Funny how when we step out and make a decision that has the potential of changing your life, it seems that very decision is then tested.
So my post from last night, about "...all things are possible"...
This morning it's being tested.
Two big disappointments within an hour.
Funny, huh?
But here's the really funny thing. I still believe it!
I'm not giving up.
Ha!
Oct 31, 2006
Oct 30, 2006
Revolution
What's our excuse?
Why do we hold fast to some Scripture and believe it so fiercely, and act as if other Scripture doesn't apply to us, or couldn't be entirely true? What if we were to believe it all and live our life to that extent? Would we be setting ourselves up for ridicule? Perhaps.
But in the end it wouldn't matter. When you stand before your Creator, wouldn't you like to be able to say, "I thought you meant it"?
This week I was faced with this verse again:
"...with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26b)
Beyond this being Scripture, these are the very words of Jesus. I mean...
Let's analyze this verse...
First -- what is possible? All things.
Second -- All things are what? Possible.
What's missing here? Well...
"Some." "A few." "Not." "Im-."
Don't you get it?
ALL
THINGS
ARE
POSSIBLE
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That dream of yours. That's possible.
That situation that is just beyond your reach. That's possible.
That thing that you don't feel equipped to do. That's possible.
That "unsavable" person saved. That's possible.
That broken relationship healed. That's possible.
That overwhelming financial situation no longer an issue. That's possible.
That bondage in your life left far behind you. That's possible.
Believe me now or believe me later...
"With God all things are possible." (Don't forget the first part. Very important.)
Can we make a pact together? Can we agree that we will start living as if we believe this simple truth? What then?
Revolution.
Why do we hold fast to some Scripture and believe it so fiercely, and act as if other Scripture doesn't apply to us, or couldn't be entirely true? What if we were to believe it all and live our life to that extent? Would we be setting ourselves up for ridicule? Perhaps.
But in the end it wouldn't matter. When you stand before your Creator, wouldn't you like to be able to say, "I thought you meant it"?
This week I was faced with this verse again:
"...with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26b)
Beyond this being Scripture, these are the very words of Jesus. I mean...
Let's analyze this verse...
First -- what is possible? All things.
Second -- All things are what? Possible.
What's missing here? Well...
"Some." "A few." "Not." "Im-."
Don't you get it?
ALL
THINGS
ARE
POSSIBLE
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
That dream of yours. That's possible.
That situation that is just beyond your reach. That's possible.
That thing that you don't feel equipped to do. That's possible.
That "unsavable" person saved. That's possible.
That broken relationship healed. That's possible.
That overwhelming financial situation no longer an issue. That's possible.
That bondage in your life left far behind you. That's possible.
Believe me now or believe me later...
"With God all things are possible." (Don't forget the first part. Very important.)
Can we make a pact together? Can we agree that we will start living as if we believe this simple truth? What then?
Revolution.
Oct 27, 2006
Revelation
The small group that I lead each Wednesday is just beginning a study of the book of Revelation. What was I thinking?
It wasn't my idea. Really. They made me do it. I simply asked, "So do we want to study through another book of the Bible?" and someone (I won't mention names) suggested the Revelation. Before I knew it, the whole room was backing the idea. So then optimistic me went along with it.
But here's the deal. No other book of the Bible says anything like this:
"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." (1:3)
How can you ignore that?
So last week we, as a group, read through the entire book in about an hour and twenty minutes. I've done that many times. In fact I once produced and directed a, shall we say, production of the Revelation wherein we had 6 narrators, a group of musicians providing a soundtrack and multimedia elements being projected.
I think the most enduring image(s) from my encounters with God's final written word is the worship. To begin with we have many fabulous descriptions of our risen Savior. Those in and of themselves offer sufficient reason to worship Him.
Then there are the descriptions of those worshiping. In chapter 5 we see worship beginning at the throne of God with the 4 creatures and the 24 elders. They are soon joined by "the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand."
Our author continues: "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!' The four living creatures said, 'Amen,' and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Wow! I've been in some worship services where it seemed that everyone was really into it, but man, I look forward to experiencing heavenly worship, don't you?
There are several other mentions of worship that stick out to me. One is where John twice tells us that after seeing the fantastic things that he saw, he fell down at the foot of an angel to worship him. I love what the angel tells him. "Don't do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"
The other aspect of worship that sticks with me is the worship of the counterfeit. John speaks of those who worship demons, idols, the dragon, the beast and its image. Satan is seeking worshipers just as God is. For him it matters not whether people worship him or some idol. What matters to him is that people don't worship God. He wouldn't even mind if we were to worship godly angels.
