New posts on The Big Picture

I have 3 new posts on The Big Picture (http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com) if you are following that blog. Catching up on lessons for school!

Pleasing God

I've been turning over in my head our perennial tendency as believers to please God.

It's not a bad thing - Prov. 16:7 holds out an enticing promise that for those whose ways please Him, their enemies will be at peace. Jesus gave an example of someone whose ways were always pleasing to God (John 8:29). Paul even writes that we should "try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord" (Eph. 5:10; Col. 1:10). There is much to commend the sense of feeling God's pleasure over our decisions and courses of action. We all want to hear Him say, "Well Done."

And yet ... something nags at me. Something tells me it is far to easy to have our focus be "pleasing God". Something tells me that the Pharisees too wanted to please God. So how can I bring the desire to please God into check, to avoid the legalism of the Pharisees? Should "pleasing God" be the motive that gets me through each day?

More and more, I'm thinking - probably not. Maybe it's just me, but living to please opens the door for me to despair when I've failed, and to live for the reward as an end in itself. Instead, I'm seeking to practice as a motive something I learned from our dog: delight in His presence.

Our dog loves nothing more than to be by us. He is 12 1/2 years old and feels every bit the old dog that he is. But he is faithfully up off his bed and excitedly greeting us at the end of the day. He literally lives for the times at night when we call him into our room to sleep next to us. While he sometimes is not pleasing to us in his actions (like finding him in a puddle of water today ... laying down) - he never fails to delight in our presence. And the one discipline that works faster than anything else is to put him away from our presence even for a few minutes. He quickly comes in line when it affects his closeness to us.

So I'm questioning if maybe that's more of the "pleasing" that God wants us to strive for. Desiring His presence so greatly, that we will put aside anything that affects the intimacy of the relationship, make "pleasing Him" more about Him than about the warm fuzzy I get when He pats me on the head. Sure, certain actions please Him. But if those actions are taken apart from a genuine desire for His presence, I'm not sure He's very pleased. The older brother in the story of the prodigal (Luke 15) did the right actions, but didn't truly enjoy his father's presence.

God doesn't want older brothers. I think what He wants are prodigals who can't wait to be with Him and who long to do the right thing because we delight first of all in Him and long to be with Him. He wants people freed from demons who refuse to leave the foot of the cross. He wants those who ignore the crowd and wash His feet with their hair, who love much because they are forgiven much. He wants people who will honor Him for His "scandalous grace" and who can't imagine life without Him.

When He is our all in all, we will find that sin can't stand in His presence. We'll do whatever we can to honor Him. And I think that He will find that very pleasing indeed.

A Different Kind of Easter Lesson

As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” (Luke 24:36-39)

Easter was very different for me this year.

As I blogged previously, I entered this week desperately wanting, needing to fully experience the cross and the resurrection. I needed the perspective of realizing that God has provided in Christ the answer to all my questions about the evil I see in the world.

I proceeded through the week in my usual manner, following through the Gospel accounts on each day of our Lord's last week before the crucifixion. I expected amazing insights each day - wonderful times on the mountaintop, and words I could share with you. After all, that's what happened before; you can read those thoughts under March 2008.

But God had a different kind of Easter lesson for me this year. Because of circumstances my quiet times this week were fragmented. I was tired. I felt like I was desperate to hear from God - not for ministry, but for ME.

And, I did hear from Him. What He impressed upon me more than anything was the realityof the cross, the reality of the resurrection. Let me explain.

Some people in western Christianity today are spiritualizing the cross and resurrection. The cross becomes not a place for Jesus to take our place in death and to die as the lamb of God, but a place of symbolic sacrifice and self-centered "suffering" when our rights are violated. Similarly, in their false teaching the resurrection becomes not the central point of our faith, not even necessarily bodily, but just a symbol of our ability to "rise above" such violations. It's liberation theology for our modern psycho-therapy saturated world.

But this week was a lesson to me that if the cross and resurrection aren't literally real, they are meaningless. As I struggled with the realities of life, I didn't need a spiritual lesson. I needed a Savior. In my fatigue and desperation to hear His voice, I didn't cry out to a principle. I cried out to Jesus.

As I watched The Passion of the Christ Friday night with my church family, I sensed God speak to me about true freedom. He died to set me free from sin and self. He died not so that I can indulge the flesh, but so that I can be victorious over it. The doctrine that rejects the reality of the cross doesn't give me power over my flesh. But Jesus does. True freedom comes because the cross is REAL.

Today as I listened to my pastor teach on Luke 24 and the proofs of the resurrection, I was challenged to ask myself again why I believe. He asked a simple question: "Where is His body?" As I pursued the Scriptures, I realized what great lengths the Gospel writers go through to show us proof of the resurrection. Never are we asked to take this most important of doctrines by faith alone. Does it require faith? Sure, especially 2000 years later when the witnesses are long gone. But for those initial audiences of Scripture, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Paul go to great lengths to authenticate the resurrection. They answer arguments by showing the source of rumors (Matt. 28:11-15). They include multiple eyewitnesses, including some who wouldn't be expected from the point of view of self-defense (women's testimony was inadmissible). Paul even points to the fact that some of the more than 500 were still alive and thus could be questioned (1 Cor. 15:6). Even Jesus Himself in the passage above invites those in the Upper Room to see that He isn't a spirit. He doesn't say "believe because I said so". He says "touch and see."

