I’ve heard a lot of media types say this year is one of the most difficult “of all time.” As humans we tend to look at history from our own timeframe. When we do that it negates all the trials and tribulations so many before us have endured. . As Christians we need to grasp hold of the many promises of which God clearly states in His Holy Word. When we do, we find that people have successfully endured extreme hardships for 1,000s of years because they placed their faith in Him. . Join me and a few guests these next few weeks as we explore just some of those promises which help us, not only endure, but to find joy and peace no matter what the world hurls at us. . Go to https://emboldened.net/ and follow to receive your daily email of promises made and kept by God.
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way.” Matthew 7:13 . This narrow gate comes with a shepherd to guide us. When we hold fast to Him our way is made sure. . Join me starting Dec 7 as we explore 25 of the 1,000s of promises of God through the Book of Isaiah. “Follow” my blog to receive your daily “Hold The Line” posts. .
If you were to Google “Jesus’ last words” what you would get is a long list of references to Jesus’ last words on the cross and their meaning. And while those last words are very important, if we think those were His actual last words recorded in the Bible we miss the amazing glory of who Jesus really is.
“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.”
REvelation 22:16-17
Jesus wasn’t just about the physical man here on earth. He is so much more. The book of Revelation, written by John, reveals God’s plans and purposes for His church. It’s is the revelation of Jesus. According to Dr. Merrill Tenney, Jesus is the chief subject of Revelations. Christ is the exalted priest. And three times in the last chapter of Revelations Jesus interrupts John with His words.
These last amazing words of Jesus in the Bible are also the last of my commentary on Living Amazed through Jesus. And appropriately so. Looking back over all the topics they can all coalesce into two words – follow Him. We can thank God, Jesus and His Holy Spirit every single day that the prophesy of Jesus’ return has yet to be fulfilled. Why? Because we still have a lot of His work to accomplished. God is giving us an opportunity to not only get our own lives in line with Jesus’ amazing ways but to also share with as many people as possible about the savior.
These last few words of Jesus should be at the front of every church. Let anyone who is thirsty come and take the free gift of living water that only He can provide. He has designed us to be His hands and feet to bring sinners into this amazing grace.
“Indeed, when the church lives in expectancy of Christ’s return, such an attitude provokes ministry and evangelism as well as purity of heart.”
Warren Wiersbe
As I have grown in my faith, I find it odd that there are “traditional” churches and “evangelical” churches. It’s clear in Jesus’ last (and many other teachings) Bible words we are all to take up the mantel of “evangelical.” I was discussing this topic in one of my Bible studies the other night about sharing the gospel with others. One friend said she doesn’t feel comfortable “opening that door” with people. I shared how I am praying every single day for just one believer to “open that door” to my eldest daughter. I know God is asking me to be a good example for her but I also know He is seeking someone else to bring her to Christ.
Aren’t there numerous people in your life that you hope would accept Jesus as their savior? It’s hypocritical of us to pray for a miracle in someone’s life if we aren’t willing to be that miracle.
Of all the amazing things Jesus said and did throughout the Bible He was always clear on our role in God’s Kingdom. We are to help gather up as many as possible and place them solidly in His hands. Our job has never been to sit nicely in church, enjoy a few songs and hear a good speech. It’s to be compelled to share His amazing love with the world.
Thank you for joining Madison and me on this journey through Living Amazed. Please join me starting December 7 for my next series, “Hold the Line: 25 Promises of God.”
In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1
This week, on one of the Instagram accounts I follow, the site owner posed the question: What good thing happened to you this year? She added, “Let’s spread some gratitude vibes.” My answer? That my faith has gotten so much more in-depth and stronger. Amazing, given what’s all happened in 2020. I no longer have a home church. In fact, I haven’t been to church since the last weekend of February. When I questioned my church closing indefinitely, I was met with some pretty nasty responses. And when I asked to be removed from the rolls I received an email from the assistant pastor with a polite version of “don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
So, it’s pretty amazing that without a body of faithful Christians to help in my growth that I am where I am today.
When I looked over this week’s post by Madison and myself, I realized that my growth was reflected in the lessons. The acceptance of God’s amazing interruptions – knowing He works all things for my good. The acknowledgement of His amazing authority over all situations – yes, even the ones that don’t seem to make any sense. The proof that He loves me by reading the Book of John. And how much my picture of Jesus has changed these last few months – from a historical figure to a spirit that lives inside me.
My devotional this week had a day titled, “What to do when trouble comes.” It’s based on 1 Timothy 6:17 which states, “Fight the good fight of the faith.” It went on to say that trouble is a part of life, so we simply have to be ready for it. (Joyce Meyer, New Day, New You). A friend told me the other day she wishes she could just fast forward to 2022. My response? “Why? There might be a nuclear fallout that year. So, you might as well find joy in today.”
