How to Eat Like a Sheep

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth

not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

II Timothy 2:15

 

Biblical literacy in America is at an all time high. Less than half of all adults can name the four gospels and over 50% of graduating high school seniors thought that Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.  What is even more shocking is that biblical illiteracy is a huge problem within the church. In a recent study, 42% of self-identified Christians said that they had never heard of spiritual gifts.  Only 44% of born-again teenagers could locate the Sermon on the Mount when given four choices.  A whopping 81% of Christians polled believe that the statement, "God helps those who help themselves," is from the Bible.

 

While it would be easy to lay the blame on shallow Bible study materials or inefffective sermons, ultimately the responsibility of learning the Scriptures falls upon our own shoulders.  The Good Shepherd has already provided us with all the good food that we need; we just need to learn how to eat like a sheep.  Unfortunately, most believers spend an average of 7 minutes a day in the Bible.  While this might be enough time for a spiritual snack, it will inevitably lead to spiritual malnutrition.

 

As I mentioned in last week's blog, cattle graze on the grass, eating only the blades; while sheep eat the grass, roots and all.  Only by ingesting the roots can sheep get the minerals and moisture needed for good health.  Since the Bible compares us to sheep and not to cattle, it is important that we "feed" on the Bible all the way down to the roots.

 

While Bible grazing consists of skimming through a chapter or two of Scripture in fifteen minutes, to get to the roots of a passage you must go more slowly.  Plan on ingesting just one verse a day.  For example, let's say that you are going through Ephesians 4. Look at verse 15:

 

But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him

 in all things, which is the head, even Christ.

 

We begin with the word, "but," which should remind us of what we uncovered previously in our study of verse 14 and how it will relate to this verse. Then we look at the word "speaking."  Notice that it is not a passive verb, but an active one.  What is it that we are speaking? We are speaking the truth.  Whose truth should we be speaking? There is only one, infallible, unchanging truth; the Word of God. However, there is an additional caveat to that command.  We are to speak the truth in love.

 

Let's stop a second to review.  God is commanding us to speak His truth with love.  He does not place a restriction on to whom we are to speak this truth, therefore we can assume that we are to share the truth with both believers and the lost.  Speaking the truth often means pointing out sin and exhorting righteousness; truths which may come across as harsh.  Therefore, we must be certain before we speak that we have the right motives and that we have the person's best interests at heart.

 

But why does God require us to speak the truth in love? That we "may grow up into Him in all things." This ties in with the previous verse, in which Paul exhorts us to no longer be like children.  Not only is our personal goal to grow in maturity so that we are like Christ, but we are also expected to come alongside our fellow believers and encourage them in their walk. The verse reminds us that our Christian model is Christ, "which is the head."  To model our lives after any other is folly.

 

As you can see, we have used no other commentary than the Holy Spirit, but in just fifteen minutes we have gone down to the roots of the verse to draw nourishment from it. Just look at each of the main words in the verse and let God speak to you through His Word.  If you are really daring, find out the Greek (or Hebrew) word and its meaning using a Strong's Concordance or a website like Blue Letter Bible (www.blueletterbible.com).

 

 As sheep, however, we have still not finished.  Remember that sheep are ruminant animals.  Though we have fed on this verse, we carry it with us throughout the day and, periodically, the Holy Spirit will bring it back up for us to ruminate (meditate) on again.  By this process, we are able to draw every grain of nourishment from the verse and use it to strengthen our faith.

 

Are you truly a sheep?  Then start eating like one.

The Best Part of Being a Sheep

All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one

 to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Isaiah 53:6

 

 

The Bible frequently draws an analogy between Christians and sheep.  In many instances (such as the one above), the comparison is less than flattering.  After all, sheep have many, less-than-ideal characteristics.  They are helpless and stupid; needing constant care in order to survive.  Sound familiar?  It isn't surprising that our first-century church fathers used the Greek word "shepherd" for the office that we call "pastor."

 

Sheep are gentle and non-aggressive and, therefore, need the safety of the flock for protection from predators.  A sheep that wanders alone will most certainly perish from wolves, injury, or hunger.  However, these timid creatures also tend to have a stubborn streak, resisting even the care of a kind and loving shepherd. Their tendency to follow others blindly can be a danger when they willingly follow other foolish sheep, rather than the Good Shepherd.

 

Despite the many frailties and shortcomings of sheep, there is one characteristic that sheep share that all Christians should emulate: their way of eating.  Sheep, you see, have a very unique style of eating.  While cows merely graze along the blades of the grass, a sheep will eat all the way down to the root. In fact, roots contain nutrients and moisture that are vital to the health and growth of a sheep.

 

To carry this analogy to us, as Christians, we need to look at how we "feed" on the Word.  Unfortunately, many of today's "sheep" are eating like cows; believing that they can get sufficient spiritual nourishment by grazing rather than going deep.  Their "meals" consist of skimming through a chapter in the Bible or gleaning a few truths during the service on Sunday.  Even worse are those whose spiritual diet is centered around "processed food" such as devotionals, inspirational writers, and whatever Christian book is all the rage. Discouragement and stunted growth are just a couple of the symptoms of the spiritual malnutrition that results from this type of diet.

 

Sheep need to feed all the way down to the roots.  That means being immersed in the Word of God.  American Christians have become so dependent on others to feed them, that we have lost the ability to learn for ourselves.  We don't need a famous preacher to explain God's Word to us; the Holy Spirit can do a much better job- plus, we know that He will always be right. 

 

What we do need is a genuine hunger for the meat of the Word.  Unfortunately, when you've been dining on junk food for a long time, it is hard to re-acquire a taste for good, solid fare.  Just ask any junk-food junkie!  However, the time comes when even the most resistant dieter realizes that their present style of eating is killing them and that a change is needed.  If you are looking at yourself today and realizing that you are starving spiritually and that the steady course of watered-down devotionals and sugar-coated fads trying pass themselves off as Bible studies aren't really nourishing you, then maybe it is time for a change.

 

If so, check back next week for some tips on how to begin eating like a sheep.

An Ordinary Person, An Extraordinary God: Gladys Aylward

With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.

Matthew 19:26

Gladys Aylward was born in 1902 into a working class English family.  As was common for a person of her class during that time, she went to work as a domestic servant at a young age. While in her early twenties, she attended a revival in which the preacher encouraged those attending to dedicate their lives to the service of God.  Gladys eagerly responded to call, feeling that the Lord was leading her to become a missionary to China.

Certain of her calling, Gladys became a probationer at the China Inland Missions Center in London, but her lack of education and poor academic abilities resulted in her failing in her exams there and she was rejected as a missionary candidate.  Despite this monumental setback, Gladys did not give up. She went back to work, saved her money, and continued to look for an opportunity to serve God.

In time, Gladys heard of an older missionary woman in China who was looking for a younger person to take over her work. The 73-year old woman, Jeannie Lawson, responded positively to Gladys' inquiry, offering her a job in China if Gladys could pay for her own passage there. Even with all that she had managed to set aside from her years of working as a maid, Gladys still did not have enough for ship passage to China.  However, she did have just enough for train passage and so, in 1930, Gladys set off from London with her passport, Bible, and just a little over two pounds (roughly equivalent to $100 dollars in today's economy).

It is hard to imagine a single woman, with no language training and few contacts, leaving on such an arduous journey to work in a strange land alongside a complete stranger, but this just indicated the faith that Gladys had in her extraordinary God. During her years of ministry, Gladys was instrumental in ending the centuries-old custom of foot binding (which  painfully crippled Chinese women by deforming their feet), in single-handedly stopped a prison riot, and in saving the lives of hundreds of unwanted girl babies. She became a shining beacon of Christianity to the people of China and earned herself the nickname, Ai-weh-deh, meaning "Virtuous One."

From this amazing life of Gladys Aylward, we can see the awesome results of an extraordinary God on an ordinary life.  Even though the people around her could not see the potential in Gladys, God saw her dedication, faith, and willingness to serve.  That was all that He needed to accomplish great things among the people of China.

Sometimes it's easy for us to fall back on the excuse that we are nobody special or that we have no special gifts that make us valuable in the service of the Lord.  However, Gladys Aylward did not let that stand in her way, no matter what others believed.  Her life should be an encouragement to all of us who feel that we are too ordinary to do extraordinary things for God.

