Being a Faithful Witness

Water and meat. A hidden Elijah was privately nurtured by God from a brook running through the Kerith Ravine, and from bread and meat delivered by the raven’s talons. These were life-sustaining provisions, absolutely necessary to Elijah’s survival.

Water and meat. A public Elijah called for water, and then more and more, to be poured on the altar of God. He cut the bull into pieces and laid the meat on the altar. Then he called for fire, and those elements of water and meat were consumed by God’s answer to the challenge on Mt. Carmel. The result? Four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal lay dead, and the people of Israel lay prostrate, crying, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

And us?

Water. “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him. By this he meant the Spirit” (Jn. 7:38-39 NIV).

And meat. “Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” (Jn. 4:34). Our water and meat: the Spirit and the will of the Father.

Do we each have a public ministry for Christ? All who belong to Him can. It may be counseling or singing or interceding in prayer or teaching or preaching or sending cards of encouragement, but He has some way that we can minister to others. “For you have been chosen by God himself – you are priests of the King… so that you may show to others how God called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Pet. 2:9 LB).

But notice… the provision begins privately. No private provision, and Elijah wouldn’t have been around when it came time for public ministry. He’d have shriveled up at the bottom of the Kerith Ravine first! Likewise in our lives, the Spirit flows from within, and the will of the Father has to be internalized, made our own. Then they will pour through us and overflow from us into public ministry. Then, instead of offering others our best human effort, through us will pour divine provision for their drought and famine.

So here’s a question to ask ourselves as we consider Sunday’s sermon: “What am I offering when I reach out to others? The fruit of my own efforts, maybe words and work given legalistically to prove my worth to God and others? Or is the Holy Spirit pouring through me, is the will of the Father simply taking on hands and feet as I reach out to others, nurturing them with the elements God has already given me?

It’s so easy to get off-balance, to give all our time and energy into our public ministries… but it starts within. If we stay open to the Source, and allow the Spirit to pour through us, and feed on the will of the Father, we may not get the dramatics that took place on Mt. Carmel. But we will surely will see the forces of evil (discouragement, doubt, despair) defeated in the lives of those we minister to, and we will hear from lips that used to worship the idols of sin and self, “The Lord, He is God! The Lord, He is God!”

Deliverance

“Deliverance.. sometimes it’s instantaneous; sometimes it’s gradual,” we heard Sunday.

Why, I wonder? Why isn’t it always instantaneous? Is it lack of faith, is it because of disobedience, is it because we didn’t pray hard enough and long enough? Why is deliverance from a besetting sin or inner stronghold frequently so long in coming? Why does it take so long to unravel the tangles in relationships and find the solutions for head-scratching dilemmas? Maybe it’s because…

 God wants us to see, through repeated failures, that there is no other Source of deliverance. We never would have pulled it off!
 God wants to build a firm foundation of faith in Him as we walk through this problem together.
 He wants to us to experience a new depth of fellowship with Him as we pour out our hearts to Him over and over for this need.
 God wants to change what we’re asking for and why we’re asking for it, so that we truly seek His will instead of our own.
 He wants to develop our patient perseverance. There is a spiritual fitness gained over the long haul that cannot come to us in the momentary miracle.
 He wants us to realize He is not a gratification machine; He is God, a Person with His own feelings and will and His own plan. Sometimes that plan is so far beyond our comprehension that He just asks us to trust the mystery.
 He wants us to involve each other in praying for our need… thus binding the body of Christ more closely together.
 He wants to involve others of His children in providing the answer as they use their gifts for edifying the church – Christian counselors, caregivers, those with the gift of helps in its various forms, etc.

Lots of reasons why deliverance from any bondage or trial can take time. It’s true not only in our personal lives, but in the life of our church. What good can come of an extended, careful search for our new pastor?