"Touch and see". That became the heart of the Apostle John's witness. He would later write:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:1-3)

You can almost hear his cry: "He's real. I was there. It's all true." I am so grateful that God gives us the gift of faith and enables us to take Him at His Word. But I am also glad that He went to such lengths to undergird the key doctrine of our faith with solid, logical proof. For as Paul points out in 1 Cor. 15, if the resurrection isn't true, our faith is in vain.

The literal reality of His death and resurrection give me hope in a week like this, and every week. On my best days, I might be tempted settle for a spiritualized Savior. But on my weak ones, I know the truth: I need Him to be real.

Praise God, He is. Hallelujah, the Gospel is true!

Eager for Holy Week!

I came into this Resurrection Week feeling more ready than ever before for the perspective it will bring.

For years, I've spent Holy Week re-reading the narratives about Christ's last week of ministry, on the day of the week they occurred (as best we know). It's always great to get a fresh look at The Greatest Story Ever Told. Each year I grasp something new, something I haven't seen before.

But never before do I recall being so eager for Holy Week. Take the tragic shootings this past week (at a nursing home and an immigration center), add an increased awareness of the suffering throughout the world, and throw in the general hopelessness many seem to feel -- I came to today needing to be reminded afresh of the firm reality of The Story.

My first reminder came this morning as I read the Palm Sunday narratives. Jesus' Triumphal Entry - so profound, fulfilling prophecy, yet so different from their human expectations. There was so much He could have done there among those people, those who were waving the branches and welcoming Him, those who were correcting them. But He chose instead to spend time in the temple. One of the things He did there grabbed my attention this morning:

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. (Mt. 21:14)

The "blind and the lame" didn't have a great reputation in Judaism. We first encounter the phrase as a unit in 2 Sam. 5:6, when David goes up against the Jebusites to take Jerusalem. David was warned "the blind and the lame will ward you off" - as the people proudly thought their city was undefeatable. David takes the city by going up through the water shaft and attacking "the blind and the lame" - likely not literal individuals, but statues of Isaac (blind) and Jacob (lame) that guarded the city and were thought to provide divine protection. Whatever the details, this episode led to a saying in Israel that "the blind and the lame" were not welcome in the king's house. (Despite David later reaching out to lame Mephibosheth, this saying prevailed beyond his lifetime.)

By the time Jesus came, this saying had been extended to "the house of the Lord" and there were additions to the temple laws of Scripture ... restrictions that severely (and unbiblically) limited the circumstances under which individuals who were disabled could enter the temple. For example, those whose disabilities required padding (for their stumps) were restricted because of potential uncleanness, though this was not mentioned in Scripture. These people frequented the gates of the temple looking for alms, and some who were partially mobile could enter the temple courts.

But we see Jesus not only healing the lame and blind in his interactions in the countryside, but also in the temple - in the gates and court areas, most likely - we see Him revealing God's heart and showing yet another way religion got it wrong. David had reflected this heart when he had Mephibosheth at his table. He showed that God's heart is not to restrict us but to welcome us - even if we have to be carried to the table (see 2 Sam. 9).

So today, The Story has reminded me that He is ready to receive me in my broken state. It has reminded me that He went out of His way to show God's heart to the "blind and the lame".

Much more awaits this week. This is the perspective I need in light of the sometimes harsh realities of this world. He isn't just a Savior for the afterlife; He is the Transformer of my here and now. But it all starts with His death and resurrection.

I am ready to feel deeply the crucible of Calvary and enthusiastically run to see the empty tomb. Will you join me there?

A Hint to Walking in the Spirit

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.(Gal. 5:16-17, ESV)

Walking in the Spirit is hard.

Despite teachings that as a believer we will seemingly "want the right things", Paul presents our faith-walk as a struggle between the flesh and the Spirit. We may WANT to do new things, but our flesh will always take us a different direction. We have to rein ourselves in, you might say.

But recently I've found a hint to walking in the Spirit ... a hint tucked right into Paul's letter to Galatia.

For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself....”If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life... And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. (Gal. 5:13-14; 25-26; 6:9-10)

Paul talks about love and serving one another in the same section that he discusses walking in the Spirit. I've never noticed the connection before, but I don't think it's an accident.

I've noticed that it's much easier for me to fight sin when my life is filled with serving others than when I'm focused on my own struggle with sin. The principle is borne out when I watch the lives of others. Whether it's a family member, a Christian co-worker, or someone at church, I see that fleshly patterns are more apparent when people are not serving and using their gifts than when they are. A critical spirit disappears when it is turned outward into a sharp focus in a crisis situation. A pity party ends when the gift of mercy is being used in the life of a needy child. My own tendency to over-intellectualize - and the pride that can stir - is squashed when my efforts are poured into teaching and I'm reminded how many questions I still don't know how to answer.