The Rise of Egocentric Christianity

If any [man] will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Matthew 16:24

 

 

Several years ago, I noticed a significant shift in the music being played in churches throughout America. By that, I am not talking about the style of music (which, in itself, has become a divisive point of contention among believers), but in regard to the use of words in the songs.  In the last decade or so, the pronouns most commonly used in our songs have changed from "you" and "He" to "I" and "me."  On the surface, this may seem like a detail too trivial to mention, but I believe that this is just a micro-symptom of a larger issue: the problem of egocentric Christianity.

 

If you don't believe that egocentric Christianity is a problem in your church, just ask your pastoral staff how difficult it is for them to find workers for the preschool and children departments or how many volunteers show up for evangelism projects.  One of the greatest indications of egocentric Christianity is the mindset that the church exists to minister to the members.  As a result, egocentric Christians do no feel any compulsion to serve the church in any way.  Instead, they evaluate their church solely by how it ministers to them and their family.

 

Egocentric Christians suffer from spiritual myopia (i.e., short-sightedness).  The are so focused on their own needs and wants that they are incapable of seeing the needs of those around them or experiencing grief over the lostness of others. Their self absorption stunts their ability to grow spiritually and their faith stagnates.  Instead of putting their time and energy into Christian service, it is channelled into hyper-criticism of the church (which can never fully meet their needs) and fellow Christians (who do not share their belief that they are the center of the universe).

 

One of the greatest consequences of egocentric Christianity is that it perverts who God is.  Since their world revolves around themselves, egocentric Christians begin to believe that God exists to make them happy.  They pervert the image of God into a glorified Santa Clause who showers them with blessings because they are on His "nice" list. When trouble or tribulation strikes them, the egocentric Christian, like a petulant two-year old, becomes angry at God; believing themselves to have been betrayed by Him.  They often leave the church, bitter and disillusioned, thinking that God has "let them down."

 

Sound familiar?  I'm sure that all of us have met someone like that.  What we need to realize is that the mentality of egocentric Christianity is invading our churches and slowly seeping into the minds of American Christians.  We certainly see this problem in the lives of some of the believers around us.  However, if we take a long, hard look at ourselves, could we honestly say that we have not begun to drift toward this condition ourselves without realizing it? 

 

What is your attitude toward your church? Are you serving to full extent of your abilities?  Do you grieve over the lostness of your neighbor and take every opportunity you can to share Christ with them?  Or has the me-ism of our current culture begun to take root in your heart?

 

John F. Kennedy once stirred the nation with this challenge: "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."  Maybe it is time that we take that challenge and apply it to our churches.  Instead of focusing on what the church is doing for you, seek out ways that you can serve the Church; not just the local church, but the body of Christ worldwide.

 



Blog Schedule Changed

Please note that the posting date for new blogs has been changed from Monday to Thursday. 

A Heart for Missions

For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

Luke 19:10

Several years ago, I was talking to an aquaintance whose husband is in the ministry.  In the course of our conversation, I mentioned a recent overseas mission trip that I had taken. With a look of distaste, the woman responded.

"My husband and I have never had any desire to go on a mission trip.  It's just not something that we are interested in."

I was shocked that she would actually voice such a view, but since that time I have come across hundreds of church members who share that same sentiment.  They view missions as an "elective" of the Christian walk; one that they can take or leave at will.  However, they fail to recognize that, to have a heart after God's own heart, we must have a heart for missions.

In Luke, Jesus states that He, the Son of Man, came to seek and save the lost.  In today's language, we could say that Luke 19:10 is Jesus' purpose statement.   It is the reason that He was born in that stable in Bethlehem and it is the reason that He laid down His life at Calvary. Missions was at the very heart of Jesus's ministry and, as followers of Jesus Christ, we should have a heart for missions, as well.

The focus of the Christian walk should be to become more like Christ daily.  Henry Martyn, a 19th-century missionary to India and Persia, who died on the field at the age of 31, said, "The spirit of Christ is the spirit of missions. The nearer we get to Him, the more intensely missionary we become." A missionary heart is the natural result of a growing walk with Christ.

Now, I am not saying that if you haven't been on a mission trip then you have a shallow Christian walk.  There are many reasons why we may not be able to go, ranging from financial to health issues to family responsibilities.  However, if you have a heart for missions, even if you cannot go yourself, you will be committed to regularly praying for those who do go and helping in any way that you can to send them. 

The fact is, if you truly have a heart for missions, you will already be actively evangelizing the lost in your own community.  Many Christians believe that modeling the Christian life at work or in their neighborhood is sufficient to evangelize the lost, but they are mistaken.  Living the Christian life is just a prerequisite to evangelism. The word itself is derived from the "good news" that we call the Gospel.  Good news must be shared verbally with others.

Is your heart in sync with God's heart when it comes to the lost?  When was the last time that you grieved over the lostness of a co-worker or family member? Take time today to evaluate where your heart is in relation to the heart of Christ.

The Missionary's Motto

To the weak I became as weak, that I might win the weak. I have
 become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.

I Corinthians 9:22

 

 

Part Four: Laying Aside My Self, For the Sake of Others

 

 

Many years ago, I had a friend who got a job as a secretary to a Jewish rabbi.  Raised in a Baptist church, she was a little nervous about the job, unsure what would be expected of her.  Her fears proved to be unfounded.  The rabbi was a good boss and she enjoyed her work.  Several months passed and as Christmas approached, she wondered about whether it would be appropriate to buy her boss a present.  When she overheard him telling another worker about how much he liked the Christmas present that one of his Christian friends had given him, she decided that it would be alright for her to do the same.

 

Her good intentions quickly turned to disaster.  When it came to choosing a gift for the rabbi, her lack of understanding of the Jewish faith became her downfall.  I can only imagine her chagrin when her boss kindly rejected the present that she had brought for him; a nice, big Honeybaked Ham. Fortunately for my friend, her boss was a very understanding man and was not offended by her gift, realizing that her intention was to honor him.

 

On the mission field, it is vital that we go beyond good intentions. We must make a concerted effort not to offend the sensibilities of those that we seek to evangelize. Instead, we must understand the culture that we are entering into and work within that culture to reach the lost. Like the apostle, Paul, we must strive to become "all things to all men." However, this process does not come naturally to most of us because it requires sacrifice on our part; not a sacrifice of time and money, but a sacrifice of who we perceive ourselves to be.

 

In order to become all things, we must first lay aside our selves.  That may mean letting go of the things that are so much of who we are: our personal rights, the way we like to dress, how we talk and act; so as not to offend those that we have come to serve.  It is vital on the mission field (as it should be when we are at home) that we remove from our lives any thing that might hinder us from evangelizing the lost.

 

It is not surprising that the word "selfish" comes from the word "self."  If we focus on our selves, we have nothing to give to others.  Selfishness is the antithesis of love because selfishness is to love one's self.  The ability to reach the lost for Christ requires a denial of self.  Jesus showed us this at the cross.

 

Whether you are preparing for your hundredth missionary trip or just considering the possibility of going, remember the missionary's motto: "I have become all things to all men."  Ask yourself if you have reached the point in your spiritual walk where you have laid down your self and allowed yourself to be used by Christ to reach the world.

Missions: Testing Your Mettle

Set your affections on things above; not on the things on the earth.

Colossians 3:2

Part Three: Bend or Break

Every veteran missionary will tell you that the key to surviving missions work is flexibility.  When you commit yourself to missions (whether career or short-term), God often chooses to take you in a direction that you never expected.  A willingness to defer to His plans, rather than yours, can make all the difference in the world.

For example, last year my husband, Alan, was invited to lead a week-long evangelistic crusade in Belarus.  During the week, we would immerse ourselves in the community; inviting everyone we met to attend the crusade.  At night, Alan would preach and I would serve as a counselor for women who came down to receive Christ.  We purchased our airline tickets and renewed our passports (which would be expiring in a few months).

Since Belarus requires a visa, we prepared our paperwork and, about a month before we were due to leave, we sent our passports and documents to the Belarus embassy in Washington, DC.  When two weeks passed without word, Alan called the embassy to get an update.  He was told that our passports and paperwork had been mailed back the day before because the necessary documents from our Belarusian contact had not arrived!

