Back in the day, I was known for dishing out some taunting in the course of sporting events.  I wasn’t a showboater - it was a strategic thing.  I did it quietly and personally, and directed it specifically at real weaknesses that I thought my opponents might be insecure about.  Despite the issues I now have with our sports and star-based obsessions in the US, there is much we can learn from sports (aside from the fact that Jim is a jerk).  It’s an undeniable fact that if you can rattle someone’s confidence, they will be far less effective than if they are competing with confidence and assurance.  And if I saw my opponent rattled, it raised my own confidence because I knew I could control his emotions, and thus, his performance.

Maybe that’s why I appreciate the occasional taunting in the bible.  Among my favorites (if you know the original interpretation - it is a bit too crass for most English interpreters) is when (I hope I’m getting the right prophet here) Elijah challenges the phophets of Baal to call on their respective God/gods to light their offering with a fire from heaven.  When the prophets of Baal are desperately calling out, cutting themselves, and clearly starting to fear failure, Elijah chimes in with, “maybe your god is busy, maybe he’s in the bathroom relieving himself.”  After Elijah showed God’s power, there is a reason Elijah could single-handedly grab a sword and kill them all.  They were beaten and Elijah (and God) made sure they knew they were beaten without any hope of victory.

But my hands down favorite is1 Corinthians 15:54-55:

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

Death has no power over us.  God’s promises tell us emphatically that He orders our steps, that He is all-knowing and all powerful, and that He loves us.  And when we do die - as Paul said, it is only our gain.  I have a feeling that death thinks he’s a pretty bad dude.  But where is that sting?  If we truly had confidence that there was no sting in death, I can’t help but think how different our lives would look.  And how rattled (and less effective) the enemy would be.

I asked, “God, why do you allow such suffering in the world?” to which He replied “Why do you?”—Mother Theresa

These words hit me like a ton of bricks in a good way.  I have read it before, but it was so good to read it again at this blog post link http://hopechestindia.blogspot.com/  These words shake me out of a way of thinking that is steadily being extracted from my mind.  The blog post also shakes me out of focus on my life, needs and daily schedule.  It is so easy to see suffering and evil in the world, and allow an overwhelming feeling to take over to the point that I feel like I can’t do anything.  Or perhaps feel nothing, and just ignore it.  Maybe I am beginning to see that the selfish side of my being likes to have an excuse to check out and pursue comfort.  My selfish response is to shrug my shoulders, ignore, forget, do nothing, and be comfortable again…it only makes economic sense, right?

According to the man’s logic:  RIGHT!

According to God’s logic:  NO!  THERE’S A HIGHER WAY!

The bible is full of scriptures that ask us…no…check that…command us to do difficult and counter intuitive things.  But He also said He would give us everything we need to do these things!  Left to our own power we could not do these things…not very long anyway.  Thank God He provides EVERYTHING we need to find ourselves doing those things that He wants to get done…oh and by the way it also pleases Him.

A recent study of the book of Romans revealed that God is completely in control of everything, and He will get all the praise and glory in the end.  He chooses to be patient with evil and evil men…who seem to be the source of a lot of suffering.  This is the most merciful and loving response God can give, and it only makes sense from an eternal perspective.  Because God desires for all men to find Him, submit to Him as Lord, and be saved.

Thankfully God offers true joy in the midst of our suffering and our neighbor’s suffering, because His ways are true and pure.  Part of receiving that joy comes when we choose to trust and obey Him.  He loves us, and He told us if we love Him, we will obey His commands.

So how did God instruct us to respond to evil and suffering?  I have a favorite verse I believe reveals God’s strategy which He planned in advance for us to do.

Romans 12:21
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

If you feel overwhelmed by this post, I encourage you to let that feeling go, and ask God to turn it into compassion, motivation, action and joy.  He is in control, and thankfully He wants us to be part of His work and plan.  In my ‘onion’ opinion, it’s the only way to live!

There was another famous quote in the blog post where a lot is said in just a few words…

“Preach the gospel always, if necessary, use words.”—St Francis

Gee, slow crowd this weekend… no guesses at all.  Does that mean you all know and I made it too easy, or that no one has any idea, or maybe that you just want me to go away and leave you alone already?  I’ll assume it isn’t no.3 and provide the answer:

‘Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.  They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.’  
-Ezekiel 16:49-50

Similar to this verse is a very short Pensee from Blaise Pascal that I posted once before:

Wretchedness: Job and Solomon

That’s all there is to that one.  A recognition that both were wretched in very different ways.  We see ourselves as blessed… and we are, in so many ways.  Yet our wealth and blessing can lead us away from reliance on and pursuit of God as all-fulfilling.  Just as Pascal compared the wretchedness of Solomon in his wealth to the wretchedness of Job in his physical distress, we should compare our desire for and surrender to God (or lack thereof) in our wealth with the desire for and surrender to God found in the poor and persecuted church (without posessions, He is all they have).  They are wretched in physical circumstances, but we must take care that we do not become wretched spiritually due to our comfort and self-reliance. 

One more quote… I’ll try to track down this final quote more precisely, but I believe it comes from a pastor who was jailed and tortured in Romania for his faith.  He may or may not be correct, but regardless, I think it spurs productive thought about our circumstances and our faith.