How do we, as Christians, get prepared? How do we build up our amazing faith muscle for that day when trouble comes, because it most certainly will? And looking at this week’s blog posts the answer is clear – steeping ourselves in God’s Holy Word.
I find myself extremely blessed to have started a small Bible study group – they’re my BSGs (Bible study girls) – back in January. I was encouraged by one of the members to re-start a study group. On an urging by the Holy Spirit, I invited two other women from my gym. They eagerly said yes. So, the four of us embarked on a journey we had no idea would be an anchor for us this year. We started out with easy faith muscles and moved up to weightier topics. These three women became my church. My amazing sisters in Christ. It wasn’t just about having women that wanted to get together. We’ve put in the work. We’ve been diligent in our faith workouts. We’ve dug deep not only into His Word but into our own sins.
I’ve led other Bible studies before. There’s always a few that blow off doing the homework and not take it seriously. Then there’s others that aren’t willing to take the opportunity to open themselves up for conviction. If we truly want to know God’s character, not ours, and God’s will, not ours, we need to use His Divine Word as our touchstone. The world longs to cheat us out of the true, amazing, love God has for us. The world plays a shell game with morality. If we want to grab on to the more than 5,000 promises God makes in the Bible then we need to treat it seriously.
Did you need to re-read that last sentence? More than 5,000 promises. How many of them do you know? How many of them have you taken to heart? Those amazing promises are sitting right there in that book.
Jesus asked, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”
Matthew 9:28
Let’s be a church together and dive deep into those promises. Let’s be a church together that accepts His interruptions with joy and peace. Let’s be a church together that places His authority over everything in our lives. Let’s be a church that needs no other proof of His love for us than our own existence. Let’s be a church together that sees Jesus for who He is – our Lord and Savior who loves us and wants for us to live apart from what the world throws at us. Today we can open up His Word and find joy right there on its pages.
Born Again By His Spirit
How can you love others
when you can't love yourself,
is it a bridge too far?
Perhaps you've been hidden
away on a shelf
unaware of just who you are.
It is time for you now
to come into view
and to stand in the place of knowing;
to allow JESUS CHRIST
to take the helm
within your own boat you're been rowing.
And as you surrender
to His loving Grace
you will find yourself hidden in Him;
with His loving Light
outshining all others
allowing your sails to be trimmed.
Once blind, now you'll see,
for GOD will release
the Wind of His Spirit to blow,
which in turn your identity,
that was foreign to you,
will thus be revealed and you'll know.....
Right in the middle of this wonderful poem by fellow blogger, Carol Congalton, you’ll see a very important word: Surrender. A few weeks ago, my Bible Study Girls took up this topic of submission/surrender. The conversation went something like this:
BSG 1: “That sounds good to surrender my problem to God but how do I actually do that?”
BSG 2: “Ya, when Christians say, ‘just give it up to God’ I think that can give us a bad name. Like it’s that easy.”
BSG 3: “I mean the actual giving up is like, boom, done. But the work up to it is what is so difficult.”
BSG 1: “But I don’t know how to do that.”
BSG 2: “A pastor once said if you don’t want to forgive, then ask God to help you want to forgive. And if you have trouble doing that, ask God to help you want to learn how to forgive. If you don’t want to do that, ask God to help you want to ask to learn how to forgive!”
Great advice. When we are stuck, we need to go back to a place we are ok with and start there. Which brings us to submission. Ewww. For many of us just that word alone brings negative connotations. Some of us (most of us) just aren’t white flag wavers, especially when it comes to closely held beliefs and baggage.
“Submit yourselves then to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7
Most of the time we just want the devil to flee from us without the submission part. You know, get the creamy inside without having to work our way through the hard, outer shell. The devil wants us to keep clinging to earthly definitions of submission. But God says,
“Come near to God, and He will come near to you.”
James 4:8
I realized there’s two types of submission when it comes to being a Christian. There’s a big “S” and a little “s.” The big “S” is the flipping of the script. It’s the big “ah ha” moment in our lives. It’s not the same as when we decided to believe in God or even that Jesus is our Savior. There’s a lot of Christians that believe both those but haven’t fully submitted to God. It may have happened to us as a child and we are fortunate to have lived our lives in submission to God. My friend Betsy is like that. She can’t remember a time without God as her commander. And you can tell she’s had a lifetime to accept that God loves her immensely. We joke and say “What would Betsy do?” because the spirit of Jesus is apparent in her life.