Alan called the Belarusian pastor who had issued the invitation and he told us that there had been a delay at his end and that the paperwork was on its way to the Belarus embassy.  We were to overnight our passports and documents as soon as we received them.  The next day, the materials were returned to us and we immediately sent them back.  They would arrive at the embassy sometime on Friday- a mere 11 days before our flight.

Since the embassy was closed on weekends, we called first thing on Monday morning, only to find out that it was closed because of a Belarusian holiday.  By Tuesday morning, our anxiety level was starting to spike.  We began calling as soon as they opened.  We were shocked to be told that they had not received our materials.

Another frantic call (this time to the postal service), revealed that major power outages in Washington DC (due to deadly storms in the area) had caused significant problems in mail delivery.  According to their records, we were told, the package had been delivered.  Fortunately, God placed a wonderful postal worker at the other end of the phone line.  He promised to personally find out what had happened to the package and get back to us.

In the meantime, Alan and I looked at our options.  Even if the package was located and delivered to the Belarus embassy the next day, we had been told that there was not enough time to process the visa and get it to us before our flight. It seemed evident that our trip to Belarus was not going to happen.  Our flight was non-refundable and, being of Scottish descent, I couldn't stand the idea of letting all that money go to waste.  The one silver lining in all this dark cloud was that (to save money) we had not chosen a direct flight to Belarus, but found a deal that required a stopover in Warsaw, Poland. A quick search on the internet showed that a visa was not required in order to visit Poland. 

"Looks like we're doing a mission trip to Poland," I said.

"If our passports get back in time," Alan reminded me. "Besides, what are we gonna do when we get there?"

"If nothing else, we'll stand on a street corner and tell people about Jesus or prayer walk through the communities."

"Sounds like a plan!"

On the off chance that we might find a ministry to plug into, Alan contacted the International Mission Board and relayed the our dilemma to them; asking if he could contact missionaries in Warsaw and find out if there was anything we could do to assist them.  They promised to pass our information along and, hopefully, a missionary would contact us.

On Thursday, the man from the postal service called to say that our package had been located.  It had been placed in one of the two mail bins belonging to the embassy.  The embassy worker who came to pick up the mail had only taken one of the bins.  Our packet was still in the bin at the post office. What did we want done with it?  Our reply was prompt and decisive: Send it back.

We began researching Poland and trying to decide what to pack, since we had no idea what we might be doing there. On Monday, we gave a sigh of relief to find our passports in the mailbox.  We were definitely going to Poland. On Tuesday morning, we headed to the Atlanta airport, with no idea what we were going to do, but determined to find some way to serve.

Thirty minutes before boarding, Alan's cell phone rang.  It was a missionary from Poland calling.  He had gotten our message. He was on the coast of Poland leading a camp for families interested in practicing their English skills with native English speakers.  The topics included were issues that fostered discussion about faith and beliefs, allowing the leaders to share their faith with the group.  While the adults were in their groups, the children attended a VBS-style camp at the site. 

The missionary was surprised at the timing of our message because one of the American couples who were volunteering for the camp had just received word of a death in the family and were having to fly back.  Did Alan feel comfortable stepping in as a discussion leader and would I be willing to work with the children?

By the time we boarded the plane, most of the details had been settled.  God had closed the door on our work in Belarus, but He opened up another wonderful window of opportunity for us in Poland.  A chance to minister that might have been missed if we had not been flexible.

Admittedly, this was an extreme example of how plans can go awry on a mission trip.  However, if you see that God can work through what seems to be a catastrophe, you can be sure that He can help overcome the other problems that often arise on mission trips.  If your luggage goes astray, God can provide clothes to wear- even if they aren't your first choice in fashion.  If a flight is delayed, look around to see who God wants you to witness to at the airport. 

There is nothing like a mission trip to test your mettle and to help you to see how strong your faith really is.  When difficulties come, will you bend or will you break?

Before You Go on a Mission Trip

Be watchful in all things, endure hardships,

do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

II Timothy 4:5

Part Two: The Most Important Thing to Take

Everyone packs differently for a trip.  I've traveled with those who've brought dozens of outfits and packed enough cosmetics and hair care paraphernalia to makeover a small country.  There have also been those who head off for a two-week trip with only a backpack and strong deodorant.  Both groups made it there and back and ministered to those that they met.

So what is it that we can bring that will make a difference in the success of our mission trip?  On any given trip, it soon becomes apparent, when the stresses of overseas travel kick in, who is truly prepared and who is not.  The reality is that, on a mission trip, what they carry in their luggage is not nearly important as what they carry in their hearts. You see, the most important thing to take on a mission trip is the right attitude.

Now you would think that anyone who takes time off from work and invests in the cost of a mission trip would automatically have the right attitude for going, but sometimes, somewhere along the way, we lose our proper perspective.  I know this is true because, even as a veteran missionary, I've allowed it to happen to me.

So how can you make sure that you bring the right attitude with you on your mission trip?  Here are four steps that can help make sure you have a great experience:

Step One: Remember Who Sent You

The biggest mistake you can make when going on a mission trip is to forget your main reason for going: to serve God. Even though you may be taking vacation time to go, you should never confuse a mission trip with a vacation.  If you think of it as a vacation, you will make yourself miserable!  Instead, confirm in your heart that you have given this week to the Lord.  Commit this time to Him and remind yourself that you are willing to sleep less (or not at all), eat foods that you don't like (or even recognize), experience extreme heat or cold, and do things that you never thought you would have the courage to do. As Americans, we normally never really get the opportunity to suffer for Christ.  This is your chance.

Step Two: Remember Why You Were Sent

I'm going on the assumption that the primary reason you are going on a mission trip is to minister.  Having a chance to experience exotic locations and quaint cultures can be a side benefit, but should not be a major consideration.  In all likelihood, the most exotic location you'll visit will be a foreign bathroom and the quaint culture may include loudspeakers blaring prayers at dawn or dusty roads that have potholes the size of a Volkswagen and kamikaze drivers.  Many of the people that you have come to minister to will reject you and even revile you.  However, you can be sure that there will be at least one person that God will bring to you whose heart is fertile ground for the Gospel and you can plant the seed of hope in them.

Step Three: Remember That Christ Will Strengthen You

Before going on the mission field, I had never left the country.  I liked being comfortable and I never, EVER, went camping.  My idea of roughing it was spending the night in a hotel room with just one bathroom!  When God called me to be a missionary in a third world country, I was worried that I wouldn't make it.  It wasn't easy, but I quickly came to learn that I could "do all things through Christ who strengthened me."  Before long, I found myself choosing "squatty potties" (tiled holes in the floor that you squat over) over the Western-style toilets because they were "cleaner" and I hardly gave it a thought when I had to pick bugs out of my food.  Christ gave me the strength to handle any challenge that came my way and, in the process, I became stronger in my faith.

In many ways, I am giving a "worse case scenario" for a mission trip, but that is just to prepare you for whatever "bumps" you may experience on your trip.  Going back to my roller coaster analogy, I want to remind you that it is the hair-raising drops and the g-force turns that makes the ride worthwhile. Which brings me to my fourth step...

Step Four: Remember That This Will Change Your Life

Nothing worthwhile comes without some measure of sacrifice.  I haven't met a woman yet who enjoyed being in labor, but every one will tell you that the pain was worth it. The things that you experience on a mission trip will make memories that you'll never forget and that you will recount over and over to your friends.  There will be glorious memories like helping a woman to learn that the Bible teaches that she can know for certain that she has everlasting life or teaching a child his very first Bible verse.  Even the seemingly bad experiences can serve to help you bond with the others on your team or grow you as a Christian.  It is strange how a situation that nearly brings you to tears while overseas, eventually becomes the story that you laugh over for years to come.

There is no denying the fact that a mission trip is expensive, uncomfortable, frightening, and hard work.  But I feel sorry for Christians who let this stop them from going because they miss out on so much!  The time, money, and effort you put into a mission trip is nominal in comparison to what you get from it: a greater faith in Christ, a deeper commitment to evangelism, and the blessing of knowing that you have ministered in the lives of others.

A Veteran Missionary's Guide to Missions

And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
 and preach my Gospel to every creature.

