A Church That Matters

40 Days of Prayer 

A Church That Matters

"While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there. A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? ....   Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said: "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you." 

Acts 17:16-23 NIV

"People tend to think things will stay the same if nothing is changed. They underestimate the pervasive presence of change in the world. Keeping things externally "the same" hardly prevents change. The church may keep doing what it has always done before, but the effectiveness and meaning of those practices will probably be radically altered. If we want to maintain the same allegiance to the truth, the same effectiveness in communication, and the same faithfulness to our purpose, we must continually change." Randy Pope, The Intentional Church

Tim Keller states that this passage in Acts in an example of knowing and speaking into the culture God has placed one's church to minister. Paul observed and took note of what was going on in Athens (the city was full of idols) and 'day by day' he spoke boldly about the good news of Jesus' resurrection. Paul found a unique and winsome way to speak God's truth into their lives. This is the mission of Grace Redeemer: not to be yet another church, but to first observe and know the people of Crestview and then winsomely reveal the grace of Christ. We desire to be, as Randy Pope describes, "a church that matters, a church that influences, and a church that impacts people and her community....a transformational church." As we come to an end of our 40 days of prayer and seeking God's wisdom and guidance for the future of Grace Redeemer, we end (or rather begin) with this challenge. Do we know our community? Are we a church that matters?

We have spent 40 days in prayer and seeking the Lord's guidance as go forward into this new location of ministry. Once we are approved and begin the physical work, it can become all too easy to be distracted from ministry and focus solely on the many details of construction - when do we pour the concrete? - who is going to build the wall? - are we going to paint? - what color is the carpet going to be? So, as we begin the necessary work let's not stop praying for the Lord's ministry through us. Pray that God will transform Grace Redeemer into a church that matters to Crestview. Here is a guide that Randy Pope suggests from his book, The Intentional Church:

• Who are the people of our community? Are they churched with some understanding of God or are they outside the church with no concept of God? What do they believe about God?
• What are the needs of the people in our community?
• What is the turnover rate of people in our community? How does this affect their needs?
• What percentage of the people in our community are young, old, married, single?
• Does our community have a large percentage of single parents, working moms?
• What successful ministries or volunteer organizations in our community can we or should we come alongside?

It is not necessarily our call to be ALL these things to this community, but may we prayerfully seek that unique and winsome ministry that enables us to effectively speak the Good News of His grace. May we become to Crestview a church that matters.

Reveling in the Hope

40 Days of Prayer

Reveling in the Hope

"He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." Luke 4:16-21 NIV

"Christ is not only a remedy for your weariness and trouble, but he will give you an abundance of the contrary, joy and delight. They, who come to Christ, do not only come to a resting place after they have been wandering in a wilderness, but they come to a banqueting house where they may rest, and where they may feast. They may cease from their former troubles and toils, and may enter upon a course of delights and spiritual joys. Christ not only delivers from fears of hell and of wrath, but he gives hopes of heaven, and the enjoyment of God's love." Jonathon Edwards, Safety, Fulness and Sweet Refreshment in Christ.

Many times our sole focus of our worship and discipleship is upon Christ as the remedy to sin. Remedy is an old-fashioned word which means treatment for a disease or a way of making something right. Jonathon Edwards uses the word 'remedy' because Christ is not just medicine which treats symptom for the human condition of sin, but rather he is the solution, the cure, and the restoration. Sin enslaves, corrupts, impoverishes, oppresses and separates us from God, but Jesus is the answer to our sickened state and the sacrificial fulfillment of the promises of God as prophesied by Isaiah.

However, Edwards' point does not stop there. Yes, Jesus' death and resurrection is the remedy that takes away our guilt and just deserved wrath, but He is also the reward through whom God gives in abundance - joy, delight, feasting, and reveling in the hope of our eternal enjoyment of His unfailing love. Jesus is not just the cure, He is the healer. He is not just the good shepherd who cares for the prisoner, He is the redeemer -- the One who sets us free!

May our daily discipleship in Christ be marked by the fruit of joy and delight in His amazing grace. May the display of our hope not just be as an answer from the torment of Hell, but as an invitation to His banquet feast.

