Our Greatest Danger

"This time of waiting on God was also necessary in order to teach them the greatest lesson of the Christian life--to cease from themselves. The greatest danger about these men was not in what they may fail to do, but in what they might try to do. The greatest harm that we can do is the attempt to do anything at all when we are not prepared, and when we do not understand the Master's will. There are times when the most masterly thing we can exercise is inactivity, and there are times when the most mischievous thing we can do is to do anything at all."
--A.B. Simpson referring to Acts 1:1-5 in his book "The Holy Spirit."

I've so many times been guilty of leading myself, my family and ministries I've been leading into things before I've gotten clarity from the Lord. Our passions, leadership drives, and addiction to action and productivity have the possibility of motivating us to action that is good, even right, but is not necessarily God's intent for us at this time.

Praise be to God that He has given us the Mighty, Faithful and All Wise Counselor who knows the Father's heart perfectly to guide, lead and empower us at the right time for the right task. I am finding more and more it is not necessarily the "what" I am off on, it is most often the "how" where I get myself int to trouble. The Spirit of God is sure to lead us not only in a God glorifying "what" but also in a manner in which brings the Father and Son the greatest amount of praise and glory.

My prayer is that our Student Minsitries and our Christian communities for that matter would be full of men, women and teenagers who are learning the secret, freedom and power of waiting on the Holy Spirit and then acting bodly, immediately and radicially in obedience to both the "what" and the "how".

Six Questions for Evangelicals to Ask Themselves On Reformation Sunday

Some good questions from Chris Castaldo’s blog:

1. Ad Fontes. Do we read the Bible as often as we read books about the Bible?

2. Sola Scriptura. Is Scripture alone the supreme authority to which we direct thoughtful attention each day?

3. Priesthood of Believers. Do our neighbors and friends see in us a commitment to gospel ministry worked out in a regular routine of service?

4. Solus Christus. Do we enter God’s presence directly and with confidence by virtue of the high priesthood of Christ?

5. Sola Fide. Do we rest in our Lord’s finished work, accessed by faith alone, as the sole basis of our right-standing with God?

6. Soli Deo Gloria. Do we regularly communicate the good news of Jesus’ death, resurrection, and new creation, believing that the Holy Spirit will extend redemption through the foolishness of this message to save lost people and transform the world?

Are you Verse 20 or 21?

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be cheered by news of you. 20 For I have no one like him, who will be genuinely concerned for your welfare. 21 They all seek their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:19-21

My pastor spoke on these verses on Sunday. I can't get them out of my head. Verse 21 has got to be the saddest verse in all of Philippians.

Obviously Paul, while in prison, is surrounded by others than just Timothy, but only in Timothy does he find one is concerned deeply for the church, the Bride of Christ for which he suffered for. The others, they are there, but Paul sees in them a "self interest" and apparently no burden for the Bride.

So here is my question: If our pastors or elder councils were thinking of who they could send to plant a new church in another area of our community, or to send in order to encourage a missionary partner, or to be of encouragement and mentor another young believer or pastor, would they put us in the catagory of v. 20 or v. 21?

Oh God...Teach Me your way, that I may walk in your truth!

The Sum of all Blessing

So I am reading "A Call to United Extraordinary Prayer... by Jonathan Edwards. It is also known as "An Humble Attempt..." as the full title is 36 words long. Edwards stated this which has me pondering anew:

“The sum of the blessings of Christ, sought by what he did and suffered in the work of redemption, was the Holy Spirit. Thus is the affair of our redemption constituted; the Father provides and gives the Redeemer, and the price of redemption is offered to him, and he grants the benefit purchased; the Son is the Redeemer who gives the price, and also is the price offered; and the Hoy Spirit is the grand blessing obtained by the price offered, and bestowed on the redeemed.

The Holy Spirit, in his indwelling presence, his influence and fruits, is the sum of all grace, holiness, comfort and joy, or in one word, of all the spirutal good Christ purchased for me in this world: and is also the sum of all perfection, glory, and eternal joy that he purchased for them in another world.” (Edwards, Jonathan. A Call to United Extraordinary Prayer…. Christian Focus Pub. Great Britian, 2004.)

Now, remeber in Luke 11 when the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray he instructs them to pray in the manner in which we call "the Lord's prayer" (which really should be called "the church's prayer and John 17 should be "the Lord's prayer" but that is for another time).

