Reflections on the Word

Humility -

Thu, 5 Apr 2012 09:59:17 -0700

Here is a devotion by Andrew Murray that I read this morning...

It’s a great reminder - that when I focus upon my competence, effort or ability - it will move me further from from prayer, and thus, farther from the Lord. It is an ever increasing awareness of my weakness, of my need, of my dependence upon the Lord, that will move me closer...

2 Corinthians 12:9  “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

Here’s what Andrew Murray writes:

Humility

Luke 14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple.”

The gifts of human learning and wisdom often assert themselves in Christians, instead of that entire dependence upon the Holy Spirit of which Christ spoke. Exaltation of self is the consequence. The Church demonstrates the difference between pride in the power of human learning and humility with absolute pride in the power of human learning and humility with absolute dependence on the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Without humility we become self-sufficient and cease from persevering in prayer.

Our minds, by the Fall, are self-sufficient and require self-denial. We need to know two things: 1) Our salvation consists of being saved from ourselves or from that which we are by nature; 2) this salvation was given to us in great humility by God, who manifested Himself in human form. The first stipulation of this Savior to fallen man is: “if you want to be my follower you must love me more than . . . your own life.” To show that this is only the beginning of man’s salvation, Jesus also says: “Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls” (Matthew 11:29)

What a light is here for those who love the light. Self is the whole evil of the fallen nature; self-denial enables us to become a follower of Jesus, our example of humility.

Father, Your act of humility in becoming a man so that I can be Your child is an amazing example to me. Teach me Your humility. Help me to deny myself and to follow You without reservation. In Jesus’ name, amen.

On MY Terms...

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:55:42 -0700

This last week I read something from Pastor Alec Rowlands, that I thought was quite good:

Three little words capture a huge problem we face in society today. They embody what was at the heart of Adam and Eve’s problem in the Garden and have plagued humanity ever since. They are, “On my terms!” We are happy to be married, but on my terms; happy to be in a family, but on my terms; happy to be employed, but on my terms; happy to be a Christian…but on my terms.  We want God today in America, but on our terms. Piers Morgan did an interview recently on CNN with Pastor Mark Driscoll…regarding a book Mark has written on a Christian view of sexuality. Mark came out and gave Piers a Bible as a gift. The interview started getting tense when Piers asked Mark if he thought homosexuality was sin.  Mark answered that the Bible calls pornography, fornication, adultery and homosexuality sin. Piers replied, “The majority of Americans today are OK with homosexuality, and that will soon become an even greater percentage. It is a new day, a new world!” At which point Piers picked the Bible off the desk and added, “Don’t you think it is time that clergy like you dragged this book kicking and screaming into the new world?”  We are living in a nation that wants to be Christian but on its own terms. We have remade God into our image. Truth is re-interpreted to suit our lives. Sin is glamorized and righteousness ridiculed. Words like sin, judgment and hell are being removed from the national conversation, and Jesus is relegated to the innocuous role of a good example, a teacher, a prophet, but certainly not God.  The world we live in is really not much different from what Jesus’ disciples and the early church faced. And, beginning with Jesus’ disciples, they withstood the erosion of their faith in their day with their confession. This is why Jesus took His disciples to the magnificent seat of paganism, in Caesarea Philippi, and asked them who He was, until Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Matthew 16:16)  To confess means to admit, to agree to the extent of professing allegiance. It is a verbal statement of truth that is backed up by the absolute allegiance of your whole heart and life. Our salvation depends on confession, “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9) Forgiveness of sin flows out of confession, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)  Confession is the focal point of our perseverance, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23) Confession is, by definition, exclusive, “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.” (I John 2:23) Finally, confession is often very public, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (I Timothy 6:12)  The Greek verb, translated “confess,” in these verses is… 
• In the aorist tense, which means “it is all the time”… not a one shot deal.
• It is subjunctive, which means “it is your choice”… no one can coerce you.
• It is in the middle voice, which means “it is for your own benefit”…the blessing of God is on Holy Spirit-inspired confession.
Confession is crucial in the life of Jesus’ disciples because it is the polar opposite of life lived on your own terms. It is crucial in the life of the Church today to stem the tide of muddy thinking that clouds the Gospel in our time. Confession professes that the allegiance of your life IS Jesus, His agenda, His Kingdom, His people…all on His terms.