The Unchangeable Promise of God

40 Days of Prayer 

The Unchangeable Promise of God

"Men swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged."  Hebrews 6:16-18

"Faith in God is not a blind step into the dark. It always involves believing a specific promise of God. In Abraham's case, this meant believing a promise that defied every logical human basis for hope. Humanly speaking, it was ridiculous for Abraham to think that he and Sarah could have a child when she was more than ninety years old. Yet he believed, beyond all possible hope, because he believed in God's power to keep His promise." Francis Schaeffer, The Finished Work of Christ

In the 1580's, Spain's king Philip II planned to conquer England. He placed his hope in the large ships of what he deemed 'The Invincible Armada.' Pope Sixtus V gave his blessing hopeful that England's defeat would bring this rebel protestant isle back into the Roman Catholic fold. In May of 1588, Spain set out to destroy the British naval fleet. They sent out 130 ships carrying 2,500 guns, 8,000 seamen and 20,000 soldiers. Their hope for victory was in these skilled soldiers. If they could get broadside the British ships and grapple them, then these soldiers would board and overwhelm the sailors.

All hope for victory seemed assured -- an invincible armada, the pope's blessing, the world's most elite soldiers and a good plan. BUT, the weather was unpredictable that time of year and several storms forced them to return to port. Once good weather did come it was now July and the British had time to install long-range cannons on their ships and bombard the Spanish ships outside the range of their smaller guns. Then the British lured the Spanish ships into a narrow straight and sailed into them eight ships on fire filled with a flammable oily substance that floated fire on top of the water. The Spanish ships panicked, cut their anchors, rammed into each other, caught on fire, moved out of formation and then one by one the smaller British ships shot them to smithereens. The 'Invincible' Spanish Armada limped back to their port with less than half their fleet and the loss of over 15,000 lives. Hope for victory gone forever.

Praise God that our hope in the gospel's power does not depend on how great our strategy, how numerous our membership or how mighty our faith. Our hope is secure in the unchangeable promise of our God. This hope is 'an anchor for the soul, firm and secure' (Heb. 6:19), for 'Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him' (Heb. 9:28).  God has promised; and he will do it!

God's Unfailing Pursuit

40 Days of Prayer

God's Unfailing Pursuit

"At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."  Titus 3:3-7 NIV

In his 182 line poem, The Hound of Heaven, Francis Thompson describes God's relentless pursuit of him despite his running from Him.

I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;

   I fled Him, down the arches of the years;

I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways

   Of my own mind; and in the midst of tears

I hid from Him, and under running laughter.

Francis was a tortured soul and lived a tragic life. He battled sickness, kicked out of divinity school for drug addiction, failed three times at medical school, disowned by his family, and spent much of his adult life living on the streets of London. In spite of this, he possessed a world-class talent for writing poetry His work touched a couple and after learning of his whereabouts rescued him off the streets. He spent the last decade of his life as an invalid living in their home. It was in this setting that he wrote the above mentioned poem.

As Christians, we truly are like Francis -- desperately needing rescue. But unlike Francis, there was nothing good or valuable within us worth redeeming except that we were loved by God. Our hope is not predicated on how well we perform, but on the eternal and unfailing love of our God. Paul stated in Romans 3:10-11, "There is no one righteous ... no one who seeks God." But thanks be to God, that He pursued us! Jesus said, "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit-- fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name" (John 15:16).

It is the strength of God within us that enables us to face an unknown future unafraid and with secure hope. Our planting efforts are exactly that -- efforts. But anything we may accomplish are produced only by the powerful hand of God as he unrelentingly pursues His people -- even through us.

Hope That Does Not Disappoint

40 Days of Prayer

Hope That Does Not Disappoint

"And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." Romans 5:2-5 NIV

"...there is a detrimental feeling of which so many patients complain today, namely, the feeling of the total and ultimate meaninglessness of their lives. They lack the awareness of a meaning worth living for. They are haunted by the experience of the inner emptiness, a void within themselves; they are caught in that situation which I have called the "existential vacuum." ... Among American students 60 percent showed a marked degree of existential vacuum...which manifests itself mainly in a state of boredom... depression, aggression and addiction." Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

In his book Viktor Frankl writes about the importance of hope in surviving his concentration camp experience during World War II. It was those people in the camp who found meaning and a higher purpose in their suffering that survived the longest. As Christians, we know that our 'higher purpose' is the glory of God in whose image we are created and given a purpose (Genesis 1:27-28). Everything in our lives works for the good of that purpose for which God has created us (Romans 8:28-ff). This is our hope. This is the hope that does not disappoint.