Mark 16:15

Part One: Why We Must Do Missions

Evangelism is a focal part of the Christian faith.  Sharing our faith with the lost is something that Christ expects from each of his followers. It is not a suggestion or a request; it is a mandate from God. Evangelism is the natural by-product of a mature and growing faith.  For the majority of Christians, evangelism takes place on the local level.  We witness to our family members, neighbors, co-workers, and (sometimes) even complete strangers. 

A part of evangelism is missions.  The word "missions" was coined by Jesuit monks to describe those who were "sent" to minister in foreign lands. They rightly believed that this special calling, with its greater dangers and sacrifices, was set apart from regular evangelism and deserved (at the least) a new classification.  Unlike many Christians today, who believe that "we are all missionaries," the early Church understood that leaving your family, your culture, and your heart language behind so that you could pour out your life in a strange land was not the same as spending twenty minutes telling your neighbor what Christ has done in your life.

During the early era of international missions, the crate that carried your possessions to the field often doubled as your coffin.  The average life expectancy for those early missionaries was less than five years. Fortunately, medical breakthroughs and advances in transportation has significantly improved the survival rate of missionaries.   However, the sacrifices they make are still very real.  Ask anyone who has spent more than a month overseas; it is not easy to live in a different country.

Obviously, Christians do not do missions because it is easy.  They do it because it is right.  The Great Commission was not limited to local evangelism.  Jesus commanded them to go "unto the uttermost part of the earth."  To me, that phrase always conjured up images of those places that I would LEAST like to visit- and that may very well be what He was saying.  Missions requires us to reach a greater level of commitment in our service to Christ because we often end up going to places that we never wanted to go to and doing things that are completely outside our comfort zone.

So, you may be asking yourself, "What is she trying to do, scare me from ever doing a mission trip?" No, that isn't my intent at all.  Instead, what I'm trying to say is that the missions experience will take your faith to a higher level because it is HARD.  Have you ever talked to someone who has just returned from a mission trip?   They go on and on and on about how incredible it was and how it changed their life.  The number one response that I've heard from first-time mission trippers is something like this: "I went, thinking that I might be a blessing to others, but I ended up being the one who was blessed."

Going on a mission trip is a lot like riding a roller coaster for the first time.  There is a lot of anxiety and trepidation before you head out, then you are overwhelmed with new sensations and experiences, and finally you are dropped back at the start feeling exhilarated and you can hardly wait to do it again. Face it, missions gives you a rush like nothing else, but (like the roller coaster) it can be a bumpy ride; whether it is your first mission trip or your fiftieth, you just never know what might happen.

Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be writing on what you can do to make your next mission trip a little easier.  If you've never gone on a mission trip, I hope that these blogs will spark a desire in you to stretch your faith enough to be willing to reach the lost overseas.  At the very least, I hope that it will give you the knowledge of how you can better pray for those in your church who will soon be taking mission trips and for the career missionaries who have committed their whole lives to reaching the uttermost ends of the earth.

Ham and Eggs Marriage

And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, not unto men.

Colossians 3:23

 

 

It occurred to me, while eating breakfast the other day, that we can learn a lot about marriage from this little meal. Now you might not think that we can find spiritual inspiration in what we eat, but there are lessons to be learned in even the most mundane of God's creation.  For me, my revelation came from ham and eggs.

 

You see, it occurred to me that we enter into a marriage with a certain level of commitment.  We tend to approach our marriage as either the pig or chicken does toward our breakfast. If we are like the chicken, we make positive contributions to our marriage, just like the chicken does with our breakfast by providing eggs.  We invest in the relationship, but within limits.

 

The pig, on the other hand, displays a level of commitment that the chicken fails to reach.  By becoming the delicious ham on our plate, the pig shows that it is giving itself whole-heartedly to the breakfast.  There is no possibility of walking away from the commitment; the pig is "all in." It has literally laid down its life for the relationship.

 

So the next time that you sit down to enjoy a breakfast of ham and eggs, take the time to think about your attitude toward your marriage.  Have you given yourself wholeheartedly to the marriage or are you holding back?  Are you a chicken or a pig?

 

 

Apples of Gold

A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.

Proverbs 25:11

 

 

 

This blog is a continuation of last week's blog, The Power of Words. I challenged my readers to see how many of the phrases that I listed had originated in the Bible.  Below, you can check your answers to see how well you did.

 

1. A sorry sight   (Shakespeare's MacBeth)

2. Apple of his eye   (Psalm 17:8)

3. To pine away   (Ezekiel 33:10)

4. A fool's paradise   (Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet)

5. Skin of his teeth   (Job 19:20)

6. All of a sudden   (Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew)

7. Blind leading the blind   (Luke 6:39)

8. As dead as a doornail   (Shakespeare's King Henry VI)

9. As pure as the driven snow   (combines two of Shakespeare's phrases from MacBeth and The Winter's Tale.

10. The eleventh hour   (Matthew 20:6)

11. Beside himself   (Mark 3:21)

12. His head on a plate   (Mark 6:28)

13. Dash to pieces   (appeared in Shakespeare's The Tempest in 1610 and the KJV in 1611)

14. A stone's throw   (Luke 22:41)

15. Eaten out of house and home   (Shakespeare's Henry IV)

16. Heart's content   (Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice)

17. Sharper than a serpent's tooth   (Shakespeare's King Lear)

18. Hold my tongue   (Esther 7:4)

19. Safe and sound   (Luke 15:27)

20. The crack of doom (Shakespeare's MacBeth)

 

There is a poetic beauty to the language of the King James Bible. It was a product of the Elizabethan era; a time when the English language reached its zenith. We see this, not only in the KJV Bible, but also in the writings of William Shakespeare- another product of this time period. The powerful influence of the Bible has impacted our language in an immeasurable way, however, the REAL power of the Word is its ability to change our lives.

 



The Power of the Tongue

Death and life are in the power of the tongue; and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Proverbs 18:21



We've all heard at least a dozen sermons on the damage that the tongue can do. Sometimes it's easy to forget that the tongue can also bring life. We can curse or we can bless with our tongues. We can bring grief or we can bring joy with what we say.

Even language itself can bring joy.  Though Satan may do all he can to pervert language, there can also be great beauty in it- though we seem to have forgotten that in this nation.  If you need reminding, just read the poems of Emily Dickinson or Ralph Waldo Emerson. Or, if you are really daring, read something from William Shakespeare.

Unfortunately, in this time of texts and tweets, our emphasis is on brevity rather than quality of writing. It is easy for us to forget that, at the time that our Bible was translated into English and made available to the common man, the English language was at its zenith. From that early King James Bible have come verses that we have known since childhood:

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  John 3:16

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God." Eph. 2:8

In fact, that early translation of the Bible has become such a part of our day-to-day language that we are no longer aware of it. To emphasize the impact that the Bible has had on the English language, I thought that I would provide a fun, little quiz to show how frequently we use phrases from the Bible without even knowing the source. 

See which of the following phrases you think originated from the Bible and then check back next week to see how well you did.

1. A sorry sight
2. Apple of his eye
3. To pine away
4. A fool's paradise
5. The skin of his teeth
6. All of a sudden
7. The blind leading the blind
8. As dead as a doornail
9. As pure as the driven snow
10. The eleventh hour
11. Beside himself
12. His head on a plate
13. Dash to pieces
14. A stone's throw
15. Eaten out of house and home
16. Heart's content
17. Sharper than a serpent's tooth
18. Hold my tongue
19. Safe and sound
20. The crack of doom

A Mother on Father's Day

Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed on us...

I John 3:1

Father's Day is kinda fun for moms.  We're off the hook as a topic for the sermon, while our husbands get to be in the hot seat (as we were for Mother's Day) and we get to apply our elbow to our spouse's ribs at appropriate times to make sure that they are listening to the pastor on certain points that we've mentioned (okay, maybe nagged a little about) for most of the year. But for the most part, we just take a back seat and try to make sure that our hubbies have a special day.

However, as women, Father's Day is really more of a big deal than we may realize.  After all, this day also reminds us of our own fathers and the impact (for good or evil) that they had on our lives.  In fact, many psychologists believe that there is no greater influence on a young girl's emotional development than the father.  Studies show that the daughters of absent or indifferent fathers frequently turn out to be promiscuous, seeking attention outside the home that they never received from their dads.

