Looking into the Depths of God

^NIV.John.3.1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again…⁵ Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit…   ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?… ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave…”

Those 3-D Computer Generated Picture Things at the Mall

by Ruth Wilkinson

You know the ones? They look like an explosion at the pixel factory, unless you stand just so far away and refocus your eyes just right and for just long enough that a 3-D panorama leaps out, thrilling and amazing all.

Except me. I can’t do it. I’ve tried starting with my nose almost touching the glass and slowly backing away. I’ve tried gently relaxing the muscles in my eyes. I’ve tried defocusing, unfocusing, disfocusing — everything. My husband and kids go from one to the next, saying, “Hey, cool! This one’s a cow! This one’s a space ship! This one’s the ceiling of St. Peter’s Basilica, complete with Michelangelo, paintbrush in hand!”

I’m still standing there crossed-eyed and head-achy looking at an explosion at the pixel factory.

I think it would have been better if I didn’t know. At face value, they’re visually interesting; a collage of images and colours, almost a pattern, but not quite. I could enjoy them that way.

But I do know and I’m missing something. Something my family sees, but I don’t. They tell me it’s there and, for them, it is. But not for me. I want it to be. I’d like to get it. They patiently try to help and advise. They really want me to get it, too. So I keep looking.

Nicodemus was like that. John, who was one of Jesus’ closest friends while he was on earth, tells us that Nicodemus was a Pharisee; one of a group who were deeply passionate about their faith. They knew the good that God had for His people and how much He loved them. But they had some very real and legitimate concerns about how the Jews could be drawn away from God by philosophical and religious influences of other nations and cultures. Pharisees worked hard at guarding the hearts of God’s people. We like to dump on them for working too hard. Making too many rules, making the whole thing cumbersome. Getting uptight at little things. We call them “legalists” and thank God that we’re not like that.

But Nicodemus, and others, were not entirely stuck in the mud. They were wise enough, humble enough, to know that they didn’t have God all figured out and someday He’d have more to say than 10 commandments and a whole lot of rules, and they’d better not be asleep at the switch when it happened.

Nicodemus and friends found Jesus very interesting. There was definitely something going on there beyond cool stories and sleight of hand. He wasn’t just a nice guy who knew a lot. He was extremely 3D. N & Co. realized that and they went to work trying to refocus in order to figure out the picture. They listened and followed and asked questions.

Everything they saw fit with everything they heard. Jesus wasn’t a fake. He wasn’t loopy. But he might be dangerous.

These guys cared genuinely about keeping people in line with God and Jesus was saying things just different enough to make them nervous.

All we know about Nicodemus is that:

1. He went to the trouble of getting alone with Jesus and asking some questions.

2. He risked his reputation to give Jesus a fair hearing.

3. When it came down to it, he made the choice to step up and take ownership of his respect and love for, and relationship with Jesus. We don’t hear anything else about Nico.

Tradition says he became a Christ follower and given John 19, I think he probably did. If so, he would have sacrificed a lot: prestige, power, family maybe, reputation. Maybe, in those three turning point moments, he found himself wishing he didn’t know. Life was good before Jesus. Obeying the rules was easier. Simpler. Walking through this relationship is a whole other layer of paint.

But in exchange, he would have fulfilled his mission as a true Pharisee. To know God’s voice and obey.

To look into the depths of God and see what’s hidden there. Love. Truth. Life.

A Man Who Was Seeking God; A God Who Was Seeking Men

Once again we are back at the blog My Morning Meal, written by Peter Corak.

The Bible is so rich in detail. You can return to a story you’ve known since childhood and see something you missed before. Peter has brilliantly done this with a so-familiar story. Click the header below to read at source.

Seeking the Seeker

They were both seeking that day. One, desperately. While the other, however, was just “passing through.”

The desperate one could barely see above the crowd for he was “small in stature.” But the Other saw everyone, and everything, clearly — even knowing the thoughts and intents of the heart. The small guy was a chief tax collector, a sinner, AND was rich — a triple whammy when it came to the pursuit of righteousness. The One who seemingly was about to pass by was the King of kings, the Savior of sinners, the God with whom nothing was impossible, even ushering a rich man into the kingdom of heaven (Lk. 18:24-27). Very different men.

But what Zacchaeus and Jesus had in common is that they were both seeking.

And behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was, . . . And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

(Luke 19:2-3a, 9-10 ESV)

Zacchaeus wanted to see Jesus. The reputation which had preceded the Teacher from Galilee had rooted itself in the heart of this Roman-serving, countrymen-oppressing, little rich man. Whatever he had heard about Jesus, it compelled him to know more. Even if it meant scurrying amidst the crowd, bumping into butts so that he might wind his way towards the tree which would help him rise above the crowd. He was seeking the Seeker.

But when Jesus looked up and saw this “big man” tax collector humbling himself as he precariously balanced above the crowd, putting himself literally out on a limb, Jesus said, “Come down, for I must stay at your house”, as if it had been His plan all along. As if passing through Jericho had always been with the intent of a rest stop at a sinner’s house. For Jesus, too, was seeking the seeker.

I’m sure there’s some theological term or explanation for how someone who is dead in trespasses and sin (Eph. 2:1) comes alive enough to seek the Author of life (Acts. 3:15). But, to me, it’s a mystery. The wonder of the Seeker seeking the seeker. Even stirring his, or her heart such that he, or she would find themselves seeking the Seeker.

