Don't Give Up

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.  He said:

In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men.  And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, "Grant me justice against my adversary."

For some time he refused.  But finally he said to himself, "Even though I don't fear God or care about men, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming."

Luke 18: 1-5

I love that Jesus tells this story.  It is the type of story that help affirm the authenticity of the New Testament.  I know this much, if I were going to wash the NT of strange sayings, I would probably start by getting rid of this parable.  

Why?

I think this parable is very confusing for many well-intentioned people.  So many people think every parable is an easy morality lesson about how the Kingdom works.  Thus, they assume the judge must be God.  If we keep asking, he will eventually relent.  In the view of many, God is a being who is above the fray of human life.  God is rather indifferent, but he can be persuaded if we ask enough or in the right way.

This view of God is totally false!

Jesus tells this parable to explain how this world system works.  In his time, judges often did not care about justice.  They loved bribes.  They could rule as they wished.  They were government appointees with absolute power.  The amazing part is that such a person could be won over by persistence.  In other words, even in an unjust system,

sheer persistence got justice.

Jesus compares this evil judge with God.  God loves us.  He cares.  Unlike the judge, His very character declares what is just.  He will hear our cries for justice and He will bring it about.  God is the opposite in character of this evil, arbitrary judge.

Friends, I know it might not feel that way for you.  You might be praying about the same unjust situation for years.  To folks like you and I, Jesus says, "God will see that we get justice, and quickly."  

I know this much, I often wish justice and God's direct intervention would be quicker.  

I guess I have learned that God's purpose is often different than my desire.  I want to be done and over with unjust or even uncomfortable situations.  I want to be done with these situations ASAP.

God wants me to grow in dependence upon Him.  He wants me to grow so I trust Him.  He wants me to wait with complete confidence and calm.  In the midst of the struggle, walking in dependence means knowing everything will be O.K.  

The only way I can walk in dependence is to reject the false understandings of God's character.  He is not an unjust judge.  God loves and cares for us.  He loves and cares for you.  He will set all things right.  He will declare justice and truth.

While we wait, Jesus encourages us to not give up.  

Keep asking God for justice and for His intervention.  Then, praise Him when He answers your prayer.

Prayer, Mission, and our Struggles with Both

While Jesus left no recorded instruction to the apostles to prepare themselves for mission by prayer, Luke reports that during the interim until Pentecost "all these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer" (Acts 1:14).  When the mission of the new church was threatened by an edict commanding them to cease their witness, the apostles turned to prayer again, and their mission was confirmed by a new spiritual empowering (Acts 4: 1-31).  The first missionary journey from Antioch emerged from a prayer meeting (Acts 13: 1-3).  Thus there is an indissoluble reinforcing connection between mission and dependent prayer.  Those who realistically face the demanding task of local mission are immediately driven to prayer by the magnitude of the work confronting them.  Those who are praying about the needs surrounding them in the world are awakened to the greatness of those needs and the opportunity for the church to meet them.

Richard Lovelace, Dynamics of Spiritual Life, 152.

Prayer should be as natural as breathing.  Yet for most of us, concentrated prayer is difficult.

Why is this the case?

I think so many of us feel downright guilty about our lack of focused prayer.  We know the good we ought to do, we can tell you what you ought to do, but we lack the evidence in our lives that we really do what we know we ought to do.  In time, we build up an immunity to calls for further and deeper prayer by placing walls around our souls.  Who wants to feel guilty all the time?!

My goal is not to make us feel guilty.  It is also not to hold my life or anyone else's life up as "the standard."  My true goal is to encourage us to grow.  To do so, we need to recognize and repent of several things.

First, our biggest hindrance to prayer is our indwelling flesh.  

Even if you have been a believer for years, your flesh is still with you.  The supernatural gift of faith was lost in the fall.  Faith is what propels prayer, particularly a life-style of prayer.  Thus, walking in dependent prayer does not come naturally to us.  Instead, it runs opposite of our natural, fleshly, tendencies.  

In other words, we do not naturally pray and walk in faith with God.  It is something that has to be nourished and grown.  It will not naturally happen just because you have been a believer for many years.

When it comes to dependent, missional prayer, almost all of us are beginners.  

In fact, new Christians can often lead us older believers in dependent prayer.  I would go so far to say that if you have known Jesus for years, but have not nourished and grown your ability to pray in faith, you probably have more "fleshly" walls built up against dependent prayer.  Why?  You have a reputation to keep.  You know should not be so "immature."

The first step to overcoming our lack of prayer is confess that rumors of our great maturity need to be rejected as a complete lie.  All of us need to repent and believe.  Claim the truth of your justification and adoption by God.  Start anew.  Begin small- with 5 minutes of prayer in the morning.  Learn to pray throughout the day.  Get past the guilt by claiming the truth of your identity in Christ.

Our second greatest hindrance to prayer is our huge tendency to walk 

in our self effort and personal strength.  

There is so much that all of us can do without "divine" help.  I know that sounds horrible, but it is true.  You can perform your job without direct aid from God.  You can do so many work tasks without even a thought of needing God's help.  I can almost assure you there are others in your workplace that do your type of work who do not believe.  They still "get it done."

Even in ministry, there is so much that can be done through our fleshly efforts.  If you are a good musician, you can play and lead worship without divine help.  You can follow the script and the plans made from past years so as to pull off a great VBS or some other church program.  You can go about your "Christian Life" without much need for moment by moment dependence on God.  You can even parent or make it through your normal day without much if any divine help.

Doesn't what I just wrote sound heretical?  Yet, I think it is really true.  I know I lived that way, and I still live that way sometimes.  I even prepared sermons and talks without much dependent prayer.  I am a good public speaker and I have a vast trove of theological knowledge at my disposal.  With the orderly mind that God has given me, I can pull of speaking or teaching without prayer.  I know many pastors who are experienced will affirm the same thing.

How about you?  

Take a moment to really think about it.  I think many of us vastly overestimate the amount of dependence we have on Jesus.  If this true, repent, confess, and believe afresh and anew.

Do you want to grow in dependence?  I offer this piece of advice.  Get out of your rut by starting or participating in a new ministry.  Push yourself outside of your comfort zone.  Try something that will fail without God's direct help.  See if that helps promote dependency.

Such stretching in ministry is exactly what the early church experienced in the book of Acts.  God's call prompted dependent prayer.  There is something nice and peaceful about maintaining the status quo in ministry.  Yet, it can also be deadly to our spirituality.  