Others of us may be long time Christians but only recently had that light switch flipped or maybe we haven’t gotten there yet. We’ve gone to church, did all the “right” Christian things except actual, full submission to God. I was listening to a great podcast from Transformation Church the other day. They had guest pastor Tim Ross as their speaker. His sermon focus was on upsetting the world. And by that he meant like the disciples, who went throughout unfriendly lands waking the world up to the Word and the love of Jesus, we should be the conduits for change in people’s lives. His three steps were:
Upset yourself – in other words wake up and recognize the sin in ourselves. It’s time to take God’s Word to heart and as James tells us, do the actual work of God.
Upset religion – a great line in his sermon was we should not be ok to show up to church when God is not present in that church. Joyce Meyers says if you leave church not feeling convicted or energized to go out and do good then you need to change churches.
Let go of our independence – and there’s the “Boom.”
We are so afraid to loosen our grip. So afraid of losing control. And yet our grip is choking the life out of… our life.
“Let God have your life; He can do more with it than you can.”
Dwight L. Moody
And if you don’t believe that, you need to pray for God to help you believe that. I love the story of Peter walking on water.
“Lord, if it is you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
Matt 14:28
Notice Peter didn’t see Jesus, jump out of the boat and run toward Jesus in complete and total submission? He asked Jesus to call to him. And Jesus responded, “Come.” (Matt 14:29).
That was a pretty big “S.” Imagine if you were there sitting in the boat and saw Jesus. He tells you to “come” and either you refuse or you get about halfway out and you change your mind – faceplanting on the edge of the boat. There’s no halfway. You’re either in or you’re out. It’s not magic. When I sat at the edge of my boat I pleaded with God to tell me what I was doing wrong. I was being a “good Christian” and I was miserable. He was clear. “What have you really done?” was His response. He made it clear I had yet to fully submit to Him. I needed to climb out of the boat and walk to Him. And so, for the first time, I broke down and made a full commitment to Him.
And then there’s the little “s.” Like a little snake wiggling around at our feet, it’s the everyday moments where we make that re-commitment to submitting to God. They are our daily reminders that we have chosen not to be friends of this world but instead be children of God. We must have the big “S” before the little “s” can take on their full success and meaning. It’s those times when I’m tempted to get frustrated behind slow drivers or get mad at my husband for doing “that thing, yet again.” Or when I’m tempted to take on a new, difficult task without praying first. I must choose again to surrender to God to help fortify me. When I fail, I know He loves me and holds out a helping hand.
Our little “s” moments give us opportunities to grow and pull closer to God. Those moments allow God to remove what’s hindering us from joy. We may have a lot of little “s” moments until God sees that our big “S” is fully secure and planted in our hearts. I heard this quote somewhere, “God doesn’t take us on the longest or shortest path. He takes us on the right path for us.”
And when we submit completely to Him, to be His walking buddy on that path, only then can we enjoy the creamy filling – and the devil will flee from us. Because he knows there’s no getting past a person surrounded and filled with God.
If you aren’t sure you have fully submitted to God, ask Him. Ask Him to shine a light on any area that you still have firmly in your own grasp. Tell Him to call to you — and then get all the way out of that boat.
When my youngest daughter began her college search 6 years ago she was determined to go somewhere far away from home. Her preference was to play field hockey on the east coast. After visiting six states and six colleges in the course of five days we still didn’t land on the perfect place. And then out of the blue she got a call from a school in Missouri who wanted to recruit her. Her reaction, “no way am I going to school in the Midwest.” After a solo visit to the school and the team she changed her mind. She loved it. Set on the banks of the Missouri river, just 20 minutes from St. Louis is St. Charles. It’s a quaint town mostly known for being the starting point for Lewis and Clark. The school, Lindenwood University, fit all our requirements. It also was a Presbyterian founded school. Sitting on the board was the pastor for the large, local Presbyterian church.
The weekend she moved in I took a trip over to that local Presbyterian church. It shared a fence with the university. I asked to speak with the pastor and see what programs they had in conjunction with the school. As I spoke with his secretary, he could see me from his open office door. He could hear me speaking to her. He never got up from his desk. In fact, the answer to my question about the partnership with the university students brought a blank stare. I asked what mission projects they do in St. Louis, and again I got a blank stare. My heart broke. Here was a large church, founded in 1818, and 1952 it formed a partnership with the college. About 68 years later it has failed the thousands of students that pass through the college each year.
