Encouraging the body of Christ to share the treasure of the Gospel through the power of God. "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us." 2 Corinthians 4:7
Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted. Just as many were astonished at you, My people, So His appearance was marred more than any man And His form more than the sons of men. Thus He will sprinkle many nations, Kings will shut their mouths on account of Him; For what had not been told them they will see, And what they had not heard they will understand. (Isaiah 52:13-15 NASB)
Jesus, the Messiah. Born to reign - but first, to suffer and die. Born to be high and lifted up and greatly exalted -- but only after having His appearance marred more than any man.
The myrrh in the wise men's gifts is in many ways the odd element. The gold and frankincense, gifts fit for a king, make sense. But myrrh was a spice used in burial rituals. Why present this to a newborn child, especially one worshipped by the wise men as the promised King of the Jews?
It's a reminder tucked into the middle of the joyous birth story that Jesus' first advent, his first coming, would be marked by His death. Indeed, on the cross Jesus was offered wine mixed with myrrh - a fitting framing of his life, beginning and ending with the idea that His death was God's plan all along ... as was His resurrection and ultimate eternal reign.
The blood shed when He was marred more than any man is for the nations. Like the sacrificial offerings of the Old covenant, Jesus' blood sprinkles those who draw close enough to the cross to experience its redemptive power. And when we are sprinkled with His blood, then we see and understand more than we could ever be told in mere words -- we begin to see the beauty in the presence of myrrh at the manger.
(from We Three Kings) Myrrh is mine, its bitter perfume Breathes of life of gathering
gloom Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding, dying Sealed in the stone-cold tomb http://youtu.be/k8mjRxkMBkE
"A star shall come forth from Jacob, and a scepter shall rise from Israel." Numbers 24:17
Jesus, born of the tribe of David, to be not only Savior and Lord, but king. King of the Jews, King of the World. This prophecy is a reminder of His ultimate lordship. Hallelujah!
The Third Sunday of Advent is definitely my favorite. On this day, we light the candle that is differently colored than the others (ours is rose while the others are purple, but traditions vary). I like to call it the Mary candle, after the first passage of the readings for this Sunday (see below).
I think the reason that I enjoy it so much is that so often, we forget that Christmas truly is a season of joy. We get caught up in the tyranny of the urgent, moving from event to event and task to task as if they were ends in themselves. Inevitably, a newspaper article will remind me that this is a season when depression spikes - often because of financial stress, family problems, and loneliness. Even those who don't fall into depression face disappointment in a less-than-picture perfect holiday. The truth is, when we make Christmas about gifts, parties, and an ideal coming-together of traditions and circumstances we will always be disappointed. Especially Christians - because God is far to faithful to let us find joy anywhere but in Jesus, especially at this time of the year.
Let's face it - the first Christmas was pretty messy. There is nothing joyful about a scandalous pregnancy, a long journey in the 9th month, the failure to find lodging, and childbirth in a place where animals were kept. God didn't pick a picture-perfect circumstance for His Son's birth.
That's why I love Mary's words in the Magnificat, Mary's Song. "...my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant." Mary knew that God could have found women from more elite families, but He had chosen her. She rejoiced despite her circumstances, in God her Savior. That is true joy, and that is the heart of Christmas.
The passages for this week remind us that joy wasn't just intended for Mary and those who walked with Jesus on this earth. Joy - a fruit of the Spirit - comes as we learn to have the mind of Christ. As we learn to see things as He does, then we will find joy where He does, as we see righteousness and praise springing up among all the nations.
"Joy to the World" is not just a great Christmas song - it's what He offers to all who embrace the truth that "He comes to make the blessing known/far as the curse is found." In all the dark corners of the world, He offers the hope of blessing instead of curse. The more we become part of that, the more we will experience "joy, unspeakable joy".
http://youtu.be/NLhb3qUA3uc
--------------------------------------------------- In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. ... And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever." (Luke 1:26-38, 46-55 ESV)
And the ransomed of the LORD shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. (Isaiah 35:10 ESV)
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. ... For I the LORD love justice; I hate robbery and wrong; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their offspring shall be known among the nations, and their descendants in the midst of the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge them, that they are an offspring the LORD has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to sprout up before all the nations. (Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 ESV)
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:1-11 ESV)
But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.(Galatians 4:4-5 ESV)
Any expectant mother cannot wait for those last few weeks of pregnancy to be over and the baby to finally arrive. I'm sure that Mary, "great with child" as Luke 2 tells us, was no different.
The birth of Jesus didn't just fulfill Mary's natural yearnings for the baby to be born, however. Paul tells us in this passage that Jesus' birth marked a significant point on the kingdom calendar; it signified that the "fullness of time" had come. The time for prophecies about the Messiah, the season of anticipatory waiting, the preparation phase - these were essential, but not ultimate. Finally, one day God saw that it was time. The fullness of time - the completion of an earlier period or season of time - had finally arived.
And so, Jesus was born. Born to redeem - the crucial and essential element of our faith. If that was all, it would be enough. Yet Paul tells us there was more. Redemption wasn't the ultimate purpose - relationship was. God sent Jesus to redeem us so we could be adopted as sons. Adopted by Him. Restored to the relationship which He intended at creation - and even more, because instead of just being with us as He was with Adam, He is now in us through the indwelling Holy Spirit.
As we celebrate the fullness of time that spoke the word and sent forth Jesus into the world, let us also celebrate the relationship He gives us with the Father.
Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe "The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone." (1 Peter 2:7, NASB)
When our family chose to start Advent traditions, we were very intentional about our Scripture selection. We wanted the traditional passages of Jesus' birth, and the key prophecies, but we also wanted passages that connected Jesus' birth to the Gospel. Christmas is only the beginning of the story, and so we wanted reminders throughout the season that the Christmas story wasn't complete until the empty tomb. Jesus fulfilled every prophecy of Messiah - not just the birth prophecies.
Peter quotes Psalm 118:22, reminding his congregation that Jesus was rejected by the "leaders". Encouraging them to godly, intentional living in the midst of an unbelieving society, Peter underscores that not everyone will believe. But to those of us who believe, He is precious.
Jesus is the chief cornerstone. The church is built on Him - no other foundation. He is precious, truly. Whether accepted as an innocent and truly perfect baby, or rejected by men, for those who believe He becomes the foundation that we need - for our lives, for our families, for our church, for our world.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. (Hebrews 1:1-2 ESV)
There had been no prophetic word from heaven for 400 years. No prophet was anointed by God. Israel experienced a "famine of hearing the word of the Lord."
