation for a term paper I'm writing. One key theme that has emerged is the presence of the Holy Spirit in a special way with those who are persecuted or suffer for the sake of Christ. As I go about my daily tasks to wrap up the night, I am reflecting that truly, the deepest valleys of my life have brought His most intimate presence. And I haven't ever been persecuted, and have really not truly suffered that much.

But I know that many of you are enduring trials right now. Trials of faith, suffering in a sacrificial sense, maybe even persecution or the fear of it. Surely many of the people you are ministering to face that reality.

Take heart! God's presence is strong when we suffer; His power is made perfect in our weakness.

Prayer for Hostages

Unified believing prayer is an amazing thing. Paul encouraged the Corinthians to spread prayer requests so that when answers came, God would receive more glory. No matter what we are enduring, when we look beyond ourselves to intercede for others we are blessed beyond measure.

With that in mind, I ask your prayer for the Korean hostages in Afghanistan. The latest update from Baptist Press (below) states many of my thoughts and exhorts us to pass this prayer request along and pray fervently for them! Please do that very thing.

Prayer urged for 21 Christian aid workers held hostage
Posted on Aug 3, 2007 by Staff

WASHINGTON (BP)--With two South Korean men having been executed, 21 young Koreans remained hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan at the two-week point Aug. 2 following the Christian aid workers' kidnapping July 19.Two women hostages are critically ill and most of the others are sick, South Korea's Yonhap News Agency reported Aug. 3, but it did not provide details.

In Washington, an official with the Institute on Religion and Democracy sounded a call Aug. 3 for the media and for Christians to speak up for the Korean captives."Why is it that the media finds the brief incarceration of Paris Hilton worthy of 'round-the-clock vigils but spares little ink and little air time to tell the world more about these two men who gave their lives while serving the people of Afghanistan?" Faith McDonnell, IRD director of religious liberty programs, asked."Even more disturbing than lack of media coverage, though, is the tepid response of the churches to the plight of their brothers and sisters from South Korea," McDonnell continued in the statement."

No matter what issues currently occupy Christians in the U.S., they should shift their focus to Afghanistan right now and join the churches in South Korea in vigilant prayer for the remaining hostages." McDonnell said the crisis is a chance "to witness to the world that the body of Christ is one worldwide body.""Christians in the West should always be praying for their persecuted brothers and sisters -- but particularly in this time of crisis, they should look beyond their own interests and pray for the hostages. I challenge Christians to pray daily for the South Koreans, and to include them as a prayer item on church Web sites, e-mail conferences and the blog sites of individuals."

The two men who have been killed by the Taliban thus far are:

-- Bae Hyung Kyu, 42, a minister with the Sammul Presbyterian Church near Seoul who was slain by 10 AK-47 shots July 25, his birthday. Bae worked with unmarried university graduates, helping prepare them for volunteer trips for aid work in developing countries, according to Compass, a persecution watchdog organization based in Santa Ana, Calif. Bae leaves behind a wife and 9-year-old daughter, Compass reported. (Some news reports have spelled the name of the church "Saemmul.")
-- Shim Sung Min, 29, who had left a job in information technology to seek a graduate degree in agriculture out of a concern for poor Korean farmers impacted by globalization, a church member told Compass. Shim had been teaching Sunday School classes for the handicapped, the church member also said.

While the South Korean volunteer team, 16 of whom are women, have been criticized in some quarters for venturing into Afghanistan's volatility, an Afghan convert to Christianity told Compass he admires the commitment they evidenced and hopes that a Christian presence can continue in the country."During the Taliban regime, the main expatriate group in Afghanistan was Christians," the Afghan told Compass. "They were here to help Afghanistan. … No one else had the guts to come and help this war-torn country." The convert said Christians are called to serve -– and sometimes at a very high cost.

"Thank you for coming to Afghanistan to serve my people," Compass quoted the Afghan as saying to the hostages and other Korean Christians who had served in Afghanistan. "Thank you for letting the world know, 'Don't forget Afghanistan.' Your Afghan brothers in faith are praying for you daily."

The corpses of Bae and Shim have been returned to South Korea, Compass reported.

Taliban spokesmen threatened more executions by midnight Aug. 2 if the Afghan government continued to refuse demands to Taliban prisoners, Compass reported, noting that Taliban leaders later stated that no one had been hurt.