Growing in dependency upon Jesus leads to unshakeable joy, power, growth in holiness, maturity, and depth.  

Why not take some time today to ask the Lord to fight against your fleshly tendencies and grow you in dependency?  He loves you so much that He will lovely guide you deeper in.

The Dark Night of the Soul

Walking in dependent faith.  Only four words, but what a difficult concept.  So many times I wish my questions could just be answered and I did not have to walk through life as if I were walking in darkness.  Some many times I wish I could just "do it" on my own and have God bless my efforts.  

In other words, faith is not nearly as simple and easy as I often think it should be.  I believe Lord, help my unbelief.

Let me give an example of what I mean.  I love this passage of scripture and I have claimed it often.

"Behold, the Lord's hand is not so short that it cannot save;

Neither is His ear so dull that it cannot hear."

Isa. 59: 1

What exactly is Isaiah speaking of in this passage?  I believe for most of my Christian life I would have answered that passage is all about the condition of those apart from Christ.  In other words, those who do not know Jesus as Lord and savior do not have the Lord's ear.

In that case, my interpretation is simple.  If you do not know Jesus, repent.  His hand is not too short to save you.  No matter who you are or where you find yourself.  Jesus can and will answer if you cry out to Him in repentance and faith.

I have seen such actions of God many times.  I know God can change the human heart.

The problem is that I think this passage has other applications.  The proceeding context is about God hearing prayers.  This is not a new section, but a continuance of an entire thought.

What about the believers who are calling out for healing of their child, only to have this child die?  What about those struggling with their finances, begging God for mercy, and they lose everything?

Is God's hand to short to save?

I know from experience that most solid Christian folks go 

through times and seasons of life where their prayers are not answered.  

At least, they are not answered as they hoped.  

Instead of God showing up, 

they feel like their requests do not go past the walls of their room.

Where is God in the midst of our difficulties?  Why does He seem to work so almost every Christian has days, months, years, and even seasons where it appears as if their prayers fall on deaf ears?

The term used to describe what I am writing about has been called the dark night of the soul.  It is a time in a believer's life where they wrestle with more questions than answers.  It is a time where they feel less of God's presence.  It is a time when prayers appear to go unheard.

I know I have walked through this experience.  It is deeply disconcerting.  It is lonely.  It can be deeply painful.  It is also so hard to describe.  It is not like I am walking in active rebellion.  It is more like a good friendship that has suddenly cooled and each party merely continues on with their separate lives.

If you are in the place, let me encourage you that the dark night does end.  I don't really know how, but God uses it to make us deeper.  When His presence returns, the relationship is different but better.

The real key is to hold unto Jesus by repentant faith 

even if you feel nothing and even if your prayers 

aren't being answered at the moment.

Hold unto the promises.  Hold onto God's love for you.  Read the scriptures and ask again and again that the Lord will make these promises known to you.  Confess you questions and doubts to God and others.  Don't "fake it to you make it" but be real, ask for prayer from others, and wait for the Lord.

Walking in dependent faith.

I told you that often this is much harder than we had imagined.  I encourage you that it is still worth it.  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  There is no other.  He loves you and He is working through it all.

Tending the Inner Flame

Be still, and know that I am God.

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth!

Ps. 46:10

If we open our mouths, the flame of the Spirit is quenched.

As we shut our mouth, ask the Spirit to re-ignite the flame, and be still before and in the presence of our God, even the smoldering flame comes back to life.

I am so thankful for the sabbatical break in my busy life.  A time for silence, listening, and growing.  A time to grow in dependent, listening faith.

I know it is so hard to be still before the Living God.  We live in a 24 / 7 / 365 kind of world.  Most people who read blogs are busy people.  We read to distract from our usual busyness.  (How ironic)

The problem is that the human heart has not changed.  We still have the same need as the Psalmist.  We need to be still before God even if the entire world shouts that we must labor, strive, speak, and be distracted.

I believe these loud distractions guide us and move us because most of us actually prefer the noise to dealing with our inner reality.

As I often explain,

We always take the time to do what we really want.

So, what are your true desires?  What does your life illustrate is driving you?  Have you taken time to be silent before the Living God?  Can you even hear His still small voice over the shouts of this world's distractions?

A new week means another week to start anew.  If the flames are merely smoldering, ask the Spirit to re-ignite the flame within.  Your responsibility with this re-ignition (or first ignition) is to be still before the living God.  Be honest.  Be repentant.  Look upon Jesus in faith and see His mercy and love.

Tend to the inner fire.

Make a plan this week to have a day, a morning, an hour where you consciously talk less and listen more.  May the Lord fill this time so as to re-ignite the flame of true life.

Lord have mercy upon us and show us Your beauty 

so our hearts will be captured by You.  

May our trust and rest flow from a deep-seated knowledge that "You are God!"

Praying for fullness of joy...

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Ps. 16:11

Many years ago, while I was in seminary, I had a friend who shared my passion for seeing the lost come to know Jesus.  We were talking about what we did when someone embraces Jesus by faith.  I shared that I would get them immediately into a bible study and a discipleship group.  In the tradition of fundamentalism in which I had started my Christian journey, knowing scripture and being in an accountability and growth relationship was key.

My friend shared that while he thought that was interesting, but he did not do this.  Instead, he taught them how to pray because he figured if they learned how to pray, they would learn how to walk with God.

For years I have thought about this conversation and its implications.  I do not believe there is anything wrong with bible study and discipleship groups.  In fact, I still encourage them.  Yet, I think my method of encouraging a new believer to grow was a bit short-sighted.  

Why?

I had a mistaken belief that if I changed a person's mind, it would transform them.  

Experience has taught me that this is not always true.  In fact, transformation through changing one's mind often does not bring about lasting and deep change.

You see, there is a vast and categorically different experience 

between knowing about God and knowing God.  

Knowing about God can bring a sort of intellectual satisfaction.  Yet, unless it leads to knowing God it does not lead to the fullness of joy found in the path of life.  Knowing about God apart from experiencing the presence of God through fellowship with Him will grow stale.  It leaves us with the knowledge that we should know better, but it does not have the power to change our heart that actually directs our whole being.

In other words, over the long run, the heart will not serve the mind.  

The heart must be transformed by the grace of God.