Then an angel appeared to Zechariah, prophesying the forerunner to the Messiah, John the Baptist. Once again, God's eternal words greeted human ears. No wonder Israel turned out in droves to hear John speak. All the legalistic burdens of the Pharisees couldn't hold them back. They were starved for the Word of God.
And they hadn't heard the best part yet.
Soon, Messiah would be born in a humble manger. Soon, a baby's cry would pierce the night and few would realize that this very child was, in fact, a Word from God. THE Word from God. The Word made flesh, the Apostle John would call Him.
This is the miracle and mystery of the incarnation. When we embrace this, all we can do is bow down in awe.
"Hail, hail the Word made flesh; the babe the son of Mary" (What Child is This?).
"Ask of Me and I will surely give the nations as Thine inheritance, and the very ends of the earth as Thy possession."
In Psalm 2, God is speaking to His Son. His Son, the one born in the manger. His Son, the one whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. His Son, born to die. His Son, whose resurrection was God's stamp of acceptance that His death truly paid the price for our sins. His Son, to Whom has been given all the nations as an inheritance.
As Abraham Kuyper said, "There is no square inch of earth over which the Lord Jesus does not cry, 'Mine.'" There are no God-forsaken places. Not here, not there, not anywhere.
Hallelujah. That makes for a very merry Christmas indeed, as we commit afresh to telling His story where it is old, and where it is new. http://youtu.be/2Y_lHevMdpc
he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise
up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I
will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to
the end of the earth." - Isaiah 49:6
One of the beautiful things about Advent to me is the reminder that God is the God of the world - no one has a corner on Him! This prophecy of Messiah specifically connects His coming with the cause of global missions -- and when you think of what it meant for Immanuel, God with us, to come to earth, it is easy to understand why God says it would be too light a thing to do all that for only one people group.
The babe in the manger, the Lord of the earth, came as a light for the nations.
'And in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed'...He does not say, 'and to seeds', as referring to many, but rather to one, and to your seed', that is, Christ.
Jesus fulfilled the promise God gave Abraham to be the seed through whom the entire world would be blessed. During Advent we remember the promise that was anticipated for 2000 years - and the fulfillment that came in the manger when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, for behold, I come and I will dwell in your midst, declares the LORD. And many nations shall join themselves to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people. And I will dwell in your midst, and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. - (Zechariah 2:10-11 ESV)
The babe in the manger is LORD.
The heart of Christmas is this realization: Something incredible, unique, dynamic, and world-changing happened when Jesus was born. The witness of the New Testament is that Jesus fulfilled the promise of God to come dwell with His people.The LORD, Yahweh, has come down. Advent reminds us that Jesus is Immanuel, God with us.
And He is for all of us. Zechariah's prophecy saw many nations joining themselves to the Lord. In the Revelation Jesus gave to John, he saw even more: People from every nation, tribe, and tongue. Every single people group on earth will be represented around the throne. No exceptions, no limitations. On that beautiful day around the throne, there will be no unreached people groups. None.
Jesus Himself linked His second advent, His second coming, to this truth: And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 ESV) If we long for His return, as Scripture says we should, then we should long to be involved in the one thing that will be required to hasten His return -- reaching those "nations" (the word refers to people groups, what we might consider tribes or clans rather than political nations) -- those people groups who have never heard.
On the day Jesus was born in the manger, God send angels to herald the news to shepherds in the field. Today, He sends His people - the church - to herald the news to those who have never heard. What is that message? God Himself has made a way for relationship to Him. He has entered the world He created, taken on human flesh, so that He could bear the death penalty for the sins we committed against a holy God. Jesus, full of grace and truth, revealed God's heart of love and mercy toward mankind.
As we light the candle for the second Sunday of Advent tonight, we remember the Peace that Jesus came to bring to the world. This peace is not like the world's peace - not what we would expect. Remarkably, He Himself became our peace. In some way that is beyond our human understanding, this baby in the manger became peace for us between sinful humanity and a holy God.
In his remarkable story, Peace Child, Don Richardson presents the saga of living among the Sawi people of New Guinea. In an effort to share the Gospel with this people group that valued treachery and deceit, he sought to find a cultural "key" that would unlock the beauty of the Gospel message. Everything was a dead end -- they even saw Judas as the hero of the crucifixion story -- until the day he learned about the Sawi concept of Peace Child.
For the Sawi, the only thing that could stop treachery and deceit between clans was to exchange a child. The clans would meet, and one clan leader would present the other with a child, who would be raised among the other clan. As long as the Peace Child remained alive, the two clans would have to maintain peace.
Richardson immediately saw the connection to Truth. He couldn't wait to get the leaders together. When he did, he told the about Jesus, the Peace Child that God sent to mankind. The Peace Child who lives forever. The Peace Child who was God incarnate. Immediately these Sawi leaders understood that Judas, instead of being the hero, had committed the ultimate sin in their eyes - he rejected the Peace Child.
Today, as you read the Scriptures below and light your Peace candle, remember Jesus who came, not to give a superficial or temporary peace, but to bring the ultimate Peace - peace between man and God. Eagerly anticipate the day when He comes again, bringing the perfect peace on earth for which we all long. And then pray those words He taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" - and ask Him to give us a glimpse of His kingdom by raising up leaders who will seek peace in some of the broken places of earth today.
---------------------------------------------------------------- But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. Therefore he shall give them up until the time when she who is in labor has given birth; then the rest of his brothers shall return to the people of Israel. And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace. When the Assyrian comes into our land and treads in our palaces, then we will raise against him seven shepherds and eight princes of men; (Micah 5:2-5 ESV)
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him." ... After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2:1-2, 9-11 ESV)
The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide disputes for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the LORD. - (Isaiah 2:1-5 ESV)
As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall become straight, and the rough places shall become level ways, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'" - (Luke 3:4-6 ESV)
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. - (Ephesians 2:13-16 ESV)
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. - (Isaiah 11:1-2 ESV)
Jesus' life is the perfect example of a Spirit-filled life. As we celebrate His birth, let us commit to reading through the Gospels in the upcoming months to be reminded again what a Spirit-filled life looks like.
And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?" And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God. (Luke 1:34-35 ESV)
We can always trust God when He asks us to surrender.
Mary's surrender was to become the virgin mother of the Son of God. Our surrender will not be as dramatic, but we can always trust God.
His character is Holy. The fruit that is borne when He comes upon us and overshadows us will always be Holy.
Let us then say with Mary, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her. - (Luke 1:38 ESV)
Praise God for the miracle of the virgin birth, a miracle beyond comprehension. Take a moment to be awed once again by the idea of a holy God wrapped in human flesh.