Are you struggling to walk in the Spirit? Take a hint from Paul. Walk in love and service using the gifts God gave you. See if that makes the Spirit flow much more freely in your life!

Of Penguins and Profound Thoughts

I just spent the past 48 hours trying to decide whether to be more profound on Facebook.

See, I have a Facebook "friend" who uses his status updates very intentionally. He is always displaying some new missiological insight, statistics about global poverty, challenges to think globally, etc. In a word, his posts are purposeful.

So I've been reflecting about my own updates. Sometimes they are pretty thoughtful - as when I am trying to raise awareness about an injustice, or when my quiet time spills over into a status update, reflecting a heart that is full of Him. Other times they are warm, grateful comments about family and friends. Sometimes they are just silly or fun or factual. Should I try to be more profound in my updates? That was the heart of my question.

Over the course of the last two days I reflected on mine and others' updates. I thought about things from a missiological and relational perspective. I realized that the updates are a microcosm of the person. Those who are family-oriented tend to post updates about their family life. Others who are on Facebook for business tend to post about business events. Those who view life as a fun adventure tend to post silly, fun updates. And those like my friend, who are on Facebook very intentionally, tend to post updates that are in line with that intention.

The reality of my life doesn't reflect specialization, but diversification. Every job I've had has been to some degree a "finger in many pies" job. My friends run the gamut of personality types and interests. I'm very serious, but I also have deep, close family relationships. I tend to be task-oriented, but my relationships with my friends are important to me. And there is a lighter side of me, the side that loves to belt out "I like to move it, move it" every few days since seeing Madagascar. I also know that I can be very encouraging when the Holy Spirit speaks through me - but when I try to be profound, I flop. It has to be Him, not me.


Part of the struggle God and I had to work through about this blog was me laying down my desire to be profound every time. What I want is for Him to work through me every time. To do that, I have to quit trying to be profound. I have to quit assuming that every post has to have a certain "angle" and just let Him do with my words what He will. The Facebook struggle was similar.

Tonight, I was excited about seeing "The Penguins of Madagascar" on Nickolodeon. That doesn't make me shallow; I spent quite a bit of time today studying about global poverty and various theories of development. Both aspects of my life are equally authentic. As I reflected about Facebook, I realized that I want Facebook to be an extension of my quest for authenticity in life.

People in poor urban areas and rich high-rises, those who have never heard the name of Christ and those who go to tell them, all relate best to people who are authentic. After spending too many years trying to present an image, the quest for authenticity is important to me.

So, that means sometimes I post updates that are an overflow from my quiet time. Sometimes I post about a particular injustice that angers me. Sometimes I post significant facts. Sometimes I give factual updates. And sometimes I just talk about Penguins. It's all real. It's all me. And at the end of the day, I think it makes ministry more effective.

"I will not be moved"

I love this Natalie Grant song because it is my life story. After being the wayward child, I questioned everything about what I believe and why. I still ask more questions than anyone I know! I often say that it's impossible to ask a question I haven't asked.

As the song notes, sometimes I don't feel "spiritual" enough to pray and have to rely on the truth that it's not about me anyway. Too often I've kept score of what I gave up. I'm the "willing" servant who becomes unwilling when push comes to shove and has to go kicking and screaming into new territory.

But I always know that HE holds on to me far tighter than I grip His hand. And all the struggle and chaos lands me firmly in His arms. I love Deut. 33:27 - "The eternal God is a dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms". Truly, my brokenness has been the path on which I've learned about His grace.

If my life story has a lesson for anyone else it's that God's shoulders are big enough. Big enough for your struggles...your questions...your challenges. Big enough to see you through today and bring you more into the image of Christ tomorrow. Big enough to keep you from moving - even when you try.

Paul's Prayers #18

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:6-7, ESV)

We are so tuned to the music of self that it's hard to see the missionary focus of this verse. Even intentionally studying for that purpose, I had to step back from the measure to see the full scope of the symphony Paul has written to Phillippi.

Phillippi was a missionary church! Founded when Paul ran into some godly women (Acts 16), Phillippi was one of the earliest Gentile congregations. So Paul's letter serves not only for discipleship, but provides assistance to a congregation that he founded. Not coincidentally, only a few verses before these Paul addresses conflict within the church between two women, Eudoia and Syntyche, whom Paul considers fellow laborers in the Gospel!

The enemy loves to step in and cause conflict between believers ... especially those working together to advance the kingdom of God. I don't think it's coincidental or unrelated that Paul follows his charge to these women with 3 fundamental commands:

1. Rejoice
2. Be reasonable
3. Don't be anxious, but pray!

In the midst of conflict and spiritual attack, we can achieve a great measure of unity by Paul's commands. Rejoice - praise God, together if possible! Be reasonable ... don't dig in our heels over unimportant matters. And finally, pray. Anxiety is easy to come by in relational conflicts. Prayer can nip anxiety in the bud, and bring healing and send the enemy running.