A heart transformed brings fullness of life now and eternal life forevermore.  Knowing God transforms the heart.  In so doing, it will activate the mind and demands that the mind come to know more about the God whose presence brings fullness of joy.  After heart transformation, the mind serves the transformed heart.

What are the marks of a transformed heart?

Joy, pleasure, contentment, peace, love, and grace.  You will not just know the definition of these words, but you will taste and know them in your heart.  They are found when God pours out His grace into our hearts.  They are enjoyed we we walk in repentant faith.  Such grace does transform your mind, your actions, and your life.

How do we do this?  Let's finish this week by asking God for His Spirit to transform us by grace.  Ask Him to lead you into deeper repentance and trusting faith.  Ask Him to bring joy, pleasure, contentment, peace, love and grace.

Back and Ready for the Next Adventure

It is so good to be home.  It is good to have a clear mind, clear heart, and very little stress.  I am ready to discover what the Lord is doing in preparing the next stage of my journey of faith.

I have not written in what feels like forever.  About ten days ago, my family and I returned home from a 7600 mile car trip.  We viewed America through the windshield.  It was a great break from normal life.  It was needed.  It was awesome.

In just under a month, we drove from Seattle to Montana, to Ohio, to Florida, and then back to Seattle.  I cannot express enough how much of a blessing this journey was for myself and my family.

How did I have the time to do this?

In the middle of October, I left my position as pastor of First CRC of Seattle.  The story of why is long and fairly crazy.  I am just glad this congregation is no longer my concern or my burden.  I will allow our denomination to deal with them as they see fit.

While at First, I learned much, and I made some great friends and supporters.  I am so thankful for them and I look forward to having them be part of my life for the remainder of it. 

It never ceases to amaze me how God often shines the brightest light 

in the midst of our deepest darkness.

Today marks the start of a new adventure.  I look forward to experiencing God's grace as we walk through it together as a family.  Please join me in praying for God's wisdom and grace to mark the path for us.  Pray for new ministry opportunities, blessings on my family, and grace throughout the journey.

There will be many changes in the coming months with my on-line presence.  I look forward to seeing the hopes and dreams of many becoming reality.  Please pray for this also.  

As C.S. Lewis said in the Last Battle, "Head further in and further up."

Cures for Hardness of Heart

"All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.  Go, therefore and make disciples ...
Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20

Where is God and why is He not working through me?  

I wish to see people come to know Jesus.  

Why is no one interested?

Last year, I had a message from a young lady in south east Asia who shared her desire to see people come to know Christ.  The problem was that she was seeing no fruit.  She explained that she did not see any conversions and that most of the people to whom she shared the gospel expressed no spiritual interest.  

In other words, this young lady is experiencing the Christian life of most of us!  She hears from others how they can witness freely and see results.  She wants to know the same success.  She really wants God to work in and through her.  The problem is that through her witness, only a few had expressed interest in Christ.  

So, is she doing something wrong?  I would guess the answer to be no.  While she probably could be better at knowing and presenting the gospel, I can read between the lines to see that her heart is in the right place.  She desperately wants to see God's name exalted in her life and in the lives of her not-yet-believing friends.

This heart attitude is where most believers fall short in being used by God.  For many, complacency and selfishness drive our Christian life.  We view Jesus and the Holy Spirit as our personal saviors and helpers.  We seek to be healed of our hurts and hang-ups, and then we might tell others about Jesus.  The problem is that we never completely "get over" our hurts and hang-ups so we never get around to sharing the gospel with others.

This is where many of us go wrong!

The Holy Spirit must go somewhere in our life.  His purpose is to exalt the name of Jesus and the bring glory to the Father.  As we share about Jesus' work in our life and the truth about who He is, the Holy Spirit shows up to bring glory to Christ.  In the process, we are changed and transformed!  

Yes, the biggest reason most of us do not grow much and do not see people come to faith is that we do not share the life-changing message of the gospel!  Our "fear of rejection" illustrates a profound lack of faith.  Our desire to "be made right and holy" before we share our faith illustrates a profound misunderstanding of how we grow in grace.

Our friend in Southeast Asia does not appear to have this problem.  I am so glad!  So, what could be wrong?  If she is sharing her faith with a right heart, why is there so little fruit?

For the past twenty years I have worked in several places in America known for their secularism (The University, Maine and now Seattle).  For eight years I labored in Northern New England, an area with the lowest percentage of church attendance  in the USA that boasts in having the highest level of "noners" (those claiming absolutely no religious affiliation or preference) in the United States.  New England, and Maine in particular, has been called the grave-yard of preachers because of the rocky spiritual soil.  I know many sincere pastors and Christians who have seen little or no conversions through their witness.

Does this mean we are all failures?  I know many need to get past the fear of rejection and witness.  Others need to stop thinking of Christ as their personal savior and see Him as the answer to virtually all human questions and needs.  Their friends and co-workers need Jesus!  But there is something more at work here.

Most believers don't understand that there is a spiritual component to an individual's hardness of heart.  As a result, they don't deal with this spiritual component in their sharing of the gospel.

In scripture, we are told that Satan has blinded the eyes of unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4).  In my experience and in the book of Acts, I have seen some groups of people responded more favorably to the gospel, while other entire groups of people rejected the gospel.  Even Paul witnessed little conversions in Athens (Acts 16:16-34), while seeing great revival in Berea (Acts 16:10-15).  Did he do something wrong in Athens?

Some would argue yes, but I think not!  The people of Athens were more worldly and secular than the people of Berea.  By this I do not mean "evil" but instead I mean that they looked and believed in natural causes more than spiritual answers.  Worldly and secular folks rule out the work of God from consideration.  Obviously it is harder to witness to these folks!

For example, the Stoics mentioned in Acts 16:18 most likely would have been very moral people marked by great self control.  They might be "more righteous" in their conduct than anyone we know!  Yet, they rejected the supernatural as superstitious "babbling" from a weak mind.  Of course they reject Paul's message.  They probably did not even listen to it.

I would argue that such thought is the very definition of worldliness.  It is also the mark of those controlled and dominated by the blinding influence of the evil one.

Our friend in Southeast Asia labors to witness for Jesus in an area dominated with the same sort of worldly and secular thought.  The spiritual blindness is real, deep, and pervasive.

What can we do?

First, pray like your life depends upon it!  In fact, pray like the lives of those to whom you witness depend upon it.  Ask for the Lord to send a spirit of revival and transformation.  Pray that the veil will be lifted so they may see their real need and embrace Christ.