 It’s God’s safeguard against murmuring and second-guessing down the road
 It’s a time to remember that Jesus is the real Shepherd of the church, and the One we are following.
 It can bind us together more closely as we seek His will together.
 It calls us as a church to carefully consider our fears and our goals and our priorities.
 It calls us to step up to the plate and fill new roles.
 It gives God opportunity to conform us to the mystery of His will, His good and perfect will.

Deliverance is sometimes immediate; more often it’s a season. We’re in a season of deliverance right now at FAC. There’s a reason for this season - probably a lot of reasons, in fact. Let’s not miss one of them.

The Way, the Truth, the Life

Relativism. Absolutes. Whew! Those are heady philosophical terms that few of us spend much time pondering out-of-sanctuary. We’re content to leave such contemplations to those who study within book-lined walls or in classrooms far removed from the assembly-line worker, the waitress, the quality-control engineer, the harried mom with three preschoolers.

And that’s okay. We don’t need to crack a philosophy book or sit in on a university lecture to get a handle on Truth. There’s really nothing high-brow or exclusive or hard-to-grasp about Life. Nothing it takes an egghead to understand about the Way to God (in fact, they often struggle harder).

Because the Truth, as we heard Sunday, is a Person who sat thirsty and hungry beside a well, and invited a Samaritan woman to end her long search for meaning. The Life looked up at a little man perched in the branches of a sycamore tree, and invited Himself home for dinner – and that day salvation came to that house. The Way stood in the shadows with a seeking Pharisee, and invited him into the process of new birth. The Way, the Truth and the Life is a Person – Jesus Christ. Have Him, and you have assurance of what is real and right, where you’re going, and how to get there.

Pastor Phillips mentioned Sunday “the wear and tear of relativism.” Aptly put. How easy it is for Christ-followers to slip into the mindset of the world, to compromise, to rationalize Truth. We hate to appear intolerable and we worry about coming off harsh and turning people away. Besides, we aren’t smart enough to refute our neighbor’s arguments. Where is the chapter and verse to support our stand? What respected authority can we quote to convince the skeptics?

Not to worry. Our heritage as Christian & Missionary Alliance people is “Jesus Only” - the watchword of founder A. B. Simpson’s life. Still today, as the choir sang Sunday, “We preach Christ.” Not merely conservative ideals or a particular brand of theology or denominationalism, but Jesus. A Person, not a theory. Flesh-and-blood, not words on a page or rules in a book. A relationship with Him, not intellectual enlightenment.

Do the same in your life this week. Preach Christ. Jesus only. Jesus, the Way, the Truth, the Life. Walk the Way He leads; live the Truth He teaches; enjoy the Life He gives. It will be, for you, a simple and freeing thing. And it may be, for someone you meet, a woman-at-the-well experience.

Zarephath or Nazareth?

It was interesting to discover this week that the widow of Zarephath (admittedly not your major Bible character) featured in Sunday’s sermon actually makes a reappearance in the New Testament.

Very early in his ministry Jesus returned to Nazareth, the site of his growing-up years. His reputation had preceded Him, and no doubt there was a stir in the air. He stood to read the Scriptures in the synagogue on the Sabbath, and announced that the prophetic words of Isaiah were being fulfilled that day, and right before their eyes. His hearers “all spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips…” (Lk. 4:22 NIV).

But in the very next sentence of that same verse, they stumbled. “’How can this be,’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this Joseph’s son?’” (NLT). The news about miracles and healings and powerful teaching had sounded so great… until He arrived in flesh-and-blood. Now he looked…so human. So one of them. Isaiah was writing about him?

So Jesus answered, in essence, “You’re eyeing me now, skeptical, wondering how the little kid who played in your doorways could be Isaiah’s Wonder-worker and Savior. Next, you’re going to ask me to do great signs and wonders, to do here what I’ve been doing in other places. But you don’t have the faith for it. ”

“Do you remember Elijah? During the great famine in his day, there were many widows in Israel. Likely many hands reaching into near-empty pots of oil, to make that last cake and die. But Elijah was not sent to them. He was sent to the widow of Zarephath - in Sidon of Phoenicia, outside Israel. Why? He would find acceptance there. Nobody would try to harm him there. And he would have room to show the power of God to people of faith.”