Consider Joseph's response to his brothers who had once so mistreated him, but now were groveling before him for mercy. Joseph said, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives" (Gen. 50:20). Consider Jesus who in His last gasp for breath said, "Father, into YOUR hands I commit my Spirit" (Luke 23:46).  It was the hope of saving lives that gave even our Savior courage in His final moment. And today, through the power of His resurrection and the indwelling of His Spirit within us, does that very same hope reside in us. The events surrounding our lives, even the latest struggles of Grace Redeemer, are being used for the Lord's good purpose and glory. May many lives (souls) be saved as we continue forward to the glory of His Name. This is the hope which propels us. This is the hope that never disappoints.

Hope - A Close 2nd to the Greatest Spiritual Gift

40 Days of Prayer

Hope - A Close 2nd to the Greatest Spiritual Gift

"Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5 & 11

"Here there are two evils specified, which, however apparently different, yet assail our hearts at the same time; the one is discouragement, and the other is disquietude. When we are quite downcast, we are not free of a feeling of disquietude, which leads us to murmur and complain. The remedy to both of them is here added, 'hope in God,' which alone inspires our minds, in the first place, with confidence in the midst of the greatest troubles; and, secondly, by the exercise of patience, preserves them in peace. In what follows, the Psalmist very well expresses the power and nature of hope by these words, 'I shall yet praise Him;' for it has the effect of elevating our thoughts to the contemplation of the grace of God, when it is hidden from our view." John Calvin, Heart Aflame

As Paul taught in 1 Corinthians about spiritual gifts, he spoke about the visible gifts (healing, prophecy, speaking in tongues, etc) giving way to the invisible gifts of faith, hope and love. He said, "The greatest of these is love" (1 Cor. 13:13). Although love is the greatest invisible spiritual gift of any and every Christian, hope is indeed a very close second. Calvin says that the power of hope elevates our thoughts to ponder His grace and inspires our hearts to praise Him with worship. Isaiah says that hope renews our strength and that in it we will 'soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint' (Isaiah 40:31). Peter says that in Christ we have been given birth into a living hope through His resurrection from the dead (1 Peter 1:3). The writer of Hebrews says that this hope is an anchor for the soul (Heb. 6:19).

This is why the Psalmist twice questions the mindset of his own soul here in Psalm 42, "Why are you downcast? Why so disturbed?" He knew God's nearness and the preciousness of His love. He knew of His strength and provision, but yet his soul was sad. His question to his soul was actually a call to remember. Satan's greatest arrow is the deceiving emotion of feeling abandoned. But, like a parent to frightened child in the dark whispering, "I am right here." So is the power of hope when all seems lost. Put your hope in God and be reminded, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-- how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32).

Forward Faith

40 Days of Prayer 

Forward Faith

  
"Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." 2 Peter 3:18 NIV

So many pastors and church leaders today are striving for church growth, but that is putting the cart before the horse. The objective should not be church growth, but church health, because growth must proceed from health...If a body is healthy, it will grow. And although growth in the church will usually include more people coming, that is not always the case. So we should focus on the health of the church and let God take care of the growth. If you do it the other way around, you may end up with an unhealthy church that has a lot of people - one that may look successful, but is not really pleasing to God." Harry Reeder, From Embers to Flame

Paul stated in Ephesians, "Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won't be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth.  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church.  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love." (Ephesians 4:11-16 NLT)

As a young church plant, how easy it is for us to lose our focus on 'growing in grace' to man-centered concepts of growing in numbers. It feels impossible when you are so small and you are worried about just surviving as a church. Reeder goes on to say that this "hang on and hold on" mentality is deadly to the church as it puts our vision on "keep the doors open rather than bring a harvest of souls through those doors." Continuing forward with a focus on health, personal discipleship and maturity that surrenders growth to God, takes a great act of faith on our part. Our natural inclination is to turn to the latest program or strategy. The preaching and teaching of the gospel and the surrender and submission of prayer working hand in hand are our greatest weapons in building the church that glorifies God.

This 40 days of prayer is part of that growing in grace as His new church body here in Crestview. As we spend time each day reading God's word and focusing on prayer for the future of Grace Redeemer, God is building our faith to trust Him with the growth of our church. Will we be approved at the city council meeting on November 12th? Probably. Should we prayerfully continue to move forward with our plans for the building? Absolutely! We should always seek the Lord to move and work and guide our steps. But most importantly,our prayer is that the Lord will continue to grow our faith into an ever deeper conviction in His grace as He leads. May our faith in His presence and leading continue to keep our vision on His glory alone despite the obstacles we have to overcome.

You Must Do This, I Can't

40 Days of Prayer

You Must Do This, I Can't

  
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 NIV

Too often this passage is cited as a proof text for 'workless' faith, as if working in one's faith is actually a bad thing. It is true to say that our faith works are worthless in the scope of our personal righteousness, but it is terribly dangerous to say that we shouldn't even try.