Second, do not give up!  Keep praying, witnessing, and most importantly washing yourself in the gospel.  It will be easy to forget the gospel if you do not have others around you to remind you of its beauty and truth.  Find a community of like-minded believers to encourage and pray with you.

Finally, rejoice in the spiritual interest and conversions you do see.  It may not match the volume or experience of others in different towns or place, but who cares!  You do not live in those places.  God has called you to your specific place and to these people.

In other words, please remember that there is nothing wrong with you!  In fact, God has shown great trust in you by placing you in such a difficult environment.  Keep witnessing to the truth and praying for God to send His Spirit to open the eyes of unbelievers.  Immerse yourself in the gospel.  Gather with a community of believers who share the same Lord and the same struggles.  Remember that today may be the day the revival starts through your witness.  To God be the glory in that wondrous revival!

Growing in Prayer

In much of the church's life in the twentieth century, however, both in Evangelical and non-Evangelical circles, the place of prayer has become limited and almost vestigial.  The proportion of horizontal communication that goes on in the church (in planning, arguing, and expounding) is overwhelmingly greater than that which is vertical (in worship, thanksgiving, confession, and intercession).  Critically important committee meetings are begun and ended with formulary prayers, which are ritual obligations and not genuine expression of dependence- when problems and arguments ensue, they are seldom resolved by further prayer but are wrangled out on the battlefield of human discourse.  The old midweek prayer meetings for revival have vanished from the programs of most churches or have been transformed into Bible studies ending with minimal prayer.

This was the picture in much of the American church until recently, and it is still almost universally the case in some instruments and organs of the churches which have to do with teaching and administration.  Why has this come about?  Perhaps it stems partly from the deficient teaching and emphasis on God himself throughout the church, and partly from the man-centeredness of much religious activity.  Deficiency in prayer both reflects and reinforces inattention toward God.

Richard Lovelace,  Dynamics of Spiritual Life, 153.

Amen, Richard Lovelace.  Amen.

And Jesus said,

"My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations, 

but you are making it a den of robbers." 

Matt. 21: 13

It is so easy to forget the importance of prayer.  Prayer is our walkie-talkie (cell phone in today's terms) from the front lines of the battle to the command station.  It is our vital communication pathway with our Leader, our Lord, our King.  It tells us which way to go, what to watch out for, and what to do.  It is our most important spiritual discipline to tie us to the love of God in Christ

Ironically, most Christians don't see prayer this way.

Prayer is a moment of reflection about what we are thankful for.  It is often ignored for more important things.  Yet, in an emergency, it is something we fall naturally into.  It becomes our life-line.

What if we actually believed that every day is an emergency?  If everyday we understood the frailty of life, the spiritual dynamics of our existence, and the reality of God's presence to lead and guide that is available moment by moment?

Everything in the last paragraph is incredibly true.

So what can we do about it?  How about first take an inventory of where you are as an individual and as a church?

What is your prayer life like?  Do you come before the Living God and pray like your life depends upon it?  Are your prayers mostly brief and about you and your needs?  Have you learned how to listen to God's leading?

What about your church?  Do you as a body of Christ come before the Living God and pray like your life depends upon it?  In our busy culture the Wednesday evening prayer meeting has often gone by the wayside.  Does your church have other groups that meet together for the primary purpose of prayer?  Does your church encourage such groups?

If you did not answer positively some of these questions, then repent of your unbelief, take some time to talk to God about what gets in the way of prayer, and then make up your mind to find someone to guide you into deeper prayer and reflection.

These people are out there!  Lord, help us find them, encourage them, make them our leaders and guides so they can help us seek and walk with You in deeper ways!  Teach us to pray.

Lord, have mercy upon us for we talk too much and listen too little.

Prayer, Repentance, and God's Answers

"The truly obedient person not only understands what God wants prayed but how God wants life to be life to be lived.  Such a person has bought into God's plans and purposes.  He or she is tracking with God, appreciating the wisdom of God's commands and living in accord with His ways.  The obedience of such a person flows from a heart filled with love for the Father.  It is a life-gift to God."

Alvin VanderGriend, Praying God's Heart, 78.

"If one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination."

Proverbs 28: 9

"Whoever conceals his transgressions will not proper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy."

Proverbs 28: 13

Here is the rub for most of us.  

We know we should pray.  We know, at least theoretically, God answers prayers.  Yet, most of us do not seem to have that connection and intimacy with God where we get the answers we really want in the way we want them.  Why?

As I have argued in other posts and in my recent evening lecture series (http://www.seattlecrc.org/sermons/sermon/2013-02-17/our-life-of-struggle-part-2---the-video), the primary reason is that we are captured by the values of our world system and by our own flesh to such an extent that we are blinded to spiritual realities.  

In other words, we walk in at least tacit disobedience to God's ways.  Most of us are in active and direct rebellion.  Is there any wonder that we do not get direct and immediate answers to our prayers?

So what can be done about it?  What does it mean to walk in obedience to God's commands?

This is the question that has not been answered well for several centuries within the Western world.  We have made it about behavior modification.  We have made it about performance of duties.  We have made it about what we know.  Honestly, we have made it about anything but repenting of our sins when the Spirit points them out and believing in Jesus as our only hope.  The vast majority of believers have forgotten the full-orbed Gospel.

When we live in light of the gospel, we find ourselves resting in Jesus.  We find ourselves relying upon Him for our righteousness.  We must be humble because confessing our sin and relying upon Jesus by faith crushes our pride.  It feels like death to kill our pride, but it is the pathway of life.

It is also the avenue for experiencing answered prayers.  Learning to repent of our indwelling sin and resting in Christ means buying into God's plans and purposes.  It means living according to God's ways.

The truly good news is that it does not necessarily mean that we have to have an outward obedience that mirrors a monk living in the desert.  It does not necessarily mean that we have to wait until we are old to really be holy (why do I always picture in my head holy people as really old and thus deadened to the passions of youth?).  

While we might be these folks, more likely we will be the average believer in Christ who has learned the truth about their need for Jesus.  As they go about their day at the office, with their children, or on the road, they have learned that maturity is not about mere outward duty or performance.  

No, they have learned it is about actively walking in repentance from our many failings and trusting in Jesus as our only hope.  Such a life becomes a dialogue with the living God.  Such a life has the hope of obedience.  