“I believe that 90% of Christians will pass the trial of persecution.  I believe that 90% of Christians will fail the trial of affluence.”

First, the quiz.  In Ezekiel (don’t cheat and search it), God cites a handful of specific sins of the residents of Sodom that caused Him to destroy the city.  Can you name one or more?  Barbra and Don, you are prohibited from participating (since you pointed this verse out to me).

On to the goal… Our community has already made a huge difference in the lives of our neighbor kids in Swaziland.  Our sponsorship level is near 50%, which is (barely) enough to provide basic nutritional needs.  Funds are set aside for a fence, kitchen, and well.  We can’t even imagine in our setting how impotant those things will be.  Clean water alone can prevent many early deaths, and frees hours every day for schooling, parenting, and other productive activity that would have otherwise been spent walking miles for (typically unsafe) water.  I can thank you for that, but my thanks mean nothing.  What you have is a deposit to your treasure in heaven, and the pleasure of our Father.  I think it is very important to note that Jesus did not tell us not to build up treasure.  On the contrary, He commanded us to build up treasure - treasue in heaven.

My goal is this:  we have over 40 neighbor kids with no personal connection to us - that is, “unsponsored”.  But that is a cold, statistical-type word.  It does not express their loneliness and need to know that the community behind their support cares personally about them.  Our financial support is also at the minimum level at which meaningful assistance can be provided to our kids as a group.  “Minimum level” is not where I think we can or should be.  We have a trip scheduled to our Swaziland community in September.  You are a big part of this.  We need funds to get there, and funds to get there with shoes for the kids, and news of sponsorship for more of our kids than we now have.  Links for helping with this effort and with sponsorship are all over our home page.  Please, don’t just read on past this post.  Think, work through it, make it a personal goal.  If you can’t help, tell the story to someone who can.  Find a way, make a way with neighbors, a Sunday school group, friends, co-workers… be creative… maybe a “cyber” shoe drive for an office or Sunday school, a sponsorship for an extended family… I am confident God will provide the way, this is simply an opportunity to be a part of the joy.

... I don’t believe He was really the Son of God”.  Who’s heard that one?  I think we all have, and I think we’ve all heard the counter-arguments that if you understand Jesus’ statements in light of Old Testament references He made about himself, He clearly claimed to be the Messiah.  Which means he was a liar, lunatic, or what He said He is - the Son of God.

The question is, as Christians, which do we really believe - great moral teacher, or Son of God (i.e. our Master)?  See, I’m a person who thinks that what we really believe should be evidenced by what we do, not by what we say.  Just a matter of common sense evidence - there is real wisdom in the sayings; “talk is cheap”, actions speak louder than words”...

Here’s my dilemma.  Take this for example: ” Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.”  - Matthew 5:23-24 Have you ever heard that cited in church?  How many of us have seen anyone (or actually did oursleves) get up and leave to first be reconciled to their brother before finishing the service?  Did it even cross your mind when you heard that, that you really should get up that instant and leave the service to be reconciled to a brother that has anything against you?  If we accept Jesus as our Master, we should see that as a direct command.  Or did you accept the passage (as I always have) as a good moral teaching but not a command that you should be expected to perform, and to perform it as instructed? 

I have to admit that this is a new concept to me and I must further admit that my actions indicate that I see Jesus more as a great moral teacher and less as my Master.  All too often I treat His commands as good principles to live by but not explicit commands.  The point is that He gave many explicit commands, and I have treated nearly all of them as good general illustrative principles to live by, but I essentially never treat them as explicit commands.  So what do I really believe? 

Read the sermon on the mount and the rest of Jesus’words again and look for explicit commands - they are everywhere.  That whole don’t worry about tomorrow thing… that was not a self-help ideal, it was a command.  Pray for your enemies, bless those who curse you, if someone sues you for your coat, give him your shirt as well, do not store up treasure on earth… all phrased as commands, not tidy philosophiocal niceties.  But we don’t treat them as commands - so what do we really believe?  Holy Spirit, work through me to change the evidence in my life.  I am not happy with what my actions say about my beliefs to date, and I hope and pray that a wave of true belief, evidenced by obedience to His commands will sweep through my life and the church as a whole, I want to be a part of that.

I have a crazy, beautiful dream.  God’s Word is clear that he desires that the entire world should hear the good news of Christ.  His Word is equally clear that He desires that no one should suffer severe physical need.  Yet these statistics remain:

People groups in the world: 16,351 - 6.8 billion individuals
People groups in the world still not reached with the gospel: 6,645 - 2.75 billion individuals

Today, over 1 billion people live (and die) in desperate poverty (less than $1 a day).
700 million in slums.
500 million on the verge of starvation.
93 million beggars.
200 million children exploited for labor.
26,000 children today will die due to either starvation or a preventable disease.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:14-17

So… what if, what if… picture this in your mind.  What if God had a grand and wonderful plan to actually accomplish those goals and created a nation, and blessed that nation in such a way that it had the means to comfortably meet all its needs - actually go beyond simply meeting needs but also to live with blessings of physical comforts the world had never previously imagined, AND still have enough left over to bring His good news to every people group on earth.  And then still enough left over to meet the basic need for water, food, and shelter for every child and family on earth.  Really… stop and paint that picture in your mind.  What an incredible thing.  God’s ultimate plan from the foundation of the world, expressed to Abraham and later throughtout the prophets and New Testament… accomplished.  Who knows what that might usher in.  Imagine His joy, imagine the joy in being a part of that.  Imagine the blessing that would be and let your spirit long for the creation of a nation with that kind of wealth.