Having grown up watching ideal fathers on shows like "Father Knows Best," "Leave It To Beaver," and "Little House on the Prairie," many of us realized pretty quickly that our own dads fell short of the mark. Real life can't compete with fiction, where dads never seem to have bad days or short tempers.  Fathers, being human, make mistakes- some bigger than others.  Most of us have, at one time or another, felt rejected, unloved, or hurt by our fathers. 

But Father's Day shouldn't be a time when we wallow in self pity because our childhood was less than perfect.  Instead, it should be a celebration! Because no matter what our earthly father was like, as Christians we have a perfect heavenly Father.  Not only does God love us just the way we are, but He created us just as we are and (like everything in His creation) He saw that it was good. So no matter how unloved and lonely we may sometimes feel, we can be assured that our Father loves us with an everlasting love and He will never, ever leave us.

Father's Day never fails to remind me that my heavenly Father loves me so much that He gave His only Son for me. So despite the fact that Mother's Day is supposed to be my own special day, I have to admit that Father's Day is pretty awesome, too.

Rising Above Fear

For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee,
 Fear not; I will help thee.

Isaiah 41:13

We just got back from a family trip to the beach. The first day we arrived, we hurried to change into swimsuits and dashed for the beach.  Within minutes, we were all in the water: all except one.
Our youngest granddaughter, who is timid in nature, was afraid of the waves.  She didn't know what might happen to her if she went in the water. We didn't push, but let her skip around on the edge of the waves, watching the other kids frolicking in the water.  Finally, she decided to try getting in, but only if Daddy held her hand.

Within a few minutes, she was jumping and splashing in the water along with the others. Her father's big, strong hand had helped her to find the courage to overcome her fear.  By the end of the week, she was laughing at the idea that she had ever been afraid of the water.

Did you know that the phrase "fear not" is found 62 times in the Bible? It's not surprising that God spent so much time on this topic.  Most Christian women will admit that they struggle with fear on a regular basis. However, for many of us, fear can take root in our hearts and grow; throwing a giant shadow across our lives until it almost paralyzes us.

What we sometimes forget is that fear is not something that Satan throws at us; it is something that we create from our own imaginations.  After all, if you think about it you will realize that we aren't fearful about what is actually happening, we are afraid of what might happen in the future. For example, you may hear on the news that unemployment is again on the rise and that makes you fearful.  However, what you are fearing is not the unemployment rate but the possibility that you or your husband might lose your job.  It isn't the present problem that produces fear, but the potential for future suffering.

God doesn't want us to live in fear because fear robs us of our joy.  This week, I learned an important lesson from my granddaughter.  We don't know what might happen to us when we walk out that front door.  The world is a scary place and bad things do happen.  However, I can choose to focus on what is going on in my life today, knowing that God is right there, holding my hand; or I can dwell on the bad things that could happen to me or my loved ones someday, and live in fear.  Ultimately, like any sin, it is a choice that I make every day.

Today, I choose to take God's hand.

Milk, Meat, or Meringue?

For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe.  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Hebrews 5: 13-14

My husband and I made a New Year's resolution to eat healthier.  We've cut back on the sweets and included more vegetables into our diet.  It hasn't been easy and sometimes we've overindulged in the sweet stuff.  Nevertheless, we've stuck with it because we understand that to have a healthy, strong body, we need to consume the right things.

It's the same for our soul; it needs to be fed the right kind of food. When we were young in the Lord, we needed milk because we were not mature enough to handle solids.  However, we cannot stay on the bottle our whole life. Can you imagine a teenager walking around with a baby bottle? As we grow, the needs of our body changes.  We need meat to develop.  There comes a time when staying on the bottle will stunt our growth and make us malnourished.

As our bodies develop and change, so do our nutritional needs.  There are stages in our life when we need more protein, others when we need more calcium, and, face it, sometimes we just need a little comfort food.  Yet, we still need to maintain a balanced diet at all times. The same is true spiritually.  There are stages in our Christian walk when we need the strong doctrine of Romans; other times when we need to focus on the foundations of Genesis; and sometimes when we just need the comfort of Psalms. Through those stages, we need to maintain a balance of all the Scriptures, both Old and New Testament.

As my husband and I continue our quest to eat healthier, we still enjoy a sugary treat on occasion. When taken in moderation, sweets can help brighten the day and make you feel good.  Sometimes, we need a little something sweet and light in our Christian walk; what I call spiritual meringue.  There are lots of Christian books out there that are chocked full of spiritual meringue.  They make you feel good about yourself, and who doesn't need that now and then? Sometimes pastors may serve up a meringue sermon to encourage and uplift his flock.

But there is a great danger if we fail to moderate the amount of meringue in our Christian life.  After all, despite how sweet it tastes and how good it makes us feel, we need to remember that it is all fluff and no substance.  A diet that consists primarily of meringue will make us weak and eventually kill us. That is why we need to focus on the meat in our personal devotions- and make sure that our church is serving up a steady dose of the solid stuff.

The world tells us that "you are what you eat."  In a way, this passage in Hebrews is telling us the same thing.  If we are still on a diet of watered-down Scriptures, then we are trying to remain as spiritual babies.  And, babies can't do a lot to further the Kingdom of Heaven.  However, if we are consuming the meat of God's Word on a regular basis, then we are mature Christians who are spiritually fit to do God's work.

One of the first steps we had to take in eating right was to keep a daily journal of what we consume.  Most people are not aware of what they are consuming each day.  By writing it down, it makes us realize exactly what we are eating and how much of it.  What would we learn about our spiritual diet if we did this?  Are we having a steady diet of the meat of God's Word or do we snack endlessly on the latest Christian bestseller? Do we have regular meals or go for days without eating at all?

God has already laid the table for us.  With 66 incredible books to choose from, we have an endless choice of entrees.  So sidle up to the table and make sure you clean your plate. Bon appetit!

Do Not Disturb

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice,

 and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20

Of all the verses in the Bible, this one is probably the most misapplied.  We hear it used often at revivals.  We have probably used it ourselves when sharing Christ with the lost.  However, what many Christians don't realize is that this verse was intended for believers rather than for the lost.

Now don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean that we cannot use this verse when leading someone to the Lord.  However, since Jesus was speaking to us, the Church, when He said this; surely it is vital that we look at what He said in that context.  Jesus is knocking at the door of the Christian's heart (our heart) and asking to come in.  How can that be?, we may ask ourselves. As a believer, we have already accepted Him into our hearts.  Why would Jesus need to tell us that He is standing at our heart's door and knocking to come in?  The reason is that many of us have hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on our heart.

Why would a believer hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign on their heart?  The answer is simple enough: We are afraid of what Jesus might ask us to do.  After all, if we open our hearts completely to God, He may ask us to risk our jobs by witnessing to a lost co-worker.  Or He may question the emphasis that we place on our children's sports programs.  If we answer the knock on our heart, Jesus might come in and interrupt our weekly schedule- and that might mean missing our favorite TV show or the time we spend with our favorite hobby.  Opening that door might invite Jesus to begin messing with our finances; and do we really want to answer to Him about how we are spending our money?  Even worse, He may ask us to re-evaluate into whose hands we have placed the education of our children- and why.

Face it, opening the door to our hearts is scary.  There is just no telling where it might take you, but I do know this:  Opening the door to Christ will take you off that sofa and into a dark, lost world.  It will bring you hardships and sorrow- and you may never be able to call another minute your own.  But by letting Christ in, you will begin to have the kind of spiritual relationship that you were meant to have.  So throw open that door and let Christ use you to change the world.

Gotta go.  I think I hear someone knocking at the door...

Willingly Ignorant

For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the Word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.

II Peter 3:5 - 6

This week I attended an Answers in Genesis conference with my grandkids. It was a special event for me because I remembered attending this same conference with my children when they were about the same age. What really made the occasion special was knowing that my daughter is providing the Biblical foundation that my grandchildren need to combat the philosophies of this world. Like Ken Ham, I believe that the battle for the minds and beliefs of our children begins with Genesis.

When I started college, I had only been a Christian for a year.  When we began to study evolution in my biology class, I quickly realized that there was a gigantic chasm between what the Bible teaches about our origins and what our science classes teach.  For me, there was no spiritual conflict over this issue.  I believed that God's Word was literal and inerrant; therefore, there had to be error in what my teacher was telling me.