Rather than being unrelated, Paul's admonition to pray has everything to do with missions. Anxiety, whether personal or related to the enemy's attempt to cause conflict, can hinder our kingdom effectiveness. But the peace that comes with prayer can spur us on for His glory!

Crowns

A few weeks ago, God showed me that I was missing an important Scriptural motivational tool - one that could help me through some challenging temptations and tough days. The tool -- His promises of crowns.

If you're like me, you cringe at the thought of being motivated by reward. But as John Piper points out well in Desiring God, if we truly believe that God is the highest good in the world, then we realize He has our best interests at heart. Thus, His rewards are really pointers to Him ... ways to get us to recognize and honor His glory. Ways to let us see that what He offers is worth waiting for, worth dying for. Ways to steer us away from instant gratification and believing that that what He offers is better that the temptation of sin. Ultimately then, aiming for His crowns glorifies Him in our lives.

The fact is, God has called us to some tough things. If we really sell out for Jesus, then we will face temptations and trials and challenges. We will face the opportunity for instant gratification at every turn, choices that would take us away from God's focus for our lives. Choices like that reflected in a graduation speech by John Stam in 1931, 3 years before he was martyred in China:

Shall we beat a retreat, and turn back from our high calling in Christ Jesus; or dare we advance at God's command, in the face of the impossible?...Let us remind ourselves that the Great Commission was never qualified by clauses calling for advance only if funds were plentiful and [there is] no hardship or self-denial involved. On the contrary, we are told to expect tribulation and even persecution, but with it victory in Christ.

So what does God's Word tell us about the crowns that await us if we press on instead of beating a retreat? My study of "crowns" in Scripture revealed the following crowns that await His followers:

• Crown of glory and majesty as God's creation. Psalm 8:5 Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
• Crown of beauty that comes from pursuing the wealth of God's Wisdom. Prov. 4:9 She [wisdom] will place on your head a graceful garland;she will bestow on you a beautiful crown. Prov. 14:24 (1 Cor. 1:30 tells us Christ is the wisdom of God.)
• Crown of joy in ministry. Phil. 4:1 Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved. 1 Thess. 2:19-20 For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you? For you are our glory and joy.
• Crown of righteousness for being faithful, perservering, and loving His return. 2 Tim. 4:7-8 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.
• Crown of life for those who endure testing or temptation out of love for Christ. James 1:12 Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.
• Crown of glory to those who shepherd others. 1 Peter 5:1-4 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
• Crown of incorruption for a good testimony and self-control. 1 Cor. 9:25-27 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable [lit. corruptible] wreath, but we an imperishable [lit. incorruptible]. So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
• Crown of life for martyrs. Rev. 2:10 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

Lest we get prideful counting the crowns we accumulate, God's Word also gives us a picture of what we will want to do with these crowns in heaven:

Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty,who was and is and is to come!”

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God,to receive glory and honor and power,for you created all things,and by your will they existed and were created.” (Rev. 4:4-11)

Crowns - motivations for today, instruments for worship in the kingdom. Pursue them freely. They are for His glory.

Ouch!

About a month ago (two days before Valentine's Day, to be precise), I woke up and did some light stretching in bed. My neck popped (as it frequently does), then suddenly the very top vertebrae popped. Instantly, pain flooded the right side of my neck and head. I could feel at the extremities, but the pain was so severe that I couldn't sit up. I lay there and called for my husband. For the next 4 days, I suffered varying degrees of pain and had to be on painkillers and muscle relaxers, as well as a cortisone shot. Even today, 5 weeks later, I have to be very gentle with my neck and while I am not hurting, I can tell that pain lingers around the corner, ready to pounce if I make a wrong move.

Why do I mention this now, 5 weeks after the fact? Because in the depth of my pain, God taught me some things about His body ... the church ... and about my role in that body.

First, He spoke to me almost immediately about the importance of a support role. 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.

Support roles in the church are like that. Sometimes in a support role (being a "sender"; making copies before church; taking kids for bathroom breaks in children's church; writing a blog) we feel unimportant ... and are sometimes taken for granted. After all, it's the evangelists and authors who are the "face" of modern western Christianity. But Paul in his wisdom prepared us for such a struggle and addressed the issue millennia ago:

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. (1 Cor. 12:22-25)

Do those in support roles get overlooked, taken for granted, or given token recognition? You bet! And yet the lesson of my neck reminds me of the truth Paul taught ... the greater honor goes to 'the lesser member'. The one not visible. The one in the support role. The one who is the neck, whose absence would impact virtually every part of the body.

My sore neck also underscored the need to identify with persecuted believers. Truly, when one part of the body hurts, we all hurt. Paul and the author of Hebrews both addressed this issue:

If one member suffers, everyone suffers with it. If a member is honored, all rejoice with it. (1 Cor. 12:26, 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. (Heb. 13:3, ESV)

When my was neck hurt, I hurt all over! I thought about the persecuted church ... how distant they seem sometimes, and yet how true these verses are. The body of Christ is hurting when the church in the Middle East is nearing extinction ... when some believers recant rather than watch their children be raped ... when we sit in our comfortable churches and 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 ... my whole body threw itself into compensating for the pain and helping me get through it.