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days. - (Micah 5:2 ESV)
Matthew 2:5-6 records that this was fulfilled in Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. Reflect on what it says about God that He chose the city of one of the smallest clans of the tribe of Judah to be the location for His Son to be born.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. - (Isaiah 9:6 ESV)
Think about the names given to the child that was born to us - Jesus. Spend some time reflecting on the purpose and power of these names. As you see references to "baby Jesus", remember all that was wrapped up in that tiny package. As Paul wrote to the Colossians, "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:19).
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). - (Matthew 1:18-23 ESV)
Thank God today for fulfilling His word to Isaiah. Reflect on what it means that Jesus perfectly fulfilled every Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah. Immanuel means "God with us"; throughout your day today remember that God is with you in every circumstance or situation.
But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ... and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared." (Luke 1:13 ESV)
Pray for God to prepare your heart for all the Lord wants to teach you this Advent season
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (Luke 1:68-69 ESV)
Thank God today for visiting us, in the person of Jesus Christ, and for the redemption and salvation He raised up by sending Jesus.
I recently read a quote from Lou Holtz: "I think that everybody needs four things in life. Everybody needs something to do regardless of age. Everybody needs someone to love. Everybody needs something to hope for, and, of course, everybody needs someone to believe in."
Without hope, we quickly become depressed and lose the will to live.
With hope, even the tiniest spark, we can face the challenges of a day that might seem overwhelming on paper.
Jesus' birth brought hope - eternal hope to live forever with Him, and temporal hope for the difference He wants to make in the here and now. Jesus' entire life demonstrated both the practical and spiritual aspects of the hope that is found in Him alone.
As you read the passages below and listen to the song afterward, praise God for putting hands and feet to the Hope that He sent us in Jesus. Ask God to use you this week to bring hope to someone around you.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Today's readings (read passages and light Advent candle - usually after dark, but whenever is best time for your family).
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. (Lamentations 3:21-26 ESV)
But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian. For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult and every garment rolled in blood will be burned as fuel for the fire. For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. - (Isaiah 9:1-7 ESV)
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the LORD will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. - (Isaiah 60:1-3 ESV)
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. - (Isaiah 7:14 ESV)
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel" (which means, God with us). - (Matthew 1:18-23 ESV)
There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea. In that day the root of Jesse, who shall stand as a signal for the peoples--of him shall the nations inquire, and his resting place shall be glorious. - (Isaiah 11:1-10 ESV)
In search of a child, they traveled so far
Led by a star to a place of
joy
The wise men told a beautiful story
Describing the glory of a baby
boy
Hope has hands
Freedom has feet
Truth will stand
The word
will speak
The holy and the lowly will finally embrace
For love has a
heartbeat
And grace has a face
Compassion has a tear
Joy has
laughter
And here everafter
Peace has a smile
Redemption's blood has
veins to flow in
A temple to glow in
For light is a child
Hope has
hands
Freedom has feet
Truth will stand
The word will speak
The holy
and the lowly will finally embrace
For love has a heartbeat
And grace has
a face
The holy and the lowly will finally embrace
For love has a
heartbeat
Love has a heartbeat
And grace has a face
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth....For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1:14, 17 ESV)
1. The coming or arrival, especially of something
extremely important.
2.
a. The liturgical period preceding Christmas,
beginning in Western churches on the fourth Sunday before Christmas and in
Eastern churches in mid-November, and observed by many Christians as a season of
prayer, fasting, and penitence. b. Christianity The coming of Jesus at the
Incarnation.c. Christianity See Second Coming.
Christmas Day is 28 days, 6 hours, and 56 minutes away as I write this.
In the United States, that frequently means 28 days of harried shoppers and store clerks, people going to ridiculous extremes to be the one to grab ridiculous bargains. In a word - commercialism.
A few years ago, our family grew tired of the growing commercialism. My husband and I wanted to set a different tone for our family. We had been reading a series of books by Jan Karon called The Mitford Years and learned through Episcopal priest Father Tim about a season on the liturgical calendar called Advent.
I grew up in a solidly Baptist home and had never heard of Advent. I was intrigued but a little skeptical. The more we researched, though, the more we realized the potential Advent held for our family.
Like any tradition, Advent can become just another date on the calendar. It can be reduced to chocolate calendars and pop-up toys. But at its heart lies a focus - an emphasis on the full meaning of the birth of Jesus. We made the decision to embrace this intention at the heart of Advent.
This year we celebrate our 10th Advent season. I've come to love Advent ... to anticipate it and crave the simplicity and focus that it brings to a season that can be filled with too much food, too many events, and an unnecessary amount of stress and tension. For me, Advent reflects the hope, joy, peace, and love that filled the manger that first Christmas morning.
Our culture has secularized Christmas in many ways. Advent reminds me that the "spirit of Christmas" isn't ours to redefine. Indeed, Christmas isn't about a feeling at all ... it's about a person. It's about the One who was born to die that I might live forever. Advent helps me keep my eyes on Him.
Advent doesn't require or expect a total rejection of what is called "the Christmas season". We still decorate, bake, host and attend special events, and shop for gifts for loved ones within a reasonable budget. What Advent brings is a simplicity and purpose to those activities. In fact, I've enjoyed Christmas more this side of adding the Advent tradition than I did before, when the focus was on how long I had to get things done until Christmas Day. Then I rushed through, hardly noticing the beauty around me. Now, I reflect on the depth of meaning behind every tradition, even when obscured by our culture. Truly, "The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. " (John 1:5)
If you are wanting to start your own Advent tradition, I encourage you to jump in starting tomorrow. I'll post our daily verses and weekly readings. I encourage you to make an Advent wreath, lighting one candle each Sunday with a focus on a different aspect of Jesus' first Advent each week (learn about making an Advent wreath here). As you walk through the Advent season, reflect on the "why" of Christmas traditions. Look intentionally for the light shining into the darkness. And ask God to help you be a light to guide others to understand the true meaning of the hallowed manger.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not
need you,” nor in turn can the head say to the foot, “I do not need you.” On the
contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential, and those members
we consider less honorable we clothe with greater honor, and our unpresentable
members are clothed with dignity, but our presentable members do not need this.
Instead, God has blended together the body, giving greater honor to the lesser
member, so that there may be no division in the body, but the members may have
mutual concern for one another. If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it.