Notice, it is not having it all together!  It is a life marked by quick repentance, refreshing love from Christ, and a heart transformed by grace.

Such a life is marked by answered prayer.

Prayer and Joy

You make known to me the path of life;

in your presence there is fullness of joy;

at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

Ps. 16:11

Many years ago, while I was in seminary, I had a friend who shared my passion for seeing the lost come to know Jesus.  We were talking about what we did when someone embraces Jesus by faith.  I shared that I would get them immediately into a bible study and a discipleship group.  In the tradition of fundamentalism in which I had started my Christian journey, knowing scripture and being in an accountability and growth relationship was key.

My friend shared that while he thought that was interesting, but he did not do this.  Instead, he taught them how to pray because he figured if they learned how to pray, they would learn how to walk with God.

For years I have thought about this conversation and its implications.  I do not believe there is anything wrong with bible study and discipleship groups.  In fact, I still encourage them!  Yet, I think my method of encouraging a new believer to grow was a bit short-sighted.  

Why?  I had a mistaken belief that if I changed a person's mind, it would transform them.  Experience has taught me that this is not always true.  In fact, transformation through changing one's mind often does not bring about lasting and deep change.

You see, there is a vast and categorically different experience between knowing about God and knowing God.  

Knowing about God can bring a sort of intellectual satisfaction.  Yet, unless it leads to knowing God it does not lead to the fullness of joy found in the path of life.  Knowing about God apart from experiencing the presence of God through fellowship with Him will grow stale.  It leaves us with the knowledge that we should know better, but it does not have the power to change our heart that actually directs our whole being.  In other words, the heart will not serve the mind, but it must be transformed by the grace of God.

On the other hand, knowing God leads to fullness of life now and eternal life forevermore.  Knowing God transforms the heart.  In so doing, it will activate the mind and demands that the mind come to know more about the God whose presence brings fullness of joy.  Thus, the mind serves the transformed heart.

In light of this, the first question we must ask is do you know God?  Have you tasted the sweetness that is Jesus?  If you have, nourish this relationship by learning how to pray.  If you have not, pray and ask for God to lead you to the path of life.  This path is marked by a faith relationship with Jesus.  Such a relationship begins with prayer and it is nourished by prayer.

Prayer is not merely just us sharing with God our needs.  While this is part of prayer, prayer is much more.  It is also learning how to listen to Him.  The surest means of listen to God is through His Word.  Pray with the Bible open.  Pray through what you read and ask how the Living God wants to apply His Word to you.

Most importantly, pray!  Do not neglect this gift of fellowship with the Living Lord.  Learn how to pray often.  For God's presence is found as we meet with Him in prayer.

Have you known Jesus for years?  Do you find that your relationship has grown a bit stale?

I know at times in life, I found myself in exactly this situation.  Please go back to the basics: pray, and learn how to listen to God in prayer.  Seek after God until His presence is known, for in His presence there is fullness of joy!

How do you know when you have found Him?  Joy, pleasure, contentment, peace, love, and grace.  You will not just know the definition of these words, but you will taste and know them in your heart.  Such grace will transform your mind, your actions, and your life!

May this week be marked by the incredible life-changing grace of God in our experience.  Seek His face and find the fullness of joy in his presence!

Prayerful growth and dependence

From birth we have been learning the rules of self-reliance as we strain and struggle to achieve self-sufficiency.  Prayer flies in the face of those deep-seated values.  It is an assault on human autonomy, an indictment of independent living.  To people in the fast lane, determined to make it on their own, prayer is an embarrassing interruption.

Prayer is alien to our proud human nature.  And yet somewhere, someplace, probably all of us reach the point of falling to our knees, bowing our heads, fixing our attention on God and praying.  We may look both ways to be sure no one is watching; we may blush; but in spite of the foreignness of the activity, we pray.

Bill Hybels, To Busy Not to Pray, 9

How is your prayer life today?  So many of us believe in prayer and talk about prayer.  We might even do a bit of it.  Yet, we struggle to maintain a life marked by consistent prayer.  I know I sure do!

Why?  Hybels is onto something here.  Self-reliance and self sufficiency.  Human autonomy and independent living.  At the center of our rebellion against God is our lack of faith/trust.  Prayer, if done right, forces us to reject the way of our prideful flesh so we might depend on the True source of strength.

Yet, the Lord calls us to develop our dependence upon Him.  Why are we so weak a witness in the world today?  Because somehow we have lost that understanding that true transformation, true ministry, and true life comes from simple dependence.

Prayer is the conduit of God's power into the world.  It is directly related to our faith since from faith springs all prayer.

As someone once said (perhaps Hudson Taylor?), "When we work, we work; when we pray, God works."  As I conclude a week, I want God to work!  I need God to work.

How about you?  Are you ready to repent of your self-effort and come to the Father in dependence?  Are you ready to take the next step of faith?  I encourage you this weekend to pray about it!

Reconnecting Prayer

"My heart is steadfast, O God; 

I will sing and make music with all my soul.

Awake, harp and lyre!

I will awaken the dawn.

I will praise you, O Lord, among the nations;

I will sing of you among the peoples.

For great is your love, higher than the heavens;

your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Be exalted, O God, above the heavens,

and let your glory be over all the earth." 

Ps. 108: 1-5

It has been one of those weeks.  In fact, it has been one of those months!  After a fairly quiet end of June and July, the month of August heats up greatly as a new ministry year starts.  Next week we have our first Youth Extravaganza.  It looks like there will be many details to pull together.  It will be a great week of ministry, but I grow excited and weary just thinking about it!

Last night we had our monthly prayer and praise service.  I did something different.  It was a time of prayer, but not guided too much.  There was a bit of music, but the focus was on meeting with God, bearing the burdens for others, and taking some time to relax in the presence of the Lord.  I know I needed it!

Why?

Because I was working in my flesh.  I was focused on the many tasks at hand and not upon God.  While I know and affirm that Prayer is the work of ministry, I lost connection with the source of all power.  Here was my reality.  I allowed myself to lose focus and direction.  This does not mean that I was not praying.  In fact, my mind was going non stop!  The problem is that my heart drifts away from resting in God's hands and presence.

Is there a distinction between praying with my heart and praying with my mind?  I think so.  The problem is how to explain it!