In case you haven’t realized it, that dream is not a dream.  God does have a plan (or do we presume He is impotent?).  In fact, we see His effort to create that nation and provide that wealth FOR THAT PURPOSE with Abraham and Israel.  But they failed Him.  They lived for themselves and turned from Him and His plan to their own destruction.  And now, we see His plan again.  In person.  It’s us.  There can be no debate that our nation was founded on His principles, and that He has built and prospered this nation.  Prospered us in such a way that statistically, we comfortably… COMFORTABLY, can accomplish the dual goals of bringing His gospel to all the earth and meeting the basic phyical needs of all our neighbors.  I gave statistics on the need, here are some on our wealth:

Average annual American Christian household income: $42,409. This in the top 2.5% of the richest people in the world.
North American Christians give an average of 2.5% of their income to the church.
North American churches given an average of 2% of these funds to missions overseas.
For every $100 a North American Christian makes, we give 5 cents to missions overseas - that’s less than 1% - in fact, it is five one-hundredths of one percent.  God help us.

“Today Christians spend more money on dog food than missions.”
Leonard Ravenhill

Americans spend $40 billion every year on pets.
Americans spend $60 billion every year on weight-loss programs.
Churches spend $10 billion every year on church buildings.
It is estimated that $10 billion could bring clean water to every person on earth.

“In the early 1990s, Americans spent annually twice as much on cut flowers as on overseas Protestant ministries, twice as much on women’s sheer hosiery, one and a half times as much on video games, one and a half times as much on pinball machines, slightly more on the lawn industry, about five times as much on pets, one and a half times as much on skin care, almost one and a half times as much on chewing gum, almost three times as much on swimming pools and accessories, approximately seven times as much on sweets, seventeen times as much on diets and diet-related products, twenty times as much on sports activities, approximately 26 times as much on soft drinks, and a staggering 140 times as much on legalized gambling activities.”
Craig Blomberg

(Statistics from generousgiving.org; joshuaproject.net;globalrichlist.com; compassion.net)

God has a plan.  It is us.  He has done His part.  The “dream” I described ealier is real, already in existence.  However, that is only part of the dream. The rest of my dream is that we will respond by living simply and giving sacrificially.  That we will turn to Him, respond to His commands, and stop living in envy, greed, and self-indulgence.  Unfortunately, that part of my dream remains just that - a dream.  But He is powerful, and He is calling this nation to repentance and wholeness in His plan.  Spread the dream, begin living it.  It can and must become reality.  God, let it be through this nation, this time… don’t let us fail you with the blessings you have given us for this purpose.  Guide us and inspire us, lead us into your ways.

by Joshua Mikeworth

I would characterize the first 4 months of this year as being very explosive in my walk with the Lord.  He is so good and so amazingly full of grace and mercy towards us.  How incredible he is to sit in majesty with thousands of angelic beings proclaiming his glory and worth night and day with lightning and thunder encompassing his throne as he watches over all of the universe that he unleashed and yet…He knows my name…He is concerned for my well being…He wants me to succeed in knowing him intimately…He works in me to grow me to the point that he can continue to reveal more and more of himself to me…He loves me THAT much.  I have enjoyed the fruit of his goodness towards me these past few months in growth that I haven’t seen in many years.  God has brought me into connection with fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord that have been a tremendous encouragement and blessing to me and my family on a local, national, and even international level.  I literally have people that I now communicate with, support, and pray for half way around the world.

A year ago I was simply praying for God to show me how to love people period.  Now I feel continually compelled to be in motion to be doing something for Christ.  I know this to be God’s working in my heart for in and of myself, I am nothing.  I know the scriptures are true when they state my righteousness is as filthy (literally translated “menstrual”) rags because I’ve tested this to the extreme.  I’ve been putting forth those rags most of my life and now I see the worthlessness of my former offerings.  It is purely God in me that is driving me to do these things.  It is as Ephesians 2:10 states - the good works that he designed for me from the start and the amazing thing is I can’t do them on my own.  Praise God!

Tremendous growth requires strengthening…

One of my former vocations was as an Arborist for a local community.  I ran the city foresty program and one of the things I continually witnessed was when a home owner would install a new young tree they would stake the tree in.  By this I mean they would place usually three to four stakes around the tree and then secure ropes or wires from the tree to the stakes thereby creating stability in the tree from being blown over and allowing the tree to remain perfectly straight.  The problem with this was they always had the ropes/wires completely tight which was detrimental to the tree.  Staking was a good practice if you left the ropes be somewhat slack.  The reason was that you actually want the tree to sway in the wind.  The more sway the better.  Critical to a tree’s development for trunk strength is the swaying motion the wind creates.  The wood fibers will actually respond to this motion and increase proportionally in the trunk and in the root flare, where the trunk meets the ground, as a response to the wind thereby strengthening the tree over time.  When you overstabilize the tree - you eliminate the tree’s ability to do this and actually harm the tree in the long run.