Lindenwood University was my daughter’s home away from home for 3 1/2 years
Why tell this tale? James admonishes us to love our neighbors, not pass judgement without mercy, and to show our faith with deeds. And yet this large church found it difficult to do all of these. They were stuck in the success they already had and lost focus on their purpose – to always be bringing new people to Christ. Like so many churches they waited to see who would show up for church. The secretary told me they had once tried a Sunday evening worship designed for the students but hardly anyone came. So, they gave up. I asked her, “Did you try going to them?” Another blank stare.
James 1 and 2 are all about shaking us awake. Pleading with us to be “doing Christians” rather than pew-sitting Christians. Real justification – a saved life – leads to a changed life. He reminds us that serving our Lord may make us uncomfortable when we invite the poor or unknown to sit next to us. He also points out that the rich or those we show favoritism to frequently are the ones that treat us the worst.
“Is it not the rich that are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him whom you belong”
James 2:6
A poor, lonely college student would jump at the chance for a free meal at a campus BBQ or an invite to dinner into someone’s home. They don’t have much to offer us, except their company. They might not look like us, talk like us, or believe exactly like us. They probably won’t find their way to a church by themselves. The mere act of reaching outward and being a friendly face to those who don’t feel comfortable walking into our church doors shows them mercy. Think about the last time you were at a social gathering and didn’t know anyone. Finally, someone comes up to you and strikes up a conversation. You are filled with relief that you are no longer alone.
“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
1 Peter 4:10
When we stand in front of the gates of heaven, expressing our thankfulness for the gift of salvation we will be judged. Jesus may stand there smiling that gentle smile back at us. And then say with sadness, “Why didn’t you ever open and use my gift?” We beg for God’s grace, mercy, love and forgiveness. And when we are bestowed all those, do we open them up for all the world to see? I once asked my husband for a fancy mixer. It could whip, grind, shred and all manner of cooking/baking related activities. But if he had given me exactly what I wanted and I thanked him profusely yet never opened the box and used that mixer, wouldn’t my husband think I didn’t truly appreciate it?
Open, open, open
When we don’t judge people for their age, what they wear, how they talk, what their background is, their politics, etc., and just accept people as we encounter them, they are open to our love and our message of God’s love. Imagine that church in St. Charles holding a first weekend BBQ for anyone who wanted a free hotdog and an invite to a worship service. Or, a helpful church team assisting parents and students moving into the dorms along with a care package with a card welcoming them. A contact number to call if they need help. And each month having an outreach event to just say, “we are here and we love you.”
You see, when we accept the challenge of loving our neighbors and showing them mercy, God opens the doors to all the best deeds. And even if just one person responds, that’s one more person on God’s side of the ledger. We should all be praying regularly for opportunities like this to be placed in front of us. When you become God’s co-worker (1 Cor. 3:9) you lose count of all the blessings that unfold. As for my daughter, the Christ-centered group Athletes In Action met regularly on campus and another student invited her to come. It saved her in so many ways. She eventually become a leader and a speaker who told her testimony to many other student-athletes. She also met her future husband through the organization. As a parent living almost 2,000 miles away, I still remain ever thankful there were Christians who took up James’ challenge.
If you know a Christian athlete who is in college, encourage them to look up Athletes In Action
Will you take up James’ challenge this weekend? Pray for your eyes to be opened to opportunities to show your faith by your deeds, love and mercy. Click on the photo and listen to this song by Danny Gokey and Mandisa called “Tell Somebody.” It’s a great song about opening up that gift!
My husband used to watch The Sopranos religiously. I for one, have never enjoyed any mob-related tv show or movie. The reason being is in order for the “Mob” to be successful it requires a willing citizenry to, at best, look away or at its worst, show favoritism. Never has there been more a blatant example than the Italian Mafia and the Catholic Church. Until recently the mafia had unfettered access to the church in Italy. Many priests would almost be part of the “family.” And why? There lies the question of favoritism.
“My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism.”
James 2:1
James goes on to ask the reader what they would do if you saw a beggar and a rich man enter your church. Who would get the seat of honor? And why? It’s typical for churches to seat VIPs front and center. But did you know churches didn’t have places to sit for about 1,400 years? During the protestant reformation, churches began selling boxes to the wealthy for them to sit in, along with their families and special guests. The poor still had to stand at the back. And of course, there’s the private wings so common throughout Italian churches where wealthy families have their patriarch’s painting and own altar. It’s as though the entire biblical message about favoritism had been lost.
The underlying theme of favoritism comes down to a perceived value — real or imagined. Yes, we can say people are afraid of the mob. But they sure did love the money those mafia families provided the Italian churches and other communities in which they currently operate. Favoritism also is born of the desire for power or fame. Which results in, typically, more money.
“Privileged groups work for greater power consolidation through favoritism.”
