September 13, 2014

One of the important functions of leadership is giving direction during defining moments. When God led His people to Kadesh Barnea on the border of the Promised-Land, He told Moses to choose twelve leaders to go spy out the land. So, he did and they did!

After 40 days, the twelve spies returned to give a report of their reconnaissance. While they all saw the same things and agreed on the report, they came to two very different conclusions.

Here is their report:

"They came back to Moses and Aaron and the whole Israelite community at Kadesh in the Desert of Paran. There they reported to them and to the whole assembly and showed them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account: “We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large. We even saw descendants of Anak there. The Amalekites live in the Negev; the Hittites, Jebusites and Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live near the sea and along the Jordan.”  Numbers 13:26-29

Their conclusions:

"But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored. They said, “The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.” Hebrews 13:31-33

That was the report of the ten spies. I refer to them as the "Grasshoppers". Not a cheery bunch are they?

Caleb, "Here is the report of the other two, Caleb and Joshua: Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” Numbers 13:29-30

Joshua, "Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. f the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” Numbers 14:6-9

I call these two the "Giant-Killers" as opposed to the "Grasshoppers".

Quite a difference, eh?

Let's define this difference in the very different response to the defining moment for several million Hebrews.

The "Grasshoppers" defined themselves by fear and made a fearful forecast to God's people. 

The "Giant-Killers" defined themselves by faith in their God Who had already promised them the land and had continually provided for them and delivered them.

Are you facing a defining moment?

If not now, your time is coming.

When your moment comes you will be faced by two choices, "Will I be a grasshopper or will I be a giant-killer?"

September 12, 2014

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead. By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.  And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." Hebrews 11:1-6

The events horrific events of September 11, 2001 forced a defining moment upon the world. 

While each of us was impacted differently none of us have been the same since. Nor will we ever be. As the President's announcement Wednesday night reminded us. We are re-engaging in the war against terrorism.

Life is determined by defining moments, though fortunately, most are far less traumatic than 9-11.

Here are some reasons why defining moments are so definitive:

1) They confront you with life-alerting choices.

2) They feel scary because they stretch you out of your comfort zone and into new territory.

3) They are risky, putting your comfort and security at risk.

4) They cause you to struggle with undesirable options.

5) They challenge you with God moments where trusting is a must.

Hebrews 11 declares that for people of faith, our defining moments should be defined by faith. If faith does not define your defining moments you will be seized by fear and led by your flesh.

If faith does not define your defining moments you will not please God. And really, isn't that choice you face when confronted by a life-defining moment? In those moments you must determine, "What pleases God?" and choose that.

The entire 11th chapter of Hebrews is filled with heroes of faith whose heroism was the result of choosing to let faith define their defining moments!

I urge you to read Hebrews 11 a few times and meditate on it from the perspective of their defining moments. This will inspire you! And if you are facing a defining moment it will instruct you!

September 11, 2014

You could share exactly what you were doing when you heard the news of the attacks. Am I right? Those images are burned into your brain, aren't they?

When you are haunted by the images of the twin towers burning and collapsing remember you have a strong tower and run to it!

“The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The man who does what is right runs into it and is safe.” Proverbs 18:10

You have a refuge – “The name of the Lord is a strong tower…..”

In Biblical times, names were given more significance than nowadays because they were descriptive of your essence. For example: Adam’s name meant “man”, Eve = “first mother”, Abram = “lofty father” which was later changed to Abraham = “father of multitudes”. Isaac, the long awaited son = “laughter”. Isaac’s son, Jacob = “deceiver” which later changed to Israel after he wrestled with God. Israel = “straightened by God”.

So, when the Proverb refers to the “name of God” as a strong tower it means all the attributes of God’s character and being!

Our God, our Strong Tower, is all-knowing, all-mighty, all-wise, infinite, holy, and ever-present. There attributes are reflected in some of His Biblical names:

The name of God is Jehovah - The name of God is Yahweh
The name of God is Elohim - My Creator
The name of God is El Elyon - Most High God (Sovereign Over All)
The name of God is Adonai - My Lord, My Master
The name of God is El Roi - God Who Sees
The name of God is El Shaddai - God Almighty
The name of God is Jehovah Ezer - The LORD our Helper
The name of God is Jehovah Jireh - The LORD Will Provide
The name of God is Jehovah Rapha - The LORD our Healer
The name of God is Jehovah Roi - The Lord is My Shepherd
The name of God is Jehovah Sabaoth - LORD of hosts (of armies)
The name of God is Jehovah Mekeddeshem - LORD Who Sanctifies
The name of God is Jehovah Nissi -The LORD Our Banner
The name of God is Jehovah Rapha - LORD Who Heals
The name of God is Jehovah Shalom - The LORD our Peace
The name of God is Jehovah Shammah - The LORD is There

God’s name is a “verb” while other gods are nouns……..