The past few weeks the winds in my life have picked up to gale force and I’ve been encountering resistance on every front - in my spiritual walk, in physical health, my relationship with my bride and children, our finances.  I’ve been buffetted from just about every direction I can think of and to be honest, I don’t think the ride is over.  We very much would like to enjoy the fact that we have a loving Father who wishes us to be his children, who wants us to become empowered as his representatives on this earth.  If we’re serious, we even begin to realize that we need to give no less than all of ourselves to the one who gave everything of himself for us.  Then we really start to become spurred into motion to pursue him at all cost, even if friends abandon us and co-workers start to look at us differently.

But these are not the winds, this is not the resistance.  The winds come when an ages old demonic power recognizes he no longer has sway in your life and determines that he will end your new-found piety and devotion by pitting everything in his arsenal against your faith in this Word.  The winds come when your plans to evangelize go out the window because sickness invades your family and suddenly the condition of other people’s souls is a little less of a concern than that of your sick child curled up in their bed.  The winds come when the finances you were counting on for those necessary home or vehicle repairs fall through and you are suddenly faced with crisis as bills keep piling up.  The winds come when you can feel the gazes and new found friction between you and your co-workers as you no longer participate in the daily gossip pool or supervisor-slam sessions and they direct those efforts of malice towards you behind your back.  The winds come when both you and your spouse are simultaneously exhausted and the kids have far to much energy for this late at night and you didn’t really appreciate the tone in your spouse’s voice or the way in which they dismissed your feelings when you were talking to them about something that was important to you.  The winds come when your very own attitudes are less than what they should be and you feel yourself sinking into them, but rather than seeking God out for deliverance, you choose to flesh over spirit.

Listen to what James says in James 1:2-5

“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.  For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.”

My growth in this life is fully dependent upon these troubles, these testings and shakings.  Without these, I will never know the perfection of patience as stated above.  Patience is defined as being consistently constant, enduring.  This endurance, this steadfastness, is the mark of maturity and strength and is something that is to be strongly desired.  But to desire it is to desire the very trials that make it possible, and this is where we falter.  I know I have on too many occasions.  We desire to be upright, straight as an arrow Christians with strong supports all around us.  We have our small groups, weekly bible luncheons, our community activities, our sunday services - all neatly staking us down.  Every minute accounted for in our weeks, schedules tight, cinched off with precise tension from multiple sides just like those young trees.  And just like those trees, we’ve insulated ourselves against the winds and the trials, the very things that will strengthen us.

Now don’t get me wrong, I believe small groups, bible studies, and the like are beneficial and cause growth in their own right.  I enjoy participating in them and love the encouragement I gain from “iron sharpening iron” in discussing God’s word with my brothers and sisters.  So many of them are so much wiser than I and I love gleaning from that wisdom.  But how many of us have replaced our deep and intimate walk with our creator with these meetings, these gatherings.  How many times have we replaced meeting God with meeting others to talk about God?  I have.  I have often met my Lord at scheduled times in scheduled buildings and in between in uttered prayers during the day only as I needed him.  Where is the love and devotion in that?  Where is the intimacy and relationship in that?

This addresses the 2nd half of the tree - the roots.  Psalms 1:1-3 reads:

“Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers.  But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.  They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.”

This daily meditating and communion with my Lord is the development of solid root structure.  The tree in the wind topples for one of two reasons - it snaps at the trunk for week stem development or it is uprooted for weak root zone development.  We fall for one of two reasons - we are broken for lack of strength and endurance or we simply are not rooted deeply enough to withstand.

God is still working in me to show me how to have “great joy” in trials and troubles, but I do find great encouragement in the fact that God uses those things to perfect me, to strengthen me.  Those things that at first seem detrimental and even profoundly uncomfortable have eternal benefits and work for my good.  God is strengthening me little by little, fiber by fiber to stand in the wind.  Trials will come, they are promised, but they only serve to strengthen us, to increase our capacity to bear fruit and be a blessing to others.

You may read more of Joshua’s thoughts on his personal blog:  http://joshua-asforme.blogspot.com/

In May 2010 the ministry, Salt and Light, sent out an urgent message into the community: “We have run out of food!”  They also stated that the need has nearly doubled due to the recent economic troubles.  After issuing the emergency message, some donations came in to build up the food stock.  This past week 380 families were served, but more support is needed.  As many of you may already know, the first annual “canless” food drive is taking place during the month June 2010 to raise money to purchase food from the Illinois Food Bank.  Monetary donations are more cost effective way to obtain food, as they can purchase an equivalent of $100 of food for $10 from the Eastern Illinois Food Bank.  Over 200 businesses in the Champaign-Urbana and surrounding area community will display cans to accept donations for the drive.  You can view a list of participating businesses at the following link:  http://www.knowntome.net/saltandlight_yes_stats.html

When I see communities of people participating to help people in need, it reminds me of the teachings of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 8.  In the first few verses, we learn that the Macedonian churches were living in poverty themselves, but were eager and thankful for the opportunity to give to Jewish Christians suffering from a famine at the time.  Paul wrote in verses 3 and 4, “3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.”  It was not given as a command, but Paul certainly encouraged people to earnestly give as others have given according to the example of Christ.  ” 8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

Paul concludes this section of his letter by offering a desired goal for giving.  It describes a quasi-socialism if I may use the term to produce an equalizing effect of provision among the people.  He certainly does not suggested that a committee or government body be set up to collect, manage and distribute funds.  I believe the scriptures do describe a desire to see each individual, managed by his own desire to emulate Christ, give to those in need and produce an equalizing effect in the community.  “13Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, 15as it is written: ‘He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.’ “.  Wouldn’t we all like to see this powerful sense of community spread throughout the world?!