Bryant McGill, Voice of Reason
In other words, we humans love to have other humans adore us and vice versa. We favor those we think can provide us more wealth and power. This is not based on race, color, etc. If someone has what we desire, we’ll cozy up to them. It’s not reserved for just adult relationships. “Stage moms,” “dance moms,” “band dads,” “pool parents” are just some examples of how we adults use children to elevate ourselves. We make sure our kid is friends with the best athlete on the team so they can be “in.” Or we just promote our kid to anyone who will listen, thereby rubbing some shine on us.
Love of wealth can foster the sin of favoritism
The dangers of favoritism and the sins it fosters can been seen throughout the Bible. Stories of brotherly jealousy (Joseph and that coat!), wives wanting to be favored (Rachael and Leah), kings worried about losing power (Saul vs David) and whole churches fighting over leadership (Corinth) all include favoritism within.
And yet it’s God’s words that tell us to treat people equally – even our slaves. We are admonished to “Treat your slaves in the same way (as the slaves are to treat their masters). Do not threaten them, since you know that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven and there is no favoritism in him.” Note, the subject of slavery was different at that time. Many people sold themselves into slavery to pay off debts or even to be under a “master” who would take care of all their needs. Even professionals – such as doctors, artists, etc – sometimes made this choice.
The funny thing about God is He is always looking for ways to teach us and get us to see His truth of Love, Mercy and Forgiveness. Like showing favoritism to a mobster, the true consequences are what we would normally wish to avoid. Frequently the person or group receiving the favor will then wield that power and authority over you. We see this when Jesus speaks in the synagogue.
“Beware of the teachers of the Law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets.”
Luke 20:46
And all the people bowed to them as they walked around like “cock of the walks.” Showing them favoritism while spitting on Jesus. But here’s the result:
“They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished severely.”
Today we favor celebrities, overlooking all their sins. For a glance from them some would pay any price. We favor famous pastors and pretend we don’t see how they twist scripture. We favor politicians because they know how to say just the right things to make us feel good, even though their years of actions are in direct opposition to us. We favor certain races because its “socially aware.” We might favor one of our children or a teacher, a student in our class, a player on the team we coach, or someone with a higher status. But we must also be aware that favoritism toward what we’d think wouldn’t be in this category is wrong — toward the perceived “lesser.” Those that expend hate for the rich because of a supposed love for the poor are still in the wrong. What they get out of this type of outrage is a sense of piety. Even being a champion of the disabled while having disdain for able-bodied is not equality. It doesn’t matter if the subject of your favoritism is rich, poor, black or white, high or low in status, young or old, the Bible is clear — it’s wrong. The sin comes in what we expect out of that favoritism and what have we done to those “out” of our favor. It creeps into our lives sometimes without us being fully aware. And what’s worse, it can bring out hatred. We can feel jealously while still favoring others. People outside our little “clicks” feel left out, ignored or even abused.
“God does not show favoritism.”
Romans 2:11
It reminds me of a children’s book I once read and it helps me to put it all in perspective. It’s a reminder that everyone that day will poop. A very “undignified” and messy action that everyone, no matter their status, wealth, race, color or creed will undertake. The pope, the US president, Lebron James, Tom Brady, Oprah, Lionel Messi, Christina Aguilera, the mafia boss, your mayor, your pastor, your mother in law, the homeless person, you. Everybody poops. God did that. I think it’s one of His little winks.
Write down all the people or groups you tend to favor. Pray about how you can flip that script and treat people equally.
She remembered that night when she laid in her bed waiting and expecting. Waiting and expecting her father to enter the room and sexually assault her, again. But as she lay there she thought, “One day I will do something great.” And great she did. In 2005, Time magazine’s “25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America” ranked her as 17th. She is known all over the world by her ministry and volunteer work. Joyce Meyer overcame constant sexual abuse as a child because of hope and faith in God.
This week we looked at just one chapter in the Book of James. Chapter one brought us front and center in how to deal with trials. He spoke of spiritual wisdom and the wise act of listening and controlling our anger. In just 26 sentences He stands in front of us in admonition to wake us Christians up. And show the world what trust in Jesus Christ, our savior really means.
Do not merely listen to the Word and so deceive yourselves. DO WHAT IT SAYS.
James 1:22
He goes on to say that when we leave church, after we pray each morning, or read our devotional each day we ought not to then turn out into the world and forget who we are. We are not like everyone else. Isn’t that what our parents told us when we wanted to go hang out with the “cool kids?” There are expectations and responsibilities to accepting Christ.
