-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jeremiah 17:7-8
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
I'm coming home...
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Kingdom Artisans: A Call to Apprenticeship
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Vision
Eyes that look are common; eyes that see are rare.
-Oswald Sanders
Vision is something that is uncommon in our world. Yet, vision is a powerful thing that is freely available to any who would seek to gain it. It is the driving force behind progress; it is the uniting bond that holds a group to a common goal. It is the igniting fire behind inspiration, and it ensures the perseverance of a path. Anywhere that we find a thriving movement and continued success, we undoubtedly find vision.
Scripture is clear, that without vision, the people perish. Without vision, death will come prematurely to any plan or path. Without vision there is no endurance, and where there is no endurance, there is no hope. Vision is the vital ingredient in the formation of hope. Without vision, there is no hope. There is no idea or goal on which to set our hope upon. I have often heard it said that God can’t steer a parked car. And there have been seasons in my life where such counsel was good and timely, but we must be careful not to wake up in the morning, and get in our car and start driving without having some idea of what places we will be going and the things we will be doing. Doing so will surely leave us out of gas, stranded on the side of the road, with no idea where we really are. However, if we first take a moment, and acquire a vision of what must be accomplished, and what our day will look like, we can not only be better stewards of our time and resources. Vision enables us to avoid the pitfalls of “death”. Without vision, our attempts to move forward are met with an untimely demise.
So what does vision look like? Well, to put it simply, vision is sight. It is having a picture and also an understanding of what lies before you. A clear and shared vision exists behind every successful company. From an understanding of the corporate vision, the company’s decisions are determined. Their employees are hired based on their ability to conform to and and help achieve the shared vision. The employees are also much more productive because of their “marriage” to the vision, and not solely based on financial gain. And even more amazingly, the company attracts its customers through it’s vision. Time has proven that people are attracted to vision. An individual is much more likely to purchase from a company that has displayed a clear vision, even if the product is inferior or more expensive. Think back on some of the most successful advertising campaigns (not the commercials you laugh at, but you cant remember what they are selling). I can guarantee you that you will find that they have put their focus more on their vision, and less on their products or services.
We are attracted to vision, it inspires us, it excites us, and we feel at a loss without it. So where does vision come from? Vision comes from the top down. It is the responsibility of anyone in leadership to receive vision from above, and pass it down to those who are under their leadership. A leader who is not able to share a vision with those he is over, will find that he and his organization are not making progress, constantly banging away at the same problems with no success, until there is not enough strength to keep banging away. However, a leader who is able to clearly articulate his vision to those who are under his leadership, will find that those who are below him are empowered to achieve the vision, and the followers will require less oversight and will become more productive. The problems that one would expect to face will become non-issues, and the problems that do arise, will not break their morale, but instead will be met with tenacity and perseverance. The people that make up such an organization will be empowered to learn, adapt, and persevere in order to achieve its vision.
So how does vision apply to the kingdom of God? Vision is a Godly attribute. Since vision comes from above, then all true vision must flow from God, it must align itself with kingdom principles. And in His kingdom there is no death, only life. There are is meandering or shallow motivations, nor are there any products or actions brought about simply for the sakes of themselves. If we are in Christ, we become “married” to the vision from above. We set our hope on the glorious appearance of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. We become unified with all others who share in that vision, and our unified movement motivated by that vision stirs a curiosity and a wonder in all those who look on from the outside.
Not only do we have a single unified vision as the bride of Christ and children of the Most High God. We also have local visions, as local churches, and Christian organizations have unique visions of their own. And even we as individuals have visions given directly to us from God. But because all of these visions flow from the same source, God, we should find that all these visions work in a wonderful harmony. God’s word does not contradict itself, and neither do the visions that God imparts to those who are joined with Him through Christ.
Vision is incredibly important. We must constantly be renewing our minds, seeking to receive further revelations of the multifaceted vision that God has given us. We must be hearing those who are over us, to better understand the vision that corporately we are walking in. And we must be reminding those who are under us of the vision that has been given to us.
The man of God must have insight into things spiritual. He must be able to see mountains filled with horses and chariots of fire; he must be able to interpret that which is written by the finger of God upon the walls of conscience; he must be able to translate the signs of the times into terms of their spiritual meaning: he must be able to draw aside, now and then, the curtain of things material and let mortals glimpse the spiritual glories which crown the mercy seat of God. The man of God must declare the pattern that was shown to him on the mount, he must utter the vision granted to him upon the isle of revelation…None of these things can he do without spiritual insight.
-Powhatten James
Let us pray that we might receive our spiritual sight. Pray against deception that would attempt to skew the focal point or blur the edges. Pray for those who are blind, that God would open their eyes, and grant them sight through his precious grace. Let us pray that we would understand what has been laid out before us, and be able to articulate it clearly to those who have joined with us in a common vision, and pray that we will be teachable and hearers of the vision that God has granted to those who he has placed above us in His infinite wisdom.
And one final note:
A vision without a task makes a visionary.