When you take refuge in the strong tower of God’s Name you get all of this – and more – you get to dwell personally with Him!

Thousands of people went to work that morning feeling very secure in what they assumed to be strong towers. None of them would have believed that before their morning break time hundreds would be dead, thousands fleeing the burning structures, and both towers collapsing into piles of debris.

In stark contrast to those crumbling skyscrapers, the Bible tells us we have a STRONG TOWER! How strong is it? It is as strong and secure as the Name of the Lord!

WHEN YOU ARE UNDER ATTACK DO YOU WANT A GOD WHO IS A VERB OR A GOD WHO IS A NOUN?

Your reflex – “The man who does what is right runs into it….”

When you were a child and you felt frightened by something – maybe a storm or a dog or a bully or maybe a monster under your bed, where did you run? TO YOUR FATHER, right?

That was your reflex – your default response, you didn’t think about it you just did it!

You didn’t run around the house or stop somewhere on the way, you ran straight to your father because you wanted to feel safe. You dropped whatever you were doing or whatever you were holding and got there as fast as you could.

That is how you should run to God!

Notice, it says the “righteous man”. That is because a righteous man is the only one who can run immediately into God’s presence. An unrighteous person would have to put down their sin, repent, receive God’s righteousness and THEN run to Him. By then, it could be too late.

As a child of God it should be your reflex to run to Him in times of trouble, BUT you don’t have to go to Him just in trouble, you can share your joys with Him as well!

HOW?

CALL ON HIM – Prayer

CLAIM HIM – Promises

COMMUNE WITH HIM - Presence

WHAT IS YOUR REFLEX WHEN YOU ARE UNDER ATTACK? WHERE DO YOU RUN?

Your reassurance – “….and is safe.”

Psalm 18:2, “Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my HIGH TOWER.”

Psalm 61:2-3, “From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a STRONG TOWER from the enemy.”

Psalm 114:2, “My goodness, and my fortress, my HIGH TOWER, and my deliverer; my shield, and He in whom I trust…”

Think of God’s Track Record:

Moses called on the Name of the Lord and God delivered His people from Egypt.

Shadrach, Mesheck, and Abednigo called on the Name of the Lord and they were delivered from the fire.

David confronted Goliath in the Name of the Lord and the giant fell!

Elijah on Mt. Carmel called on the Name of the Lord and the fire fell!

And, if you will call on the Name of the Lord you can know the joy of salvation for the Bible promises: “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,”

HAVE YOU FOUND A SAFE PLACE TO HIDE WHEN YOU ARE ATTACKED?

Remember your Refuge!

Run to your Refuge!

Rest in safety!

September 10, 2014

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."  Proverbs 18:10

Nearly 3,000 perished in the smoke and flames and toxic fumes in the twins towers on 9-11-01. Fortunately, Many were able to run out of the buildings to safety before they collapsed into a huge pile of rubble. No one who remained in the building survived.

Who can forget the awful images of desperate people who made the dreadful decision to leap out of the upper stories of the building rather than succumb to the flames and the fumes? How terrifying that must have been.

Thousands of people were able to escape the building and make it to safety while at the same time scores of firefighters and first responders were running into the building attempting to save lives. Many of them who ran in lost their lives attempting to rescue others.

In sharp contrast to those seeking to run out of those doomed towers and make it to safety, the Bible tells us that "the righteous run" INTO the Strong Tower in order to survive! How amazing is that?!

You may be wondering, "How do I run into the Strong Tower?"

There is a condition - "the righteous"

To run to the Strong Tower you must be made righteous by the blood of Christ. You must accept the sacrifice that Christ made for your sins on the cross. Only the righteous are granted entrance into the Tower.

There is a choice - "run"

When you are eager, you run! When you are excited, you run! When you are fearful you run! You choose to run for a number of reasons. Choose to run into the arms of the Lord for safety, and for security and for comfort!

There is a confession - "call on the Name of the Lord" and climb into Him by faith. Romans 10:13 says, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

The Name of the Lord is a Strong Tower! Run into it!