Over the next few years, I read every book (Christian and secular) that I could on the topic of evolution- even Darwin's Origin of the Species. The more that I read, the more certain I became that evolution was fiction.  I learned that evolutionists frequently put forth their own assumptions and assertions as "facts" even when their is little or no actual data to support their theories.  For example, a tooth or a portion of a skull is "reconstructed" into a new "species" of early man. 

Now, decades later (with a Master's degree in Archaeology) I know that what passes for science today is 10% facts and 90% supposition.  Whether its evolutionary biology, theoretical physics, or geology, what we actually know for sure is just a drop in the bucket compared to what we do not know.  If you think that I am exaggerating, ask yourself why our science books have to be updated every 5 to 10 years.  It isn't because we are adding that much new knowledge, but that we are changing our suppositions regarding those few facts that we know.

God's Word is different. It is immutable and inerrant. It doesn't have to be updated or revised because it is infallible.  In all my years of researching the origin of man, I have never found one single fact that calls into question the credibility and accuracy of the Scriptures.  The scientific evidence of a young earth, created in six days, is overwhelming.

However, my faith isn't built upon the science of creationism.  My faith is founded in the Word of God.  Ultimately that is where we all stand or fall as Christians.  Do we put our faith in the word of man or do we put our faith in the Word of God? That is the foundational choice that determines the course of our own personal walk.  We can choose to try to avoid making the choice or we can try to waffle on the decision by trying to put together some hybrid mix of faith and science; but by doing that we are actually choosing to mitigate the truth of God's Word.

Walking by faith cannot be a half-hearted action.  If we are not 100% certain of the reliability of God's Word, then Satan will slowly and surely chip away at us until our faith collapses like a house of cards. If you haven't given this issue much thought, maybe it is time that you did.  If you've been on the fence about creationism, trying to live with one foot in the world and the other with God, then maybe its time that you asked yourself this question: How is that working for you?

Reflections on Mother's Day

I love Mother's Day.  After all, being a mother is usually a pretty thankless job.  Kids seldom notice the sacrifices that you make for them when they are young, so it is nice that for one day out of the year you get to be gushed over. What's not to like about that?!

For me, it is also the day to remind myself that the children that I had birthed do not really belong to me.  God had allowed me the privilege of caring for them, but in reality, they belonged to God.  It's what I call Stewardship Parenting.  As Christians, we tend to be aware (at least in theory) that our money, belongings, and time actually belong to God and that we are just the stewards of those things.  God allows us to use six days a week to do the things that we need (and want) to do, but reserves one day a week for Himself.  He allows us to spend 90% of our money on ourselves, but expects the tithe to go toward His work.

However, we often forget that the same holds true for our children.  We make the mistake of thinking that they are ours- and that gives us the wrong approach in child rearing. We focus on what we want for our kids (happiness, success, security) rather than what God wants.  The reality is that the Christian walk requires sacrifice and suffering.  As parents, we often do all we can to shield our children from those things; forgetting that those experiences are the things that build faith, character, and integrity. 

Our natural instinct as a mother is to protect our children.  However, we are (in essence) tying God's hands when we rush in to protect our kids from the consequences of poor choices. It is vital that children learn the principle of sowing and reaping by experiencing it first hand.  We are opposing God when we try to mitigate the consequences of sin in our childrens' lives.  If we saw a loving parent trying to discipline their child, we would never rush in and try to stop them; but when we shield our children from God's discipline, we are doing just that.

It isn't easy to practice Stewardship Parenting.  It means that we have to truly give our children up to God.  It wasn't easy for Abraham to offer Isaac up as a sacrifice and it isn't any easier for us today.  Giving our children back to God may mean that they end up on the other side of the world doing mission work or live in semi-poverty to minister to native Americans in South Dakota.  While we may feel compelled to transfer our own hopes and ambitions on to our children, Stewardship Parenting means that we enable our children to pursue the course that God has laid out for their lives- even if it means laying down their lives for the Gospel.

Looking back on all the wonderful Mother's Days that I've had, it's great to be honored as a mother; but it's even better to set aside my own selfish desires and expectations of motherhood so that I can be the kind of mother that God wants me to be.  After all, that is what a great mother really is.

What Will Tomorrow Bring?

Do not boast about tomorrow; for you do not know what a day may bring forth.

Proverbs 27:1

Have you ever noticed how a day seldom turns out the way that we think it will?  We wake up, expecting the day to go a certain way, but unforeseen circumstances and events propel us on a course that we could not have seen.  A day that we think will be the most important of our lives turn out to be a let down; while another seemingly unimportant day turns out to be the best (or the worst) day of our lives.

This holds true for the course of our lives, as well.  As Christians, we often start on a path toward a goal, only to find the road blocked so that we are forced to take another way.  Paul experienced this when he decided to take the Gospel into Asia (Acts 15). Paul's motives and desires were pure, but God prevented him from going. It must have been both puzzling and frustrating for Paul to see his dream of reaching Asia Minor die. Unfortunately for Paul, he didn't have our benefit of seeing the situation from the future.  When God blocked Paul from going into Asia, he moved him toward Philippi, the gateway to the Roman Empire.  In effect, God was taking the Gospel into Europe, where it had the greatest potential of spreading throughout the world.

No human could have anticipated that Europe would one day be the center of civilization- and that its influence would eventually spread across the Atlantic Ocean to a New World; but God knew. While Paul had his own personal ambitions and dreams, he had the faith to set aside his desires in obedience to God's direction.  Because of Paul's obedience (and the faith and obedience of others like him), I live in a nation that was founded on Biblical principles.

Lately, I've felt a little like Paul.  Alan and I moved to Clermont (a small town in northeast Georgia) thirteen years ago, thinking that this would be the place where we would set down roots and live until we retired.  We built our dream house and invested our lives in this wonderful community. But God had other plans.  Slowly, He has clipped away at the roots that we set down; gently, but firmly, uprooting us and leading us into a new work in a new area.

This month, the last of those roots were severed.  Our dream house is sold and our belongings are being packed away into cardboard boxes.  It is a painful process, as I'm sure it must have been for Paul, but the sorrow is balanced with a hopeful anticipation of how God will be using us as we begin down this new path in our life.  After forty years of serving the Lord, we have learned (like Paul) that despite the occasional shipwrecks and stonings that we endure in our lives, God never fails us.  He has a purpose for our lives and, though we cannot see what is at the end of this path, God can- and it is sure to be awesome.

"Works" is Not a Four-Letter Word

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works,

which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10

Just try to bring up the topic of works in your Bible group and see what happens.  At the mention of works, most believers bring up Ephesians 2:8-9 faster than Buffy raises a cross to ward off vampires. Now don't get me wrong. I am so thankful that we don't have to depend upon our works for salvation.Nothing that I have done (or ever will do) could earn me a place in heaven. I have faith that I am saved by the grace of God, who sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die for my sin.

My concern is that, despite the number of times that I have heard Ephesians 2:8-9 quoted by Christians, I rarely hear verse 10 mentioned. We all agree that works has nothing to do with salvation, but once saved, where do works fit in?  According to Paul, we were created to do good works and to walk in them.  That word "walk" is the same word used to command us to "walk" by faith.

It would seem that walking by faith and walking in good works go hand in hand according to Paul.  He is not alone in this belief. James tells us that faith without works is dead (James 2:17).  That isn't a statement that would go over well in most of the small group studies that I have attended.  Surely James can't have meant that a lack of godly works a person's life might mean that they have a phony faith, could he?  That certainly doesn't sound like it belongs to the feel-good, don't-put-anyone-under- conviction philosophy that I've been hearing in most American churches.

Think about it.  When was the last time that you were challenged to refine your spiritual disciplines like fasting, daily personal devotions, or real sacrificial giving.  When was the last time that you even heard the expression "spiritual disciplines?" Face it, we've become spiritual couch potatoes who would much rather throw a little money at others who are doing good works (like Operation Christmas Child or the Red Cross) than to have to get our hands dirty by actually doing the work.

A growing, vibrant faith will compel us to do good works; and as we move further outside our comfort zone to do more and more ministry, our faith will flourish.  I challenge you to get of that (figurative) couch and start looking around at the ministry opportunities that God has already placed around you.  If you have trouble seeing one, just ask about helping out in the children's department at church.  There is always a shortage of willing workers there.

