An Inspiration

I want to tell you a brief tale of a dear friend of mine, who has wowed me with his lifestyle. What has impressed me most about this brother in Christ is his tremendous generosity. He is the first to gift another in need, and does so so very often without any attempt at honor, striving instead to remain anonymous as possible. This is all well and good, but when I consider this gentleman's own humble means, then, I am blown away.

Why is that? As meritorious as it is that he would share, not out of his abundance, but alongside his own need, shouldn't this be the norm for the average Christian? Why is it that this seems so incredible to me? Is it because generosity has gone the way of the New Testament (2 Corinthians 8)? Are we so indebted these days to our 3-year leases, and excessive credit card balances, that we're incapable, or unwilling, to share with a brother in need?

That brings up a whole 'nother issue, of course, on par with the admonition of Ezekiel 18:13, which equates usury and excessive interest with "detestable things." The point is this: generosity should characterize our lifestyles, even more so when we ourselves are of humble means. This, then, is the meaning of Acts 4:32. This, then, is the goal of the Christian church. This, then, is where we need to match up with God's will. Amen.

Revival Preparation

As I have been reading through the provided materials to prepare us for the upcoming renewal services, I have been increasingly convicted of my worldliness in many areas of my life. I have often gotten caught up in the American Dream of having a great wife, a couple kids, a steady job, a nice home with a beautiful yard, and a grill to sit on my deck to enjoy with the neighbors on a nice summer day. While there is nothing specifically wrong with these things, it is so easy to get caught up in this world, forgetting that this world is not my home; I am a citizen of another world.

In my search for guidance out of this worldly attitude, I was brought back to the famous Revival Hymn. It is a compilation of some older sermons set to powerful music. I have heard it many times before, but as I listened to it again, I really recognized the shallow Christianity that has taken over today's church. I cry about my sin and the sinfulness of this world when I listen to this compilation; yearning for the restoration of the world. As we prepare for the upcoming revival services, I pray that the following can help you in the preparation of your own heart.



An mp3 version can be downloaded here to listen to on your computer or iPod.

Hilary Watson

Hilary Watson, a 24-year old Californian, recently performed at our church, and, I must say, I was impressed. Coming to the Lord at age 11, and consequently committing to the daily reading of the Word, it was made evident in her concert. Each song was Biblically-based, and bathed in Scripture. Quoting verses at length, I realized this up-and-coming artist's truest pursuit was honoring her Lord.

Having performed in Germany, Africa, and the states, she is often found leading worship in various churches on any given Sunday. That being said, she made it clear that she is actively pursuing body life, as she is in a vibrant home bible study, which recently just finished a 5-week Mission Trip to Tanzania, all of their own making, by the way.

Having played guitar for as long as she's known the Lord, it is equally evident. Great picking style, with beautifully crisp and enjoyable chord progressions, she is a joy to hear play, on that merit alone. Interestingly, she shared that she hasn't always been gifted with the tremendous voice she evidences now. While I'm not sure I even believe that, she is certainly over it. Her soaring lyrics coincide well with her songwriting, which dispenses with trite lyrics, opting instead for refreshing word imagery that leaves no response but heartfelt worship towards our God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

An all-around joy to hear, and meet, Hilary Watson is best enjoyed live, in my opinion, as her recorded work doesn't seem to do her justice. Nevertheless, I would encourage you to sample it, and then book her, ASAP. You'll be personally encouraged in your walk, and challenged in your faith.

Wise Investing?

Alright! That's it! I can't take it anymore! I've had my fill of the undercurrent of worldliness plaguing our American churches, and homes. Sadly, it seems we have grown anesthetized to it, enjoying it for so long, in so many various ways. Whether it's the 13 year old who's just gotta have a cell phone (yeah; 13 year's old!), or the 20-something who needs every trendy outfit their little shopaholic heart can hunt down; maybe it's the empty-nester, who finally has the collateral to build their dream home (so what if there's only two of us living here; opulence is king!); or--and this is my favorite--the retiree (if they even wait that long) who sees no way around having a second home. Ladies and gentlemen, need I remind you that this world is not our home; we certainly don't need to diversify our claims to it!