September 9, 2014

"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”   Romans 1:15-16

Recently I came across this thought-provoking article by Michael Youssef and I believe it describes what we will be facing in the not-to-distant future. His thoughts are in italics.

The Washington National Cathedral, during its commemoration of the 10th anniversary of 9/11 in 2011, has deliberately and carefully excluded evangelicals from their multi-religious commemoration. The service includes Buddhists, Hindus, and Muslims, but not evangelical Christians. Mind you, I am opposed to interfaith services in any shape or form and that is why, in a previous blog, I stated that I was relieved that the mayor of New York spared us the agony of watching the One, True God of the Bible “worshipped” alongside false gods.

The National Cathedral is a member of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation. Having served as an Episcopal priest in the past for a number of years, the fact that they have excluded evangelicals from their service did not come as a surprise to me at all. Twenty-five years ago, I was one of only a few evangelicals left in that denomination and some of my colleagues labeled me as “narrow-minded” and “intolerant.” What was my sin? I took Jesus at His word and believed that He and He alone -- by dying on the cross and rising again -- is the only way to the Father and eternal life in Heaven for all people of all races and religions.

For believing Jesus’ own claim that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6), I was called “intolerant.” Never mind over 500 years of Anglican history that proclaimed these truths and enshrined them in its Thirty-Nine Articles of Faith. Never mind the many Anglican martyrs who have died defending this truth.

I remember asking the question once, “If you are so eager to preach the gospel of tolerance, how about tolerating me as a Bible-believing Anglican?” A senior clergyman who I was very fond of whispered in my ear in jest, “We use intolerance to shut up people like you so that we can get our agenda through.” I remember thanking him for his honesty.

The truth is, the National Cathedral, in particular, and the Episcopal Church, in general, has rejected the Christian truth of salvation as only possible through Jesus Christ. It is soothing for them, or should I say it is a temporary panacea to their burning conscience, to cover themselves with the cloak of acceptability from other religions. Of course, there are inevitable consequences to their choices and I lovingly and “tolerantly” plead with them to turn and return to the truth before it is too late. I shudder when I think of the consequences of their intolerance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ whose Cross they parade.

I read in the press that a spokesman for the Southern Baptist Convention has appealed to President Obama not to attend the service as a protest for excluding evangelicals and Baptists who represent a third of the U.S. population. I offer them the best of luck on this appeal. President Obama is far fonder of quoting what he calls the “holy Qur’an” than the Bible. He is a man who forgets the Easter proclamation, but never forgets a national proclamation of the month of Ramadan. He is not about to offend his own universalist, syncretistic crowd.

May God have mercy on America.

AMEN! 

Be prepared to face a future of intolerance where you will be accused of being the intolerant one. 

Know what you believe and believe what you know!

September 8, 2014

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death!" Luke 15:17

Parables are very effective in giving the big picture concepts but can break down a bit in the details. These three stories do a great job of illustrating God's heart for lost people, but one important truth that is lost in the details is this - we don't GET lost, we are BORN lost. By lost, I mean we are sinful, separated from God, morally bankrupt, corrupt in our thinking and deceived in out mind.

That self-righteousness that caused the religious leaders to be lost in their faith? That is a manifestation of their spiritual lostness. It didn't get them lost but it caused them to remain in their lostness and prevented them from reaching other lost people.

The self-indulgence that led the sheep away from the flock and away from the shepherd. That was the evidence of his selfish nature, his sinful heart that motivated him to be more interested in his appetite than his safety. It cut him off from fellowship and put him at serious risk.

Her loss of focus due to self-satisfaction, that is what caused the carelessness that led to a lost coin. Again, that is a result of a fatal self-absorption that IS our sin nature. The lost coin happened because she was lost! She lost her focus on the coin because she was so focused on her own comfort and well being. It is how sin is oriented.

And the self-interest that prompted the son to dishonor his father, shame his family and put Himself into bondage. That is because of the sin nature he was born with - we are born with. He got lost because he was lost.

So, the big truth in these three rivoting stories is that we get more lost because we are lost. We remain lost until we are found. BUT - JESUS CAME TO "SEEK and SAVE THAT WHICH IS LOST".

The only thing that prevents us from being found is understanding and admitting that we are lost. Only as we get honest about our lostness can we develop a desire to be found. That is what happened to the lost son! That was his turning point. "He came to his senses". There always comes a point where your sin does you in. Ultimately pain pushes the change button in your mind. Every sinful play day brings a painful payday. The price of your sin will always exceed the pleasure. That is where this son was. He was confronted with the ugly truth about who he was and what he had done. He had dishonored his father. He had shamed his family and wasted their wealth. He had sold himself into bondage.