So I'm healing now, but the tenderness keeps a fresh reminder of these lessons before me. May God use my pain to help you grasp a new understanding of His body today.

Back at it on The Big Picture

For those of you who follow The Big Picture (my World Christian Foundations study program blog), I have posted the first of my lesson blogs for Module 4. You can access it at http://worldchristianfoundations.blogspot.com or by clicking on "The Big Picture" on the right.

Thanks!

True North and Borderless Puzzles

I saw something while shopping that could be a picture of our post-modern era: A borderless jigsaw puzzle. Seriously. The jagged edges and lack of a solid border spoke to me of a society that knows no boundaries or limits ... a society that wants to be unhindered by any God, that constantly rejects the borders of sin.

And yet there was another meaning - one filled with hope. For there is another "unhindered" to match every societal rejection of Christ. Acts 28:30-31 captures that hope:

Paul lived there two whole years in his own rented quarters and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with complete boldness and without restriction.

"Without restriction". In the Greek, the word literally means "unhindered". Paul was imprisoned under house arrest in Rome, yet the Gospel was going forth into a basically pagan culture "unhindered". In droves, people were turning from idolatry to serve the living Christ - no matter the cost.

The Gospel was unhindered by the tides of society, unhindered by Paul's imprisonment, and even unhindered by cultural restrictions. By the end of Acts we see the church united behind the idea that there is no "one form" that Christianity must follow. The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem with their temple prayers, and the Gentile Christians in Ephesus, with their rejection of idols of Artemis, were united as one under the Lordship of Christ. Unhindered by their cultures.

The fact is, we (at least we westerners) live in a society that rejects the need for absolute truth. We want to find our own way. We want life to be one big borderless puzzle. Yet no outdoorsman would pretend to know on his own where true north could be found. He knows that especially in a crisis, or when lost, he can get disoriented. An external marker of truth is needed - the compass shows true north.

When our postmodern world gets lost in the borderless puzzle that they call life, they'll need a compass to point to true north. God's revelation in His Word and His Son as revealed in that Word form the borders that give the puzzle of life a sense of unity, purpose, meaning. The borderless puzzle life will eventually dissatisfy. But we have the opportunity to point to true north - and then to guide believers into life on mission with God.

And then they too will know the true experience of "unhindered" life.

The God who Restores

But God does not take away life; instead he devises ways for the banished to be restored. (2 Sam 14:14b)

I love it when I see the heart of the Gospel in the Old Testament. Just when I think I'm familiar with all of the relevant passages, one comes along and grabs my heart. This morning, reading 2 Samuel 14, another one jumped out.

In the chapter Absalom is estranged from David after killing Amnon. As a woman I find the murder justifiable - Amnon raped Absalom's sister (and his own half-sister). Yet the murder estranged Absalom from David. Joab gets a woman to pretend to have an estranged son, to convince David into restoring Absalom. Halfway through the game, the woman begins to speak her heart, realizing David's good heart. She then tells him the words above - that God devises ways for restoration.

She's obviously speaking to the restoration of Absalom ... but my heart leapt as I saw here the heart of the Gospel. God devised a way of restoration. He didn't desire the death of man ... yet sin required banishment. Yet as Gen. 22 literally reads, "God provided Himself the lamb for sacrifice." Did He ever.

It's the old, old story - but I see it fresh this morning. This Lenten season, rejoice that He provided a way for the banished - us - to be restore to Him. He became the sacrifical lamb. Hear it with new ears. And worship again for the old story that never gets old.

Transitions

One thing God has made clear to me over the years is that statis is not an option. I will always be changing and transitioning. If I stick with Him by walking in the Spirit, I will be making progress. I don't want to consider any other alternative!

But right now I am in a period of transition that is a bit more intense that other times. Specifically, I am sorting through with God a number of ministry involvements - including this blog.

I absolutely love writing. I love this blog and I'm passionate about encouraging people to be on mission for God. But I don't know what God's plan is for this blog right now.

Part of it is an issue of priorities. I'm in the last year of an intense study program, and this year is more intense than the others. God has already made it clear I am to lay down some other things to focus on "finishing well" in my studies and in particular my research projects, which are ministry-related, will take more of my time.

But it's more than that. Ideas and analogies for the blog used to "flow". Now, I receive a lot from the Lord which I put in my journal, and often share with others in a one-on-one basis, but don't feel I should write up for the blog. Not sure what's up with that. I've considered that God is changing the purpose of the blog. I've also considered that He is opening up alternative opportunities to share what He teaches me. Another possibility is that He just doesn't want me to get prideful about writing, so calls me to lay it aside from time to time. All I know is that right now this blog, along with many other things, is on the altar.