What so compellingly prompts a proud, little man to so humble himself in order to rise above the crowd, and climb a tree in front of those who despise him? What makes the Son of God humble Himself, take on flesh, be hanged on a tree, and be lifted up before a mob set on deriding Him? Both were seekers. Both were seeking. Both were seeking the seeker.

Amazing! The actions of both men defy comprehension, really. But that the One who was in the beginning (Jn. 1:1), and made everything that was ever made (Jn. 1:3), and holds together everything that is being held together (Col. 1:17), would Himself come to seek and save the lost? Jaw-dropping.

Pretty familiar Sunday School story. Kind of easy to blow by it. But pause, be still, and noodle on it a bit, and it’s enough to send the awe-o-meter off the scale.

Because of His amazing grace. For His soul-seeking glory.

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Bonus link: Here’s another article — from this very morning — where Peter finds riches in another familiar story, this one the story of Esther.

Finding Jesus in the Hurry and the Hustle

Once again today we’re back at Don’t Ask The Fish written by Lancaster Bible College and Capital Seminary president Dr. Tommy Kiedis who also writes at Leader’s Life and Work. As always, you’re encouraged to click the headers like the one which follows, and read these at their original host sites.

Hope When the Path is Uphill

“You shall seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

— Jeremiah 29:13

I’m beginning to wonder if Jeremiah 29:13 went down with Amelia Earhart. I don’t see it much. I don’t hear it taught, preached, or memorized. On the other hand, Jeremiah 29:11 is as popular as Santa Claus:

““For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

— Jeremiah 29:11

Why does Jeremiah 29:11 find its way onto T-shirts, bedroom walls, and coffee mugs? Probably because it speaks to the gracious nature of God. But could it be — just possibly — because it subtly reinforces our desire for life on easy street?

• Prosperity? Yeah, I’m down with that.

• No harm coming my way? Love that idea.

• Hopeful future (my future)? Sure, bring it on!

Jeremiah 29:7 is also trending nicely.

“But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

— Jeremiah 29:7 ESV

There is an army of church planters and pastors who have taken up the rally cry of Jeremiah 29:7. That’s a good thing. One Westboro Baptist Church is enough. God, give us more emissaries of peace.

But Jeremiah 29:13 is a different story. It is the awkward friend, the out-of-date tie, the book collecting dust on the shelf:

“You shall seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Seeking and searching implies effort. Finding Jesus in the hurry and hustle is hard. Contending for the faith in the face of a tough week, a marital spat, or a world pandemic . . . . Come on! Who wants to put up with that?

We may not want to, but we must.

Read the Scriptures. Study history. The way of Jesus is often uphill, over difficult terrain, and carried out under a cloudy sky. I suspect that is how Jeremiah felt. The man who delivered the promise of “prosperity, hope, and future” walked the road of potholes, hassles, and failure:

• Jeremiah’s parishioners beat him and imprisoned him (Jeremiah 37:15).

• The political officials called for his hide (Jeremiah 38:4).

• Enemies cast him into a muddy cistern (Jeremiah 38:6).

• He walked to Babylon bound in chains with the other exiles (Jeremiah 40:1)

• His ministry was a fountain of tears (Jeremiah 9:1)

So what gives? How come the one who preached “Don’t worry be happy” sang, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen”? For starters, God’s Jeremiah 29:11 promise was, above all else, his prophetic word to his disobedient people wallowing in the land of Babylon.

God would not leave them there. Jeremiah 29:11 was God’s billboard: Better days ahead!

But “better days” does not mean “every day” nor necessarily “this day.” In fact, Jeremiah’s audience would wait 70 years for that promise to become reality.

That kind of delay is okay for people of faith. Walking with God is never about the circumstances. It is always about keeping fixed on the one who sees us through the circumstances, and who rains the sweet fragrance of peace over parched souls.

So we seek him . . . by praying, reading his word, remembering his promises, running to his family, and resting in his presence. He is there no matter our peace or lack of it.

The Apostle John was Jeremiah’s first-century colleague in the faith. John reminds us: Jesus is the vine. We are the branches. It is in remaining in Him (seeking him) that we “find him,” produce fruit, and accomplish more than we ever dreamed.

So what are we to do with Jeremiah 29:11? Well, for starters don’t throw away your coffee mug or paint over the verse. Just add verse 13 to it.

“You shall seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Christmas: When Seekers are Hiders

Today we’re also featuring a writer who is new to us. (Again, thanks for the recommendations.) Rebecca LuElla Miller is a freelance writer and editor who has appeared in too many publications to list here. This article has appeared three times on her blog, A Christian Worldview of Fiction. Click the title below to read at source.

Wise Men And The Seeking Thing

“Wise men still seek Him,” the signs say. I saw one the night my friend and I cruised through a community lavishly decorated with lights and Santas and candy canes and an occasional nativity scene. Years past when I was a teacher, I even had those words as the title of a Christmas bulletin board in my classroom.

The phrase, layered with meaning as it is, sounds sort of profound. And Christ centered.

But here’s the thing. In my experience, it doesn’t seem like we seek God so much as God seeks us.

First, God isn’t hiding. He has purposefully and dramatically made Himself known. That’s what the first Christmas and the ensuing thirty-tree years were all about. Jesus came to show humankind the Father.

Secondly, people seem to be more interested in dodging and ducking and hiding from God than in seeking Him. Of course many flat out deny and reject Him. C. S. Lewis wrote of his reluctance, his fight, actually, against God. He called Him his adversary once and wrote this of his conversion:

That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England. (Surprised by Joy)

It seems to me, the people who fall into the category of “seeker” are more apt to be hiders, ducking behind the quest for the spiritual in order to avoid God and His claim on their lives. Scripture says clearly that anyone who truly seeks, finds.