A task without a vision is drudgery.
A vision with a task makes a missionary.
Once we have obtained a vision, we must do something about it. Having a mountain top experience where you see all that is before you, is a wonderful thing, but looking and even understanding what you are looking at, won’t get you there, until you start putting one foot in front of the other. Where we have vision, we must also have movement.
God bless!
Friday, June 17, 2011
My Father
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Declaration of Comfort
double for all her sins.
Wow...I read that and was struck by the sheer magnitude of what this message declares. In my quiet time with the Lord, I was brought to this chapter, Isaiah 40. I welcome you along, as I journey through this chapter bit by bit. Oh, the great mysteries that await! As for tonight, I want to submerge myself in these first two verses.
The war is over, victory has been achieved through the cross. Our Pardon has been signed by the blood that was spilled by our King. And not only that, we have received double from the LORD's hand for all our sins. WOAH! A double portion, even upon inspection of my history?! That's right! My history is HISTORY! It's gone, it's been wiped away, it no longer holds me down. So if you are in Christ, if you have joined with God in His New Covenant, then be comforted! Again I will say be comforted! Dont walk through your days burdened by guilt, dont worry your nights away thinking of a lack in provision. Dont return to the fear of spending eternity in Hell, All the promises of God for you are now in Yes and Amen! There is nothing of His that is not now yours in Christ!
My prayer is that you, the reader, will receive a fresh revelation of the grace and peace that is yours through Christ Jesus. My hope is that you find yourself comforted, as is the will of our Father. In our comfort, we become bold, strong, and full of passion. This isnt the kind of comfort that yields laziness and stagnant pools. This is the comfort that speaks of a freedom that is complete albeit undeserved. This is the kind of comfort that drives us to share the news with friends, family, co-workers, fellow church members, even with strangers. This is the kind of comfort that fuels powerful worship, and passionate prayer. There's nothing lazy and stagnant about it. So let's get comforted, and get rolling. There's work to be done, and what a blessing it is to lay our hands to it!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Truth
Truly your grace is sufficient for me
Reaching through faith, to come set us free
Up on the cross, you bore every sin
The veil was torn, we were welcomed within
Holding us tightly, our lives are redeemed
Thursday, June 2, 2011
What's the plan, man?
Let it once be fixed that a man's ambition is to fit into God's plan for him,
And he has a North Star ever in sight to guide him steadily over any sea,
however shoreless it seems. H
e has a compass that points true through the thickest fog and the fiercest storm,
and regardless of magnetic rocks.
-S.D. Gordon
What's next? What is God's plan for you? Do you know? It's a question that is directed often towards young people of the church, and rightfully so. It is not God's will for us to meander through life and trusting in dumb luck to get us where we're going, and just staying put will get you nowhere. Literally. Such behavior is foolish. The root word there is fool; as in, you will look like a fool if you behave in such a way. So what does scripture have to say about this? Ephesians 5 tells us to look carefully how you walk, not as unwise but as wise. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
Jeremiah 29:11 even further solidifies the fact that THERE IS A PLAN. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
So, how are we to know this plan that God has for us. Ask. And commit yourself to what follows. Ask, and it will be given to you, seek, and you will find; and to the one who knocks, it will be opened. Matthew 7 is an amazing promise from God to His people. We also must do as Proverbs 16 teaches us to Commit your work to the LORD and your plans will be established. But if it is just that simple, why isn't every christian able to recite the plan for their life in detail upon request? The answer is sin.
There are many ways in which sin corrupts our understanding of God's plan for our lives, or causes God to hold the revelation until our pride wont get in the way. I, for one, all to often find myself making plans of my own in a desperate attempt to not be found without one. This never works out well for me, and God all too often has to reel me back in and place me back on track. So many times, I am brought to the realization that if God had revealed to me where I was heading, I would come up with a "better way" to get there and start cutting my own path without God. James 4 brings a strong reminder to those of us who like making plans of our own. Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit" -yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." As it is, you boast in arrogance. All such boasting is evil. So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is to sin. Woah! So you mean it is a sin to claim a plan that hasn't come from the Lord? Yes. Even if it's a really good one and it really impresses other people? YES.
A callused heart can also lead to our lack of having a bearing of God's plan for our lives. We as sheep, should have a clear discernment for our Shepherd's voice. But as our choosing to sin grieves the Holy Spirit, and our days passing without being steeped in the Word of God, our acute hearing becomes dulled, and our Master's voice becomes undistinguishable among the many voices clambering for our attention.
So how do I clear all the rubble and peer through the fog of pride? You don't. And by that, I mean to say YOU don't. You cant clear the rubble(sin) of your life. You may be able to clear quite a bit of it away, but it's not the actions or magnitude of your sin that are getting in the way. It's the sin nature, and for that there is only one cure. Belief in Jesus. And what about the fog of pride that gets in the way. Pride is just as much a sin nature as any other. It just (in my experience) attacks our pursuit in this area more directly. And since it is a sin nature issue YOU cant do ANYTHING about it. Yes, you can set up a system of checks and balances, and try REAL hard to keep yourself humble, but ultimately, ultimately all you'll end up accomplishing is a false humility. Again, belief in Jesus, applying His grace to your life is the only thing that can clear up these issues. You cant add any of your own or anyone else's work to it.