It saddens me to think that, even in my own life, the very next thought after paying that final bill is, "Alright, what to buy?" Have we forgotten the call to self-denial? Have we found our joy best satisfied in God's gifts, rather than the gift of God? We marvel at the shared community of Acts 4, and yet, is it really that unimaginable, or does it simply conflict with our ingrained consumerism?

We need not analyze our selfishness; we come by that honestly. I wonder, though, have we erred as evangelicals by railing against the "Social Gospel" to such an extent that we're no longer able to address the social needs of our age? Do we honestly think that our money is better spent on Steven Curtis Chapman's newest CD than the African AIDS crisis? Have we so deluded ourselves to believe that God is somehow honored by this?

God help us. Father, forgive us. Holy Spirit, change us.

The Assurance of 1 John

As I've read the book of 1 John each day for these past couple of weeks, I've been impressed with the forthrightness and confidence with which the Apostle John speaks. He uses declarative sentence after declarative sentence to state matter-of-factly the truths of God. His writing evidences forth much assurance and confidence, that God's promises are true, that He is who He has said that He is, and that we can know Him and His ways with great aplomb.

What a great message for a day such as ours, when every nuance exists in the gray nebulae between black and white; when postmodernity and relativism are confused at even defining themselves, and all the more wary of putting labels on anything of significance; when we are so politically correct that little is discussed that is of much worth. This is a message desperately needed in our homes, and in our churches.

May we be as assured in our faith as the writer John, and may our lives demonstrate the confidence we have in knowing our Savior, as we seek Him persistently in the reading of His Word.

We've Got It All

His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. (2 Peter 1:3)

Peter knew this firsthand by having been near Jesus. He walked on the water as he drew near to Christ; He said, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" by divine revelation (Matt 16:13-17). When he was away from Jesus, he denied Him. However, when Christ left the earth in His ascension, Peter remained powerful, preaching the hard truths of the Gospel (Acts 2), healing the lame (Acts 3), and remaining strong under persecution (Acts 4). How, you might ask? "He was filled with the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:4).

In the same way, so we can be filled powerfully with the Holy Spirit, since He indwells us (1 Cor 6:19). Do you pray, "God, give me more love for so-and-so," when Romans 5:5 says "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts?" Do you ask, "God, I need more grace," when 2 Corinthians 12:9 promises this His grace is sufficient? Do we pray, "Lord, give me more strength," knowing that Philippians 4:13 says that we can do all things through Him, regardless of our circumstance?

As we seek an outpouring of the Holy Spirit, may we know indeed that we've been given everything we need for life and godliness. We need only tap the source of our strength, our knowledge of Him. I would encourage you, then, to get in the Word. We want to know Him, we want to see Him, we want to understand His will. What better way than to drink deeply of His Word?

One way to do that is to read over and over again portions of Scripture, until it saturates your mind, so that you do the will of God without much thought, as it is ingrained in you. John MacArthur, which much of this is excerpted from (in Found: God's Will) recommends reading 1 John every day for 30 days, and then a 1/3 of John's gospel for 30 days, and so on. Can you imagine how much of God's Word, and will, you would absorb with that kind of exposure? Be encouraged.

I have recently been impressed with the persistent call to holiness that has resonated in our church's laymen sermons. I must admit, it has led me to some deeper introspection than which I would typically subject myself. It has called into question, most especially, how I spend my time, my thoughts, and my energies. We all, I think, need constant reminder that we have but one life to live, and it is not our own. It’s with that thought in mind that I submit to you these gleanings from Jim Cymbala’s classic, Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire. It is my heart’s desire that as we look towards the calendar event of our upcoming Renewal Services, we will do the hard work now of preparing, prayerfully, for God to speak and move.