Thanks to the people who work with Salt and Light, we are given the opportunity to fulfill the goal described by Paul.  Let’s help spread the word to fill those cans during the month of June at the participating businesses, and/or send a donation directly to Salt and Light ministries!

There are times when evil, poverty, starvation, abandonment, destruction, disasters, etc. on the earth can become overwhelming.  It can cause people to look to the sky, and cry out for God, “Where are you!?”.  “Why does this happen!?”.  There are times when personal struggles, sickness, disease, death, loss, etc. feel equally overwhelming, and we might cry out again, “God, where are you!?”.  “Why did they die!?”.  “Why am I going through this!?”.  “Why did you make me like this!?”.

In the Old Testament we can read about the evils of slavery inflicted on God’s people by Egypt for 430 years.  In Romans 9:16 Paul reviews God’s motivation for allowing Pharaoh to stubbornly resist God’s command sent through Moses to “Let My people go!”.  The bible says God raised Pharaoh up in this way to ultimately display His power to His people, so God’s Name might be proclaimed in all the earth.  Based on Pharaoh’s example, Paul asks the question in Romans 9:22, what if God bears with great patience all evil to make the riches of His glory known to all His ‘saved people’?

In Romans Ch 1, we understand God has made his invisible qualities, eternal power, and divine nature to be clearly seen in His creation by men.  Many still choose to suppress this truth by their wickedness.  Many exchange the truth of God for a lie, and God turns them over to their desires to the point where they even invent new evil ways and encourage others in wickedness.  In the end, God will destroy the objects of His wrath, and He will show great mercy to those whom He justifies through salvation in Jesus Christ.

1 Timothy 2:4 tells us God who loves man wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.  But we also know He is the God of justice (Romans 3:25).  Once His plans and purposes are fulfilled, a final judgment day is coming when His wrath will be revealed.  In the end, He will ultimately use all men and all things, whether evil or good, saved or unsaved, to reveal His glory to those upon whom He has mercy and compassion.

Whether for Him or against Him, God is all powerful and in control.

When we watch others or personally go through difficulties and struggles, it is important that we cry out to God in our weakness, cast our burdens on Him, and make our requests known.  We can take great comfort in knowing He is God and also knowing our place with God, especially if our cry is something like Romans 9:20, “Why did you make me like this!?”.  “Who are you, O man, to talk back to God?”.  If, how and when God decides to bring wrath or mercy is up to Him.  This does not depend on man’s desire or effort.  Thankfully, God loves us beyond human measure, He gives us a choice to receive His free gift of mercy through salvation, and He sanctifies us and calls us His own children!

I know God performs miracles and uses his children to love and help men on the earth today, even though He doesn’t always do things how we may think it should be done.  I think the answer to Paul’s question in Romans 9:22 is, yes, I believe God is being patient with evil for now.  Though difficult for us to understand at times, in the end, His glory will ultimately be revealed, and all the ‘saved’ will respond appropriately to forever praise Him because He truly is God.

Psalm 46

1 God is our refuge and strength,
  an ever-present help in trouble.

2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way
and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

3 though its waters roar and foam
    and the mountains quake with their surging.
    Selah

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
    the holy place where the Most High dwells.

5 God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.

6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;  
    he lifts his voice, the earth melts.

7 The LORD Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.
    Selah

8 Come and see the works of the LORD,
    the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease to the ends of the earth;
    he breaks the bow and shatters the spear,
    he burns the shields with fire.

10 “Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The LORD Almighty is with us;
    the God of Jacob is our fortress.
    Selah

Here is a recent post I really enjoyed reading from a guy named James.  James did something potentially “crazy”.  He decided to quit his job, sell everything he owned, and live in a van among the poorest of the poor in America’s cities and hidden places. Supported by a group of average people, doing small things, with great love, James spends his time sharing food with folks living on the streets and repairs their clothing with his trusty sewing kit. He knits hats for people who are cold and distributes donated clothing which helps people get jobs and stay toasty on cold nights.  His perspective on what I think is a common phrase from our modern Christian language is insightful about the words “I am called to ______” or “He/She is called to ______”.  Similar to a previous post on KTM by Jim titled “Jesus: Personal Savior?” about the phrase “Jesus as my personal Savior”, I think this post taken from James facebook page provides similar thought provoking challenge to words I have heard myself say.

