Watch!

There are some things I don’t do while waiting for the doorbell to ring.

If company is coming at any moment, I don’t take a book to the backyard and become engrossed in the newest tale by a favorite author. I don’t station the dog near the door to be first greeter. I don’t draw the curtains and settle on the couch for a nap. I don’t rev up the vacuum sweeper. I don’t phone a friend, contemplate a bubble bath, or cue the DVD player to begin a new episode from the series I’ve been watching.

Why don’t I do these things? Not because they’re wrong (I am not against books, naps, or vacuuming the carpet!), and not because I don’t want the irritation of being interrupted. I just want to be alert and ready and welcoming.

So I put anything on hold that would drown out the sound of someone at my door. I forego the inviting swing under the backyard arbor. I wait on the nap. Instead, I listen for that doorbell. I glance out at the driveway. And I put the dog in the basement because he is rather hostile to strangers.

Jesus has given notice that He will be coming up our drive. Suddenly. No time for preparation, for hurrying in from worldly preoccupations to whip a house into shape and spruce up the guest room. We’re ready, or we’re not. Here’s the notice He has given, in His words:

“However, no one knows the day or hour when [I will return]…, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don’t know…, stay alert and keep watch.

“The coming of the Son of Man can be compared with that of a man who left home to go on a trip. He gave each of his employees instructions about the work they were to do, and he told the gatekeeper to watch for his return. So keep a sharp lookout! For you do not know when the homeowner will return – at evening, midnight, early dawn, or late daybreak. Don’t let him find you sleeping when he arrives without warning. What I say to you I say to everyone: Watch for his return!” - Mark 14:32-37 NLT.

“Watch out! Don’t let me find you living in careless ease and drunkenness and filled with the worries of this life. Don’t let that day catch you unawares, as in a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep a constant watch.” – Luke 21:34-36 NLT.

What does that mean for you? To me, Jesus isn’t saying that we should chuck all the activities of life and think of nothing but His return. No, He has given us, His “employees,” “instructions about the work we are to do.” We must be about our Father’s business. But not about the world’s business. Not committing ourselves to things that dull our readiness or steal our heart or preoccupy our mind. No, our business is to be His witnesses, help others prepare for His coming… and keep an ear out for that trumpet.

That might mean saying “No” to some tempting opportunities. It might mean scaling back on personal pursuits, earthly investments, selfish pleasures. It just might mean saying “Yes” to more Kingdom responsibilities and eternal investments. It most certainly will mean sharpening our spiritual senses and heightening our state of readiness to meet our Master.

The word from our Master is this: Whether by death or by My return, whether the bell tolls for you, or the trumpet sounds for everyone… be ready!

Divine Healing

I’ve mentioned the childhood game of Mousetrap before in this blog… I’m reminded of it again as I write this entry.

For me, the tension in that game wasn’t in the gradual assembling of all the pieces necessary to beating your opponent. It wasn’t in rolling higher numbers so you could stay ahead of your fellow mice. It was when it all came together and you got the opportunity to turn that crank and set the little steel ball in motion.

Oh, the drama that ensued! Would the ball get stuck on the stairs? Would it roll down the red chute too weakly to trip the spring that sent the ball through the bathtub to launch the poised plastic diver? Would some misalignment, some inherent flaw in the setup, sabotage the entire chain reaction? Had I held my mouth just right when I turned that crank?

Maybe we approach this idea of divine healing the same way. If it’s not happening, there must be something wrong in our setup. We’ve forgotten a promise we need to claim, we haven’t prayed enough or the right way, our faith is flawed, our motives aren’t right… we can think of many potential reasons for the “failure.” And it often leads to guilt and dismay. We aren’t doing something right, and we don’t know what it is.

Let’s simplify. Let’s let go of guilt – even of trying to figure out what God’s doing – and pray the simple prayer spoken by Pastor Dave in Sunday’s second service:

“While we lay our petitions before You, we bind You to nothing, except to glorify Your name.”

That’s the spirit in which Jesus faced the pain of the cross and the anguish of bearing our sin (which He was not spared); that’s the attitude with which Paul accepted the thorn in the flesh (which he was not delivered from - 2 Cor. 12:1-10): “Here’s what we’d prefer, Lord… but Your will be done, not ours. Our only requirement, the only thing we insist upon, is that Your name be glorified."

In Jesus’ case, that Name was glorified in the cross and death, because it led to resurrection and life for countless sinners. In Paul’s case, that Name was glorified in the thorn because it preserved Paul as a humble showcase for God’s power and glory.