C.S. Lewis said, "Now we cannot, in that sense, discover our failure to keep God's law except by trying our very hardest (and then failing). Unless we really try, whatever we say there will always be at the back of our minds the idea that if we try harder next time we shall succeed in being completely good. Thus, in one sense, the road back to God is a road of moral effort, of trying harder and harder. But in another sense it is not trying that is ever going to bring us home. All this trying leads up to the vital moment at which you turn to God and say, 'You must do this. I can't.'

The concept of surrender within our relationship with God is one that has been widely written about. What truly does surrender mean? Surrender - to yield to the power of another - is always thought of in the context of an enemy and we therefore view it in a negative way. Yet, God is not our enemy and there should be no reluctance on our part in yielding to God. So how do we both live a surrendered life and yet prove our faith by our deeds (James 2)? As Lewis, Shaeffer and countless others have written, the way of God with men is always through the heart. Is our working and striving produced from our faith or is our working and striving to prove our faith to others? One glorifies God the other exalts ourselves. The ultimate test, Keller says, is found in our attitude when things don't go our way. Our plans and ideas don't produce the results we hoped for or even fail, we don't get the recognition we were seeking, another person wins, or life just isn't what we want (spouse, job, children, health, etc.).  It is in these moments that the true faith of our hearts are revealed. Do we rail against God or do we turn to God and say, 'You must do this. I can't.' 

It Is Finished

40 Days of Prayer 

It Is Finished

  
After nearly six hours suffering on the cross, Jesus said, "It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." 
John 19:30 ESV

"Just as the only basis for the removal of our guilt is the finished work of Christ upon the cross in history, plus nothing, so the only instrument for accepting that finished work of Christ upon the cross is faith. This is not faith in the twentieth century or Kierkegaardian concept of faith as a jump in the dark -- not a solution on the basis of faith in faith. It is believing the specific promises of God; no longer turning our backs on them, no longer calling God a liar, but raising the empty hands of faith and accepting that finished work of Christ as it was fulfilled in history upon the cross."  Francis A. Schaefer, True Spirituality

What was finished when Christ died on the cross? A spiritual and physical healer that brought encouragement to many? The life of a Jewish teacher who was killed for heretical teaching? A movement led by a reformer who preached of the "Kingdom of God" as a means for personal and egalitarian social transformation (thank you Wikipedia)? Or was God himself crucified on behalf of guilty sinners in order to redeem them?

Shaeffer says we believe the promises of God. We recognize we add nothing to the work of Christ. We contribute nothing to our redemption. D.A. Carson says it is one of the ironies of the cross that the one who is all powerful would make himself powerless. A pivotal moment in history that forever changed the way we relate to God should never be reduced to something men can accomplish in good works. To attempt to add to the work of God as if it were not enough is the true abomination before The Lord.

Faith is not a jump in the dark with no basis. The words in Scripture are a true and sound foundation for our faith. As Shaeffer says, "Believe in the promises of God." We lean on these promises even now in the unknown future of Grace Redeemer. Praise the Lord because He is real and His finished work saves real people!

Empty Hands of Faith

40 Days of Prayer 

Empty Hands of Faith

  

"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: 'For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.'No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." Romans 8:35-37 NIV

 

Alone and at the end of his life Napoleon said, "Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and myself founded empires.  But on what did we rest the creations of our genius?  Upon force.  Jesus Christ alone founded his empire upon love. And at this hour millions of men would die for him." (May 1821)

 

C. T. Studd gave up fame and fortune to serve God as a missionary on three continents in the wild days of mid-nineteenth century missions. What prompted him? He said, "If Christ be God and died for me, then there is nothing too great that I can do for Him."

 

Not many of us will be called to physically lay down our lives for Christ and yet Jesus says to us, "Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 10:39 NIV). Living sacrificially for Christ requires a death of ourselves as our own gods in order to make Him Lord. Its in this time of surrender that we see the real power of Christ's love shine; for Jesus has promised that we will do great things in His Name. How do we die to ourselves? Francis Shaeffer tells us that it is moment by moment decisions and choices to live surrendered to Christ while holding up empty hands of faith.

 

How will Grace Redeemer reflect Christ's love when it takes on this ministry at the new location? Will it be by the strength of ourselves, maybe accomplishing some good things with good intentions? Or will we instead continue to surrender ourselves to follow Christ with empty hands of faith accomplishing great impossible things that can only be attributed to God alone? 