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James Barnett:  Why I’m Not Called to Homeless Folks

Wednesday at 5:21pm

People usually assume I am called to homeless people because of what I do. This, however, is not my calling- at least, no more than it is yours. I have come to see that one of the greatest travesties in Christian Fundamentalism is for one to assume that God has called them to a profession, a country, or a people group. A woman by the name of Tammy Hutchinson recently challenged my views on this. She stated that a Christian is called to Jesus and that everything else is simply context. So if Jesus spent time with those who mourn, you should too. If Jesus cared for the poor, you should too. If Jesus spent time with the sick, take some Airborne because you should too. In the twentieth chapter of Matthew, Jesus says our attitude should be like his. Had Jesus contexualized this, we would have ourselves a different story.

In the Gospel of Luke, a disciple asks Jesus who his “neighbor” is- in effect, who he is to love. As if to expose our myopic understanding, Jesus goes on to tell the story of the Good Samaritan.

There is a Jewish traveler who has been robbed and left for dead on the side of the road. First, a priest and a Levite walk by. The likely candidates ignore the man as if to ask themselves, “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” Later, a Samaritan comes and by his good nature seems to ask a question diametrically opposed to that of the spiritual elite, “If I don’t stop and help this man, what will happen to him?” He then cares for the mangled traveler. This would have been an unlikely altruism considering the social aversion of Jews and Samaritans. But as Dr. Martin Luther King wrote in The Measure of a Man, “[The Samaritan] wasn’t great because he had ascended to certain heights of economic security, but because he was able to condescend to the depths of human need.” And like Jesus ditching a throne for a cross, the Samaritan traded his good for that of another.

You say you want to be like Jesus. Then sit at the feet of the poor. Touch the untouchables. Give a drink to someone who is thirsty and food to the hungry. Clothe with dignity those who wear depravity. Go, be like Jesus, and whomever you find yourself among will be to whom you are called.

James

http://twitter.com/JAMESBARNETTis http://clotheyourneighborasyourself.com/

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The words in James’ post are pointed, but no less pointed than Jesus first and second commands to us.  Knowing God loved us before we existed, and has opened the way for us to choose and follow Christ even as we may daily battle our weak flesh.  We can be encouraged by these pointed words to remember our primary calling to Jesus - our Lord, Master and source.  Ephesians 2:8-10 8For it is by grace (we) have been saved, through faith—and this not from (ourselves), it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Hebrews 13:20-21
20May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, 21equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Last time I rambled on and on, I emphasized how “crazy” (and often impossible or near-impossible - at least on our own) Jesus’ instructions were (are).  So if it’s that hard, that radical, that challenging, is the picture of God as a demanding and unreasonable judge accurate?  Is it all really about obligation and sacrifice and suffering?

Easy answer: NO.  If we’re going to ask why Jesus commanded us to do crazy-hard, unorthodox things, maybe we should see if He told us why.  He did. 

John 15:9-11
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.

He knows what brings joy.  Our flesh and our intellect does not. So He gave us instructions (commands) that will provide true, complete joy.  We ignore them because we think we know a better way, and we find that the church mirrors society at large in rates of depression, divorce, and every other disfunction connected to unhappiness, discontentment and a lack of true joy.  His crazy-hard commands are actually the path to real joy (or He was wrong, deluded, or a liar).  All for our good.  He did not command us to avoid treasure, He in fact commanded us to pursue treasure.  Treasure that matters.  Treasure that cannot be stolen, lost, or destroyed.  I’m not promoting a life of suffering, I’m trying to find (really, for myself - I’m not there by any measure) and promote an awareness of what I beleive to be the true path to joy and real treasure.

(Fictional editor’s note):  Jim, if you believe that so strongly, why don’t you live it more fully?  Ummm… wish I had an answer.  I don’t.  Let’s work through this together and encourage each other.  I really want KTM to be that kind of community and true support for each of us.  I need all of you to help me, because I am weak on my own.

... OK, that title is debatable.  And as always, I crave dissent, so hit me with your best shots.  I’ve been reconsidering Jesus’ teachings in the past few days in light of the change in perspective I described in my last post.  Not a thorough study, just my thoughts.  It seems to me that there is one overriding theme that seems to fit about all of His direct teachings: they are crazy… completely upside-down and in oposition to “normal” ways people thought and acted.  Read Jesus’ words again in light of a recognition that He is our master and that we should obey without hesitation.

James and John did, when He just sauntered by and casually told them to drop their work and leave their father to do their family work alone.  Do you understand how crazy that was in their society?  They did it without hesitation (I have always wondered what their father thought in that moment).  He told a rich man to sell all he had and give it away.  He told His disciples to take nothing with them - nothing - on an extended trip.  He told a dead man to rise, He told people that a widow’s penny was the most significant gift.  He commanded the masses to give no thought or worry for tomorrow, that calling your brother a fool is equivalent to murder, to follow without saying goodbye to your family - in fact, to hate your family, that He had come not to bring peace - but division, and a sword, that His kingdom is like a mustard seed (mustard was a weed that was a major nuisance in farmers’ fields and almost impossible to eradicate), that those who mourn are blessed, that we must become like little children to enter the kingdom, that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than to be saved, that those who seek to save their lives will lose them, to love our neighbors (defined as those we despise) as ourselves.  Despite that, people were drawn to Him in droves - but when they were, He intentionally pushed them away with teachings He knew they would not understand - such as, you have no place with me unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood (separate yourself from our theology - they did not know of the concept of communion and in their culture and religion, eating human flesh was an absolute taboo).  He was extremely effective at pushing people away, and was followed by only a very small group of devoted followers when He died.