At allianceacademicreview.com., Paul L. King writes, “Modern faith teaching has often put a guilt trip on people, saying that it is absolutely God's will for all to be healed, and if a person isn't healed, it is man's fault. While sin or lack of faith could be causes for lack of healing, [in his book The Lord for the Body] Simpson listed a variety of reasons, asserting that while it is generally God's will to heal all who believe, God in His sovereignty may not always grant healing.”

I do believe God wants to miraculously heal His sick children far more often than He’s given opportunity to. But it’s not a blanket provision for everyone all the time. And when He doesn’t, it’s not because we haven’t held our mouth the right way when we prayed. Divine healing isn’t about having all our ducks in a row. It’s not about us; it’s about Him. It’s about commitment to whatever God is doing, whatever brings Him glory, so that whether He is giving or taking away we can say,

“Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Jesus, Our Sanctifier

My son worked in an office setting this year, and at one point dragged home a sorry-looking no-name plant that he’d found sitting on a file cabinet in a windowless room. I hinted I would like to take the thing out back and pitch it into the woods, but he wanted to try to rescue it.

Actually, he did a great job. With some sunlight and regular watering, it perked up. The drooping leaves lifted their heads. Their dullness gave way to a healthier shine. I was beginning to be impressed. But alas, the plant was doomed, through no fault of Ryan’s. For one day he noticed, as he was tending it, that there were many tiny little flea-like bugs crawling around in the soil.

He bought spray. He sprayed and sprayed. He repotted. He worked and worked at trying to make this plant healthy and fit to live in our house. But the bugs were stubborn tenants, and we feared that they would soon transfer – if they hadn’t already – to houseplants nearby. So eventually that plant ended up… out back, pitched into the woods.

I am no theologian. But I know that some of us who name Jesus as our Savior are like that plant. The difference is – we are plants with a will. We have chosen to stay in that windowless office… because we don’t want to see the Light of Truth. We have traded our shine and our spine for dullness and drooping – because we haven’t wanted to offer Jesus the obedience that brings blessing. We have watched, horrified, as the vermin multiplied exponentially in our personal lives, yet we’ve refused to let Jesus exterminate those sins. We’ve grown resistant to the spray of His shed blood, hardened to the horror of the invasion, refusing to be transplanted into holiness.

It’s not only tragic that we refuse to be made holy, and that we have no witness to those around us (in fact, we often infect them with our own uncleanness and disobedience – it can be communicable). It’s also sad that we miss out on the blessings of living in the Light, beautifying a corner of God’s world, bringing pleasure to God as He looks over His re-creation, maturing in spirit, taking on the likeness of Christ, discovering the promises Jesus has made to those who trust Him, enjoying an unshakeable assurance that we are a child of God and there is nothing between us and Him.

Jesus the Sanctifier is the Exterminator who can remove the creepy-crawly invasion of sin and clean up the soil of our lives, and make us fit to be put on display to show His glory in our world. Here is the Alliance Statement of Faith regarding sanctification:

“It is the will of God that each believer should be filled with the Holy Spirit and be sanctified wholly, being separated from sin and the world and fully dedicated to the will of God, thereby receiving power for holy living and effective service. This is both a crisis and a progressive experience wrought in the life of the believer subsequent to conversion.”

The will of God… is my sanctification and yours(1 Thess. 4:3). Our separation from sin and dedication to His purposes. This is both a crisis (it begins with a specific moment of surrender) – and a progressive experience (because God never takes away our will, surrender must continue).

And one bright, glorious, marvelous, light-as-a-feather Day, we will awake to find that the process of sanctification, once begun and long continued, is Complete. We are precious, whole, sinless and shining. There is no shred of impurity in us. We are holy as He is.

We shall see His face, and surrender will be worth it all… and then some.

It’s All About Jesus

It was mentioned Sunday that in Christ all things hold together; life without Him is chaos. In other words:

In my beginning, Jesus created me (Col. 1:16). Because of sin, my heart was formless and empty, full of chaos, and wrapped in darkness. But the Spirit of Christ hovered over my heart.

Then Jesus said, “Let there be Light,” and understanding began to dawn in my mind. And Jesus called the Light “Truth” and the darkness “Lies.” He invited me into the Day, and when I stepped into the Light, the darkness fled away. And my Lord said, “Let there be space between the earth and heaven,” and separated for me the temporary from the eternal, so I could see what really matters.

Then He said, “Let there be dry ground in My child’s life, terra firma, a solid Rock beneath him.” And Jesus became the firm foundation on which I trusted. He continued, “Let him become fruitful right where I have put him,” and I began to discover what Christ had made me to do and become, and to use the gifts and resources He'd given me to make much of Him.

Then Jesus put smaller lights in my life, imitations of Him, persons to mentor me and teach me to walk in the way that pleases Him. And He went on to say, “Let My child’s life be filled with blessings. May his days swarm with gifts from My hand - blessings in his home, blessings in his work, even blessings in his trials. And let these blessings multiply and spill over onto those around him, and fill his world with joy and praise to Me.”