When I was a “baby Christian” I had a conversation about church with my mom. She is the daughter of a Baptist minister. She hasn’t regularly attended church since she was a child. She doesn’t pray. She says she believes in God but anyone that knows her couldn’t tell that to be true. She told me that when she was a child at church, she would watch all the ladies attend church dutifully. And then, they would gossip, hate each other, complain endlessly to her father, lie, cheat, and all other manner of sin. My mother had and still has a dim view of “Christians.”
When we leave the doors of church or our home we mustn’t forget who we are.
How many of us live our lives fully realizing that not only is God watching how we handle trials and temptations, but our non-Christian friends and neighbors? Do they see you getting angry and yelling and gossiping? Do they get a sense of peace from you during difficult times? Are you easy to talk to because they know you will listen without judgement? And are the words you speak back coming from a Godly place? Do you turn down offers of socializing with friends and tell them it’s because you have a Bible Study you are committed to? Have they heard you speak about your quiet time you spend with God, praying for others? Do you tell others you will pray for them and do it immediately, with them? What was the last book or movie or tv show you settled into? Was it something where you could gain wisdom of God’s ways?
While sitting and listening to God to speak through me before I sat down to write this, the song “My Father’s House” started playing over and over in my head.
The Jericho Walls are quaking
Strongholds are shaking
Love is breaking through
When the Father’s in the room
Cory Asbury, The FAther’s House
When we invite God into our lives during hardship, when we seek His wisdom, when we listen for His voice, and act as He wants us to, we experience His strength and love. The shackles of sin and anger, the ugliness of self-degradation and self-centeredness give way to freedom. Freedom to see His beauty in resolving problems. Freedom to experience joy in even the most difficult of times.
James pulls no punches. But he always reminds us, in the midst of admonishment, of the “why.”
We will develop maturity and perseverance
We receive the “crown of life” that the Lord has promised
We are given the Word of Truth so we can be “firstfruits” of all God has created
We live in the righteousness that God desires for us
When we rid ourselves of immorality and accept the Word planted in us, we are saved
We are given freedom
We will be blessed in all we do
James is not asking us to do anything more than what we ask of our employees, our children or our friends. If we make a commitment, promise, accept a job, want a friendship, then we must work on it and act in such a way as to say we are all “in.”
My challenge for this weekend it to be fully aware of our actions and words, especially while around non-Christians. Good luck, my prayers are with you.
Two summers ago I was blessed with the opportunity to visit Prague in the Czech Republic. It’s only been since 1993 that this country became free from the bonds of communism. It was amazing to see the vibrant growth and renewal throughout the city. And yet the ravages of communism were still evident. You could sit at a street corner and watch the traffic go by and all the city busses. What I realized was there were no busses made after the 1960s. There were 50s era street cars, which were quaint. But no modern busses. It was as though life stopped when the money ran out. Democracy and capitalism take awhile to take hold — people trained to fear innovation and freedom need to adjust to the light.
I had heard about the Museum of Communism in Prague, established in 2001. The description of it is, “an immersive look at life behind the Iron Curtain.” But it was much more than that. I’ve told my friends that every single US student should visit this museum. It’s a stark, educational, hold no punches, recording of the dangers of communism. What has stayed with me were the photos of priests being led away by secret police. Hundreds of priest were killed in order to control religion. At first, churches were allowed to function only under state control. The government decided who were favored priests and who were not. The government decided which liturgies could be celebrated and which could not. And those who did not comply were shot. Priests that were “approved” were paid by the government to acquire their loyalty. In 1950, the government seized all church properties. They plundered over 1,000 church buildings, stealing thousands of works of art and religious artifacts. The approved churches began to lose parishioners as they were associated with the repressive government. The end result? The Czech Republic is considered one of the least religious countries in Europe.
Czech Catholic priest Josef Toufar, the “Miracle Priest” who died from torture at the hands of the Communist secret service (StB) in 1950.
Joseph Bondarenko, a Russian evangelical minister, didn’t give in to the communist regime. He was expelled from university for illegally engaging in religious activities in the Soviet Union. He was undeterred. He was put in prison multiple times. He took to heart the lessons the disciples wrote in the New Testament. When we make serving God our priority we will have eternal blessings. Recently, when speaking with worship leader and founder of Let Us Worship, Sean Feucht, Bondarenko spoke of the signs of communism creeping into our society. He said,
“Don’t they realize what is happening now in America is exactly what happened to us in communist Russia? It started with ‘Don’t gather. Don’t sing. Spread apart. Listen to the government.’ Then it quickly turned into full on persecution and the church did not wake up in time.”