I'm not taking it down, and it is my full intent to post at any point God puts it on my heart. What that is going to look like, I don't know. But please pray for me, as I am in a transitional phase of ministry. I'm really excited. The last time this happened, God drew me into my study program and opened the door for a World Christian Women group in my home - as well as guided me to start this blog. It was a major change in my life that came after 3 1/2 years of ministry directed at one individual God told me to lay down other areas of service to love. I don't know where this is going but I know I want to be led by Him, and I know if I am, it will be amazing!

Paul's Prayers #16 & 17

We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven.

Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel,which has come to you, as indeed in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing—as it also does among you, since the day you heard it and understood the grace of God in truth, just as you learned it from Epaphras our beloved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf and has made known to us your love in the Spirit.

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. (Col. 1:4-12)

Paul highlights two prayers for the church at Colossae - one of thankfulness and one of intercession. These two prayers are linked by a direct reference to missions. Together, the passage shows us the potential we have in any missiological opportunity.

First, Paul thanks God for the church's faith and love, grounded in hope. This is not a church Paul has visited. Instead, he has heard about them from his world Christian friend, Epaphras. Yet Paul's love for the church flows throughout the letter, and it's easy to forget that he wasn't the church planter. The unity of the body shines in Colossians! The foundation of their faith and love - the hope laid up in heaven - is the same as Paul's.

Before laying out how he prays for them, Paul highlights how they heard of this hope. Epaphras is one of those Biblical characters I long to know more about. All we know is that he took the Gospel to Colossae, prayed fervently for them (Col. 4:12), and was a prisoner with Paul (Philemon 23). Yet Paul calls him by name, something he doesn't even do for one of the most well-known Christians of his day (2 Cor. 8:18). He was a faithful minister and took word of Colossae back to Paul and his team. What a picture of a cross-cultural worker - sharing the Gospel and bringing word of this whole other world back to the church at home!

Finally Paul lays out his prayer for them. Not just his prayer - but the prayer of his team. Specifically, he prays that the church would be filled with the knowledge of His will - requiring spiritual wisdom and understanding. As a result they would:

• Walk in a way pleasing to God
• Bear fruit
• Know Him more

He concludes by asking that they would be strengthened with power for endurance, patience, johy, and thankfulness. Paul knows that to truly walk in His will requires an infusion of the Holy Spirit.

How does this relate to becoming a world Christian? If we are on the "going" end, we should do as good a job as Epaphras of relating something of the personality of the church on the other end to the church at home. We should help the church at home learn to love the body on the field as much as we do! If we are on the "sending" end, or even if we just encounter a cross-cultural worker, we should ask questions and get to know the people they serve. Every missionary I know loves it when people ask more than surface questions. They can give a five-minute summary, but they really love to pour out their heart. Learn to ask questions that give them open doors to share that heart. Some practical notes:

• Allow plenty of time for conversation - a 30 minute cup of coffee will barely scratch the surface.
• Ask the right questions. This will vary based on what your friend does, but here are some questions that have worked for me to get you started:
• * What is the most encouraging thing you've seen since your last furlough? The most discouraging?
• * What are the strengths/weaknesses of the church?
• * What is a worship service like?
• * What are their needs?
• * Are there solid leaders in the church?
• * What do you do when you go to their homes?
• * What is going on politically/culturally that can help me understand your life and the church better?
• Spend extended time in prayer after hearing about the church. Pray for your friend, but also for those he or she serves.
• Learn about the country and people group he or she serves. Read articles online and in the international section of newspapers and magazines.

Prayer: Lord, help us to be Epaphrases and Pauls. As we go, help us share our heart with those back home and be faithful to pray when we are away from those we serve. As we stay, help us understand better the culture and people who our friends serve. Help us love them as one body.

Paul's Prayers, #15

And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Phil. 1:9-11)

Paul knew the "main thing" for believers. He had written about it in 1 Cor. 13: "...the greatest of these is love". And so it's not surprising that he makes a point of praying for the church to be filled with love.

Significantly, he doesn't just pray for warm fuzzies. He doesn't want love separated from truth. So he prays for abounding, overflowing love - with knowledge and discernment. To the Ephesians he warned to speak truth in love; for the Philippians he prays they will live love in truth. The motive is significant - to approve what is excellent, being pure, blameless, and fruitful for God's glory.

"Approving what is excellent" is a much harder thing to do, and a higher calling, than criticizing what is wrong. Anyone can see the problems; Paul wants their love and truth to lead them to exalt what is good and right - what is excellent. In this they will demonstrate purity, blamelessness, and fruitfulness.

I think Paul is basically telling them to keep "the main thing the main thing". If we focus on what God is doing - what is more excellent than that? - we will fill our hearts, minds, and calendars with the things of Him. This will greatly aid purity and blamelessness, as there will be no room for the things that promote unfruitfulness. Yet Paul draws it all back to love. This isn't about legalism or restrictions. It's about the overflow of love. When we truly love God and grasp His love for us we find that we long to focus on what pleases His heart.