So you think you have a plan, eh? What do you do with it? Test it and then pursue it with enthusiasm, holding fast to the word you have been given. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast to what is good. Abstain from every form of evil. If you find your "plans from God" falling apart all around you, then clearly your plans are just that YOUR plans. Proverbs 19 tells us Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand. So hold fast, and trust that if it is of God, the plan will hold true through the toughest of storms.
Ok, so how do we go about "testing" whether the plan is of God? Get into the word of God and bring your plans forward to those who can confirm it. Paul asks in 2 Corinthians 1 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time? Do your plans contradict each other, and more importantly, do they contradict the Word of God? If so, throw them out, they are worthless. Our plans are to flow in complete accord with the Word of God.
One last thing, God's plans for you don't start tomorrow, or later today. God has something he wants you doing right now. It might be reading this blog, or maybe you're supposed to be off the computer and in the bible, or maybe He wants you calling up a friend, or spending time with your family, or maybe He just really wants you to get away from everything and just get down on your knees in a quiet room. I dont know, but my hope, and my prayer, is that you'll take a moment and genuinely ask Him. And once you have your answer, do it. Dont reason it out, don't make plans to do it later. God has made the plan long ago, and He says the time is now.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Missions
Hello everyone, I've been back in Cambodia for three months now. A lot has changed for the team, as well as for me personally. The Elephant English School has been temporarily closed due to lack of resources. It is our goal to have it back up and running as soon as possible, but at the moment we don't have a time frame. Currently our team is focusing on strengthening the core. In other words, we are focusing our time and energy into laying a strong Godly foundation at Heritage House as well as discipling local church leadership. My role in all of this is mostly that of an enabler. I spend most of my time, tutoring math and science (I also guest lecture in literature and social studies classes), cutting grass, running errands, teaching English at Heritage House, as well as teaching a martial arts class to some of the older christian boys in the city. I have found that the best way for me to serve orphans, and to reveal Jesus to this city, is as through humble service to the team with enthusiasm and compassion.
I have spoken to so many people who have the idea that the mission field is one gigantic church planting party, where church all-stars go to really serve Jesus. And ultimately, churches do get planted, and Jesus is glorified. However, the majority of the day to day life of a person on the mission field wont look that much different than a day to day life of a christian in the United States. In fact, I have found that I need to spend more time on the day to day life things here than I had to in the states. We have to grind beef with a butcher knife since there is no meat processor, we have to constantly chase rats out of the house. We have to dust and dust and dust from the dirty air in the dry season. And the HEAT! Oh, words cannot describe. It wears you down, and runs you ragged. By the time that all is said and done, the ministry opportunities that a person has here are the same ones you would have in the states. If I go out to eat, do I ask my waiter if he knows about Jesus? If I make a new friend in the city, do I give him a gospel track and follow up with him about it? Ultimately missions work is simply living a christian life, becoming formed into the likeness of Christ and sharing Him with all you meet.
If you are a Christian, no matter where you live, then it means that Jesus is important to you, that you are unashamed of Him, and that you recognize that without Him, each person that you meet could find themselves in hell before the sun rises again. So here is a challenge from a "missionary in the field" to the Christians at home. Love your God, and Love your neighbor. You don't have to live in a foreign country to share Jesus with someone. In fact, I have more of an excuse because I don't even speak the language!
In John Chapter 4 Jesus spoke to his disciples saying:
"I have food to eat that you do not know about."
So the disciples said to one another, "Has anyone brought him something to eat?"
Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
Here we find Jesus speaking about the how important the will of the Father was to him. It was His very means of substance. It was the food that satisfied his hunger. Do you have a hunger for the will of God in your life? Our flesh so often tries to fill the hunger, but it never satisfies. What really strikes me out of this passage is that Jesus asked His followers to stop trying to reason things out and to lift up their eyes. Right then and right there! He did not say, go to such and such a place and look upon the fields, and He made a very clear point of the timing not being far off but that the time is now. Church, lift up your eyes! Look around you! Do not say that the harvest is four months away during your annual out-reach-athon. Lift up your eyes and SEE! See that the fields are white for the harvest!
One last thing, Jesus says, one sows and another reaps. There are two roles here. How often do you find yourself driving by fields of crops and see lines of workers on the sidelines, watching a few workers do it all? One sows and another reaps, there isn't one who watches. The only people watching is the world, and they are on the outside looking in. Don't think they aren't watching you. The world watches the Church closely. Let's get to work! Let's get our hands dirty! Let's serve one another, so that we too can join in the rejoicing of the harvest, as the sower and the reaper united by a glorious celebration.
We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves. And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil.
Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.
-1 Thessalonians 5:12-24