Joseph Bondarenko
You may be reading this and thinking, “that’s not going to happen in America.” In California we are told we cannot meet in our churches. We cannot sing. Indefinitely. We must listen to the government. And the majority of our pastors are compliant. Some have rebelled. The ones that rebel are vilified in our media — and by “Christians.” My friend who is not Christian doesn’t understand. She tells me if Christians think God is all mighty and who we should solely put our faith in then why aren’t all pastors rebelling?
In my Bible study group the other day we were talking about the loss of being with our church families. Praising God in community and raising our collective voices. I told them my fear is we will become like the Czech Republic. Where, once our churches are “allowed” to open, that no one or few will come. Our churches, our pastors, our faith leaders chose government over God. How can we move forward with them as our guides? They espouse “faith over fear” yet, fear is exactly what they have taught us these last six months.
The prophet Haggai was tasked to admonish the Israelites about rebuilding the temple in the year 520. But the Jews gave excuses. They said the economy wasn’t good enough. They said maybe God didn’t really want them to do it. They said they needed to take care of their own needs first. And yet, they continued to complain about the drought and their oppression. Warren Wiersbe’s commentary on Haggai 1:1-4 is,
When we put God first and give Him what’s rightfully His, we open the door to spiritual enrichment and the kind of stewardship that honors God.
May we open our Christian eyes sooner, not later, to obey God’s command to rebuild His temple.
On a warm summer evening my husband and I were enjoying a walk along Prague’s Vltava River. We crossed over one of the beautiful bridges, heading to a park. We stopped in the middle to enjoy the view. I started humming along to a song I could hear off in the distance. As we got closer to the park, the music got louder. I kept thinking how familiar that song sounded. We took the steps down from the bridge into a park where a small concert was being held. And it hit me. Singing in Czech, was a band playing a Christian praise song. And all around — about 100 young people — were people singing, lifting hands in the name of our Lord. In this town that had seemingly lost its faith, faith was being re-born. He never forsakes us. He calls us back into His loving arms.
This letter was written May 2020 after a number of attempts to sit down with my pastor or even an assistant pastor about my concerns over closing up our churches. Instead I was met with silence. Absolute silence. You see, I believe Christians are being put to the test. God’s threshing room is operating at full throttle. The wheat and chaff are being separated.
In conversations with my Christian and non-Christian friends I have made this argument: When a corporation, charity, educational institution, government, mother/father, pilot, pastor, soldier, or whatever job you can think of forgets what their primary, intended purpose is they go astray. Christian churches’ primary purpose is to bring the Word of God to people who need to hear it. It is to have Christians and searching non-Christians be in communion with each other to praise God for our salvation. It is to serve God and God’s people. The primary purpose is NOT to keep people from catching a virus. Now, that doesn’t mean that safety and security are thrown out the window. Just like our schools, whose primary purpose is to teach our children — not keep them from catching a virus — our churches must stay focused on God’s plan. I laud those corporations and small businesses who have not forgotten their primary purpose — to bring goods to customers. Somehow they have figured out how to also keep their customers and employees safe. Christian churches should place themselves at least on the same plane as Costco or Walmart. I, for one, think our churches have a much greater role to play in God’s universe.
After I sent this letter to my church and church leaders I waited for the storm to come. And it did. I found it interesting that the people we all see as “plugged in” at our churches were the most offended. In fact, I was told by one that Satan was working in me. I also got the “who do you think you are?” But it was regular, church-going people who spoke to me with shouts of “hallelujah!” We “regular Christians” are begging for communion. We NEED each other. We need to see each other raising our hands to God in praise. If you are a pastor and reading this, we need you.
“I told my friend today that I’m about to commit a “Jerry Maguire.” For those of you who haven’t seen the movie here’s what I mean. Jerry, a sports agent at a large firm, has a “come to Jesus” moment one night about the nature of his business and how it has become de-personalized. He writes a manifesto and shares it with all his colleagues. And while they all think what he says is great, they turn against him, shunning him.
My manifesto is not about a job, it’s about Faith, or the lack of it from our churches. In these uncertain times we have allowed Satan to use all his dirty tricks against us. And we have willingly followed him like the Pied Piper. We have failed at God’s biggest test since Jesus’ crucifixion. And we’ve failed gloriously. We have been Judas in the garden willingly pointing out the rule breakers. We are Peter denying Christ out of fear of punishment.
Just as Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 11:14, the devil has masqueraded as an angel of light. His deception has been as cunning as with Eve. Our churches have closed and our pastors have hidden away under the guise of “saving people.” We have allowed the realm of worldliness to define the role the church plays in our Christian lives. We have deemed ourselves “non-essential.” All the while our role of bringing people to the one true Savior has diminished. We are no longer in the business of saving souls.