Prayers of my mind come all the time.  As I am walking through life, I notice things around me and I speak with God about them.  I find I often pray about my life, my family, my ministry, and my needs.  Notice how often "my" is in there!  I also pray for people I know and think about.  What I find interesting is that with these prayers I can move through life without really engaging with my God.  In my arrogance, I am informing God about His universe.

Now, this is not the worst thing in the world.  There was a time when God did not enter into my perspective on anything.  These prayers of my mind show me that God has penetrated my thoughts and worldview.  I am thankful that I often pray in this manner!  Still, there is something more if I really want to grow in depth as a person, a believer, and a servant of the Lord.

Growing deeper in Christ is what I am pondering this morning.  When my heart informs my mind, prayer is powerful, effective, and life-changing.  When my mind tries to change my heart, it seems to seldom work as I intend.  In fact, it can become rote and boring.  In my opinion, the only life-changing power that can transform our tendency toward rote, dry prayer is what I am calling the prayer of the heart.

Notice in today's Psalm, "I will sing and make music with all of my soul."  Here the Psalmist is speaking of the core of his being, what can be called both our heart or our soul.  He is affirming that he is praising God from the core of his being.

Many of us in the West misunderstand the importance of this concept.  We believe that we make up our mind, and then act according to our decision.  This presupposes our mind is free and clear to make rational choices.

The biblical understanding is different.  It argues that from the heart flows the life that empowers all we do.  It is the seat of will or volition.  It is the core of our being.  It is what informs our mind, shapes our thoughts, and ultimately determines our actions.  As Jesus encourages and warns us in Luke 6: 45 "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil out of the evil stored in his heart.  For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."  

The Psalmist is using the tool of music to bring his heart or soul into praise of God.  How does he do this?  By focusing his whole being on the love and faithfulness of God.  In other words, but focusing upon the truth of the gospel and allowing it to penetrate deeply within his heart.

I believe the only thing that can change our rebellious and hard hearts is love.  It is a powerful and intoxicating motivator between us as individuals, and it is even more powerful and intoxicating when we find ourselves falling in love with Christ.  When we know in the core of our being the love of God, it changes us.  It prompts our love for God.  It transforms our decision making.  It drives us to ministry and service not out of fear, but out of thanksgiving for God's love for us.  We find ourselves affirming, "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth!"

So, how do we enter into this prayer of the heart?

Ask God for it.  Repent of our self-effort and the sin that we often prefer to God's presence.  Ask for mercy and love to transform you.  Ask that He would allow you to pray with your whole being.  As you do these things, the Holy Spirit will begin to teach you as your ask.  Find others who have walked this journey before you and ask them for advice.  Read the Psalms reflectively, slowly, and with a listening ear.  Do not give up into the gospel penetrates deep within your heart.

There is so much more to say, but I repent of my desire to say it!  Please begin to pray from the heart.  The following is a sample, though shallow prayer to give an example. 

Lord, forgive me for the busyness of my mind and scattered nature of my thoughts.  

       Father, You are with me.

Lord, have mercy upon me as I need your love more than all I think will bring me life.  

       Christ have mercy. 

Lord, lead me to meet with you and transform me by your love.

       Holy Spirit lead me to know you and to meet with you.

Praying like our life depends upon it...

"Don't pray hard.  Pray as if your life depends upon it."

Moses Chung, Director of CRC Home Missions

Today is our monthly day of prayer at First CRC of Seattle.  We began this emphasis on prayer four or five months ago, though it has been a continual theme of my ministry since I arrived.  Prayer is not important, it is vital.

Prayer is the life-blood of any gospel- and grace-centered ministry.  It empowers and drives every dimension of life and ministry.  It is the vehicle through which God moves.  An individual's and church's spirituality can be directly measured by the extent and passion for prayer.

So what?

I think most of us as individuals, and most churches as a reflection of the individuals within them, struggle with prayer.  When we hear the call to prayer, we try to be more faithful.  We use our will power, and we work hard to be more faithful in prayer.  The results are often mixed even in the short-term.  This is why Moses encourages folks not to "pray hard."

Why?

Because our will-power does not change our heart.  To pray hard means we do it.  We use prayer as a means of manipulating God to do what we want.  Of course that is not our stated goal!  Yet, it is the focus of our short-term prayer.

How do we pray as if our life depends upon it?

This is a spiritual question that gets to the heart of a gospel-centered life.  Because of our deep-seated unbelief that manifests in outward sins of the flesh and inward sins of the flesh such as self righteousness, we desperately need God's grace!  We cannot walk in faith without it.

Why is this not part of every church's teaching and life?

Answer: Because it is so God- and Christ-centered that it brings us to true
humility, which is not an American (or fallen human) virtue.

Yet, this is the gospel.

When we come to know it, we will live it.  How?  We will pray like our life depends upon it.

Seeking God's hand or face?

"If you seek God's hand, you will miss His face.  If you seek His face, you will get His hand also."

I hate it when I cannot remember where I read or heard something.  I was thinking of this turn of a phrase yesterday.  Today I did a google search to find the author, thinking it was an Early Church Father.  It does sound like something they would say!  All that came up is a recent book by Daniel Henderson on prayer.  I confess I never read the book or even heard of Daniel Henderson, but I wish to give credit where it is due, so assume I got it from him.

I have been a pastor for over 20 years.  I have attended many prayer meetings.  I have to say that this quotation hits the nail on the head as to why so many folks are not effective in their prayer life.

They seek God's blessing on their work and life without seeking God's searching, purifying, and transforming grace.  

I know I have lived this way all too often.  I have prayed me directed prayers for too much of my life.  Instead of abandoning myself to God and His will, I abandon God's presence and will for my wishes and desires.

Yet, when you gaze into the beauty of God's holiness and grace mixed in Christ, He meets our desires. Why?  Because our greatest desire/need is God's immediate presence, love, and care.  Such loving protection and mercy is what we were created to enjoy.

How do we seek His face?

Come to Him on His terms.  Humble repentance from all the broken cisterns we dig (Jeremiah 2:13), and humble faith in Christ as our only hope.  Such prayers seek the face of God on God's terms.

May the Lord lead us to Himself, on His terms this weekend!

Hearing God

"Prepare plans by consultation,

and make war by wise guidance" 

Proverbs 20:19

How do we hear the voice of God?  In this week's evening discussion at First, we investigated briefly this important question.  I have found some of the discussions afterward extremely interesting.