Then, in verse 13, Jesus says, "if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Fatehr give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him." That seems like a weird little addition to the end of his instruction, but if we truly see the Holy Spirit, GOD IN US, as the sum of all blessing, then this little addition makes glorious sense.

Remember John 14 where Jesus says, "it is TO YOUR ADVANTAGE that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you." Could the joy set before Christ that caused him to endure the cross be the joy of knowing that the sum of his grace, the gift of the Spirit would be poured out upon all men just as his Father had promised through the Prophet Joel? Is the Spirit of Life within us not the epidemy of God's reconciling grace, where the infinite, holy God comes to dwell in me? And for what purpose, to exalt Christ by restoring my ability to bear His image in character, purpose and passion!

Here is my question: IF SO, then my friends, why have so many of us evangelicals been so timid about the Holy Spirit? What dependence, interaction, and joy are we to have in the person of the Holy Spirit not just in awakening us to salvation, but in every moment of grace we experience on this earth? How would a deeper, richer theology of the Spirit change our churches and youth minsitries...our very lives?

Wow...Teach me your way, Oh Lord...that I may walk in your truth....

"No Mader Where you Our"

My oldest son is seven.  Last night as we were praying in the back yard around the little fire pit, Isaac decided to pray for one of our neighbors.  

Isaac: "Dad, is something wrong with so and so?"  

Dad: "Why do you ask?"

Isaac: "He doesn't say much.  Dad, I think he's sad.  I think something happened in his life."

Dad:  We need to have him over sometime don't we so we can hear his story.

We pray and Isaac prays for our neighbor.

Isaac:  Dad, I think our neighbor needs a card.  Can I stay up and make him one?

Dad:  If that is what you think God would want you to do.

Isaac: (20 minutes later)  Dad, here is my card, look it says:  "Dear so and so, we love you.  nomader were you our.  We hope you com here soon!!!  love Isaac. (In Isaac's spelling and with a picture of the neighbors house, the neighbor, his dog...and Isaac standing by his side.)

Dad:  That is great buddy, I know he'll love it.

Isaac:  My favorite part is where it says, "No matter where you are."  (Grinning ear to ear)

God is working his compassion into a young heart.  One of the Lord's little ones is teaching his dad simple ways to love our neighbor.  Isaac's motivation is not to convert our neighbor, but to simply love our neighbor.  There is something that feels holy and pure about this.  

God, may you raise up this next generation to be who notices that people may have had "something happen in their life" and be willing to cross  fences in an act of innocent love.

Faithful Opponents

1 Kings 1:9-10 reminds me that God's gift to me on any team is a "faithful opponent".  This is someone whom I trust and respect but also has ability to frustrate me because they ask the right questions.  The questions I am referring to are not just ones of wisdom, logic, experience, or clarity.   No, these are the questions or statements that challenge me to consider my values, convictions, and the implications of my course of direction.  These are the questions that cause me to slow down and consider the people around me rather than simply the outcomes.  Thse are the sorts of questions that at times hurt my pride, challenge my decisions, and come at the issue from another angle.  

Adonijah does just what I have done many times in the past (and I'm sure a will do a few more times in the future).  He avoids consulting his faithful opponents.  He doesn't ask for their council.  He doesn't even invite them to the meeting because he knows that they will spoil his current leadership trajectory.  And by not doing so, Adonijah brings great shame and nearly death to himself and to those who followed him.

If you have a "faithful opponent" on your team, they probably have a tendency to frustrate you.  I challenge you to thank God for them today and the gift they are at causing you to see all sides of a decision, their ability to slow you down to have you evaluate how the decision aligns with your stated values,  walk humbly and purely before those you lead, and most of all, point you heavenward whether directly or indirectly. 

If you don't have any "faithful opponents" on your team, I encourage you to find one.

Displease your Children

 I Kings 1:5-6 are  great verses to motivate me as a parent to "displease" my children.  Obviously, this is not my hope in parenting, but there is something important to see here.  Adonijah's arrogant behavior is explained by the actions of his farther "never to displease him by asking "why are you doing that?"  Instruction over impatient denial (i.e."No, because I said so!) or mere destructive appeasing (i.e."Fine, you can have one more.") takes time, consistency,courage, thoughtfulness, love, and a Godward view of parenting (and at times a tough skin).  I encourage those of us who are parents to read 1 Kings 5:6 often as we raise our children.