A purported Taliban spokesman, Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, told the Yonhap News Agency July 31, "If the negotiations do not go well, [the militants] will kill the male hostages, and then it will be the female hostages' turn."

Yonhap, in an Aug. 3 report, cited informed sources in reporting that South Korean officials are negotiating with the Taliban "for the venue for face-to-face talks" on the fate of 21 surviving hostages, "amid conflicting reports on imminent military operations to rescue the hostages."

South Korean officials would not officially confirm efforts to establish direct talks with the kidnappers, Yonhap reported, but said they are trying to maintain "direct or indirect contact" with the captors.Negotiations for medical treatment for the sick hostages at a Kabul hospital also have not yet been successful, Yonhap reported."

The hospital proposed to the Taliban specific conditions for the treatment of the Korean patients, but the militants refused them," a reporter with the Afghan Islamic Press told Yonhap on condition of anonymity.Cheon Ho-seon, a spokesman for South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, said a medical team from the South Korean military contingent stationed in Afghanistan is on standby near the southern Afghan province of Ghazni, where the Koreans were taken hostage. "The team has been on standby since the kidnapping took place," he said.

The 23-member Korean aid team was traveling on a charter bus from Kandahar to the capital, Kabul, when armed men stopped them July 19 in the Ghazni province's Qarabagh district. The volunteers had arrived in Afghanistan on July 13 and were scheduled to return home July 23.Compass, in a July 30 news report, recounted that the team had spent three days assisting three Korean women who were engaged in long-term aid work in northern Afghanistan. The volunteers were traveling back to Kabul but went on to Kandahar by bus when no flights were available. The group had planned to spend several days volunteering at a hospital and kindergarten in Kandahar where a husband-and-wife doctor team and a single Korean woman teacher are working. The two doctors treat up to 150 patients a day, Compass quoted a member of the Korean church as saying.

analyst for the Washington-based International Christian Concern persecution watchdog likened the incident to the 2001 kidnapping of American missionaries Heather Mercer and Dayna Curry, who were held by the Taliban for three months. "It was in the very same area of Afghanistan that these two kidnappings happened," Jeremy Sewell said in a July 20 news release. "While Mercer and Curry's story ended happily, it was only because anti-Taliban forces attacked the prison."

"Under the Taliban, it is absolutely illegal to preach Christianity. This courageous South Korean missions team is going to experience the ultimate test of their faith."

Amazing Grace

If you haven't seen it already, rent the movie "Amazing Grace" when you have a chance. The story of William Wilberforce's fight against the slave trade in England 300 years ago is incredibly relevant to us today. Not only because there are ample injustices to fight against ... but also because we need reminders of what it is like to live life on purpose, with an unswerving passion.

Wilberforce was a rising young star in Parliament, the typical politician of his day, when God interrupted his plans. You know what that's like! In a poignant scene on his plush, extravagant lawn, Wilberforce revels in a newfound relationship with His Lord. Changed from a man who was self-centered and focused on selfish ambition into someone whose delight is in looking at the sky while reading Scripture, Wilberforce tries to come to grips with his calling. His butler queries him: "Did you find God, sir?" Wilberforce answers, in a phrase that caused knowing giggles in the audience when I watched it, "He found me. Do you know how terribly inconvenient that is?"

Inconvenient, yes. But after a struggle with whether to quit politics to join the ministry, Wilberforce determines his place is in Parliament for a purpose: to eradicate the slave trade. After a series of divinely-appointed relationships convinces him of this role, Wilberforce devotes the rest of his life to this task. Along with his friend William Pitt -- who becomes Prime Minister at an incredibly young age -- Wilberforce perseveres through failure after failure, trial after trial, humiliation and rejection. Early in their fight, when Pitt becomes Prime Minister and the two young men are heady with excitement, Pitt exclaims, "We're too young to know all the things that are impossible, so we'll do them anyway." Later, with the stress taking a physical toll on Wilberforce's body, when success finally comes it is so obviously the Lord's doing that you will want to worship Him for His creativity.

Perseverance is hard. We all need to be encouraged. Scripture tells us that we should study the lives of those who have gone before us, and imitate their faith. Wilberforce's story tells us much about a faith that never gives up - a faith that works.

And slavery was history in England before Wilberforce died. Praise to the God of justice.