For the most part folks appeared to have a deep concern for falling into religious emotionalism (read Pentecostalism), which is full of folks who constantly "hear the voice of God."  By and large, our folks at First have grown up and experienced a religious life marked by consistency and solid doctrine.  This is to be praised!  Furthermore, many have experienced folks marked by religious emotionalism.  These folks are far from stable, and what they claim to hear from God is often strange and sometime actually opposed to the clear teaching of scripture.  Folks who have experienced the extremes of this movement do not want to be marked by these traits because they have seen the dangers and pitfalls of "God told me."  Perhaps because of these concerns, they have also never been taught to experience how God speaks to His people.

I think what most of us really want, what most of us really need, is to experience and hear God speak into our lives.  Not in a weird sort of way.  Not in a heretical manner.  But clearly and lovingly.

How do we do hear God's still small voice?  

First and foremost, we need to saturate our life in the Word of God and prayer.  The Word of God is His revealed will for us.  It contains His perfect guidance on life and practice in this world.  If we do not know it, we will often stumble through life like blind men without any guidance.  

Notice I added prayer as part of the first step to gaining wisdom.  Why?  Prayer is a learned discipline.  It is learning how to communicate with God.  Notice I said communicate!  It is not just us bringing a laundry list of requests.  It is also listening.  How do we do this?  I find it is best to talk with God with His Word open in my lap so as I read, God can impress upon my spirit what I need to know or remember.  

How does this work?  Well, sometimes I am dealing with a particular issue- let's say someone who is hard to deal with.  Let's say they were just plain ornery to me!  I cannot understand why they are difficult.  As I am praying about the situation and reading in the Psalms, I will run into a passage on the "wrath of my enemies."  It is like a light coming on!  The Lord impresses upon my spirit that this person is angry.  I pray for them.  As I pray the Lord guides me to pray for their work situation.  As I talk with the person over the next few weeks, I ask, "How's it going at work?"  They tell me about the unfair treatment they are receiving from their boss.  See, the issue wasn't that they were mad at me.  They were struggling.  If I had not taken time to pray about it with the Word of God open, I might have handled it in a totally different manner!

It seems to me that we rarely have the same situation twice.  Yet, we have God's principles and Word that are eternal.  Taking what we know, or what we should know, and applying it is the heart of wisdom.  

What happens when we mess things us?  Please understand that such times need to be times of learning, not times to merely beat ourselves up for being stupid!  Repent, talk with God about with the scriptures open, reflect on what went wrong, and ask for wisdom on living the truth better next time.  There is also no reason to hide from God or to think we need to do some form of "penance" before we can be right with God again.  Repent quickly, believe the gospel, and move on!

A second way to gain wisdom is to find wise people to ask for advice.  In fact, I often hear the voice of the Lord through the mouthpiece of others.  Sometimes, God's wisdom even comes from and through those who are not so wise!  

How?  What I do is try to listen.  Boy is this hard for those of us who like to talk.  It has taken years for me to learn how to do this.  As I listen, I pray for wisdom and the person I am listening to.  I often find that people will say something that brings to mind my thoughts from earlier in the day or week.  They might clarify what I was reading and thinking about from God's word.  Yet, when I hear it, I just seem to know it is the Spirit of God speaking through these folks.

One word of caution, though I could give many.  All to often, listening to wise people is a step which we in the West have particular struggles.  We are so individualistic that we shy away from asking for advice, particularly from people that are wise!  Even if we get it, some of us are so prideful that we will not take it because we did not come up with it ourselves.  In the past few years, I have heard this reasoning more times than I care to mention.  Remember, if the Lord can speak through a donkey, He can use anyone to speak His will! (Numbers 22:28)

We need to know that God has granted some people a special degree of wisdom.  They can cut to the heart of the matter and help us see what we need to do.  As individuals and churches, we need to locate and encourage these people for leadership!  We should search them out and inquire of their opinions.  Make sure they can explain what they are advising as coming from Biblical principles.  Then listen and try to implement what they recommend.  If we do, even the unreflective among us can walk in wisdom (if we will just listen!).

May the Lord help us to grow in grace and wisdom!

Conversion, Prayer, and Witnessing Difficulties

"All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.  Go, therefore and make disciples ...
Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20

"A disciple is not above his teacher, not a servant above his master.

It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher,

and the servant like his master.

If they called the master of the house  Beelzebul, 

how much more will they malign those of his household."

Jesus in Matthew 10: 24-25

Where is God and why is He not working through me?  I wish to see people come to know Jesus.  Why is no one interested?

Last year, I had a message from a young lady in south east Asia who shared her desire to see people come to know Christ, but her deep concern for the lack of conversions and spiritual interest she was experiencing.  She shared about hearing of God working in and through others in great ways, but she was not seeing the action of God in her life.  I could tell she really wanted to see God work in and through her!  Yet, through her witness, only a few had expressed interest in Christ.  She asked, "Is there something wrong with me?"

I replied to her message, but I wanted to give a fuller explanation.  I believe her experience marks the experience of many!  I know for times and seasons in my life, it matched perfectly with my experience.

So, is she doing something wrong?  I would guess the answer to be no.  While she probably could be better at knowing and presenting the gospel, I can read between the lines to see that her heart is in the right place.  She desperately wants to see God's name exalted in her life and in the lives of her not-yet-believing friends.

This heart attitude is where most believers fall short in being used by God.  For many, complacency and selfishness drive our Christian life.  We view Jesus and the Holy Spirit as our personal saviors and helpers.  We seek to be healed of our hurts and hang-ups, and then we might tell others about Jesus.  

Unfortunately, this attitude is why so many people do not grow in their faith!  The Holy Spirit must go somewhere in our life.  His purpose is to exalt the name of Jesus and the bring glory to the Father.  As we share about Jesus' work in our life and the truth about who He is, the Holy Spirit shows up to bring glory to Christ.  In the process, we are changed and transformed!  

Yes, the biggest reason most of us do not grow and do not see people come to faith is that we do not share the life-changing message of the gospel!  Our "fear of rejection" illustrates a profound lack of faith.  Our desire to "be made right and holy" before we share our faith illustrates a profound misunderstanding of how we grow in grace.

So, what could be wrong?  If she is sharing her faith with a right heart, why is there so little fruit?