If a member is honored, all rejoice with it. (1 Corinthians 12:21-26, NET)
Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body. (Hebrews 13:3 ESV)
It's easy to forget how closely connected we are to the persecuted church - how we are all part of the same body. A few years back when I injured my neck, God gave me a vivid illustration of how persecution affects the larger body of Christ. When my was neck
hurt, I hurt all over! Honestly, I took my neck for granted before this episode. I didn't realize that
my neck muscles play a role in typing, or opening the bathroom door, or tying my
shoelaces. But when I was in severe pain, all those things hurt. I could feel my
neck muscles in literally every movement.
That's how it can be with believers in other countries, and specifically the persecuted church. They can seem so far away, so unrelated to the immediate needs of staffing the nursery and cleaning the church and planning the Christmas pageant.
But no matter how distant
persecuted believers seem sometimes, the verses above are true. The body of Christ is
hurting when the church in the Middle East is nearing extinction ... when some
believers recant their testimony rather than watch their children starved or their wives be raped ... when we exalt the persecuted church rather than identify
with them. When my neck was at its worst, I didn't glorify the pain for the
lessons it was teaching me; instead, my whole body threw itself into compensating for
the pain and helping me get through it.
As we've looked this week at five things worse than persecution, it might be easy to think that perscution isn't all that bad. Not so. As I have learned more about persecution I have seen that the church either tends to ignore it or glorify it - both of which are unbiblical responses. (See this earlier post on myths related to persecution).
Persecution is bad. It can throw the church into a survival mode. It can tear churches apart when people give in to pressure and recant their faith and then repent and want restoration. At its worst it can destroy all the believers in a specific area (it's happened in places before and some feel is happening again in the Middle East as believers are either killed, recant, or flee to the West).
The persecuted church needs our prayers. Sometimes they need our tangible support - letters to officials, financial support for family members, Bibles. And we need them too. We need them to remind us of the importance of worship, prayer, and Scripture reading - those elements of our daily quiet times that can seem routine are their lifeline. We need them to remind us that this world is not our home, and that no matter what happens we always can have hope. We need them to demonstrate vividly that as bad as persecution is, there are things worse - things like apathy, lovelessness, denial, idolatry, and the absence of God's word.
Open Doors does the best job I've seen of connecting the persecuted church to the rest of the body of Christ, finding out what their real needs are and communicating how we can pray for them and meet their needs. There are other great ministries as well. I encourage you today, as part of IDOPPC, to take a few minutes to find a resource you can refer to regularly to remember those who are part of the body, but hurting today.
"Behold, the days are coming," declares the Lord GOD, "when I will send a famine on the land-- not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, to seek the word of the LORD, but they shall not find it. (Amos 8:11-12 ESV)
Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. (Proverbs 29:18 ESV)
There's a reason why believers imprisoned for their faith throughout the world are typically denied a Bible.
There's a reason why they treasure every word they recall or every portion of Scripture that is slipped to them.
There's a reason new believers in lands where persecution is prominent are taught to memorize Scripture.
It is the means He uses to impart faith to our souls so we can believe and increase our faith as believers. (Romans 10:17)
It teaches, reproves, corrects, and trains us for righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16).
It's living, active, and pierces the deepest parts of our soul. (Hebrews 4:12).
It gives us encouragement and hope. (Romans 15:4).
It is eternally written in the heavenly places, so it can never be eradicated by man. (Psalm 119:89). This means it withstands every effort to destroy it, minimize it, or doubt it.
When it is taught by pastor, teacher, evangelist, prophet, or apostle, it builds up the church. (Ephesians 4:11-16). Embraced by enough people, it has the power to transform a society.
Wherever it is proclaimed, it goes forth with power - even if the proclaimer utters the verses with disbelief, sarcasm, or wrong interpretations. It never returns empty. (Isaiah 55:11).
Scripture contains everything God knew we needed to know until His return. It points us to Jesus so we can have a relationship with Him to guide us in those areas that aren't specifically spelled out in Scripture (which job to take, whom to marry, etc.).
Even when we don't realize it, we have an underlying hunger for God's Word. A famine of His Word would leave us searching, even if we didn't realize specifically what was missing. The absence of God's Word, therefore, is more devastating to a believer than persecution could ever be. We absolutely do not want to know where we would be without Word of God as revealed in the Bible.
We have to hear from Him through His Word.
Let us pray to be people immersed in Scripture. Let us commit to read every word God has revealed in the Bible - not in any certain time frame, but in an ongoing way, consistently reading through the Bible and being reminded of passages we had forgotten were in there.
And let us pray that those who are being persecuted will recall passages they have read or heard even one time. Let's pray for all those without Scripture in their language, so that when they find themselves facing persecution they will have been infused with its faith-giving words.
Little children, guard yourselves from idols. - 1 John 5:21
I don't remember getting the hope chest in the picture above. From my earliest memories, this chest has held treasures primarily of my choosing. My mom gave it to me when I was too young to remember. In true southern fashion, she intended me to fill it with things I would need some day when I had a home of my own. What I put in the hope chest wasn't necessarily important to my mom, but every item was very special to me.
It's a sobering reality: The Apostle John wrote his first epistle to believers, specifically to give them assurance that they could know with certainty that they had eternal life -- but he still warned them about idolatry.
Christians can be drawn into idolatry. We might not build a golden calf as the Israelites did, but we certainly can have false "gods". Biblically, an idol is anything which a person places ahead of God - in importance, in priorities, in ultimate trust or hope. That's why Jesus said: "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21). "Treasure" here doesn't just refer to money - it refers to a place where good and precious things are stored. Our spiritual "hope chest", if you will.
That's not to say that trust and hope are bad - we're not supposed to be cynical or hardened - but we have to keep in mind that ultimately our trust and hope are in God alone. Everything circumstance or possession is merely His instrument. We must always look beyond His instruments to see the One on the throne over our circumstances. That spouse, that job, that retirement plan, that politician who's saying all the right things - none of them are our ultimate hope. When we are free from idolatry we know that if we lost them tomorrow, we would be ok.
That's why idolatry is worse than persecution. Idolatry says "my future depends on ___________". Idolatry places something in the hope chest besides God Himself. And where our treasure is, our hearts follow.
Ultimately my life looked very different than my mom probably envisioned when she gave me the hope chest. The treasures I placed in it were unique to me. Those things which tempt each of us to idolatry will also be unique. John's warning to "guard yourselves" literally means "protect from outside assaults.". We have to be intentional about protecting ourselves, especially in areas we know are temptations to idolatry.