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (Matt. 7:7-11)

Consequently, it seems to me the seeking process isn’t some protracted, drawn out, involved study of world religions or long nights of deep meditation. Those kinds of things are hiding tactics, more likely to obfuscate than to reveal. God has told us what we need to do to find Him: look at His Son Jesus.

Jesus said to [Thomas], “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”

So there’s Christmas in a nutshell. When we look at Jesus come down from Heaven, we are seeing the Father: His love for the lost, His sacrificial heart, His generosity, His mercy and grace, His forgiveness, His humility, His desire for reconciliation and peace, His goodness.

Do wise men seek Him today as they once did over two thousand years ago? Those ancient magi thought they were going to find the King of the Jews, and they did. But they also found the Creator of the world, the Redeemer of Mankind, the Friend of sinners.

Whoever seeks Jesus on those terms is bound to find Him.

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Here’s the Christmas lyric version of Offering by Paul Baloche…

…and the Christmas lyric version of Your Name, also by Paul Baloche.

 

To Look into the Depths of God

^NIV.John.3.1 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again…⁵ Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. ⁶ Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. ⁷ You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ ⁸ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit…   ¹² I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?… ¹⁶ For God so loved the world that he gave…”

Those 3-D Computer Generated Picture Things at the Mall

by Ruth Wilkinson

You know the ones? They look like an explosion at the pixel factory, unless you stand just so far away and refocus your eyes just right and for just long enough that a 3-D panorama leaps out, thrilling and amazing all.

Except me. I can’t do it. I’ve tried starting with my nose almost touching the glass and slowly backing away. I’ve tried gently relaxing the muscles in my eyes. I’ve tried defocusing, unfocusing, disfocusing — everything. My husband and kids go from one to the next, saying, “Hey, cool! This one’s a cow! This one’s a space ship! This one’s the ceiling of St. Peter’s Basilica, complete with Michelangelo, paintbrush in hand!”

I’m still standing there crossed-eyed and head-achy looking at an explosion at the pixel factory.

I think it would have been better if I didn’t know. At face value, they’re visually interesting; a collage of images and colours, almost a pattern, but not quite. I could enjoy them that way.

But I do know and I’m missing something. Something my family sees, but I don’t. They tell me it’s there and, for them, it is. But not for me. I want it to be. I’d like to get it. They patiently try to help and advise. They really want me to get it, too. So I keep looking.

Nicodemus was like that. John, who was one of Jesus’ closest friends while he was on earth, tells us that Nicodemus was a Pharisee; one of a group who were deeply passionate about their faith. They knew the good that God had for His people and how much He loved them. But they had some very real and legitimate concerns about how the Jews could be drawn away from God by philosophical and religious influences of other nations and cultures. Pharisees worked hard at guarding the hearts of God’s people. We like to dump on them for working too hard. Making too many rules, making the whole thing cumbersome. Getting uptight at little things. We call them “legalists” and thank God that we’re not like that.

But Nicodemus, and others, were not entirely stuck in the mud. They were wise enough, humble enough, to know that they didn’t have God all figured out and someday He’d have more to say than 10 commandments and a whole lot of rules, and they’d better not be asleep at the switch when it happened.

Nicodemus and friends found Jesus very interesting. There was definitely something going on there beyond cool stories and sleight of hand. He wasn’t just a nice guy who knew a lot. He was extremely 3D. N & Co. realized that and they went to work trying to refocus in order to figure out the picture. They listened and followed and asked questions.

Everything they saw fit with everything they heard. Jesus wasn’t a fake. He wasn’t loopy. But he might be dangerous.

These guys cared genuinely about keeping people in line with God and Jesus was saying things just different enough to make them nervous.

All we know about Nicodemus is that. 1. He went to the trouble of getting alone with Jesus and asking some questions. 2. He risked his reputation to give Jesus a fair hearing. 3. When it came down to it, he made the choice to step up and take ownership of his respect and love for, and relationship with Jesus. We don’t hear anything else about Nico.

Tradition says he became a Christ follower and given John 19, I think he probably did. If so, he would have sacrificed a lot: prestige, power, family maybe, reputation. Maybe, in those three turning point moments, he found himself wishing he didn’t know. Life was good before Jesus. Obeying the rules was easier. Simpler. Walking through this relationship is a whole other layer of paint.

But in exchange, he would have fulfilled his mission as a true Pharisee. To know God’s voice and obey.

To look into the depths of God and see what’s hidden there. Love. Truth. Life.

Seared Conscience | Revealed Truth

Having many years of archives to draw on, we get to know certain authors and offer their latest writing here on a regular basis; but I also like to keep adding new devotional writers as I discover them. Paula Maillet has been blogging at Along Emaus Road since 2005. Her pieces are shorter than some we include here, so I’ve posted two below which couldn’t be more different.

Or are they?

Don’t most of us wrestle with a sinful nature on one hand but also a sincere to see God reveal himself? The dichotomy of being in the world but not of the world? Realizing the weakness of being easily enticed into sinful thought patterns or actions, but at the same time longing for a greater revelation of God? (Maybe it’s just me!)

I placed these in the order I did so we could see our problem, and then its cure.