I think this theme is the dominant theme in Jesus’ words.  Words that, in fact, led to the “failure” of His mission - that is, failure if measured by the measures of success we use in our churches and personal lives today.  Measures like peaceful lives, smooth relationship with society, conformity to socials norms and values, large, growing churches, financial success.  In fact, if anyone has time to go through the gospels and count His statements, and mark them as “normal” or “crazy”, my guess is that “crazy” outnumbers “normal” by 2-1 if not more.  As I’ve said before, I’m a big fan of practical applications.  My application for this is that our lives should look crazy to people around us in every setting.  That is NOT what saves us.  What saves us is His cleansing blood and a transformation of our hearts into right standing with God that only He can accomplish.  But if we’ve been transformed, we should be transformed - i.e. truly different.  We should obey - even if the instructions are crazy to everyone around us.  Personally, I don’t think we’re obeying very well.  We’re far too normal. 

I heard a statement today in a David Platt sermon that I’d like us all to ponder.  I haven’t been able to think about anything else since I heard it.  The statement is (paraphrased): “Nowhere in scripture is Jesus referred to as someone’s “personal savior”.  He is referred to by His followers as Lord, Teacher, Master…”

That is really significant.  I realized that, for me, the term personal savior carries connotations similar to “personal trainer”.  That is, He belongs to me, He serves or provides service to me.  It creates no connotation of my absolute duty and service to Him.  No hint that I was purchased at a price, rather than the other way around.  Certainly no hint that He is my master.  I don’t mean to be irreverent, but Lassie could “save” my physical life and I would be grateful, and “owe” her my life in a philosophical way, but I certainly would not serve Lassie or subject my will to hers.  So if my primary relationship to Jesus is that He is my personal savior, I’ve created a nice, neat theological concept of owing my life to him but not real commitment to following Him with absolute surrender and obedience.

Of course, He is my savior.  Of course, He is both the way and means to salvation.  But those are facts - the term of savior, while accurate,  describes part of who he is - but it does not NOT describe my relationship with and to Him.  That relationship is one of master and servant, lord and subject, teacher and pupil, parent and child.  Calling Him Lord or Master rather than personal savior as my primary identification of our relationship immediately changes my outlook and perception of how I must behave.  Maybe I’m just strange (OK, I know I’m strange)  I guess I mean maybe words don’t paint pictures and influence thoughts for most of you the way they do for me.  But this is a powerful thought for me and the simple change in a “label” really shook my perceptions.

I need to do what He tells me to do regardless of the cost.  If I don’t know what that is, I need to take it upon myself to find out.  Jesus is pretty explicit in his instructions - I can start by reading His words in light of my new recognition of our true relationship. 

As we assemble team members and make plans for a trip to our Ludlati Carepoint in Swaziland in September 2010, I have enjoyed reading a blog from a team that visited their Swazi-Carepoint recently.  They worked hard for a week with the children from their Carepoint called Mpholi.  They put on a VBS, sang songs, played games, gave hugs, shared snacks, washed feet, gave shoes, gave special provisions, and visited homes.  Typically, a person who meets the kids and their families (if they have one), develops a love and understanding that is deeper than stories and pictures they share - even though the stories and pictures are quite moving to the heart.  The latest post from one team member moves my heart as he shares his deep thoughts and expressions of compassion for the children and people in Swaziland.  To me it sounds like a cry out to ANYONE who claims Jesus as Savior to remember the great gift He freely gave to us, and please remember to help those suffering and in distress.  God’s word to us in James 1:27 seems particularly applicable to the post shared by dmicah.

James 1:27 - Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

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Imagine If…
by dmicah
link to this blog post:  http://micahpattisall.wordpress.com/2010/05/01/imagine-if/

As many of you are aware, the Salem Chapel Swazi team is home.  I am processing some of my thoughts from the trip and I want to share some food for thought. I want you to turn off the TV, radio, Pandora, Itunes or any distraction for just a few moments. I want you to unload your brain for a short time. I am asking you to just use your imagination as I throw out some scenarios from Swazi.  These were just from a week of our experiences. The needs are deeper than these, but this should start you down the path. Needless to say things are a lot different in Swaziland than in America.

Imagine dropping off two little girls 5 and 7 years old at their home. No one is home. The house is locked. It is getting dark. This happened at one of our team’s home visits. After VBS, we would split into two teams of three and visit homes of our sponsor kids. We would give extra supplies for the home and try to get to know the family, whomever that might be since it usually was not a parent.  On this particular occasion the other team had to leave two young girls with no supervision at their home and hope they would be ok.

Imagine sending your 4 year old with their two 4 year old friends walking along a busy two lane road, mind you without shoes, to a Carepoint.  These little ones would walk a mile or more with no supervision to get a meal.  This happens every day in Swaziland.