Fortunately John gives the best antidote to idolatry in verse 20:
And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life. (1 John 5:20 NASB)
The revelation God has given us of Jesus is a revelation of truth. It's a revelation of certainty in who Jesus is and of our position in Him. This is the true hope, the true treasure. Let us pray that we will be so enthralled with the True that anything less will hold no appeal for us. Pray for those being persecuted to cast their total hope on God alone and hold fast their confession of faith. And pray that whether we ever face outright persecution or not, we will have all our treasure stored up in Him alone - that He will be our ultimate hope.
Peter didn’t get it right the first time. Even when he was
forewarned, Peter initially chose denial:
Matthew 26:31-35 ESV - [31] Then Jesus said to them,
"You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, 'I
will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' [32]
But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee." [33] Peter
answered him, "Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall
away." [34] Jesus said to him, "Truly, I tell you, this very night,
before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times." [35] Peter said
to him, "Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!" And all
the disciples said the same.
Luke 22:54-62 ESV - [54] Then they seized him and led him
away, bringing him into the high priest's house, and Peter was following at a
distance. [55] And when they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard
and sat down together, Peter sat down among them. [56] Then a servant girl,
seeing him as he sat in the light and looking closely at him, said, "This
man also was with him." [57] But he denied it, saying, "Woman, I do
not know him." [58] And a little later someone else saw him and said,
"You also are one of them." But Peter said, "Man, I am
not." [59] And after an interval of about an hour still another insisted,
saying, "Certainly this man also was with him, for he too is a Galilean."
[60] But Peter said, "Man, I do not know what you are talking about."
And immediately, while he was still speaking, the rooster crowed. [61] And the
Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the saying of the Lord,
how he had said to him, "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny me
three times." [62] And he went out and wept bitterly.
Peter felt the depth of his denial, and wept bitterly. He
didn’t take it lightly. Imagine denying Jesus then having Him look at you with
His all-seeing, all-knowing, ever-loving eyes. Eyes that were not surprised. Eyes
that saw ahead to Peter preaching on the day of Pentecost. Eyes that looked ahead
to another time when Peter would reject denial and pay the ultimate price:
John 21:17-19 ESV - [17] He said to him the third time,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was grieved because he
said to him the third time, "Do you love me?" and he said to him,
"Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you." Jesus said to
him, "Feed my sheep. [18] Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young,
you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old,
you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where
you do not want to go." [19] (This he said to show by what kind of death
he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, "Follow
me."
Reliable church tradition holds that Peter was executed
under Nero’s reign:
Among many other saints, the blessed apostle Peter was
condemned to death, and crucified, as some do write, at Rome; albeit some
others, and not without cause, do doubt thereof. Hegesippus saith that Nero
sought matter against Peter to put him to death; which, when the people perceived,
they entreated Peter with much ado that he would fly the city. Peter, through
their importunity at length persuaded, prepared himself to avoid. But, coming
to the gate, he saw the Lord Christ come to meet him, to whom he, worshipping,
said, "Lord, whither dost Thou go?" To whom He answered and said,
"I am come again to be crucified." By this, Peter, perceiving his
suffering to be understood, returned into the city. Jerome saith that he was
crucified, his head being down and his feet upward, himself so requiring,
because he was (he said) unworthy to be crucified after the same form and
manner as the Lord was. (http://www.ccel.org/f/foxe/martyrs/fox101.htm)
When Peter got a do-over, he chose persecution over denial.
Denying Christ doesn’t just happen with words, but with deeds:
Titus 1:15-16 NASB - [15] To the pure, all things are pure;
but to those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their
mind and their conscience are defiled. [16] They profess to know God, but by
their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient and worthless for
any good deed.
Let us pray for grace to never deny Him – with our words or
with our actions. Denial is far more dangerous than persecution could ever be.
And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?" And He said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets." (Matthew 22:35-40 ESV)
It's hard to overstate the importance God puts on love - loving Him, and loving others. The Apostle John, that "Son of Thunder" turned "Apostle of Love", hits the point over and over in 1 John, unfolding the inseparability of loving God and loving others. And with good reason -- Jesus Himself laid out love of God and others as the top commandments. Loving God passionately and others selflessly should permeate every aspect of our lives. It's simply not optional.
That's why two of the most sobering passages in Scripture jump out to remind me again and again that lovelessness is to be avoided, period. Without a doubt, it's on the shelf labeled "Dangerous Things for Christians." Lovelessness is worse than persecution.
Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. (Matthew 24:12-13, NIV)
(Revelation 2:1-5 ESV) - (1) "To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. (2) "'I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. (3) I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name's sake, and you have not grown weary. (4) But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. (5) Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
Taken together, these passages should motivate us to not harbor any vestige of lovelessness. Jesus warns that the love of "most" will grow cold. Not just a few - most. The word literally means "a multitude." It's sobering to see what motivates this lovelessness: An increase of sin. Oh, can I ever identify. My grandparents reached out to show love in ways I would never dream of today because of an increase of wickedness -- picking up hitchhikers, serving food to strangers walking through their property, leaving church doors unlocked day and night. I'm not saying we shouldn't be wise - absolutely we need to discern the times and act accordingly. But we must be very, very cautious not to let wisdom toward our fallen world turn into lovelessness. The challenge I give myself is to always look for ways to love, with wisdom, rather than excuses not to love. This keeps my heart soft and tender to God's very creative Spirit.
Ephesus bears another warning against lovelessness. Don't miss verse 3 - this church had successfully endured a level of persecution! Yet Jesus held against them their abandonment of love. Wow. We never, ever have an excuse not to love. Paul even tells us that martyrdom is no substitute for love:
(1 Corinthians 13:1-7 ESV) - (1) If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. (2) And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. (3) If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. (4) Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant (5) or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; (6) it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. (7) Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
Scripture has so much to say on the subject of love that there is no way we can exhaust the subject. One very clear principle, though, is that love is not passive, theoretical, or distant. Look again at Paul's definitions. Love is active. Love is tangible, practical. (1 John 3:18 ESV) Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. And love reaches out, just as God reached out to us in Christ. (Romans 5:8 ESV) but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
May we never settle for lovelessness. May we pray constantly to know His love more, to love Him more in response, and to manifest His love to others better every day.
Sometimes here in the west, we imagine that persecution is the worst thing that could happen to us as Christians. For most of us persecution remains only a distant, theoretical possibility, and so we are able to place it in a box on a shelf labeled "Dangerous Things for Christians". We may be fully willing to take down that box if circumstances warranted, but it's easy to forget one glaring truth:
There are worse things than persecution.
This Sunday, Nov. 13, is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Along with others around the world, our church will be participating and prayer and awareness activities to identify with those who suffer - to be "One with Them." The persecuted church has been heavily on my heart and mind lately, and for years I've studied and written about persecuted believers.