It Starts With Just Flirting With Sin

“This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord,
that you should no longer walk
as the rest off the Gentiles walk,
in the futility of their mind,
having their understanding darkened,
being alienated from the life of God
because of the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their heart;
who, being past feeling,
have given themselves over to lewdness,
to work all uncleanness with greediness.”
Ephesians 4:17-19

“who being past feeling…”

I once had a married friend who was beginning an affair with another man, and I spoke to her about it, asking how she could do such a thing. Her response was that she felt a lot of guilt the first time, but that afterwards she felt less and less guilt as time went on and now just didn’t feel guilty at all.

She was “past feeling.” Her conscience became seared. I saw it with my own eyes.

“…having their own conscience seared with a hot iron…”
1 Timothy 4:2

This was an example to me as I watched as she was given over to a debased mind.

“…and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge,
God gave them over to a debased mind…”
Romans 1:28

Don’t think it can’t happen to you if you’re flirting with sin, any sin. Eventually it won’t hurt your conscience any more – when the Holy Spirit has left you. Don’t try it. Don’t flirt with it.

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.”
Psalm 51:10-11

Take heed that you be not deceived and lured into something you would not have wanted to be attached to.

“Repent therefore and be converted,
that your sins may be blotted out,
so that times of REFRESHING
may come from the presence of the Lord…”
Acts 3:19

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It’s All About Revelation

“…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of glory,
may give to you the spirit of wisdom
and REVELATION in the knowledge of Him,
the eyes of your understanding being ENLIGHTENED,
that you may know what is the hope of His calling,
what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints…”
Ephesians 1:17-18

It all comes by revelation, and NOT by human reasoning. If you’ve tried to understand God or to understand his Word and find you cannot, there is a reason for that. You are trying to do with your human resources what only the Spirit of God can do.

It’s all about REVELATION.

“Jesus answered and said to him,
‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah,
FOR FLESH AND BLOOD HAS NOT REVEALED THIS TO YOU
but my Father who is in heaven.’”
Matthew 16:17

ASK the Lord to REVEAL his Word to you. What you do not understand, set aside for now. Let him reveal himself and his Word to you as you read it (the Bible) prayerfully. He WILL reveal it, gradually more and more, as you sit before him. Put the time in. It’s worth it. It’s beyond worth it.

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ASK of God,
who gives to all liberally and without reproach,
and it WILL be given to him.”
James 1:5

These are great promises in the Word of God. Receive them, meditate on them, believe them, and he will do the rest.

 

Why People are Leaving and Churches are Dying

Today we pay a return visit to Shane Idleman, founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California, just North of Los Angeles. (And this time we looked into it and no, Shane and Kyle are not related!) To read this at source on the church blog, click the title below; there’s also a related article by him linked at the bottom.

The Real Reason Churches Die and People Leave

Experts say that nearly 4,000 churches close every year in America and over 3,500 people leave the church every single day.

Church is boring, ​and many churches are dying ​because the power of God has vanished from the pulpit as well as the pew. Like Samson, they “know not that the Spirit of the Lord has departed” (cf. Judge 16:20). But there is hope if we once again seek God. “Light yourself on fire with passion and people will come from miles to watch you burn” (John Wesley).

We need genuine revival preaching: “Revival preaching is more concerned about an outcome than an outline. The revival preacher is more aware of his text than the time. He is bent on pleasing the Lord rather than pleasing men. His ear is tuned to hear and heed the voice of God” (Harold Vaughan). “We need more prophets in our pulpits and less puppets” (Leonard Ravenhill).

​Many know about ​2 Chronicles 7:14​ , but fail to apply it​​: “If my people, which are called by my name, shall 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.”

God’s call is not to Hollywood, Washington, or the media, but to us. If “My people” turn back to Me I will heal and restore. We have a form of microwave Christianity. Service times are cut to just over an hour, prayer is glanced over, and worship is designed to entertain the masses. “People are bored,” they say, “so our services need to be more appealing.” You can increase attendance with slick marketing and entertaining services, but you’ll miss the heart of God. The church will be a mile wide but only an inch deep.

To seek in the context of 2 Chronicles 7:14 means to “find what is missing.” The Hebrew word for seek, baqash, has a very strong meaning. Imagine losing your child in a crowded mall. Your entire heart would be engaged. How would you spend your time? Where would your energy be concentrated? Now parallel this with seeking God.

I’ve often said that one of the most difficult challenges associated with pastoring is not sermon preparation, leading a church, or taxing counseling appointments; it’s witnessing the tragic results of spiritual dehydration—watching people die spiritually with living water just steps away. Sadly, we are too busy and too self-absorbed to truly seek Him.

In today’s culture, there are countless enticements that pull us away from God. It is my firm belief that, second only to salvation, seeking God is the most important aspect of the Christian life…to truly know God: “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13).

Very few of us ever experience this close relationship with God because it involves things such as humility, dying to self, vibrant prayer, and heart-felt worship. This isn’t meant to discourage, but to convict. Conviction is a wonderful gift from God used to turn the heart back to Him.

Let’s be honest: how many can truly say like Jeremiah, “His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (Jeremiah 20:9)? How many have truly experienced Jesus’ words in John 7:38, “Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water?” How many can truly relate to “times of refreshing” found in Acts 3:19?

Many have head knowledge, but they’ve never truly experienced the presence of God. Often, it’s because of ongoing and unconfessed sin. Being tempted isn’t sin—surrendering to it is. Temptation is also an opportunity to do what is right by turning from it. 1 Corinthians 10:13 states, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

This “way of escape” is ultimately what tilts the scale toward seeking God. When we flee temptation, turn from sin, and seek God, the by-product is the filling of the Spirit. The door of temptation swings both ways—you can enter or exit. If we choose to enter, once inside, we may not see the exit sign so clearly again.