Imagine sending your 9 year-old daughter with her 18 month old sibling strapped to her back on the same one or two mile journey to get a meal. Happens every day in Swaziland. Don’t believe me? I have pictures. At least three came to our Carepoint. I choked back tears on more than one occasion as I saw an older sibling unwrap their baby brother/sister and split their bowl of rice with the little one. The next time you have trouble deciding which restaurant to go to, stop a minute and thank God for your blessed life, and pray for the kids at Mpholi.

Imagine knowing that your child will never be educated beyond the 2nd grade because you can’t afford the whopping $100 per year to pay for tuition, since you only earn $1 per day. Government stops free education beyond the 2nd grade. And 953,000 people are fighting for about 100,000 jobs.

Imagine for a minute your kid having one outfit.  Literally one set of clothes. And second-hand charitable gift clothes at that. I watched children show up to the Carepoint every day in the same ill-fitting clothes, some without shoes or undergarments.

Imagine knowing that your life expectancy is roughly 31-33 years.

Imagine living with the fact that almost ½ of your friends will die young because of disease. 45% of Swazis have HIV or full blown AIDS.

Hard to imagine isn’t it?

As I’ve mentioned before in this series on Swaziland, I am not attempting to lay a guilt trip. I am just throwing out some information that has rocked me. If you give it serious thought, it should open your eyes to a world around you. Hopefully you will be able to draw from the deep well of Christ’s love. He didn’t look at his world and think, “Well they did this to themselves. If they just wouldn’t sin, they wouldn’t have these problems. They are just so far away.  I have plenty of things to do here.  They just need some education.”  Jesus did the opposite. He sacrificed, gave up his own will, left his own comfort zone and experienced our world in order to lead us to a new life. Keep that in mind when thinking through the challenges in Swazi.

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Thank you dmicah for posting your thoughts and experience in a public forum.  I appreciate the challenge and reminder your words are to me.  In light of today’s post and the previous series of posts Jim has shared on KTM about thankfulness, I offer a prayer of thankfulness, encouragement and intercession for Swaziland.  Please share in this prayer and add to it in the comments!

Lord God, Creator and Father, Thank you for giving us relationship with you through your gift of salvation.  I want to humbly receive your gift of life by giving up mine to you daily.  I want to humbly receive all Your provisions as a steward without ownership.  Help me to remember to obey your commands to love You first and my neighbor as myself.  Thank You for each of Your children who currently gives love, hope, prayer, money and time to help the least of these.  May more abundance You provide to me and all your children be released and used as You will.  I press on to these high goals in love and compassion with Your help to share in the discomfort - the suffering shared with us by Jesus.  Please use your body - use me - to pray and watch over each child in Swaziland and all the people who face death all day long.  Defeat the source of their fears, send them peace, give them hope, send them love.  Help the full time Swazi-workers, myself and others collectively to do these things one person at a time.  Save my life and each one of their lives eternally.  Amen.

Why do I think thankfulness is so important?  Just the volume of biblical references to the concept is enough for me to think it’s pretty ciritical, but here is one specific verse (another to come tomorrow):

Ephesians 5:15-21 (NKJ)
See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God.

By the way, I looked at three different translations and all command us to give thanks either for “all things” or “everything”, this one even adds redundancy: “always for all things”.  So, my “why” in this verse is pretty simple.  There is a clear implication that we are acting as fools if we do not give thanks for all things, and a direct statement that giving thanks for all things is a fundamental part of acting wisely.  And this is not a passage in the context of everything going good in life.  Note that it is prefaced that we must act wisely, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.  And that’s the setting in which giving thanks for all things is critical.

I’ve heard people stand up and vigorously object to this verse before, i.e.: “I’m not going to give thanks for trials from the enemy…”.  Well, I guess God stands corrected.  Look, “all things” and “everything” seem pretty clear to me.  Back to my philosophy of accepting that I’m not very smart, God knows that, and He intends for clear language in His Word to mean what it says it means.  I, therefore, will not reject anything in the Word.  But rather, I will work to understand how it can all fit together - it all has to be true, we can’t cherry-pick to fit our desired interpretation regardless of what that is.

So, how do we live in God’s victory, hold fast to the great promises in His Word, and at the same time give thanks for the very things in our lives that are in contradiction to those promises?  It seems clear to me.  I have absolute faith in God’s sovereignty, and his love for me - and in His promises.  So why should I find any difficulty in standing on His promises, and at the same time giving thanks for the opportunity for Him to show Himself faithful on my behalf.  Giving thanks for the trial is not passive resignation.  On the contrary, it is evidence of absolute faith in His ultimate deliverance from that trial. 

For me, that is an expansion of the “why” in this verse.  Giving thanks for even the things we are fighting against demonstrates our faith, and is one way the words we speak line up with His promises.  “Ok, devil, you want to bring (name your trial) to me?  Fine, bring it - you will not be victorious, but you will turn and flee.  Not only am I not afraid of it (or you), I’m going to give thanks to God for that trial because it’s just one more testimony I’m going to have to His power and deliverance.”  That’s faith with teeth and confidence behind it.  The kind I think we need.  I’m not a formula guy so I’m not going to assert that giving thanks = faith = healing or anything like that.  God’s not about formulas, but He is about the attitude of our hearts, and I beleive an attitude of thankfulness leads to, enhances, and supports faith.