How does this relate to becoming world Christians? I don't know how we can focus on what is excellent from a kingdom perspective without focusing on what God is doing around the world. When we see, for example, the dreams and visions He is giving people groups to reveal Himself to them and prepare them for the message of the Gospel, we grasp the current world situation in a much more "excellent" light. When we bring love, knowledge, and discernment together we find a sensitivity to His purposes that we didn't know we had. And we find ourselves wanting to be on mission with Him.

Prayer: Lord, fill us to overflowing with love coupled with knowledge and discernment. Help us to see things with Your eyes and approve what You are doing excellently in the world. Teach us how to live in purity, blamelessly before You, filled with good fruit for Your glory.

Paul's Prayers, #14

I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to feel this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers with me of grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel. (Phil. 1:3-7)

Paul didn't just have supporters - he had partners.

This is one of the key passages (along with 3 John 5-8) that guide my thinking about how churches should view relationships with missionaries. In Paul's mind the church at Philippi was a partner in his work.

We know from history and other passages that many churches in Asia Minor were persecuted or in great poverty during this time period. But God, in His grace, allowed some churches to flourish in freedom and prosperity - and guided the leadership to request and facilitate support for the churches that were suffering. 1 Cor. 8-9 speak to such a collection, delivered by Paul to Jerusalem prior to his arrest.

Paul's teaching to the churches indicates that those churches who weren't struggling should make an extra effort to support those who were. And similarly, Paul didn't hesitate to accept financial support from those churches who could afford it, even while not expecting support from churches in other areas. He was free to take income, and willingly laid that right down when it was best for the church involved.

Philippi was one of the more prosperous churches, and we see in this passages that they viewed their wealth from a kingdom perspective. They were partners with Paul. We know from other passages that this partnership was not just financial - Paul asked them to pray for his deliverance in 1:9, so they were prayer partners as well. But the key point is that there was a relationship - one that Paul treasured.

How does this relate to being world Christians? We need to develop relationships with those we support. We should never simply write a check. Prayer, birthday gifts, checking on their house, keeping them informed about what's going on here - all are part of being partners. We should be such a part of their lives that there is no "disconnect" because of the distance. It takes work - but modern technology has made that work much easier. Email, Facebook, Skype - all make staying in touch in even the remotest areas easier. Missionaries likewise should be open and communicative - newsletters with specific prayer requests help the church to develop world Christians. Most of all, we should truly view each other as partners. As I've said many times, the one traveling is the feet, but the entire body goes. We have to truly see ourselves in the "go".

Prayer: Father, please help us to see ourselves as partners in the Gospel. Guide us to understand and support our missionaries in a more significant manner. Teach us how to be good partners.

Paul's Prayers, #13

Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. (Phil. 3:18b-26)

After a brief absence due to power outage and ice storm, I'm excited to resume our study of Paul's prayers. This one isn't so much a prayer Paul prayed, as one prayed for him. Yet it is very instructive in learning to become world Christians.

Paul, in prison, writes to Philippi that he knows he will be delivered because of their prayers and the help of the Holy Spirit. It's important to let it settle into us: They apparently had been praying for His deliverance. This isn't surprising, since Paul wrote to the church at Thessalonica, Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. (2 Thess. 3:1-2). Paul wasn't averse to praying for deliverance.

That's important, because sometimes we tend to glorify the persecuted church or missionaries who are suffering. We focus so much on their eternal rewards that we convince ourselves we are doing them a disservice to pray for their earthly deliverance. We imagine their bloody, bruised bodies as somehow holy and above pain and the temptation that comes with it. We even convince ourselves that it is unspiritual to pray for deliverance.

We forget that we are at war.

When you hear of a soldier captured in a war zone, you want that POW returned. You want him delivered from 'wicked and evil men'. It's the same in our spiritual war. Though the enemy can't permanently capture soldiers of the cross, he can make life pretty miserable for them. One thing we fail to recognize when we glorify persecution is that extreme persecution throws the church into survival mode, causing the focus to be on living through the day rather than sharing the Gospel. It can even lead to destruction of the church in a region. The church in the Middle East faces this possibility even today.

Certainly, in the Philippians passage we are looking at, Paul recognizes that the deliverance might come in the form of death - and that would be gain. But he ends this section by reaffirming his belief that his life would be spared because his ministry wasn't finished. His deliverance would be worked out in an earthly fashion. Later, he will write, For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come (2 Tim. 4:6). He will know when God is guiding him to a heavenly rather than earthly deliverance. But for now, he anticipates an earthly deliverance of a very practical nature.