I’ll close with a correspondence I received from a man before he fully sought God with all his heart, “I had become someone I never thought I would become. I was in complete darkness…I would sleep in my clothes for as long as I could. I began wishing that I would die. The emotional pain was unbearable.”

Here is his correspondence after he passionately sought God and surrendered his life to Him. “I only wish that everyone could feel the love that I experienced. I’m able to forgive others and genuinely love them. I feel like I have been re-born…elusive peace has now been found.”

How long will you waver? If God is God follow Him (cf. 1 Kings 18:21). ​​

Shane Idleman is the founder and lead pastor of Westside Christian Fellowship in Lancaster, California, just North of Los Angeles. He recently released his 7th book, Desperate for More of God at shaneidleman.com. 

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Related article by Shane: Why Do So Many People Hate Preachers?

Related: A.W. Tozer quotation at Clark Bunch’s blog.

 

The Spiritual Discipline of Fasting

For several years I received a devotional booklet in the mail from James MacDonald and Walk In The Word called Our Journey. After making inquiries with a local Harvest Bible Chapel, I discovered that the devotional is now an online resource, and after checking it out, I read this devotional which you can read at source by clicking the link below.

And When You Fast

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke” (Isaiah 58:6, ESV)

“And when you fast,” Jesus said, before teaching a few, practical pointers on the subject (Matthew 6:16). His first words raise a basic question, though: When should you fast? Every other Tuesday? When your friends do? When you feel bored? No, fasting isn’t a spiritual whimsy; it’s a spiritual discipline, and the Bible gives some clear outlines to the practice. According to Isaiah 58, you should fast . . .

When you are caught in a sinful pattern. God said, “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness” (Isaiah 58:6a)? When you are caught in a sinful pattern, fast. Authentic fasting gives God an open channel to show you how you’re held captive by bad behavior or even by good behavior that’s out of control. Fasting reveals and breaks sinful patterns.

When you have a heavy burden. Back to Isaiah 58:6b: “Is not this the fast that I choose . . . to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?” Do you have a heavy burden you have been carrying for a long time? Then fast. For example, skip lunch for a week. Give the time you would have spent eating to prayer. And let the gnawing in your stomach heighten your hunger for God.

When you are oppressed by the enemy. Consider again the fast “to let the oppressed go free” (58:6b). Many believers feel burdened for someone who’s not walking with God. Names may immediately flood your mind. Perhaps you’ve prayed consistently for them. Add fasting. You can fast and pray about the oppression, asking God to tear the veil of darkness with His light.

When you want to give to someone else. “Is [the fast] not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh” (58:7)? When we share our bread, homes, clothes, and blankets—not the extra items we don’t need or want anymore, but the stuff we consider ours—that’s a form of fasting pleasing to God. Fasting teaches us how to be generous not only with the surplus God provides, but also with the principal God provides.

When you need an answer to prayer. “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am’” (58:9). Fasting not only clarifies our prayers, but it also opens our eyes and ears to see and hear God’s answers. When our hunger for God is elevated, the stuff keeping us from sensing His presence will be removed, and we will know that when He says, “Here I am,” He means it.

When you need direction. Here’s another outcome of fasting: “And the Lord will guide you continually” (58:11). Who doesn’t want God’s guidance? Yet how often do we actually demonstrate our desire by fasting and waiting attentively on God?

When you need to be spiritually restored. Through fasting, God restores us. “And the Lord will . . . satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail” (58:11). What a stark picture of what our lives look like. God offers water for our scorched souls.

When you need to be revived. As long as you’re alive, you are under renovation—you’re not finished, and God isn’t finished with you. However “ruined” you see your life today, God can rebuild and use you. “And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in” (58:12). Your best days can still be ahead.

Journal

• We began by asking, “When should you fast?” Let’s make that question more personal. When should you fast?
• During a time of prayer and fasting this week, go back over this rich passage from Isaiah 58. What do these verses mean, and what does God promise in regard to fasting?

Pray
Lord God, when should I fast? Help me to hear Your answer to that question. How do You want me to apply what I am reading and learning? Fasting heightens my hunger for You. Through fasting, You refine me, restore me, and awaken me. Thank You for the ways the spiritual disciplines set us free. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Revival Starts with Church Band Members, Tech Team, Janitors, Secretaries and You

 

This appeared on the website ChurchProduction.com; a site for people involved in the music, sound, lighting and tech side of modern church life. Click the title below to read at source…

Revival on the Tech Team?

By Judah Thomas

If you have followed Christ for more than a few years you have probably heard people talk about how the want to see a revival in their region. Usually what they mean is that they want to see a large amount of people putting their faith in Christ. Throughout history great men and women have preached and sparked great revivals and awakenings, some which have spread like wildfire across the nation.

Well what does that have to do with you? You may be thinking that your role as a tech director is strictly behind the scenes — a support player; one that certainly aids in the communication of God’s Word but not one that would be the catalyst for such a movement.

The interesting thing is that although many of the great revivals that have happened have a preacher’s name and face associated with the inception of it, the truth is that the revival started long before in the hearts and prayers of people who’s names would never get mentioned. The thing that many people fail to realize is that true revival doesn’t start with “them” it starts in “me.”

Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land. – 2 Chronicles 7:14

In this verse we see that it has to start from within us. We see four things that have to happen before the revival and restoration begins. The revivals of the past did not start on a stage in front of hundreds or thousands of people, but it started in a private place with one, two or a few people praying and humbling themselves before God — people who were passionately seeking the face of God and desiring Him to move in their lives in a real and powerful way.

Humble Themselves

Pride is something that plagues us all. In James 4 it says that God resists the proud but He give grace to those that are humble. We need to surrender our pride and ego and stop comparing ourselves to one another. As a tech person we live and breath comparisons: comparing features, knobs, and quality. This is fine when we are looking at a new piece of equipment, but not so good when we start comparing ourselves to someone else.

Pray

Is prayer a vital part of your life, or is it something that you rarely do? As a tech director you may never be on the stage in front of people, but the prayers that you pray can still accomplish powerful things in their lives. In James 5 it tells us that a righteous person’s prayer can produce great things. Even if you aren’t on stage your prayers can do great things for the Kingdom of God.

Seek My Face

What things are you pursuing in your life. Sure we are pursuing great sound, video and lights, but are we pursuing the face of God? Are we seeking God’s Kingdom above all else? God does not want us to have religion he wants us to have relationship with Him.

Turn From Their Wicked Ways

Repentance comes before revival. There is a big difference between sorrow and repentance. Sorrow is feeling bad for what you did, and it’s often just feeling bad that you got caught. True repentance is actually turning from those things that displease God. It’s a change of actions.

As we do these things revival is birthed in our heart. God then promises that he will forgive our sins and He will heal our land.

It doesn’t matter if you are a world-renown evangelist or if you are running lyric projection for your local church, you can light a spark of revival. As you humble yourself before God, pray, seek His face and repent of your sins God will move in a powerful way and will bring restoration and revival to many lives.

Judah Thomas is the Lead Pastor at Thrive.Church in Thomaston, CT.

A Cross-Carrying Kind of Life

This is one of two posts in a series by Deb Wolf who blogs at Counting My Blessings. This is her third time appearing here at Christianity 201 and we do appreciate the work she does on her site; the tag line is “Encouraging you with stories of faith, hope and love.” Click the title below to read at source and/or read part two, “Jesus Answer to the Fear of Cross-Carrying.”

When You Don’t Want a Cross-Carrying Kind of Faith

There is a verse in the Bible that did anything but give me peace and contentment. I tried to pretend I was obedient, but my heart knew it terrified me.

Then He [Jesus] called the crowd to Him along with His disciples and said: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. Mark 8:34–35

[Last Wednesday] was Ash Wednesday—the beginning of Lent. For the next six and a half weeks followers of Jesus will fast, pray, and ponder His journey to the cross.

Followers who are called to deny themselves, carry their cross, trust and obey . . . lose their life for Jesus.

I didn’t want to carry my cross. I liked my comfortable safe life. Sure there were some problems and pain, but life—my life, my kid’s lives, my husband’s life, complete trust and obedience . . . what could happen to a life lost to cross carrying.

My doctor and a counselor said I was “high-strung,” anxious.

Lack of Faith

I knew I was a fear-filled worrier. Seriously, I turned worry into an art form. Not surprising. Look around. Have you seen all the truly terrible things that can happen?

I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew it was lack of faith.

But that verse and others like it:

But the Lord said, “Go, for Saul is my chosen instrument to take my message to the Gentiles and to kings, as well as to the people of Israel. And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Acts 9:15–16

For God called you to do good, even if it means suffering, just as Christ suffered for you. He is your example, and you must follow in His steps. 1 Peter 2:21

 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. Matthew 10:38

Giving Up Fear for Faith

“I have told you these things so that you won’t abandon your faith . . . I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”  John 16:33

It’s true. In this world there will be trials and sorrows. Worry doesn’t prevent it. Fear won’t keep it out of reach.

Trials and sorrows did happen, but.

What a small yet important word.

“You will have trials and sorrows. But take heart, because.”

Take heart [don’t lose your faith], because…

I have overcome the world
I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.
Be sure of this: I am with you always.

Through trials and sorrows Jesus was faithful, and because of His faithfulness my faith grew. Faith that was greater than my fear. Faith that was impossible when I focused on my fears, but grew when I kept my eyes on Jesus.

Let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Hebrews 12:1–2

Answers to Spiritual Issues

^{NIV Jer. 29:13} You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Today’s blog post arrived in a newsletter from BibleGateway.com that I honestly don’t remember signing up for! As I read it, my first reaction was that it was something that would be of interest to new Christians, or people dealing with new Christians. But then I realized there are some principles here that apply to all of us, no matter what stage we’re at. The author is Lee Strobel, author of The Case for Faith and The Case for Christ.

 

Q. Can you offer any practical advice on how to seek answers to spiritual issues?

A. Despite my initial reluctance to seeking spiritual truth, I did do one thing right. I set three principles for myself at the beginning of my search – guidelines that helped me then and that I trust will help you now, whether you’re a skeptic or a Christian with questions.

1. Make the search a front-burner issue.

Finding answers is too important to approach casually or in sporadic snatches of time. I knew – and I hope you agree – that these are urgent matters. Jeremiah 29:13 encourages us to seek God and his truth “with all your heart.”

2. Keep an open mind and follow the evidence wherever it leads.

This principle had been drilled into me as a journalist, and it served me well in my spiritual journey. I had to strive for as much objectivity as I could muster, putting aside preconceived ideas and biases. Only then could meaningful answers be discerned. French philosopher Blaise Pascal said, “Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.”