Furthermore, Jesus said, “Let him reproduce more followers for me, who will go out and reproduce yet more, until My glory fills the whole earth, and men and women from every nation bow and proclaim that I am Lord to the glory of God the Father.”

Jesus Christ is not done speaking in my life – or yours. One day, He will say, “Let this one be fully remade in My image. Give him a new body, immortal as Mine. Give him a sinless heart and a holy mind, untainted by guilt or blemish. And bring him home to live with Me forever.” And on that endless Day, our Lord will say, “It is very good.”

Our lives do all hold together in Christ., and fall apart outside of Him. Life is all about Him. That concept isn’t just Alliance doctrine or congregational creed; it’s truth for our individual lives and pursuits. So a simple yet powerful question provides a tool for evaluating my life and work: Am I all about Christ?

He was all about me.

It’s How You Say It

I remember as a teenager being strictly admonished by my father for something I had done. It was not to be repeated. “Do you understand?” he finished. I affirmed that I understood.

That’s when the trouble escalated. I think it was not my agreement with him that got me into hotter water… it must have been that flippant tone in my voice and the dismissive shrug of my shoulders. My father had not been merely listening to my reply; he was watching for my attitude. And it was in for a change.

My parents were in cahoots about this sort of thing. I can still hear mom insisting: “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” Attitude.

I think of that in relation to persecution. Yes, it’s to be expected in some form, though for most of us (but not all) it’s quite diluted. As Keith pointed out Sunday, we should never invite persecution, just to feed our martyr’s complex. But when it does come…with what attitude do we greet it? That’s what our Father is watching for. And that’s what makes all the difference in the world.

I think it gets a little complicated sometimes, hard to know just what attitude we should take. For instance, there exists in America an element of general persecution against the unborn, against conservative Christianity, against traditional values, etc., etc. This is displayed in areas of the entertainment industry, the business world, and the government… and comes home to lodge sometimes in the places we work and the movies we watch and even the attitudes of loved ones who oppose our views and values.

How do we respond to hostility and opposition at each of these levels? How do we answer our relative, or the public figure that seeks to destroy our freedoms? What is our attitude? Is it militant and abrasive? Do we turn their tactics on them, give them a taste of their own medicine? Focus on their demise? Be slanderous, ruthless, merciless?

How then will we win these who are against our Lord and His followers? Or are we saying that they’re not “winnable,” that they’re hopeless and we only need to be Christlike to those who seem open to our message?

The apostle Paul left us a prime example of how to treat persecution at any level. It doesn’t matter if we are crusading against abortion or living with an unbelieving, antagonistic spouse:

Live wisely among those who are not Christians, and make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be gracious and effective so that you will have the right answer for everyone – Col. 4:5-6 NLT

I say it’s complicated, because there surely is a time for exposing evil and confronting the work of Satan in this world. There’s a need for crusaders of righteousness. But there’s no need for mean-spiritedness and ridicule. An ambush by the low road may win the battle, but lose the war. We may regain personal rights but alienate eternal souls. May beat back the opposition, but give it reason to turn its face from God forever.

So I think my parents had it right. It’s not just what we say, it’s the attitude with which we say it. It’s not what we do, but the motive and spirit with which we do it. We needn’t be doormats; we are called to take a stand. But we’d better be careful. Our attitude is on display, and we don’t want to get into hot water with Father.

Fine Dining

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness”…

How long has it been since you’ve been really hungry to be holy? Thirsty for more of God?

My guess is that many of us don’t remember when we last were truly famished for God and His Kingdom and His righteousness. I think it has something to do with fast food vs. fine dining.

Fast food is available… well, fast. You hardly have time to work up a good appetite, just barely get the smell of burger and fries in your nostrils, when – poof! – there it is, all bagged and ready for your wolfing pleasure. Fine dining, in contrast, can be a little aggravating as the wait stretches out, but isn’t it worth it? When you finish that seven-course meal, you haven’t just stuffed an empty stomach, you have had an experience! You have tasted something new and intriguing and (hopefully) pleasing to the palate; you have been refreshed and relaxed by a lovely atmosphere. You haven’t just mumbled around a half-chewed hamburger bun; you have connected with your dining companions, have talked about things that matter, have shared your true feelings, and have listened, really listened, to those around you.

Why doesn’t that happen more often in the spiritual realm? Why do we so often feel like we’re hopping from one fast food chain to another, keeping body and soul together but never really experiencing this abundant feast God is supposed to offer?