How does this relate to becoming world Christians? We have to recognize that God will give the missionaries on the ground discernment into their specific situations. We need to pray for that discernment for them, and not judge their response based on our limited information. We also need to recognize spiritual warfare and pray boldly for earthly intervention when called for. Finally, we need to pray outside crisis times for them to have such a relationship with Christ that to die will truly be gain. This will make discerning to continue to fight that much easier. John Bunyan put it very well:

Thou mayest do in this as it is in thy heart. If it is in thy heart to fly, fly: if it be in thy heart to stand, stand. Anything but a denial of the truth. He that flies, has warrant to do so; he that stands, has warrant to do so. Yea, the same man may both fly and stand, as the call and working of God with his heart may be. Moses fled (Ex. 2:15); Moses stood (Heb 11:27). David fled (1 Sam. 19:12); David stood (1 Sam. 24:8). Jeremiah fled (Jer. 37:11-12); Jeremiah stood (Jer. 38:17). Christ withdrew himself (Luke 19:10); Christ stood (John 18:1-8). Paul fled (2 Cor. 11:33); Paul stood (Acts 20:22-23). . . . There are few rules in this case. The man himself is best able to judge concerning his present strength, and what weight this or that argument has upon his heart to stand or fly. . . Do not fly out of a slavish fear, but rather because flying is an ordinance of God, opening a door for the escape of some, which door is opened by God's providence, and the escape countenanced by God's Word (Matt. 10:23).

Prayer: Father, we ask You to give supernatural insight to our friends on the field about how to respond in each situation. Provide for them the discernment to respond to situations. Give us the boldness to pray for both heavenly and earthly deliverance from their struggles. As we pray for the persecuted church, help us not to glorify them but only You, and to pray for them to have only the measure of difficulty that will purify the body and promote the Gospel, not a measure that will hinder their productivity for You.

When a little means a lot

We have just emerged from the worst ice storm in our region's history. We were without power for 53 hours, then again for 8 1/2. There is a lot of cleanup to be done, but thankfully not a lot of structural damage (comparatively) and very little loss of life (though any is sad). I learned going through this that a little can mean a lot.

A little ice - less than an inch on our property, just over an inch in most of our town - wreaked havoc. An inch isn't that much. But it was a lot.

A little light made a big difference too. Just one candle after the sun went down made all the different in the world in a room. Sure, more candles were better - but the darkness couldn't extniguish even one candle.

A little electricity matters too! When our power came back on, and went off again, I started thinking of the stories many of you have shared about power that is sporadic, maybe every few days for a few hours. Yet what you can get done in those hours! In the 17 hours our power was on before going off the second time, I did dishes and laundry, took a much-needed hot shower, vacuumed, caught up on news and email, and in general felt "normal". From now on I will be praying for those of you in those situations, to be able to maximize your times with power!

Jesus gave us the principle a long time ago that a little means a lot. One boy with five loaves and two fish was all He needed to feed a multitude. What mattered wasn't the offering, but the offer. The willingness. The heart. And it's like that for you. Whatever you're doing that doesn't feel like enough, please remember that a little means a lot. It matters. All He wants is for you to put it in His hands and let Him multiply it.

Paul's Prayers, #12

...and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints, and also for me, that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak. (Eph. 6:17b-20)

Prayer is a battleground.

After teaching believers to take up the defensive parts of the armor of God, Paul gives them an offensive weapon - God's Word - and then takes them to the battleground to fight.

Truth. Righteousness. Readiness given by the Gospel of peace. Faith. Salvation. These are the things that protect. God's Word is the only sword we need. But the battle is very, very real. And the battleground itself - prayer - doubles as a second offensive weapon. That's why Paul tells us to pray "in the Spirit" - which simply means "in the control of" the Spirit. Paul knows that we don't know how to pray as we should, which is why the Spirit prays for us (see Rom. 8).

We've been looking at Paul's prayers - at their meaning and their significance for becoming world Christians. As those involved in missions (either as go-ers or senders) we have to be aware of the profound lesson Paul is teaching here. He's teaching them how to pray warfare prayers - and gives them two assignments right away:

* Pray for the saints with perserverance.
* Pray for Paul to proclaim the Gospel boldly.

Paul knew the utter necessity of prayer for the advance of the kingdom. He also knew that the kingdom advance was countered at each step by the enemy. Prayer doesn't just make things easier - it makes things possible. It isn't a convenience, but a necessity. As a testimony, Paul asks prayer for himself, for the one thing that the Ephesians would likely think Paul had in abundance - boldness. We don't think of Paul as timid, yet his willingness to ask for holy boldness lets us see that indeed he recognized that only reliance on God's Spirit could accomplish the kingdom advance.

How does this relate to becoming world Christians? First, the obvious - prayer is essential. We need to pray warfare prayers over our missionary prayer list. If you're on the field, you need to fight battles on your knees, and involve the folks back home with specific requests. Second, less obvious is that we don't need to assume that the perceived "strengths" in ourselves or others will not be areas of attack. Instead, pray for that person's boldness, or faith, or purity, or whatever you think comes "naturally". Pray for weak areas, and strong ones. Each are subject to attack from the enemy. Finally, pray "for all the saints". Realize, as Paul did, that missions isn't a job for professionals. It's a task for all of us. We're all on mission with God and we all need to realize that. Pray kingdom prayers for the believers in your house and church and school and workplace. Use all the weapons Paul taught in the battleground of prayer. And then walk through the doors He opens in the halls of life!

Prayer: Lord, help us to grasp the battle. Help us to understand that You have given us tools to fight for kingdom advance, not merely the comforts of home life. Then guide us as we learn to fight on the battleground of prayer.