For the past nine years I have worked in two places in America known for their secularism (Maine and Seattle).  For eight years I labored in Northern New England, an area with the lowest percentage of church attendance  in the USA that boasts in having the highest level of "noners" (those claiming absolutely no religious affiliation or preference) in the United States.  New England, and Maine in particular, has been called the grave-yard of preachers because of the rocky spiritual soil.  I know many sincere pastors and Christians who have seen little or no conversions through their witness.

Does this mean we are all failures?  I know many need to get past the fear of rejection and witness.  Others need to stop thinking of Christ as their personal savior and see Him as the answer to virtually all human questions and needs.  Their friends and co-workers need Jesus!  But there is something more at work here.

Their is often a spiritual component to spiritual blindness and to ineffective/slow growth witnessing.

In scripture, we are told that Satan has blinded the eyes of unbelievers (2 Cor. 4:4).  In my experience and in the book of Acts, I have seen some groups of people responded more favorably to the gospel, while other entire groups of people rejected the gospel.  Even Paul witnessed little conversions in Athens (Acts 16:16-34), while seeing great revival in Berea (Acts 16:10-15).  Did he do something wrong in Athens?

Some would argue yes, but I think not!  The people of Athens were more worldly and secular than the people of Berea.  By this I do not mean "evil" but instead I mean that they looked and believed in natural cause more than spiritual answers.  Secular folks rule out the work of God from consideration.  Obviously it is harder to witness to these folks!

For example, the Stoics mentioned in Acts 16:18 most likely would have been very moral people marked by great self control.  They might be "more righteous" in their conduct than anyone we know!  Yet, they rejected the supernatural as superstitious "babbling" from a weak mind.  Of course they reject Paul's message.  They probably did not even listen to it.

I would argue that such thought is the very definition of worldliness.  It is also the mark of those controlled and dominated by the blinding influence of the Evil One.

This young lady labors to witness for Jesus in an area dominated with the same worldly and secular thought.  I also labor in such an area!  What can we do?

First, pray like your life depends upon it!  In fact, pray like the lives of those to whom you witness depend upon it.  Ask for the Lord to send a spirit of revival and transformation.  Pray that the veil will be lifted so they may see their real need and embrace Christ.

Second, do not give up!  Keep praying, witnessing, and most importantly washing yourself in the gospel.  It will be easy to forget the gospel if you do not have others around you to remind you of its beauty and truth.  Find a community of like-minded believers to encourage and pray with you.

Finally, rejoice in the spiritual interest and conversions you do see.  It may not match the volume or experience of others in different towns or place, but who cares!  You do not live in those places.  God has called you to your specific place and to these people.

In other words, please remember that there is nothing wrong with you!  In fact, God has shown great trust in you by placing you in such a difficult environment.  Keep witnessing to the truth and praying for God to send His Spirit to open the eyes of unbelievers.  Immerse yourself in the gospel.  Gather with a community of believers who share the same Lord and the same struggles.  Remember that today may be the day the revival starts through your witness.  To God be the glory in that wondrous revival!

Prayer Summit Part 2

"In my first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach..."

Acts 1:1

Jesus is at work building His Kingdom.  He has poured out the Holy Spirit to continue the work He began to do.  Through that Spirit in His people, Jesus is still at work!  Nothing- I mean absolutely nothing- will stop God's plans and purposes.

I praise God for this truth!  Jesus is at work.

Yet, it is easy to become discouraged.  When we look around at the world, it looks like total chaos.  In this week's news we see a bomb went off in Boston, a huge explosion in Texas, a divided country over guns, and about 10,000 other headlines that illustrate chaos, confusion, and despair.

In addition, within my denomination the statistics say chaos, confusion, and despair.  In a rather unhelpful lecture we were told the CRC will be dead in 50 years if these statistics stay the same.  Given the numbers and the decline, this is obvious.  Yet, where is the hope?  Where is the understand that God is at work?  (the lecture was unhelpful and full of partisan politics because nothing of this truth was ever mentioned!)

The key is that we need to lift our eyes above the chaos, the confusion, and the despair.  We need to lift our eyes to look upon Jesus.  We need to repent of our unbelief and place our faith in the one who is building His Kingdom.  Jesus is at work!

How?

At the Prayer Summit, 600-800 people (I do not know the exact totals) came together to lift their eyes to gaze upon the true King.  They worshipped.  They prayed.  They walked together to encourage each other's faith.  It was beautiful!

Just as importantly for the CRC, this group was exceedingly diverse.  It was not the "Dutch enclave" that would have marked such an event 30 years ago.  It was hosted by Koreans.  It was attended by men and women from many tribes, nations, and tongues.  He also brought folks from every socio-economic strata.  At this Prayer Summit, God brought together a tapestry of His people.  A tapestry that reflects our overall North American culture.

What held us together?  A mutual faith in Jesus as Lord and a desire to see Him exalted and lifted up.

Again, it was beautiful.

As a denomination, we have made great strides to eliminate the foolish belief that "if you are not Dutch, you are not much."  I remember the first time I heard that phrase.  It almost made me wretch!  This is not inspiring to anyone.  Even said in jest is angers the Living God by its foolishness.

As a denomination, we cannot be held together by our "Dutch-ness."  We are held together by our faith in Christ and His Word.  We are held together by a common faith that His Word and His Will teach the Reformed faith.  

We have to know that we are Reformed because God's Word teaches the Reformed faith.  I have always preferred to say that we are "Radically Biblical" and not Reformed.  Why?  While Reformed is a technical distinction, it is misunderstood by 95% of those in the Church universal and by 99.9% of those outside the Church.  

What does it mean to be Reformed?  It means that we allow the Bible to govern our doctrine and our life.  This is a principle that inspires and does not divide!  It provides a platform for discussion.  It defines but also invites.  Come to Jesus and live under His rule and Kingdom.  Such a life is what each of us were created to do and be.

What did I take from the Prayer Summit?  Many things.  Most importantly, I was reminded that God is at work.  He is using His people to build His Kingdom.  There is such hope in this promise!

By repentance, turning away from trusting in anything but Jesus, and by faith, turning to worship and live in Jesus, there is security, clarity, and hope.  For three days, folks from all over the CRC had the privilege to pray together, to encourage each other's faith, and to lift our eyes to our true hope, the Lord Jesus Christ.

God will be exalted and praised.  Jesus is building His Kingdom.  Lord, we pray for eyes of faith to see Your work and to know Your presence.  Give us a renewed Hope and power in the Spirit to proclaim and live "Your Kingdom come and Your will be done."