Thankfully, because God wants us to be found, He wired us with a conscience - a spiritual GPS to direct us back to Him. It is always operational. When programmed by the Spirit of God, it keeps us locked into to path of holiness pursuing God. But when it is ignored or programmed by the sinful nature, it leads to the path of destruction.

Jesus points to that crucial moment that everyone of needs to have in order to get from "lostness" to "foundness". We must "come to our senses" and listen to the voice of truth. We must honestly admit we are lost and confess a desire to be found. That was the turning point for the lost son. It was for me and it will be for you.

By this one act of humbly acknowledging the truth and heading home to the father, was the beginning of an amazing transformation. He went from starvation to celebration! He went from the pigpen to the palace! He went from loneliness and lostness to lavish love!

The bottonline - sin is senseless! Come to your senses and live in celebration, plenty, and lavish love! 

September 7, 2014

"One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.  When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”  The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?  Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?  But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God."  Luke 5:16-25

Why would God go to all the trouble to endure our bad choices and our flagrant sinning in order to have relationship with us? Hear the story of the lost son from the modern setting as told by Philip Yancey in his book "What’s So Amazing About Grace?"

Yancey tells the story of a prodigal daughter who grows up in Traverse City, Michigan. Disgusted with her old fashioned parents who overreact to her nose ring, the music she listens to, the length of her skirts, she runs away. She ends up in Detroit where she meets a man who drives the biggest car she’s ever seen. The man with the big car – she calls him “Boss” – recognizes that since she’s underage, men would pay premium for her. So she goes to work for him. Things are good for a while. Life is good. But she gets sick for a few days, and it amazes her how quickly the boss turns mean. Before she knows it, she’s out on the street without a penny to her name. She still turns a couple of tricks a night, and all the money goes to support her drug habit. 

One night while sleeping on the metal grates of the city, she began to feel less like a woman of the world and more like a little girl. She begins to whimper. “God, why did I leave. My dog back home eats better than I do now.” She knows that more than anything in the world, she wants to go home. Three straight calls home get three straight connections with voicemail. Finally she leaves a message. “Mom, dad, its me. I was wondering about maybe coming home. I’m catching a bus up your way, and it’ll get there about midnight tomorrow. If you’re not there, I‘ll understand.” During the seven hour bus ride, she’s preparing a speech for her father. And when the bus comes to a stop in the Traverse City station, the driver announces the fifteen-minute stop. Fifteen minutes to decide her life. 

She walks into the terminal not knowing what to expect. But not one of the thousand scenes that have played out in her mind prepares her for what she sees. There in the bus terminal in Traverse City, Michigan, stands a group of forty brothers and sisters and great-aunts and uncles and cousins and a grandmother and a great-grandmother to boot. They’re all wearing goofy party hats and blowing noise-makers, and taped across the entire wall of the terminal is a computer-generated banner that reads – Welcome Home!

Out of the crowd of well-wishers breaks her dad. She stares out through the tears quivering in her eyes and begins her memorized speech. He interrupts her. “Hush, child. We’ve got no time for that. No time for apologies. We’ll be late. A big party is waiting for you at home.”

Once you have experienced grace like that it changes you forever. 

The four friends in this account show evidence of having experienced the grace of Jesus Christ in their own lives. 

First, they had an urgency.

They understood their friend had a serious need and they knew Jesus could meet it. The sooner they could get him there the better!

Second, they had a unity. 

Getting this need friend to Jesus in a timely fashion would require teamwork. They didn't need a battle of egos or a clash of wills they needed one plan agreed upon and executed by each of them. Every man needed to grab a corner of the mat and hold up his end and walk in step with the other.

That type of teamwork only comes from egos and wills that have been touched and changed by the grace of Jesus Christ.

Third, they had an understanding.

It's obvious this quartet of quality companions clearly understood the gravity of this opportunity. Only Jesus could heal their friend and Jesus was in town and their would never be a better chance to get their friend into the presence of the Healer.

There was no procrastination or excuse-making for these men. They would not wait for another time. The knew today was the day of salvation for their friend!

Just like the young lady and this paralyzed friend, your only hope is to be touched by the grace of Jesus. And once you are everything changes.

The changes that happen give you a sense of urgency to help others find Him. It gives unity with others who have also been changed by grace and it infuses the understanding that when the opportunity arises to reach others you must take it.

Have you been touched by grace?

What are you waiting for?