But this morning in my quiet time, God caught my attention with a couple of passages that reminded me of something worse than persecution: Apathy.
Recounting Israel's history before his death and their entrance into the Promised Land, Moses describes a time when serious intercession impacted the course of events:
(Deuteronomy 9:11-21 NIV) - (11) At the end of the forty days and forty nights, the LORD gave me the two stone tablets, the tablets of the covenant. (12) Then the LORD told me, "Go down from here at once, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have become corrupt. They have turned away quickly from what I commanded them and have made a cast idol for themselves." (13) And the LORD said to me, "I have seen this people, and they are a stiff-necked people indeed! (14) Let me alone, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven. And I will make you into a nation stronger and more numerous than they." (15) So I turned and went down from the mountain while it was ablaze with fire. And the two tablets of the covenant were in my hands. (16) When I looked, I saw that you had sinned against the LORD your God; you had made for yourselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the LORD had commanded you. (17) So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes. (18) Then once again I fell prostrate before the LORD for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in the LORD's sight and so provoking him to anger. (19) I feared the anger and wrath of the LORD, for he was angry enough with you to destroy you. But again the LORD listened to me. (20) And the LORD was angry enough with Aaron to destroy him, but at that time I prayed for Aaron too. (21) Also I took that sinful thing of yours, the calf you had made, and burned it in the fire. Then I crushed it and ground it to powder as fine as dust and threw the dust into a stream that flowed down the mountain.
Moses - described in Scripture as a very meek and humble man - was so distraught by Israel's idolatry and God's threat to destroy them for it that he smashed the tablets, fasted for 40 days and nights, and crushed the idol calf.
There is no suggestion that Moses hesitated even a moment before taking righteous action. He seems not to even consider that God would keep His plan going through another people that would come from Moses' line. Moses didn't take a laissez faire attitude toward the situation. He didn't let pride at being a potential patriarch of a chosen line guide his thoughts; he didn't justify prayerlessness by focusing on God's sovereignty; he didn't rationalize leaving the people to their own devices and letting them keep the calf and suffer the consequences.
Moses was anything but apathetic.
And his prayer made a dramatic difference. Instead of destroying the Israelites and starting over, God listened to Moses. The sovereignty of God and the free will of man intersected - God was glorified and the people benefitted.
There is no place for apathy in the body of Christ. Each day as I pray for a different country in Operation World, I learn much about God's global work. One principle I've seen played out repeatedly - where the church is on mission, God is working and spiritual battles abound. But where the church is apathetic, there is decline. There is often little spiritual warfare - there is no kingdom advance to which the enemy needs to respond.
Psalm 107 describes the stories of several who were rescued by God. One story spoke to me of those who are walking with the Lord through the ups and downs of life:
(Psalm 107:23-32 NIV) - (23) Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. (24) They saw the works of the LORD, his wonderful deeds in the deep. (25) For he spoke and stirred up a tempest that lifted high the waves. (26) They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away. (27) They reeled and staggered like drunken men; they were at their wits' end. (28) Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. (29) He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. (30) They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. (31) Let them give thanks to the LORD for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for men. (32) Let them exalt him in the assembly of the people and praise him in the council of the elders.
This group literally rode the waves with God - the ups and downs of the storm. They were glad when it grew calm - who wouldn't be? - but it was "in the deep" (v. 24) that they saw His works. Apathy might be safe, but it's when we actually get out into the deep with God that we see His works... even if it means riding the waves at times.
Christians aren't supposed to be apathetic. Jesus counseled the church at Laodicea: "I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! (16) So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." (Rev. 3:15-16 ESV). Let us pray to have a burning passion for God and desire to know Him and make Him known. Let us ask for a heart like Paul's for those who don't know Him:
(Romans 9:1-3 ESV) - (1) I am speaking the truth in Christ--I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit-- (2) that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. (3) For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
Let us ask He would break our hearts with the things that break His heart. Let us walk in the Spirit and always be prepared for the righteous actions that characterize those who have nothing to fear.
And let's remember that on that shelf of things dangerous to Christians, there are things much worse than persecution.
The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. (Deuteronomy 7:22 NIV)
It's reassuring to know that not every spiritual victory will happen instantly.
This truth (like many others) is one that we often know theologically, but struggle with in practice. We get frustrated with ourselves when we struggle in an area. We grow discouraged when someone in whom we've invested time and prayer falls. We want every victory to be a dramatic delivery from Egypt, a parting of the Red Sea and a dance on the banks of the river.
Such divine deliverance is an important part of our walk with Christ, establishing strongly within us an awareness of His character and ability to deliver. In the same chapter, God recounts this deliverance to the Israelites to encourage them toward faith, not fear:
(Deuteronomy 7:17-19 NIV) - (17) You may say to yourselves, "These nations are stronger than we are. How can we drive them out?" (18) But do not be afraid of them; remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt. (19) You saw with your own eyes the great trials, the miraculous signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm, with which the LORD your God brought you out. The LORD your God will do the same to all the peoples you now fear.
God had a new victory planned for the children of Israel - but He tells them it will happen "little by little". His mighty hand and outstretched arm would be equally at work in the gradual deliverance as it had been in the dramatic one.
What a relief this is to me, and should be to anyone seeking to advance the kingdom of God. One reality God is teaching me lately is that just as ministry opportunities are present in every aspect of my life, the reality of spiritual warfare is also present. When we individually or corporately live with a focus on the kingdom, we will face ongoing struggles with the world, our own flesh, and satan - who wants to stop the kingdom in its tracks. God guarantees that we can walk in victory over all these enemies - but that victory might come "little by little."
"Little by little." That's encouraging, because in some of my ongoing battles I might not see progress over the past week - but I can look back a year and see definite forward movement. My part, especially in battles with my flesh is simply to walk humbly with my God - walking in surrender and obedience, trusting that He truly knows what is best for me in every area of life.
One of the principles that has jumped out at me in scripture recently is that the smallest acts of obedience take back ground and block opportunities for the enemy to gain an opportunity (See 1 Corinthians 7:5; Ephesians 4:27; James 1:14-15; Revelation 12:11). Spiritual warfare is not only reactive, it's proactive. Like the military and the underground in World War II undercut the enemy by sabotage, I can "sabotage" the enemy's efforts in my life by the weapons of worship, prayer,and the word of God - not only hearing it but living it out. This obedience sabotages the enemy by refusing to give him more ammunition and takes back ground he's gained. The purpose? To keep moving forward on mission with God. When we are not distracted by minor skirmishes, we are able to keep moving forward for kingdom gain and be prepared to fight for those still held captive. This does not mean a frontal assault won't come - but we can make it very hard for the enemy in the process.