My Prayer Requests

1. That I not merely “mark time,” lest my life slip by without seeing God show Himself mightily on our behalf. (Chapter 1)

2. That we would sense our need to pray, and would want to pray, the more we do it. (Ch. 3)

3. That we as a people would never grow lax in our spirit of brokenness and the need for calling on God. (Ch. 3)

4. That I and my church would be marked by a spirit of prayerfulness, which is a defining mark of a Christian (Acts 2:42) and the people of God (Deut. 4:7). (Ch. 4)

5. That I would not succumb to the anti-authority spirit in America that says, “Nobody can tell me I need to change.” May I be humble and wide open to correction. (Ch. 8)

6. That in revival, our “congregation does the preaching,” so that there’s no need of preachers or musicians, simply “God’s dwelling in close communion with His people.” (Ch. 8)

7. That I remember that “the first step in any spiritual awakening is demolition. We cannot make headway in seeking God without first tearing down the accumulated junk in our souls. Rationalizing has to cease. We have to start seeing the sinful debris we hadn’t noticed before, which is what holds back the blessing of God.” (Ch. 10)

8. That I always seek to draw nearer to God, lest I fall away, since there is no holding pattern or middle ground. (Ch. 10)

9. That I never believe myself to have attained, but that I persistently press on toward the goal to which I have been called heavenward (Phil. 3:14). (Ch. 10)

10. That I will step out and take risks for the sake of His glory, not sheltering myself under “Bible discussions among ourselves, or complaining to others about the horrible state of today’s society.” (Ch. 11)

I pray this is helpful, brothers and sisters. Whatever your prayer, may it be persistent towards the end of seeing God’s visible glory in our lives. “As for me and my house,” we will “humble ourselves, prayerfully seeking His face, and (may it be so, Lord) turn from our wicked ways.”

This Body of Death

I find myself reading over and again the 7th and 8th chapters of Romans, and I am overcome, yet again, with the doxological response it requires. How can we read, as Christians, that nothing, in all of the created order, is “able to separate us from the love of God (8:38-39),” and not render praise to our God? Couple this with the fact that we are adopted as sons, being “children of God, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (8:15-17),” and we have no answer but to be blown away!
But note from where such blessings stem: suffering (8:18); groans and birth pangs (8:22-23); weakness (8:26). Even this should come as little surprise, as we hear time and again of the sufferings of Christ’s followers throughout the pages of Scripture. We know, for example, the writer of Romans found himself beaten, stoned near to death, imprisoned, shipwrecked, in hunger and thirst, cold and exposure, and in dangers galore from innumerable fronts (2 Cor. 11:25-27).
We so often read these accounts and wrestle with a guilt complex, of sorts, as American Christians, since we have, by and large, seen very little, if any, of this type of suffering. But, we must not overlook the context in which Paul writes Romans 7 and 8. We find especially in chapter 7 that Paul has written at length of his wrestle with sin, finding that “nothing good dwells in me,” so that while the “willing is present in me, the doing is not (7:18).” Again, “the body is dead,” not because of floggings or imprisonment, but “because of sin” (8:10). He counts himself a “wretched man (7:24),” not because of physical travail, or loss of friend and countrymen. No. He is bound to this “body of death” by the “evil that is present” in him (7:21).


So, what does this mean for us? It would seem that, like Paul, our greatest struggle is not with those around us, or our circumstances, but rather it is against “the enemy within.” We must war with the flesh, especially as believers, because now we have been shown, “through the Law,” sin for what it really is; being, in fact, “utterly sinful,” “proving to result in death for me” (7:7, 13, 10).
At this point, however, we must be careful not to err in the opposite extreme. While Paul despairs at the wretched man that he is, he almost simultaneously lifts his song to Christ, in whom there is “no condemnation” (8:1). We must never fall prey to the idea that we somehow, in our own strength, can do that which the Law requires, so as to merit God’s favor. It is only in our constant admission of weakness, our “groanings too deep for words,” that we find how to “pray as we should,” and allow the Spirit of God to make us “overwhelmingly conquer” in all of these things (8:26, 37). While we may wrestle with “flesh and blood,” it is our own, acted upon by our own sin nature, as it succumbs to the “wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:12, 11). And, “thanks be to God,” that through Jesus Christ our Lord, we have the victory (Rom. 7:25).
So, in your warring with sin, beloved, know that “He condemned sin in the flesh” already (8:3). He suffered, so that yours would not be in vain. In fact, His power and grace is perfected in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9), so that, when we are faced with temptation, we need simply give it to Him who has already conquered death and its condemnation, so as to experience true freedom in Christ, whatever our trial.