The funny thing about doing good works is that you often go into it thinking that you will make others happy and finding out that you were the one who got the greatest blessing after all.

Loving Your Neighbor

And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Luke 10:27

 

 

Jesus repeatedly emphasized the importance of these two principles: love God and love your neighbor. In the Gospel of Luke, a lawyer raises the question of who our neighbor is; to which Jesus responded with the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan.  Through that parable, Christ effectively tore down the racial barriers that threatened to keep the Christian faith limited to the Jews and empowered the spread of the Gospel to all people.

 

What I've noticed, however, is that while we eagerly accept the worldwide definition of "neighbor," we tend to overlook the literal aspect of loving our neighbor. Are we loving the very people that live next door to us?  Think of your neighborhood as your own personal mission field.  You are the missionary that God has sent to the families that live in your subdivision.

 

As former international missionaries, we quickly learned the "golden rule" of evangelism: "People won't accept what you say until they believe that you love them."  This concept holds true all over the world- and especially in your neighborhood.  Your witness need to begin by building genuine relationships with your neighbors.

 

In order to love our neighbor, we need to begin with being a good neighbor. Did you know that the number one cause of conflict between neighbors are pets?  Dogs that are prone to barking or that are allowed outside unsupervised are a major source of annoyance to neighbors and can destroy any chance of a Christian witness.

Deuteronomy 19:14 commands us not to encroach on our neighbor's land.  A good neighbor respects the property of his fellow neighbors.  You can avoid border wars by keeping your pets and children off of your neighbors' land and being careful not to place trees or structures too close to property lines.

Noisy neighbors are a problem to everyone living nearby; whether it is loud music, parties, or just running the leaf blower early on a Saturday morning.  If you are planning a party or barbecue, be polite and let the neighbors know ahead of time.  Keep kids and pets indoors (or at least quiet) until 10 AM on weekends and after 10 PM on weekdays.

Finally, go the extra mile in being a good neighbor.  Be friendly.  Take the time to speak to your neighbor if you see them out in the yard. If they seem open, begin building a relationship slowly, but follow the advice of Proverbs 15:17 and don't overdo it..  If conflicts have already arisen between you and a neighbor, try to resolve the problem and "mend fences."

Neighbors can be a wonderful resource in times of need. Proverbs 27:10 tells us that, in a calamity, a neighbor nearby is better than family that live farther away. Whether you need to borrow a cup of sugar to finish that recipe or someone to pick your daughter up at the bus stop while you run your sick baby to the doctor, a neighbor can be a life saver.  Neighbors who know you and are somewhat familiar with your schedule can be the best security system around.

After commanding us to love God with all our hearts, Jesus says that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. He tells us that there is no greater commandments than these.  If loving our neighbor is that important to Jesus, it ought to be important to us, too.






The Hardships of Sowing

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.  He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.

Psalm 126: 5-6

 

Peter and Paul are undoubtedly the greatest of evangelists of all time.  They were among the first to sow the "precious seed" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The concept of sowing and reaping is a basic doctrine of the Christian faith.  We all know that we reap what we sow and we are all familiar with the parable of the sower and the seed. We may even acknowledge (much to our discomfort) that as a Christian it is our duty to be out there in the world sowing seeds.

However, we often overlook the passage from Psalm 126.  Notice that it doesn't say that we are sowing tears, but that tears are shed as we sow.  David is telling us that sowing is a painful process. That is evident in the lives of Peter and Paul.  Throughout their lifetimes, they faithfully sowed the Gospel among the lost.  In return for their efforts, they were beaten, shipwrecked, imprisoned, and martyred.

Think of our missionaries, who leave family and friends to go and spread the Gospel to the ends of the earth.   At the very least, they spend their lives in an alien culture, surrounded by people who look, talk, and think differently from them. Often they suffer physical abuse, persecution, and even death at the hands of the very same people that they came to help.

The rest of us go on with our lives, hardly thinking about the spiritual condition of those around us.  We shy away from sharing the Gospel with a co-worker or neighbor because they might think less of us. Or, even worse, we make the excuse that we don't feel comfortable sharing the Gospel with others. 

I seriously doubt that Paul felt "comfortable" being stoned, scourged, and imprisoned for sharing his faith, but it did not stop him.  It is our natural tendency to want to stay in our "comfort zone," but we need to realize this: No Christian has ever accomplished anything of significance for the Kingdom of Heaven while remaining in their comfort zone.

Yes, witnessing may stretch you beyond what you thought you could ever do and cause you to suffer more than you would have wanted; but don't forget the second part of the passage.  God promises that our tears will turn to joy and one day we will have the pleasure of entering into eternal life in heaven along with the "sheaves" that we helped to bring to Christ.

Living by Faith

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I but Christ lives within me:

 and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,

who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Galatians 2:20

 

 

Ever notice how circumstances and other things tend to push our genuine celebration of Easter aside?  As Christians, this holiday should be the focal point of our year.  Yet so often, plans for spring break, Easter egg hunts, or shopping for new outfits takes our time, thoughts, and energy away from this important day.  Even our church services seem to take the emphasis away from the believer; seeing the opportunity to give a rousing salvation sermon for the small group of attenders that only come for this annual service instead of providing a celebration for true believers.

 

Okay, I'll get off my soap box now and get to the point.  We all know that, if it wasn't for the crucifixion there would be no Gospel. And with no Gospel, there would be no Christian faith.  However, it never hurts to be reminded that the crucifixion was not just something that happened to Jesus: it happened to every believer as well.  At the time of our salvation, our old self was nailed to that cross.  Like Christ's death, the death of our old self was bloody, painful, and costly.  Unlike Christ's death, the death of our old self was final.  It didn't come back to life on the third day. It is dead, dead, dead.

 

In Galatians, Paul tells us that, because of our being crucified with Christ, we are able to live by faith. Unfortunately, many of us have still not quite let go of our old self. There are many reasons why we do this; we may may still be just a little bit in love with the world and don't want to give up on some of those old ties to it.  Or we may still harbor that secret little sin that has such a hold on us that we can't let it go.

 

Whatever the reason, it is hindering us from truly living by faith.  In essence, we are trying to live a victorious Christian life while carting a corpse around on our back.  How is that ever going to work?

 

So maybe, now that Easter has reminded us of the great sacrifice that Christ has made for us, it is time to put the last nail in the coffin on our old self.  If it helps, make a ceremony of it.  Write out the main thing that is keeping you from living by faith.  Then, put it in a shoe box and bury it out in the back yard.  It is dead, it has been dead, and all that is left is for you to bury the body.

 

 

 

 





Fearless Faith

And He said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?

Mark 4:40

Just prior to going overseas to serve as missionaries with the International Mission Board, Alan and I  spoke at numerous churches across the southeast. Our five children, ranging in age from 5 to 12, went with us. At every church that we visited, I had the same conversation after the service.

"So, you are going to be a missionary in Southeast Asia?"

"That's right," I'd say with a smile.

"Are you taking your children?"

"Yes, we are."

"All of them?"

"Yes, all of them." (Did they really think I would only take some of my children with me?)

"I could never take my children to some foreign country! Aren't you afraid that something might happen to them?"

"God has called us to the mission field," I would explain. "If I've learned anything, it is that my family is safer in a foreign country if we are following God's Will, than we could ever be in America if we are outside of His Will."

Fear is a terrible thing.  It robs us of joy, corrupts our thinking, and paralyzes our ability to do what is right.  We cannot fight it with words because fear is irrational.  In Romans 8:15, Paul calls fear "a spirit of bondage."  It is a very appropriate term because fear truly makes us a prisoner. And like other sins (Yes, fear IS A SIN), it damages our spiritual growth and our willingness to serve the Lord.

For a woman, fear is the greatest weapon that Satan can use against us. I know, because there was a time when I allowed fear to get a stronghold in my life. But, praise the Lord, God has empowered us through the Holy Spirit to be able to break the chains of fear. We know this to be true, but sometimes it can be a little tricky to actually apply.