Taking Our Temperature

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:56:39 -0700

The last two weeks I taught through what could be called one of the Bible’s “invisible” chapters.
It’s a chapter that most people, if reading the Word to their kids, will skip. It’s too “spicy”, it’s too explicit, and these days, it’s too controversial. It’s controversial, because it deals with issues about which our society disagrees with scripture.
So I taught Genesis 19. And I taught what the Bible said. It was pretty simple really. I talked about the Love of God, the judgement of God, and about our sinfulness in general. And I talked specifically about the sin of homosexuality, and God’s antidote of repentance.
Because I taught this message in two churches that unflinchingly teach the Word, it was well received. No one stomped out, no one yelled at me, no one said anything negative.
None of that surprised me. I tried hard to be faithful to the Word’s clarity and to its love.
What surprised me, was the response of those who were supportive of the message. I received a lot of positive comments - but almost all of them came in the context of saying how brave it was to speak the truth in love, or what a difficult message it must have been to give.
That struck me as odd. It wasn’t particularly brave, nor was it hard. But I think we’ve been convinced by our society that disagreeing with our culture is both of those.
I think we’ve been taught (by the world) that if we cross the world, it’s hard and dangerous. I’m sure it can be. But it isn’t always. And I wonder if we’d be a bit braver and bolder -  if we knew that it’s possible to stand with the Lord, to stand upon the Word - and be OK.
Maybe the Lord would say to us what he says to Joshua:
 Joshua 1:8  “Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged,  for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Moral Disorientation

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:10:03 -0700

When I was kid, my dad worked on helicopters for the National Guard. That was pretty cool for me - because it meant that every once in a while, I got to play around in helicopters...
I also got to go for a couple of helicopter rides and I got to know a few of the pilots.
Now, I don’t remember Captain Nolan. But I do remember when he died.
In January of 1980, Captain Nolan and three other crew members  took off from Geiger Field in Spokane - only to crash a few minutes later,  - on the frozen surface of Medical Lake.
You see, in the midst of a horrifically dense fog -  it’s thought that Captain Nolan lost his sense of direction -   he experienced what is called Spatial Disorientation - in other words,   his perception of direction got confused.
The lack of visibility - denied him the most basic external clues -   he couldn’t see the ground, and he couldn’t see the sky -  and without those externally defined truths - he got confused,  and he became convinced that up was down and that down was up. ...but his perception - wasn’t reality. And it cost him his life.
I’m sure it shattered his family. And I know that some of his crew suffered severe injuries.
That crash brought great pain to many people - it was a terrible tragedy. That kind of thing always is.

There’s another kind of Disorientation - another sort of confusion,  where people’s perception of reality - becomes reversed. It too ends in a crash, it too brings great pain, and it too is a tragedy.
The odd thing - is that this moral vertigo - is accepted, even celebrated,  by our culture, by the media - even by most of our neighbors...
What’s bizarre, is that our culture isn’t lost in a fog - No, it’s willingly blind!  our world has it’s eyes shut tight, absolutely refusing to see the obvious.  absolutely refusing to accept any kind of externally defined truth...
...and is willing to embrace any and all consequences, to remain unconstrained
And when the church - allows the culture to determine what’s right & wrong,  when the church, values the acceptance of the World,   more than the approval of God…
It becomes like salt - that has lost it’s saltiness,  and like a lamp - that’s been covered…  it becomes… Like Lot in Sodom.
That’s what we find in Genesis 19. Now - dig in and read it for yourself. And then ask the Lord to show you any areas of your life -  where the world around you has confused and disorientated you... And ask Him to show you from His word: which way is up, and which is down!

How did you know that?

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 15:22:09 -0700

We cannot reach the lost without being in contact with the lost, But it’s even more true that we cannot reach anyone  if we are not in close connection with the Lord!

If Abraham had asked the leaders of Sodom (or even Lot) about Sodom’s prospects,  about what Sodom’s future looked like -  they would have said things were getting better and better all the time.
They would have bragged about their enlightened and open morality;  about their prosperity, and their vigorous trade…

Only the Lord knew that all of that would soon be wiped away.
That’s one reason that our effectiveness in ministry is impacted by staying in close fellowship with the Lord...
Part of that comes to us through His Word...
Psalms 119:105  “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.”
Psalms 119:99  “I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.”
When we’re close to the Lord - through the Word, and through His Spirit, He tells us what we need to know to effectively minister!