When you see all the alternatives there are in world of religion, one thing becomes clear to those who know the truth. There is the One True God and there are the counterfeits. No gray areas. No "other" paths to God. Jesus himself says, "I am the way the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except by me." He didn't say "a way, a truth and a life."
Selah
So - I'm glad we're studying the Revelation. It will be a challenge and will take commitment from the whole group, but it will be good. In the end, it is a book of hope. We all need that today.
It wasn't my idea. Really. They made me do it. I simply asked, "So do we want to study through another book of the Bible?" and someone (I won't mention names) suggested the Revelation. Before I knew it, the whole room was backing the idea. So then optimistic me went along with it.
But here's the deal. No other book of the Bible says anything like this:
"Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." (1:3)
How can you ignore that?
So last week we, as a group, read through the entire book in about an hour and twenty minutes. I've done that many times. In fact I once produced and directed a, shall we say, production of the Revelation wherein we had 6 narrators, a group of musicians providing a soundtrack and multimedia elements being projected.
I think the most enduring image(s) from my encounters with God's final written word is the worship. To begin with we have many fabulous descriptions of our risen Savior. Those in and of themselves offer sufficient reason to worship Him.
Then there are the descriptions of those worshiping. In chapter 5 we see worship beginning at the throne of God with the 4 creatures and the 24 elders. They are soon joined by "the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand."
Our author continues: "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
'To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!' The four living creatures said, 'Amen,' and the elders fell down and worshiped.
Wow! I've been in some worship services where it seemed that everyone was really into it, but man, I look forward to experiencing heavenly worship, don't you?
There are several other mentions of worship that stick out to me. One is where John twice tells us that after seeing the fantastic things that he saw, he fell down at the foot of an angel to worship him. I love what the angel tells him. "Don't do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!"
The other aspect of worship that sticks with me is the worship of the counterfeit. John speaks of those who worship demons, idols, the dragon, the beast and its image. Satan is seeking worshipers just as God is. For him it matters not whether people worship him or some idol. What matters to him is that people don't worship God. He wouldn't even mind if we were to worship godly angels.
When you see all the alternatives there are in world of religion, one thing becomes clear to those who know the truth. There is the One True God and there are the counterfeits. No gray areas. No "other" paths to God. Jesus himself says, "I am the way the truth and the life. Nobody comes to the Father except by me." He didn't say "a way, a truth and a life."
Selah
So - I'm glad we're studying the Revelation. It will be a challenge and will take commitment from the whole group, but it will be good. In the end, it is a book of hope. We all need that today.
Oct 21, 2006
History Repeated
How many times have you heard it? History repeats itself.
I've just started reading A Global View of Christian Missions by J. Herbert Kane. In his chapter "Encounter with Islam" Kane describes the demise of the church in Northern Africa during the seventh century. While there were many contributing factors to this displacement of Christianity with Islam, it would seem that one of the primary reasons is that "Church members had long since left there first love and were Christians in name rather than fact." (pg. 53) This came about not only because the Christians didn't have the Scriptures in their native language, but the practice of the faith had been reduced to ceremony and form and not the relationship and discipline that should be at the center.
In Europe today, there are reminders that the Christian faith was once the driving force in society. These reminders, built with stone and mortar are aging and crumbling -- echoing the collapse of the spiritual house of living stones in the last century. The church in Europe has now suffered the same fate as that in Northern Africa. In this case, however, the change was precipitated by the machinations of atheistic thought in politics, philosophy and science (as opposed to the alternative theistic thought brought about by Islam in N. Africa).
So now my thoughts turn to the North American church. The influence of the Scriptures and the Church has been nearly eliminated from the "politically correct" public forum. In many congregations, form and ceremony has replaced relationship and discipline. The U.S. has been known from its inception as a Christian nation and is still regarded by many as such. But has it become a Christian society in name rather than fact? The implications are sobering.
However...
"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." This promise from God to Israel in the seventh chapter of 2 Chronicles refers to a physical healing of the land from drought or famine. Yet, might God do the same for us in a spiritual sense, if we were to humble ourselves and return to being the living stones that we are called to be - committed to rebuilding the spiritual house that was once at the center of American culture?