They got what Jesus was saying, those listeners in the Nazareth synagogue. Jesus was exposing their unbelief and praising the simple faith of outsiders and undeserving pagans. It made them furious. Furious enough to try to herd Him over a cliff! Furious enough to prove Him right – a prophet has no honor in his hometown.

Are we people of faith here at FAC, as we wait expectantly for the leader God will send? Or are we people of questions and dissection and skepticism? Will we give God room to show His power and continue His ministry among us? Or will we nurse our private doubts and demand a show of proof before we will believe?

I think God is saying to FAC today, I am sending my man to you soon. You can watch him rise to speak in your synagogue, standing back and folding your arms, waiting for big and convincing things to happen so that you can “believe” (but those big things never will happen, because your unbelief will stand in the way).

Or you can gather sticks at Zarephath’s gate, waiting in anticipation for My messenger, who is just around the bend in the road. You can receive him and his words, and nurture him as the widow did. You can give him space to do the work God wants to do through him.

If you should choose the widow’s way, know that though there is famine all around, you will not die. The oil of the Spirit and the Bread of the Word will not run dry. Your supply will be continually replenished. And you will be a testimony to many.

In the Kerith Ravine

I like those ravens. Maybe they do have a sinister side (blame that partly on Edgar Allan Poe), but as we heard Sunday, their supply division has a commendable reputation built by flying twice-daily meat-and-bread missions to the prophet Elijah.

The meat I can understand. Maybe they overpowered a flock of quail or something. But where did they get the bread? Was it day-old leftovers thrown out the back door of the nearest Giant Eagle (ooh, would the ravens have the courage to raid a store by that name)? Did manna rain down once again as in the days of Moses? Or was there somewhere a young Israelite wife pulling her hair out over the frequent disappearance of her delicious barley loaves?

We just don’t know. The details are missing. What we do know is why it all happened, and kept happening, day after day after day.

God’s orders. He ordered Elijah to the brook and He ordered the ravens to feed him there. Just like He ordered the Light to appear and the earth to take shape out of chaos. Just like He ordered Noah to build an ark and Moses to stretch his hand out over the Red Sea.

Now, you and I are not Old Testament heroes. There’s not a Moses or Elijah among us, and no FACer is likely to be called on to save our country (although it could happen). Still, the lessons in the Bible are there for our benefit, and what we learn about God in the Big Picture is still true in our Little Picture. And we’ve all got our chaos and Red Seas and Kerith Ravines.

So why should we think He is done ordering things for His children? That when good meets evil and we are caught in the crossfire, we’re on our own? That when we get in a predicament for doing what we understood Him to want, we’re dead meat (and the ravens are circling, not supplying)? That when life takes an unexpected turn, He’s somehow racing to adjust, just as we are?

I am still singing and celebrating the song we sang together Sunday morning – Twila Paris’ “God is in Control”: God is in control, We believe that His children will not be forsaken; God is in control, We will choose to remember and never be shaken…”

By about the third day in the Kerith Ravine, that’s the song Elijah was probably singing. And God would love to hear us joining in from our own little personal ravines and famines and hiding places. God’s got orders for our situation. We’re not forsaken! We won’t be shaken! God is in control!!

Moses’ Charge to Joshua

“There’s not a lot of detail here.”

Pastor Dave Phillips pointed out Sunday that with Joshua’s charge from the Lord before entering the Promised Land came a wealth of instruction: “Be strong and courageous”… “Be careful to obey all the law”… “Meditate on it day and night”… “Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged.” He also received some staggering promises: “You will lead these people to inherit the land”… “You will be prosperous and successful”… “the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

What he didn’t get was a clear picture of how all this was going to happen. Of the timetable involved, the investment required, or the level of opposition they would face. Joshua didn’t even get a preparation checklist or an overall battle strategy or a campaign agenda.