Let me share a few tips that helped me to overcome fear in my own life.  The first thing that I had to do was to stop watching the news on TV.  I sometimes think that the main purpose of the evening news is to instill as much fear into Americans as possible.  Just look at the headline news: murders, tragic fires, deadly crashes.  Why do we need to see those things? Is there anything that we can do about them? NO! Then why subject ourselves to them?  God gives us sufficient grace to handle the tragedies that happen in our own lives and the lives of those around us, but not to deal with the suffering of the whole world. So turn the television off and read your news (if you absolutely have to have it) from the internet.

The next time you are facing a fearful situation, ask yourself this: What is the worst thing that could happen?  For example, layoffs at work may be making you fearful about your own job.  So the worst thing that could happen is that you would lose your job.  So if you lost your job, what is the worst thing that could happen? You could lose your home and be forced to live in a homeless shelter.  If that happened, could any good come from it?  Well, yes, you could start a ministry to the homeless; without a job, you'd have more time with your children; and you wouldn't have to do housework. It all boils down to this: If the worse did happen, do you believe that God would be with you through it all?

It is not a coincidence that Jesus equates fear with a lack of faith.  If we truly believe that God can walk us through the valley of the shadow of death and bring us out into the sunshine on the other side, then fear cannot take root in our heart. We cannot argue ourselves out of being fearful. We have to build the kind of faith that can defeat it. That kind of faith requires stepping out and putting our lives on the line when He asks us to.  Running from God and His Will only produces unbelief.

So next time that Satan tries to enslave you with the chains of fear, trust that God can see you through the worst of storms. Take it from someone who has gone through some of those "worst things", GOD WILL BE THERE FOR YOU!

Walking By Faith

As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him.

Colossians 2:6

 

 

 

In the early 1930's a tight-rope walker was entertaining spectators by walking a rope that was suspended thirty feet above the road.  The crowd was amazed as they watched him push a wheelbarrow back and forth along the rope, however, the performer didn't stop there.  Loading the wheelbarrow with two one-hundred pound sacks of grain, he pushed the weight effortlessly across the rope.  The spectators cheered as he successfully reached the platform with his load.  Turning to the crowd, the acrobat shouted down to the crowd.

 

"Who thinks that I can safely carry a man across the rope in my wheelbarrow?"

 

A multitude of hands were raised to signify their belief in his abilities.

 

"Who will be the first to climb in?"

 

Needless to say, he had no volunteers.  The story may be a familiar one, but it is a striking example of the difference between faith and belief. 

 

It is unfortunate that, in the English language, there is no verb form for the word faith, as there is in the Greek.  Instead, we are forced to translate the word, pisteuo, as "believe," even though the words mean two very different things.  The difference is about eighteen inches: the distance between our head and our heart.  What I mean by that is that belief is something that we do with our head and faith is something that comes from the heart. 

 

In the story above, the people in the crowd believed with their minds that the performer could safely carry a person in the wheelbarrow.  However, their unwillingness to place their life on the line by volunteering to be that person shows that they lacked true faith.  As Christians, we are required to walk by faith, not by belief.  If we are not willing to put our life on the line for our faith, then what we have may be belief and not faith. 

 

Belief will never give us the ability to rise above sin or empower us to do what is right. As Paul says in Colossians, as we received Christ, we are to walk in Him.  If we accept Christ on an intellectual basis only, our walk will consist mainly of stumbling and falling.  However, if we have the kind of faith that is life changing, our walk will show it; we will be victorious.

 

I get so frustrated by the old adage, "I'm just a sinner saved by grace."  Satan loves for us to think that, but it just isn't true!  In the Scriptures, once a person is saved they are never referred to as sinners, but as saints!  By continuing to think of ourselves as sinners, we make it easier to justify sin in our lives.  But that old sinner was crucified with Christ and we are now a new creation. 

 

As a new creation, saved by faith, let us walk in that faith. It won't be an easy walk and we will seldom have the luxury of seeing more than a few steps ahead of us.  However, just as we have the confidence that the Christ, who raised from the dead, was able to cleanse us of our sin and give us eternal life; we can have faith that He will be walking with us as we continue in our journey of faith. 



Exercising My Faith

For we walk by faith, not by sight...

II Corinthians 5:7

A couple of years ago, my husband and I made a New Year's resolution to exercise regularly together. We wanted to make sure that we stayed healthy so we could enjoy watching our grandchildren grow up. I still remember that first day of exercise (using an exercise DVD that our daughter had loaned us), we put everything we had into it. Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard as I expected it to be. I went to bed that night feeling really good about myself.

I woke up the next day and could hardly get out of bed. I was sore in places where I didn't even know there were muscles. Every step, every breath, every movement was agony.  I wondered what I was thinking, to put myself through so much pain. I seriously considered just quitting. Surely nothing could be worth this much hardship.

But I didn't quit. For weeks I dreaded our exercise time.  I wondered if it would ever come easy to me. Two years later, we still exercise regularly.  Our health improved and we have greater stamina than I ever thought possible.  I can't say that I necessarily look forward to exercising, but it has become second nature to me- a part of who I am.

Faith is a lot like this. In many ways it is like one of the muscles in our body. The more that we exercise it, the stronger it gets. Conversely, a muscle that is seldom used becomes flabby and, eventually, will atrophy.

Exercising our faith is usually difficult, and sometimes downright painful. It is only when it becomes a regular part of our life that we can expect to reap the benefits.  While physical exercise profits little in comparison, exercising our faith has eternal benefits.  It gives us the spiritual stamina to survive every crisis that comes our way.

When you start any exercise program, it is best to start with small steps and work up to bigger things.  This week, start with the simple things that God is prompting you to do.  Go and share your faith with that lost neighbor or co-worker. Or maybe you need to agree to teach that Bible class at church that no one else wants.

It may be easier to be a spiritual couch potato, but you'll never truly exercise your faith until you get out of your comfort zone.  Only by living by faith will you see the full power of the risen savior, Jesus Christ.

The Power of Prayer

If you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

John 14:14

My birthday was this week and I can never celebrate a birthday without remembering the birthday that God used to remind me of the power of prayer.  My husband and I had been serving as missionaries in Indonesia for a couple of years.  Our teenage daughters were involved in a youth group called International Christian Youth, which was made up of high school students from a dozen different countries.

After one of the weekly Bible studies, my husband came home and told me that he had been asked to be the speaker for their annual retreat and wanted me to be one of the counselors.  That was no problem for me, until I found out that the retreat fell on my birthday.  As much as I enjoyed working with youth, I have to admit that I wasn't overjoyed at the idea of spending my birthday with a hundred noisy teens. I finally agreed, grudgingly, to go.

Arriving at the retreat site, we quickly discovered that the facilities were more rustic than we had expected- and that's saying a lot when you have been living in a third world country for a few years!  Our room consisted of a set of rickety bunk beds and was crawling (quite literally) with insects and lizards.  The bathroom contained a squatty potty (basically a hole in the floor over which you squatted) and a sink equipped with cold water only.  Since the temperatures hit close to 100 degrees and there was no air conditioning, it seemed that the cold water would come in handy. I'd like to say that I didn't grumble about the living conditions, but that wouldn't be the truth.  I had a terrible attitude about the whole thing.  Fortunately, God can use us; even despite ourselves.  Just look at Jonah!

Many of the youth had brought along lost friends from the international school or their neighborhoods.  Despite my bad attitude, it was hard to resist the atmosphere of love among those youth and the earnest desire to see their friends come to Christ.  The final night of the retreat, my husband led an appeal for the lost to come forth and receive Jesus as their Savior.  We were overjoyed to see twelve teens come down and accept Christ.

I had to admit that the ride home was not terribly pleasant for me.  The Lord was really dealing with me about my attitude about the retreat and I had to get my own heart right with God.  I couldn't help but wonder at the fact that He had so blessed the retreat, despite me and my hard heart. My daughter helped me to put it into perspective.  She was looking through our recent copy of the International Missionary Board's prayer calendar.

"Look, Mom," she said, pointing out my name in the booklet. "The churches back home were praying for you on your birthday."

That was a real light bulb moment for me.  It wasn't my husband's deep Bible studies (though he is certainly a gifted speaker) nor me and my bad attitude that had brought those twelve souls to salvation.  It was the power of prayer. And though God had taught me the lesson of prayer's power before that day, I can never celebrate a birthday without being reminded of how our Wonderful, Loving God allows us to partner with Him in His ministry through the power of prayer.