Giving Up the 1%

40 Days of Prayer

Giving Up the 1%

  
"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21 NIV

"We do not believe Jesus when He says there is more blessedness, more joy, more lasting pleasure in a life devoted to helping others than there is in a life devoted to our material comfort. And therefore, the very longing for contentment that ought to drive us to simplicity of life and labors of love contents itself instead with the broken cisterns of prosperity and comfort." John Piper, Desiring God

As I prepared to preach at a funeral for a faithful Christian young woman, one of her friends made a comment, "I heard that heaven is eternal where just one day there is like 10,000 years here." Although you can't put any measure against eternity, but going with this concept, if I live 100 years then that is 1% of one day of my endless days in glory. Tim Keller quoted someone in his sermon saying, "A life filled with constant trial and struggle here on earth will find in glory that it seemed like one night at a bad hotel."

And yet all our struggles are focused on that 1%. Our desire for prosperity and comfort war against our desire for eternal things. Solomon said it best:

I said to myself, "Let's go for it - experiment with pleasure, have a good time!" But there was nothing to it, nothing but smoke...Then I took a good look at everything I'd done, looked at all the sweat and hard work. But when I looked, I saw nothing but smoke. Smoke and spitting into the wind. There was nothing to any of it. Nothing. ... And I hated everything I'd accomplished and accumulated on this earth. I can't take it with me - no, I have to leave it to whoever comes after me. Whether they're worthy or worthless - and who's to tell? - they'll take over the earthly results of my intense thinking and hard work. Smoke. That's when I called it quits, gave up on anything that could be hoped for on this earth.  Ecclesiastes 2:1,11,18-20 MSG

Jesus, who left immortality to enter our world of time, knows better than anyone the brilliance and never fading glory of eternal heaven. Our future with Grace Redeemer will call us to sacrifice prosperity and comfort in pursuit of eternal things. We as flawed sinful people can never accomplish this on our own. It is only the power of our eternal and mighty God working within us that accomplishes any good work. Earnestly pray that He will work in and through the people of Grace Redeemer to accomplish His good work in the here and now of today in Crestview that results in eternal benefits to many. 

40 Days of Prayer

Do I Really Love God?

  
"We love Him because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19 NKJV

"But without disputing any longer, do we not all admit that our love to God is the sweet offspring of God's love to us? Ah! beloved, cold admiration every man may have; but the warmth of love can only be kindled by the fires of God's Spirit. Let each Christian speak for himself, we shall all hold this great and cardinal truth, that the reason of our love to God is, the sweet influence of his grace."  Charles Haddon Spurgeon, December 19, 1858

When we think about love and our Christian life journey, we have the tendency to self reflect and ask ourselves, 'Do I love?' This is not a bad question to ask and quite frankly, we should constantly examine ourselves for this answer. However, as good a practice this is, it can breed within us a legalistic measuring stick about love. 'I should love because God loves me, so how much love do I display in helping others? How much my gift actually measures giving in love?' It can be like our attitude  after eating a meal at a restaurant and calculating our server's tip. 'Let's see, 15% of $13.40 is $2.01. Does anyone have a penny?' A tip is a cold and calculated (and expected) gift to a complete stranger. Is my love in response to God's love so measured?

Before we go down that road, let's look at this verse once more. "We love Him because He first loved us." The New King James Version is the only version that has the word 'Him' within the text. All other translations say, "We love because He first loved us." The original Greek does not have a specific object of our love designated, but personally, I think the intended meaning is quite accurate, 'We love Him because He first loved us.' So, the better question to ask ourselves is not 'Do I love?' But rather, 'Do I really love God?'

We can't examine how we love others until we truly know that we actually do love Him. I know this sounds obvious, but sitting at the core of our 'life loving others in Christ's Name' is a heart that beats with an adoring love of God. Why? Because God is love (1 John 4:16). Love comes from God (4:7). Without God we cannot love. Without God's love living in us, we cannot love others. So, if the answer is "Yes! I really do love God!" then celebrate in the grace of the gift that you actually do love, for John states in 4:7, "Anyone who loves has been born of God." And when our heart opens itself to this grace, then His redemptive gift of love overwhelms our soul with joy; for love is 'not that we loved God, but that He first loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.' (4:10)

Let us pray for God's love to shine through us, but may we never forget that simple praise, "Thank you, God, that I love at all. For my own love is proof that You live in me." Praising God and loving others then become united in Christ; never calculated and immeasurable.