Could it not also happen for Europe, which is much further down the path than the U.S.? Greater Europe Mission is committed to seeing this post-Christian society return to its first love, long since abandoned and mostly forgotten.
We have seen first-hand in Ireland the ambivalence, lack of hope, and at times hostility when talking with nationals about God. There is much work to do. The national churches are doing what they can, but it takes a concerted effort with those from other nations (i.e. the U.S.) who have dedicated their lives to help build the church overseas.
You can make a difference. In your neighborhood. At work. At school. And even if you aren't called to take it to foreign shores, you can pray and financially support those who are called to go.
Be a living stone, not a dormant one.
I've just started reading A Global View of Christian Missions by J. Herbert Kane. In his chapter "Encounter with Islam" Kane describes the demise of the church in Northern Africa during the seventh century. While there were many contributing factors to this displacement of Christianity with Islam, it would seem that one of the primary reasons is that "Church members had long since left there first love and were Christians in name rather than fact." (pg. 53) This came about not only because the Christians didn't have the Scriptures in their native language, but the practice of the faith had been reduced to ceremony and form and not the relationship and discipline that should be at the center.
In Europe today, there are reminders that the Christian faith was once the driving force in society. These reminders, built with stone and mortar are aging and crumbling -- echoing the collapse of the spiritual house of living stones in the last century. The church in Europe has now suffered the same fate as that in Northern Africa. In this case, however, the change was precipitated by the machinations of atheistic thought in politics, philosophy and science (as opposed to the alternative theistic thought brought about by Islam in N. Africa).So now my thoughts turn to the North American church. The influence of the Scriptures and the Church has been nearly eliminated from the "politically correct" public forum. In many congregations, form and ceremony has replaced relationship and discipline. The U.S. has been known from its inception as a Christian nation and is still regarded by many as such. But has it become a Christian society in name rather than fact? The implications are sobering.
However...
"...if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." This promise from God to Israel in the seventh chapter of 2 Chronicles refers to a physical healing of the land from drought or famine. Yet, might God do the same for us in a spiritual sense, if we were to humble ourselves and return to being the living stones that we are called to be - committed to rebuilding the spiritual house that was once at the center of American culture?
Could it not also happen for Europe, which is much further down the path than the U.S.? Greater Europe Mission is committed to seeing this post-Christian society return to its first love, long since abandoned and mostly forgotten.
We have seen first-hand in Ireland the ambivalence, lack of hope, and at times hostility when talking with nationals about God. There is much work to do. The national churches are doing what they can, but it takes a concerted effort with those from other nations (i.e. the U.S.) who have dedicated their lives to help build the church overseas.
You can make a difference. In your neighborhood. At work. At school. And even if you aren't called to take it to foreign shores, you can pray and financially support those who are called to go.
Be a living stone, not a dormant one.
Oct 20, 2006
Here we are then.
So, as of Oct. 1 we are now "officially" commissioned as missionaries to Ireland with Greater Europe Mission!
What that means is that that we are now eligible to receive a salary for our mission work. At the moment, we are on a part salary. As our support level grows we will be able to increase that salary until we are on a full salary, which we hope will be in the next few months. As it is, Beth and I are teaching piano and voice lessons, respectively, I am still doing furniture restoration and the odd carpentry job AND we are putting in many hours with ministry work. Whew!
If you want to know about what all our ministry work entails, see my Oct. 5 post.
We need your prayers as we work to raise up Ministry Partners, those who are part of our ministry through their faithful financial support. If you would like information about becoming a Ministry Partner, simply drop us an email at garyandbeth@gmail.com.
I think this will be my shortest post so far, unless of course I continue to ramble like I often do and just fill the page with meaningless words because I like hearing myself type. Or I could just stop here.
What that means is that that we are now eligible to receive a salary for our mission work. At the moment, we are on a part salary. As our support level grows we will be able to increase that salary until we are on a full salary, which we hope will be in the next few months. As it is, Beth and I are teaching piano and voice lessons, respectively, I am still doing furniture restoration and the odd carpentry job AND we are putting in many hours with ministry work. Whew!
If you want to know about what all our ministry work entails, see my Oct. 5 post.
We need your prayers as we work to raise up Ministry Partners, those who are part of our ministry through their faithful financial support. If you would like information about becoming a Ministry Partner, simply drop us an email at garyandbeth@gmail.com.
I think this will be my shortest post so far, unless of course I continue to ramble like I often do and just fill the page with meaningless words because I like hearing myself type. Or I could just stop here.
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