Perhaps it’s because, as Pastor Ben said, as soon as we feel a slight pang of desire to experience God’s pleasure, to be like Him, to show our colors for the Kingdom, we do something. Something to make Him happy with us, to let Him know we’re about our Father’s business. In doing so, we choose doing over being. Fast food over fine dining. And we miss the smile that says, “You don’t have to prove anything. You bring Me pleasure just by loving Me and sharing your heart with Me.”

It’s not that doing isn’t important. It’s that the good feeling of having done something for God can take away the hunger pangs to be more like Him, get closer to Him, become holy and righteous and blameless and pure.

Maybe it would be helpful to set aside a day to just “be.” To intentionally not do anything for God or ask anything from Him; instead, to just spend time with Him, focus on Him, sit at His feet and, as we move through the duties of the day, listen to His heart. Maybe in that day we would grow hungry for a finer dining experience than we’ve been giving ourselves lately. And maybe we would again hear our Lord say,

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat!... Listen, listen to me and eat what is good, and your soul will delight itself in the richest of fare” (Is. 55:1-2 NIV). “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it… You would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you” (Ps. 81:10,16).

Maybe in that day, we would make reservations to come to those waters more often, just to share His pleasure in our company and dine on His finest.

Blessed are the Meek

John Stumbo is an Alliance pastor from Salem, Oregon who became deathly ill nearly two years ago. Partially recovered, he maintains a blog for the many who have closely followed his progress, sharing his physical, emotional and spiritual struggles and victories along the way. Recently he posted this excellent story, which I think fits well with our current beatitude, “Blessed are the meek.”

Pastor Stumbo wrote, “Today I'm going to follow-up with a story I heard years ago from professor, author and theologian, R. C. Sproul:

Dr. Sproul was assigned an Old Testament class of 250 freshmen. In his syllabus he clearly set forth the course requirements. There would be three small papers due by noon on September 30, October 30 and November 30. They were to be finished and on his desk by noon unless the student was physically confined to the hospital or a there was a death in the family. If they didn't submit it in time, they would receive a failing grade.

When September 30th rolled around and the first paper was due 225 students turned their papers in on time and 25 were late. These 25 were scared to death and with abject humility appealed to Professor Sproul, “Please don’t give us an 'F!'" They begged for mercy, wanting an extension.

“OK," the professor relented, "I'll let it go this time. But remember, on October 30 the next paper is due. Don't be late."

"We won't, Professor. Promise!"

October 30th arrived and only 200 papers were turned in on time. Fifty students came to class in terror. They pled with him with abundant excuses about it being midterm and homecoming. “Give us one more chance," they begged.

"OK. Just one more chance."

The class broke out into song, “We love you, Prof. Sproul, O yes we do.” Dr. Sproul claims that for the next thirty days he was the most popular professor on campus. But then November 30th came. This time only about 150 papers were turned in on time and a hundred students came into class as casual as could be. They weren't worried in the least.

“Where are your papers?” Dr. Sproul demanded.

“Hey, Prof, don’t worry about it. We’ll get them done in a couple of days," came the relaxed response.

“The professor took out the grading book, “Johnson, where's your paper."

"I don't have it, sir."

"F.”

“Greenwood—I don't have yours either. F.”

Professor Sproul describes the response as "unmitigated fury."

“That’s not fair!” Greenwood claimed.

"I don’t ever want to be thought of as unfair or unjust. You want justice?”

“Yes!”

"You were late last time, too. ‘F’ for that one. Anyone else want justice?”

“No!”

I don't know how Dr. Sproul finally resolved the grade issue, but he finished telling his story with a powerful statement, "By the third time, they not only assumed mercy, they demanded it. They assumed I was obligated to be merciful. They had become accustomed to grace. Ours is a history of grace. God is so gracious to us that we can begin to take it for granted. The most difficult theological question I’ve ever had to face in my life is this, 'Why has God been so kind to me?’”

Pastor Stumbo’s blog says something about our ability to forget – forget the holy and righteous God we serve, forget who we were and what we’ve done, forget the grace that has been extended to us personally. And in forgetting, we become arrogant, presuming upon God’s favor. Our attitude is not “that of Christ Jesus, who… made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant… humbled himself and became obedient unto death” (Phil. 2:7-8 NIV). We’re more like the servant who was forgiven a huge debt, but went right out to force payment of a small amount due him (Mt. 18)...

Paul pointed to “the meekness and gentleness of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:1 NIV) as a quality to be imitated. A quality that is very undervalued in our culture, but extremely precious in God’s sight. Precious because it keeps us from taking God for granted. It makes us look like Jesus. It makes us act like Him. It puts Christ on display for those around us to see Who He is and what He’s really like. It makes Him approachable, attractive… merciful. And it brings peace and freedom to our soul.

Blessed are those who remember the grace that has been extended to them. Blessed are those who extend that grace to those around them. Blessed are the meek.