40 Days of Prayer 

The Desert of Waiting

  
"O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you." Psalm 63:1-5 NIV

"There is so often a great disparity between how we feel about faith and how we are meant to feel. Why do so few people genuinely find joy and pleasure in their relationship with God? Why do most people feel they have to either pay God back for all He's done (buy His love) or somehow keep making up for all their inadequacies and failures (prove their love)? Why are the words of Psalm 63:1-5 not an honest reflection of our lives on most days?" Francis Chan, Crazy Love

Mediocre, lukewarm faith. If there is one thing you do not get from David, it is lukewarm faith. He is either failing colossally or triumphing gloriously. David is on the run, hiding in the desert having found out that Saul wants to kill him. He cries out to God who's "love is better than life." The passionate words he writes in Psalm 63 testify to his great love and faith in God despite his circumstances. Chan says that lukewarm living while claiming the name of Christ disgusts God. "So, because you are lukewarm-neither hot nor cold-I am about to spit you out of my mouth." (Rev. 3:16 NIV)

The circumstances of life can place us like David in the desert and waiting. Much like we are right now with Grace Redeemer....waiting....waiting. What happens to our love and passion in the desert of waiting? Does it wane along with our enthusiasm? Nothing is ever wasted by God including dwelling in the desert. God will use this time to sharpen our focus, define our vision, and strengthen our body for the ministry ahead. In the desert we seek and pray. We immerse ourselves in the word of God and praise Him for the now and the future. And we watch our faith grow as God's love becomes "better than life."

Take time to lift up your hands and praise the Lord for what He has done and what He is doing.

40 Days of Prayer

The New Commandment

  
"A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." John 13:34-35 NIV

Three concepts to absorb here. First, the word commandment. Jesus uses the same word He had previously used in reference to the ten commandments. But, He also used this word in reference to instruction from His heavenly Father, "I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from my Father." (John 10:18)

Second is the word new. Jesus had already stated in Mark 12:30-31 that the most important commandment was this, "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."' So, what is new about Jesus commanding 'love one another?'

What's new is the type of love Jesus commands: we are to love as Jesus loved us. Jesus' love is aboundingly new. His love is eternally constant and divinely pure. It is marked by His loving service and amazing self-sacrifice. As Charles Haddon Spurgeon said, "There is no light in the planet but that which cometh from the sun; there is no light in the moon but that which is borrowed, and there is no true love in the heart but that which cometh from God." This is why Jesus adds, "all men (mankind) will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Pray for Jesus' love to not only overwhelm you today, but for it to be brilliantly reflected before all whom you meet today. Pray that the Lord will flood His love upon Grace Redeemer that when people of Crestview are asked to describe her, that they may say, "That church loves!"

40 Days of Prayer

Bearing in Love

  
"Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load." Galatians 6:1-5 ESV

"Thus the law of Christ is a law of bearing. Bearing means forbearing and sustaining. The brother is a burden to the Christian, precisely because he is a Christian. For the pagan the other person never becomes a burden at all. He simply sidesteps every burden that others may impose upon him. The Christian, however, must bear the burden of a brother. He must suffer and endure the brother. It is only when he is a burden that another person is really a brother and not merely an object to be manipulated. The burden of men was so heavy for God Himself that He had to endure the Cross." Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together

The church is divided. There are those who want to zealously keep the law of Moses burdening others with their own devotion and those who have neither the willingness or desire to keep such laws. Paul is describing for us how to bring unity and community to the divided and diverse people within any Christian fellowship. It is our responsibility and more importantly the mark of Christian maturity to do so.

The word bear is used twice in the first five verses of Galatians; once in describing our actions toward others and next in describing our actions toward ourselves. Bonhoeffer uses the word forbear which is defined as being patient when subject to annoyance. He goes on to use the words "suffer" and "endure" when describing our actions toward one another. These are not the words I normally associate with loving my brother. But that is the point. It is not the "easy to love" people - the ones who think like us, have the same interests, the same sense of humor or the same worldview that burden us. It is the "hard to love" people that burden us. In other words, if you are not annoyed by that person, then you really don't have to bear or forbear anything about them. It is interesting that the very next verse cautions us about our pride because at the root of our conflict and frictions with others is the thought that we are better than them.

Paul goes on to say that each of us bear our own load. This burden is different from the burden of others that we are called to bear. Here Paul is referring to our work, ministry, gifts, or opportunities within the Christian fellowship. How do we love our brothers - with a gentle compassionate humility or with a harsh impatient eye-rolling tolerance? Bonhoeffer challenges us to move beyond tolerance to find joy in our brothers, especially those who are hard to love.