To bring the situation home to Erie, Pa., it was rather like driving in a heavy snowstorm. Somewhere along the way, novices learn that high beams are of no use when the flakes are falling thick and fast. In fact, they’re downright dangerous. High beams only highlight the frenetic activity swirling about the headlights, pulling the driver’s attention away from the road and highway signs and other vehicles, and lure him off the road or into oncoming traffic.

If Joshua had switched on his high beams as God was talking, he would have seen a swirl of “if’s” and “but’s.” He would have been besieged by unanswered questions and logistical concerns. He would have been inundated by personal doubts and overwhelmed by the immensity of the undertaking. It was a time for low beams. For just listening to what God had said (without putting words in His mouth), taking it in simple faith, acting on it in simple obedience, waiting for His more specific direction, trusting His timing. No panic. No overplanning. No demand for details. Low beams.

That’s a good response for FAC in this transition time, too. We know we’re in an unexpected patch of weather here, but let’s not hit the high beams in an attempt to see further ahead. There are too many unknowns flying about, and we’ll just become disoriented. Better to throttle back on velocity (throttle up on faith) and switch to the low beams. Better to look through, not at, the swirl of deadly possibilities, focusing our eyes instead on the One Who said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” The Shepherd of the flock. Our OnStar Guide. The One Who takes full responsibility for our well-being through this “storm,” if we just stay focused on Him.

Low beams. High faith. We’ll get there in one piece, and maybe even enjoy the journey!

All Things New

“Jesus is enough.”

C&MA founder A. B. Simpson wrote a signature hymn, “Jesus Only,” declaring: “Jesus only, Jesus ever, Jesus all in all we sing / Saviour, Sanctifier, and Healer, Glorious Lord and Coming King.” We still express the same sentiment in more contemporary style when we sing “You Are My All in All.” We’re applauding the complete sufficiency of Christ, as Pastor Ben did Sunday.

Have you ever secretly wondered about that concept? How can Jesus be everything to me? Without doubt He’s the most important, the greatest, the most wonderful “element” in my life… but I also need food and clothing and money and flesh-and-blood people to love and be loved by. I need a place to live and an occupation and a group of believers to worship with.

Jesus only?

It takes awhile to figure out – not just in the head, but in the heart – this “Jesus only” concept. Consider these Scriptures:

“For from him and to him and through him are all things” (Rom. 11:36 NIV).

“There is but one Lord, through whom all things came and through whom we all live” (1 Cor. 8:6 NIV).

“[Christ] is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross” (Col. 1:15-20 NIV).

Jesus created all things. Not just in Genesis 1, but today “from him and through him are all things.” That includes not only the things I need, but all that is the very best for me. His provisions for the things I run after every day. His solutions to my needs and deepest longings. All are found in Him.

So I can’t do anything better than focus on Christ this coming year. He’s where the answers are located. He’s where the supply of strength and grace resides. He’s where every good gift originates. And He’s orchestrating my days and shepherding my steps and tending attentively to every detail of my life. And yours, too.

He’s looking out for us all. And He’s saying, this first week of January 2010, “In this New Year you will have trouble and needs and questions and longings and unexpected challenges… but Look to Me! Be of good cheer! I am the Rescuer and the Problem-Solver and the Provider and the Answer and the Supplier of every good and perfect gift.

“It’s true. I am Enough.”

So here’s a practical suggestion, a habit to begin this week and carry on throughout the year until it becomes an ingrained response. It’s this: Whenever a need arises or a dilemma presents itself (from no money for new tires to that monumental decision that must be made), take time to focus on Christ alone. Tell Him you know the answer is found in Him. Tell Him you trust Him. Tell Him He is enough.

In fact, I’ll bet there’s a problem you could take to Him right now…