In 2 Corinthians 11 Paul says he will keep on with his ministry in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about – saving people. He goes on to say, “For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. Unlike today’s churches, Paul describes the Macedonian churches as giving everything they had during severe trial just for the joy and privilege of sharing in the service for the Lord’s people. We can count on one or two hands the churches in the news that have shown this same fervent love for the gospel.
But what have been Satan’s works? I’m sure if you’ve read to this point you have already spoken a few of them in rebuttal. Let’s start with the most prevalent. Romans 13 clearly convicts us to obey the government because they rule only under God’s authority. Rebelling against authority is considered rebelling against God. So therefore, when the State tells churches they must close, we must obey. Ah, but the devil loves to cherry pick scripture. What he has done here is take advantage of the Christian desire to do what is right, to follow laws, and to be good citizens. What he doesn’t want you to do is dig deeper. Is the law just in the first place, in the eyes of God? Backing up to Acts 5 we see the apostles being persecuted for performing signs and wonders among the people. The Pharisees were angry and claimed the law prohibited them from teaching. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in his name,” the Sanhedrin says in verse 28. And the apostles’ response? “We must obey God rather than human beings.” (v29). Where were our major denominations at the outset of our shut down standing firm that churches are essential? Where was their conviction that God calls us into service during times of trouble? And where have they been since? It’s one thing for a church to have said on the outset of the shut down, “Let’s close for a couple of weeks and see what this is all about. We will clean our facilities and come up with safe practices. And then open.” But allowing government to tell us that we are not even allowed to do that goes not just against one of the basic rights of this country but of God’s laws.
But what is wrong with keeping people healthy? You now entered into Satan’s second lie. To accept this premise, you have to believe that our churches are irresponsible, unnecessary and incapable of keeping people safe while attending church. Somehow, we have a greater respect for our grocery store management than for our church management. I laud those few pastors who have found creative ways to do church – beyond the impersonal video exchange. Drive through confessionals, drive up church, drive through prayer time, and more. The bold few have even ripped the veil off one of Satan’s other lies – that going to church is somehow not a choice. So, they open their churches to anyone who chooses to attend. Do they still adhere to safe practices, of course, because God doesn’t call Christians to be stupid. He calls us to trust and to obey Him. Why have we expected more from Walmart than from our church? Why have we put ourselves on equal footing with our gyms?
Even our most trusted faith leaders have failed us. While they preach on trusting God, they cower behind their computer screens. Where is the trust? Where is the bold faith? Where is the healing of lepers and of the sick? Where is the knowledge and belief that God is in our midst? Who do you think God is smiling on – the church that closes and locks their doors or the church that is open to the sick, the anxious, the scared, the homeless, the alcoholic, the abused, the weak and the poor? The other lie Satan tells us is that living in our impersonal, technology connected faith, God’s work is full, is enough. We say things like, isn’t great we can connect with missionaries across the world during this time? Isn’t’ amazing how we can still be together through a video screen? If that were true, then why didn’t the apostles just rely on letters to the churches? Why did they feel the need to enter into cities that were sure to persecute them, sure to throw them in jail? Where are the pastors who say as Peter and John, who after laying hands on a lame man cured him, said to the Sanhedrin, “It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man is healed.” Yes, technology is great for those who can’t be with us. But we’ve preached and preached over the last few years about the dangers of relying on technology and becoming less connected rather than more. And what about the supposed connections we’ve made? Besides videos, have our churches and our denominations reached out regularly to their parishioners via phone calls, letters, etc? Have they been regular guests on news shows teaching about ways to ease our anxieties? Have our pastors personally reached out to people who have reached out to them about their concerns? And what about the non-members that attend our churches? How have those people been personally connected? What about the non-believer who one night, feels called by the Holy Spirit to enter a church and hear the Word?
You see, the devil has used our goodness, our desires to do the right thing against us. It’s time to gird our loins with Truth. God does not want our churches locked. He does not want us hiding in fear. He wants those doors thrown open. He wants us to welcome all who are lost, who are lonely, who are fearful, and who are spiritually sick. We must stop allowing Satan to define God’s mission for us. As my friend once said to me, “This should be a pastor’s ‘jam’.” Meaning this time in the world is when the fight between dark and light should be most obvious. It’s what we have been training for. It’s the time to call for peace in His arms, for faith in His words, for trust in His love. “
Here’s the thing about what happens to Jerry Maguire. He wins in the end. He gathers up the believers. He tears down the old way of doing things. He renews faith. He remembers what his intended purpose is.
emboldened.net 