Psalm 101 teaches a lot about the warfare of obedience. Every morning, we have to silence the voices that come our way which are not from God. We do this by taking in huge doses of the Word and setting our minds on what the Spirit desires by living His way, not our own. We make no room in our "temple" for evil, carefully choose who ministers to us, and refuse to allow the actions of those not walking in faith to "cling" to us.
Friedrich Nietzsche spoke of "a long obedience in the same direction". This describes the "little by little" victory quite well. Ultimately, our obedience is fueled by faith - and our faith is described in 1 John 5:4 as the victory that overcomes the world. Think about that - our faith itself IS the victory. Simply continuing to believe and persevere, to walk in faith, is in itself victory!
Whatever you are facing in your ministry today, in your efforts to engage the kingdom - keep walking forward in obedience fueled by faith. Remember that we don't have to know the 'strategic plan' for the battle. All He asks is for us to walk in him, and allow ourselves to be led by Him - in a word, to surrender. Don't resist the Spirit at any point; don't grieve Him by rebellion or quench Him by shutting out the gifts He gives us. When we do that, we will find ourselves right where He wants us - part of the victory, little by little.
"I realized I'm not supposed to be pursuing impact, I'm supposed to be pursuing God. And when I pursue God I will have exactly as much impact as He wants me to have....We're not called to be a people of vision, we're called to be a people of revelation. God speaks and we follow."
- Phil Vischer, creator of Veggie Tales on the lessons he learned after the failure of his company, Big Idea.
Today's "typical Christian" is not a white westerner in a megachurch, serving in the food pantry and giving generously to missions. It's not someone who applies business models to the church and creates five year plans and programs with goals and target dates. None of this is necessarily wrong - it can even be helpful - but it's certainly not "typical".
The "typical Christian", statistically speaking, is a poor woman from Africa, Asia, or Latin America. She's probably never been in a large congregation, and might even worship outside. Her church likely doesn't have a food pantry, but she willingly shares the little food she has with those who come to her in need. Like the widow who gave her last coins, she gives beyond generously - she gives sacrificially. She doesn't create plans and programs because she is just trying to do the next thing in front of her to care for her family and others God sends her way. She just loves Jesus with her whole heart, whatever the cost.
I think that I can learn a lot from this "typical Christian".
I am by nature a task-oriented person. That's a good thing - God made me this way for a reason. But like anything else, it is only beneficial when exercised under the control of the Holy Spirit. For many years, my task-orientation was completely controlled by my flesh, and the result was selfish ambition. When God gripped my heart with the message of His grace, it took a while for me to recognize the temptation to simply Christianize my ambitions. Slowly, He has taught me the lesson of John the Baptist: "I must decrease, and He must increase."
But when I read Phil Vischer's quote I was caught off guard. He's absolutely right of course - pursuing God is more important than pursuing impact. He asks us to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness - not our impact! He doesn't need my ministry for Him more than I need Him. Yet sometimes it's easy to give into the temptation that some ministry or other - a phone call, an email, a blog post - needs to be prioritized over intimacy with Him.
Of course, balance is called for because sometimes we can get legalistic and miss a Divine appointment just to check off a box. I'm not saying that God will never prompt me to interrupt my quiet time to minister to someone. But the key is listening to His Spirit. He wants me present with Him - in intimate relationship. My husband and I have a weekly date - he doesn't want to spend it watching me do dishes even if I tell him it's for him. I talk to my mom on the phone frequently - she cherishes those times when I'm not doing something else in the background. Just being present with Him is part of seeking Him. It helps me reject the pride that says I need to minister more than I need to be ministered to.
What I learn from this "typical Christian" is that the biggest impact I will have will be the one that I don't even realize I'm making. God is doing amazing things in the "Global South" - the non-western part of the church. He's using ordinary people to reach entire people groups, just because they pray passionately, share His word faithfully, and trust Him implicitly. The simplicity of it all is beautiful.
So often in the West we allow our plans and programs to take the place of His Spirit. We allow our desire for impact and vision to turn into a desire to be in the "inner circle" and to feel significant. That wasn't the example of Jesus. He went to the outcasts. The poor. The suffering. We are called to join Him "outside the camp". It might not look very impactful. But it will be Kingdom-centered, and when we seek Him enough to join Him there, the impact will be more than we could ever imagine. And when we simply read His Word and obey it fully, we will find indeed that His revelation goes beyond anything we could ever envision.
(Heb. 4:13-16) And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
I can't stop thinking about God's grace today.
A new worship song we sang at church has captured my heart with its reminder of His faithfulness. Listening to it about a dozen times today alone I find myself reflecting most on one line: "Carried by His constant grace". And that reminds me of a lesson He taught me last year.
My dear friend and pastor's wife was teaching through Hebrews and had to be out so she asked me to teach on Hebrews 4. I've long been convinced, like Beth Moore says, that God called me to teach because I have so much to learn. Out of that night's study, the biggest lesson was the one God wrote on this teacher's heart.
Hebrews 4:13-16 above fit into the context of a chapter that teaches us about entering His rest. Only after we enter His rest can we embrace Him as our faithful high priest. We have confidence to draw near and receive mercy and grace when we come through Christ, not works. But once we draw near, we find something that is so intimate, so precious, that it's hard to imagine.
He was fully God, but also fully man. In His humanity, His incarnation, He faced every temptation and overcame by the power of the Holy Spirit in His life. And by drawing near, the passage says, we will find "mercy and grace" to help when we need it most.
The help is in times of need, of weakness, of humanity. We get a rich understanding when we compare Hebrews 4:16 with 1:14 and 2:18. In Hebrews 1:14 "help" actually means “minister” or “render service”; this same word is used to refer to disciples and to practical acts of service. In Hebrews 2:18 "help" means “succor”, help in the idea of relief or rescue. But "help" as in Hebrews 4:16 is used ONLY twice in the New Testament, the other time in Acts 27:17:
(Acts 27:17) After they had hoisted it up, they used supporting cables [literally = helps] in undergirding the ship; and fearing that they might run aground on the shallows of Syrtis, they let down the sea anchor and in this way let themselves be driven along.
John MacArthur describes this: “They would throw ropes around during the midst of the storm. throwing ropes around and securing and tightening and...with winches, to literally tighten the boards together so the whole ship wouldn't fall apart.” In classical Greek this word was used of the device used to make a ship secure, to help in times like Paul experienced.