3. When the evidence is in, reach a verdict.

I knew these realities were far too important to ignore. If God is real, and if Jesus is who he claimed to be, then I would have to respond accordingly. Similarly, I hope you’ll decide up front that when you weigh the facts, you’ll allow the evidence to impact your own beliefs.

One more suggestion: Ask the God you may not be sure about to guide you. Just as Jesus honored the doubter who said, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” (Mark 9:24), he will honor your sincere request.

If you’ll apply these principles and seek answers wholeheartedly, I’m confident you’ll discover – as I did – that Jesus was indeed right when he promised in Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

This excerpt is from my new book The Case for Christianity Answer Book, which offers to-the-point answers to 60 questions about faith. Use it to encourage and equip yourself, or give it to a friend, neighbor, or family member as a gift.

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MISSION STATEMENT: Christianity 201 is a melting-pot of devotional and Bible study content from across the widest spectrum of the Christian blogosphere. An individual article may be posted even if some or all readers might not agree with other things posted at the same blog, and two posts may follow on consecutive days by authors with very different doctrinal perspectives. The Kingdom of God is so much bigger than the small portion of it we can see from our personal vantage point, and one of the purposes of C201 is to allow readers a ‘macro’ view of the many ministries and individual voices available for reading. You might even decide to make some of these a daily habit. Any advertising appearing beyond this point in this article does not originate with C201, nor are we aware of it.

 

Evangelism Fail

When an old post by Raymond Powell was recently reblogged at Live58.net a reader complained about the title, Jesus Flunks Evangelism. On the other hand we get it completely. You can read more from Ray at his own blog, The Philippian Jailer.

What would you do if someone ran up to you, threw himself to the ground before you, and begged to know how he might be saved? Surely this is the kind of opportunity every aspiring evangelist must dream of—so what was Jesus thinking when He engaged this guy in Mark 10:17-22?

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'”As Jesus started on His way, a man ran up to Him and fell on his knees before Him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” He said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”

At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

It seems to me that Jesus would have flunked out of evangelism class with this interrogation.

Where were the Four Spiritual Laws? The Bridge Illustration? The Romans Road? He didn’t even need an alter call—the guy was on his knees already!

It certainly wasn’t very seeker sensitive of Him to hit this fellow with a demand that he sell everything before following Him. We enlightened, sensitive believers would have instead told him just to believe and receive Christ in his heart, and then all the rest of that stuff comes later. My word, hadn’t He been taught that you need to be patient with seekers?

Perhaps what Jesus knew is that “There is … no one who seeks God.” The presumption behind much of our evangelism seems to be that there are all these seekers just trying their best to find God, and we need to woo them in so that they can finally meet the One they seek.

Well, okay—I suppose there are seekers, and surely they need God. But what do they in fact seek? Comfort? Fulfillment? Meaning? What if they find all these things in the Church, but they don’t find true peace with God?

This is not a minor point. Much of the energy behind our evangelism presumes that the Church needs to open its doors and be ready to receive this body of seekers into our comforting embrace.

The danger is that the Church will succeed in giving them a place to feel accepted, but that place will offer them only a kind of fulfillment, not actual salvation from sin.

They will achieve truce, perhaps, but not peace with God. They may achieve a false sense of salvation, finding themselves among those who say “Lord, Lord” on the day of judgment, only to learn the horrific truth: “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!“

The Scripture tells us that Jesus looked at the rich young man and loved him. He then told him what he needed most to hear at that moment—that his riches were his god and that he wouldn’t find the true God without repenting of his materialism.

Perhaps sensitivity impedes our love and impairs our message.

Perhaps the Church’s biggest problem is not that we are insensitive but that we are unloving, arrogant, self-absorbed, timid, materialistic, and lovers of this world.

Certainly that sounds like my problem.

The Prayer of Agur

Tony Pearsall at the blog FireSpeaks, is beginning a series on prayer. Here’s the first installment. Click the title for the link, and then bookmark the page if you wish to continue in the series.

( I dare you to pray this prayer)

I would say 95% of all Christians have heard of the prayer of Jabez, but only about 5% of the those Christians would tell you where it’s located in the Bible. This is just the opposite with The Prayer of Agur, of the very few Christians that have heard I would guest that nearly 100 % of those Christians knows where it can be located in the Bible. Why this is so, we will address later, right now lets look at the prayer.

Proverbs 30:7-9
Two things have I required of thee; deny me them not before I die: Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me: Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.(KJV)

In this prayer a man named Agur ( identified in proverbs 30:1) ask God for two things,

•   That God’s sustaining Grace will keep him from falling into sin because of his vanity and lies
•   That God would meet his needs
  • but not so abundant, that he will forget that God is the source of all good things in his life.
  • and not so sparingly that he has to steal to meet his own needs.

This is a difficult prayer to pray it deals with or vanity and pride, the lies that we tell and that others may tell us, and our lust for money and fear of poverty. However Agur does not ask God to help him stop lying, but to keep him out of the situations and circumstance that may tempt him to lie, or that may cause him to act in vanity or pride; to keep him out of circumstances where others are likely to have him as a subject of their lies.

We are cursed with the false belief that we can handle riches in our life , but this is far from the truth. When the options for large amount of money becomes a subject of our interest we almost universally see it as an opportunity to to get more things. I heard Christians who would never play the lottery, say things like “if I won the lottery I would buy…” you fill in the blank. The fact is, the natural man desires the gifts, and blessing of God greater than he desire God. It is for this very reason that God will not answer a prayer from us that would take us from his presence.