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." Ephesians 4:2 ESV

Pray that Grace Redeemer will strive to be a body as diverse as the people God has created and that within that diversity there is great love for one another.

40 Days of Prayer 

Idolatry and Coveting

  
"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. "You shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:2-3 NIV

"...the Ten Commandments begin with a commandment against idolatry. Why does this come first? Because, he argued, the fundamental motivation behind law-breaking is idolatry. We never break the other commandments without breaking the first one." Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods

Yesterday Shaeffer argued that the commandments ended with 'thou shalt not covet' because coveting is the sinful root that motivates all law-breaking. Today Keller argues that the law against idolatry begins the Ten Commandments because it tells us why we break all the other laws. The prophet Jeremiah says it like this, "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" (Jeremiah 17:9). Our hearts are beyond cure. Our hearts are idol factories where coveting grows. Jeremiah precedes with these verses: "This is what the Lord says: "Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. They are like stunted shrubs in the desert, with no hope for the future. They will live in the barren wilderness, in an uninhabited salty land." Jeremiah 17:5-6 NIV

Idolatry begins our death slide -- 'move over God, I decide what rules me.' Coveting then empowers all sin -- 'I want what I want.' What a horrible pair! No wonder Paul despaired in Romans 7:24-25, "What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God -- through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

Since the dawn of time this has been our constant battle. Idolatry begins our death slide and coveting prospers upon that soil and breeds deep roots into our hearts. Left to ourselves we would surely run headlong into destruction. But, there is hope, one solution - the Living God redeemed us from this death slide by dying on the cross in our place and through His resurrection now fills us with the powerful presence of His Spirit.

600 years before the birth of our Savior, Jeremiah went on to say: "But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8 NIV

Pray that the Spirit within us will reveal our idols, teach us to trust in Christ alone and enable His fruit to be produced within our hearts. 

40 Days of Prayer

True Spirituality

  

"You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's."  Exodus 20:17 ESV

(Taken from Francis A. Shaeffer, The Law and the Law of Love)

We do not find true spirituality by keeping a list of dos and don'ts which has as its purpose to make us appear holy. Nor is it found in rejecting that same list in order to live a life we want reasoning that we are above such things. True Spirituality comes face to face with the whole Ten Commandments and all that is included in them. I am also face to face with the Law of Love, the fact that I am to love God and I am to love my fellow men. The climax of the Ten Commandments is in the tenth commandment, "You shall not covet."  The commandment not to covet is an entirely inward thing. It is an intriguing factor that this is the last command God gives us in the Ten Commandments and thus the hub of the whole matter. We break this last commandment, not to covet, before we break any of the others. Any time that we break one of the other commandments of God, it means that we have already broken this commandment. Paul expresses this in Romans 7:

"What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, "You shall not covet." But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of covetousness. For apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died." Romans 7:7-9 ESV

He does not mean that he was perfect before. What he is saying is, "I did not know I was a sinner; I thought I would come out all right because I was keeping these outward things and getting along all right in comparison with other people." But when he opened the Ten Commandments and read that the last commandment was not to covet, he saw he was a sinner. Coveting is the negative side of the positive command, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ...and You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:37, 39). Love is internal. It might have external manifestations but love itself will always be internal. Coveting is always internal. It also has external manifestations. To love God will all our heart, mind and soul is to not covet against God; and to love our neighbor as ourselves is to not covet against them. 

True spirituality desires the deeper life of the positive command. True Spirituality is even more: it is a positive inward reality that "Christ lives in me" (Gal. 2:20) with a positive outward result in the fruit of the Spirit, "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Gal. 5:22).

May Grace Redeemer always be about seeking the deeper life, to love God with all our hearts, minds, and souls and to love our neighbors as ourselves.

40 Days of Prayer

I Do What I Want To Do

  
"Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God." Luke 9:23-27

"...we have reached a time when a powerful internal, moral imperative is not easily understood. Small wonder, then that the moral imperative under which Jesus himself operated has to be explained and justified. Moreover, Christians today will understand that biblically authentic Christianity is never merely a matter of rules and regulations, of public liturgy and private morality. Biblical Christianity results in transformed men and women - men and women who, because of the power of the Spirit of God, enjoy regenerated natures. We want to please God, we want to be holy, we want to confess Jesus is Lord." D.A. Carson, Scandalous

Denying self is something we hear about often in the church. In part the concept is what creates such a negative view from the outside for the church. Denying oneself comes with the idea that it is something we don't want to do so being a Christian is all about doing things you don't want to do. Can't wait to join, right?! Christians know and understand that this is not the truth. False religion focuses on rules and regulation that make us appear right and righteous on the outside - "See how much I love God." Men and women transformed by the power of God understand that to deny yourself is to find yourself, to die is to live, and in giving, we receive (Carson). It is one of the unfathomable truths of Christianity that we want to do this - it is powerful; it is internal and it is imperative - and despite how often we fail, God continues to move and work within us - "See how much God loves me."