And the author of Hebrews uses that same word, a word that gives the picture of making a ship secure by supporting cables, to describe the help God gives when we are tempted.
What are our supporting cables? Mercy and grace. Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve.
Jesus comes to our aid to relieve and rescue us from temptation – He knows what it is like. When the temptation builds, He provides the way out. (1 Cor. 10:13) However, there are other times when we need more than a way out. We need to be held together! We need to be saved from falling apart due to our weakness. In those times He wraps His “supporting cables” around us to give us the two things we need most when we come face to face with our weaknesses: Mercy and grace.
I know God’s grace is there for my temptation – but sometimes I think my weaknesses don’t deserve it. Sometimes weaknesses aren’t even sins – physical illness; limitations due to disability; fatigue from having too many toddlers pulling at you all day; the demands of work and family life. At those times, I don’t just need “succor”. I need His supporting cables of mercy and grace to hoist me up out of myself so I can see the throne of grace – the throne where He waits with nailscarred hands to welcome me to His table.
Even after salvation, even walking in freedom and wholeness and obedience, we still have weaknesses – physical and emotional, sometimes spiritual. Paul had them – 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 records what he learned:
(7) Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! (8) Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. (9) And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (10) Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. - (2Cr 12:7-10 NASB)
We can be strong when weak, because He supports us. In the storms of life, He puts His supporting cables around us, lifts us up, and undergirds us with mercy and grace. Baldwin Hall Bible Study describes it this way: “For those who have trusted Christ for salvation, mercy and grace are available in these tempests. Instead of being beaten by the waves and taken away to isolation in the deep, the grace of God secures us in place. A rope has been tied to our boat to secure us so we do not drift away in the storm. We are helpless on our own, but the grace of God keeps us from sinking or wandering away. His grace does not promise that the storms will not come, only that He sovereignly keeps us through them.”
Scripture says that David was a man after God’s own heart. We see a picture of this type of help in weakness in David’s dealings with Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth was crippled in both feet – 2 Sam. 4:4 says he was lame. He couldn’t walk. Here’s the story from 2 Samuel 9:
(1) Then David said, "Is there yet anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan's sake?" (2) Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David; and the king said to him, "Are you Ziba?" And he said, "I am your servant." (3) The king said, "Is there not yet anyone of the house of Saul to whom I may show the kindness of God?" And Ziba said to the king, "There is still a son of Jonathan who is crippled in both feet." (4) So the king said to him, "Where is he?" And Ziba said to the king, "Behold, he is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel in Lo-debar." (5) Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. (6) Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and prostrated himself. And David said, "Mephibosheth." And he said, "Here is your servant!" (7) David said to him, "Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly." (8) Again he prostrated himself and said, "What is your servant, that you should regard a dead dog like me?" (9) Then the king called Saul's servant Ziba and said to him, "All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master's grandson. (10) "You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce so that your master's grandson may have food; nevertheless Mephibosheth your master's grandson shall eat at my table regularly." Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. (11) Then Ziba said to the king, "According to all that my lord the king commands his servant so your servant will do." So Mephibosheth ate at David's table as one of the king's sons. (12) Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in the house of Ziba were servants to Mephibosheth. (13) So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he ate at the king's table regularly. Now he was lame in both feet. - (2Sa 9:1-13 NASB)
Verse 5 is key to our point. David sent and “brought him” to the palace. The word used here is used in a form that can literally mean “carry”. Since Mephibosheth was lame, someone likely did carry him, quite literally, to the king’s table. This reminds me of Deut. 33:26-27: “There is none like the God is Jeshurun who rides the heavens to your help, and through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”
A dwelling place. John 14 invites us to join Him and promises He will make His abode with us. Through the Holy Spirit, He does just that. When that happens, we are at rest in Him. We have His everlasting arms underneath us. One is Mercy – not getting what we deserve. The other is Grace – getting what we don’t deserve.
That’s the thought I want us to close with. Entering God’s rest happens by faith; the rest results in heart obedience; and we are carried along in that rest by relationship. When we enter His rest, we have the assurance of knowing that no matter how weak we are, His grace and mercy sustain us. We are always welcome at the throne of grace … even if He has to carry us there Himself.
"Carried by His constant grace." Consider that truth as you worship Him for His faithfulness tonight.
(Psalm 87:1-7 NIV) (1) Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. A song. He has set his foundation on the holy mountain; (2) the LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob. (3) Glorious things are said of you, O city of God: Selah (4) "I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me--Philistia too, and Tyre, along with Cush --and will say, 'This one was born in Zion.'" (5) Indeed, of Zion it will be said, "This one and that one were born in her, and the Most High himself will establish her." (6) The LORD will write in the register of the peoples: "This one was born in Zion." Selah (7) As they make music they will sing, "All my fountains are in you."
Every year when I read through Psalms, this one sneaks up on me.
David and the other psalmists love to recall God's faithfulness to Israel, and so many of the Psalms in essence form a worship history of that nation. Other Psalms are forward-looking, Messianic in nature, looking forward to a perfect king who will reign in righteousness and justice. Many are very personal, reminding the author and us that God cares about the details of our lives as well, letting us know that our immediate needs are not lost in the midst of His big-picture purposes.
And then there is Psalm 87.
In Psalm 87 we learn that God has a special book. We often learn early in our walk that he has the "Lamb's book of life" recording the names of every individual who trusts in Jesus for salvation, and books recording the deeds every person has committed, whether good or bad. But the sons of Korah describe another book: "the register of the peoples." "Peoples" here is a word that is used to refer to different tribes, people with the same kinsmen or family members, or other similar features. We might say, "people groups".
Think abou that. God keeps a book in which He registers those people groups who are "born in Zion" - those who come to know Him for who He truly is. Those who are reborn. Those who know Him. The sons of Korah even list some specific "people groups" outside of Israel whom God will record in his book when specific individuals from that group come to Him. The individual's name goes in the Lamb's Book of Life, and his or her people group is recorded in the Register of the Peoples.
Matthew 24:14 records Jesus saying "And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world,
so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come." Again, "nations" is a word that refers not to political entities but to people groups - ethne,from which we get our word ethnic. Jesus says He won't be coming back until all people groups hear the Good News. Why? Revelation 7:9 tells us:
After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe
and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb.
They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands.
He will have some from every single people group around the throne. They will be worshipping. As Psalm 87:7 records, they will know Him as the source of all their fountains. The King who is the Fountain will be their focus - and ours. It will happen because he is faithful to His Word. And every sacrifice you are making today, every bit of struggle and every late night prayer, everything you have given up for the sake of the Kingdom, will pale in comparison. It will be worth it.