James 4:3 (AMP) says “ [Or] you do ask [God for them] and yet fail to receive, because you ask with wrong purpose and evil, selfish motives. Your intention is [when you get what you desire] to spend it in sensual pleasures.”

Agur was a man of wisdom, he knew his own fear of want, and the temptation that being impoverished has on mankind. So he prayed God don’t hold your substance from me so much that I am out of my lack will steal and defile your name.

The question we must ask ourselves are we willing to admit that we are unable to subdue our vanities, and pride ? Are we willing strip ourselves bare of the curse of plenty, so that we may live upright in the presence of Christ?

Scripture Teaching on Physical Drought

I’m always wary of some of our Charismatic brothers and sisters who purport to make predictions for a new year, but I respect the balance I find in former Charisma editor J. Lee Grady. Here he looks at the weird weather we’ve experienced recently and notes some scripture passages that speak to periods where this a lack of rain. This is more forthtelling than foretelling. Click through to read this at Fire In My Bones where it is titled Serving God in a Dry Season.

While Hurricane Sandy’s floods dominated recent weather headlines, a very different weather pattern has cost us more than the superstorm’s $50 billion in damages. The United States actually needs rain—and lots of it.

Forecasters say our nation is experiencing its worst drought since 1954. As of this week, 60.1 percent of the nation is in drought, with six states—Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado and Iowa—entirely in drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Lakes are drying up, crops are dying and ranchers are scrambling to feed their cows.

Some people figure this prolonged dry spell is just the result of cyclical climate patterns. Maybe so, but the Bible suggests that droughts and famines can be linked to spiritual realities. Sometimes the natural world reflects our spiritual condition. Man’s pride, greed, injustice and idolatry can actually disturb nature.

When you consider how hostile our culture has become to God and biblical morality, it’s no surprise we are in a recession—both economically and ecologically. (Note to all my green friends: Sin is actually very bad for the environment.)

The good news is that even in seasons of drought, whether physical or spiritual, God has a knack for getting His people through challenging times. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all experienced famine—yet they inherited a divine promise. Moses led God’s people through a dry wilderness. David wrote psalms about the dry seasons. And it was during a prolonged drought that Elijah called down fire from heaven.

I’m not superstitious, so I have no fear of the number 13. While I do believe 2013 will be a challenging year financially, I see some silver linings behind today’s storm clouds. As we enter this difficult time, remember what the Bible says about drought:

1. It is a time to repent. Back in the old days people repented when the rain stopped. They feared God. They knew they couldn’t rely on their sophisticated technology, scientific achievements or social engineering. The prophet Joel led the way when he wrote: “To you, O Lord, I cry; for fire has devoured the pastures of the wilderness and the flame has burned up all the trees of the field” (Joel 1:19, NASB). When times are tough, make sure you are not offending God in any way. Turn from all known sin. Adjust your attitudes, starve your lusts and refocus on the Lord.

2. It is a time to seek the Lord fervently. Many of America’s trees are in danger because of the current drought. The only tree that can survive drought is one that has roots deep enough to soak up water that lies far below the ground. Your ability to survive tough times depends on how deep you are willing to go with God. Shallow devotion isn’t enough.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote about the righteous man: “For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but its leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit” (Jer. 17:8). Instead of fretting about the future, extend your roots farther than you ever have before. Seek the Lord and tap into the strength of His presence.

3. It is a time to worship the Lord passionately. Worship has a proven therapeutic effect on our souls, but it also has the power to change our circumstances. When times are tough, the tough start praising! If your situation looks bleak, don’t fall into the trap of depression. You can worship your way out of this.

The prophet Habakkuk described a dark time in Israel when the fig tree did not blossom and there was no fruit on the vines. Still, he chose to praise. He said: “Yet I will exult in the Lord; I will rejoice in the God of my salvation” (Hab. 3:18). As you enter 2013, use the weapon of praise to conquer your anxieties, fears and doubts.

4. It is a time to expect supernatural supply. King David said the righteous would enjoy abundance “in the days of famine” (see Psalm 37:19). That doesn’t make sense! How can we experience provision during a recession? It is possible because God’s economy is not linked to this world’s corrupt system. Just as the widow’s oil flowed even when her bank account was dry, you too can know supernatural blessing even when the nation is dangling over a fiscal cliff.

Regardless of what the history books say about 2013, it can be a time for God’s people to shine. Raise your faith level and expect a miracle.

J. Lee Grady

Jim Cymbala – Tuesday Night Prayer Meeting

Many of the uploads on YouTube featuring the teaching ministry of Jim Cymbala run between 30 minutes and 75 minutes. This is fitting for a ministry where time is not an issue. People show up two hours early for Tuesday night prayer because they want to spend extra time in the presence of God. Many stay an hour after the service is ended to continue in an atmosphere of connection to heaven.

If this whets your appetite for more of what Jim has to say, I encourage you to seek out videos; just type Jim’s name into the YouTube search bar. For those of you who don’t have the time today, I’ve included two of the shorter video clips…

Here’s some of the back story of how the Brooklyn Tabernacle came to be the church it is today…

That clip is also advertising one of Jim’s books; I want to encourage you, if you haven’t read him before, to start with Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire and then consider the most recent book, Spirit Rising. Both available worldwide from Zondervan.