Pray that our love and actions as a church reflect this want and the joy we find in serving Christ.

40 Days of Prayer

True Success

  
"Naaman,commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper." 2 Kings 5:1 ESV

"So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying,"Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean." But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, "Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage." 2 Kings 5:9-12 ESV

"Naaman's entire worldview was being challenged. He had just learned that this God is not an extension of culture, but a transformer of culture, not a controllable but sovereign Lord. Now he was being confronted with a God who in his dealings with human beings only operates on the basis of grace. These two go together. No one can control the true God because no one can earn, merit, or achieve their own blessing and salvation." Tim Keller, Counterfeit Gods

Success or failure. What does the future hold and how do we view our role in it? Naaman was a "great man," a very successful man in battle yet he suffered with leprosy. Leprosy was not only a physically debilitating disease, it was a socially isolating one. For all his success, his disease made him the envy of no one. Matthew Henry says it like this - Naaman was as great as the world could make him, yet the lowest slave would not have traded places with him. What an ironic situation. Do we consider ourselves successful without the envy of our peers? Success then is measured not only in the achievement of goals but also by the amount of regard we receive from others.

Now a slave has told Naaman of a way to overcome this personal struggle. As a successful man he set about achieving one more victory - conquering his leprosy. He gathered all of resources and set out to win. When he arrives at Elisha's, the prophet does not come out to meet him or receive his gifts but instead gives him a simple instruction to wash in the river. Naaman's anger reveals his heart - What a waste of time! I wanted something a little more sophisticated and powerful, worthy of the man I am. But here was an opportunity to be wowed by God, the great God, not Naaman, the great man or even Elisha the great prophet. Naaman is challenged by the same slave to take the prophet at his word. Naaman surrenders and is healed. God as Keller says is not an extension of culture content to work within the means of men. He is a transformer of culture desiring to reveal his all surpassing power through our jars of clay (2 Cor. 4:7).

From the beginning of Grace Redeemer we have prayed that it would be known that through God alone this church was planted. May we be servants of that work like Naaman. Available servants that God works through to transform culture. May our success be found in honoring and glorifying Him through both the great and small tasks of that work.

40 Days of Prayer

Surrendering the Future

  
"We want you to know, Christian brothers, of the trouble we had in the countries of Asia. The load was so heavy we did not have the strength to keep going. At times we did not think we could live. We thought we would die. This happened so we would not put our trust in ourselves, but in God Who raises the dead. Yes, God kept us from what looked like sure death and He is keeping us. As we trust Him, He will keep us in the future. You also help us by praying for us. Many people thank God for His favor to us. This is an answer to the prayers of many people." 2 Cor 1:8-11 NLT

"When it comes to real life struggles...I am coming to believe that I need something that is not of my flesh to save me..." Sharon Hersh, The Last Addiction

 In her book The Last Addiction, Sharon Hersh talks about the final addiction in our lives being control. Control over ourselves. Control over those around us. Control over God. As we look back on the many struggles in the last few weeks over our building/meeting place and the future of Grace Redeemer, we easily become frustrated at the inability to control the situation. How many times have we submitted those plans to the city? How many times have we asked the question, "Why Us?" Even in worship we are missing our friends who have moved away, deployed, or are absent. We finally come to the end of ourselves. It is there we find God moving and working - despite us, without us, because of us, within us. See how Paul says it in the passage,  "as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead..."  It is so easy in the midst of turmoil and the urgency of need in our circumstances to react and to respond and to do so in the strength of our own  resources.We lean on our limited, weak human strength instead of the far reaching, unquenchable power of God who raises the dead. It seems so simple and yet our actions can often testify to the fact that we resist this simple truth. 

As we face a very important milestone in Grace Redeemer's journey to be planted, may we all surrender the future and the outcome to the Lord. For He knows what we need before we ask him (Matthew 6:7) Pray that our actions will speak loudly of the name we profess and believe as sovereign Lord. As we trust Him, He will keep us in the future.