THEY PRAYED FOR BOLDNESS – Part 2

“But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict.”  (1 Thessalonians 2:2)

How often has the Christian community of which you are a member prayed for boldness to declare the gospel? Probably not very often since we don’t place great value on boldness to declare the gospel. But what if we did? What difference would it make in our lives, our congregations, and the communities in which we live? The early disciples found that praying for boldness gave them the wisdom, the faith, and the power to live faithful and effective lives. What are we praying for today?

-- Reuben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God” 

THEY PRAYED FOR BOLDNESS – Part 1

Living in a multicultural world, the disciples easily could have remained silent about their dramatic encounter with God in Jesus Christ. In a world of many religions, they might understandably have been timid about even mentioning their faith in Jesus Christ. In a time when allegiance to the official religion often was demanded, they would have found it so much simpler to go along with the crowd. In a time when advocacy of any religion was dangerous, they would have been so much safer to hide any evidence of faith in Jesus Christ.

However, these very risks and dangers that could have sent the disciples running in fact prompted them to pray for boldness to declare the gospel. They did not ask for security, relief from persecution, or the demise of the opposition. They asked for boldness to declare the gospel. They were not longing for their own safety; they were longing for faithfulness. And as soon as their prayers subsided, the place where they were gathered was shaken and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God with boldness (Acts 4:31). Their prayers were instantly answered. 

-- Reuben P. Job in “A Guide to Prayer for All Who Seek God”

#5442

THE STILLNESS

“Be still, and know that I am God!”  (Psalm 46:10a NLT)

Once Mother Teresa was asked, "When you pray, what do you say to God?" She answered, "I don't say anything; I listen!"

Intrigued the inquirer asked, "When you pray, what does God say to you?" Mother Teresa's answer was, "He doesn't say anything.  He listens!"

It is in such listening that we hear the soft, still voice that, paradoxically, says nothing.  But the stillness in such times of prayer moves more powerfully than an earthquake, a hurricane, or a raging forest fire. 

-- Tony Campolo in “Following Jesus Without Embarrassing God” 

#5441

WALKING WITH CHRIST

“Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’”  (Matthew 25:34-36 NKJV)

Many assert that John Wesley was the world’s most influential social reformer of his day. While some will question the depth of his influence, none question his remarkable ability to link piety with justice and to translate doctrine into daily living. From the early days at Oxford until a few days before his death, Wesley was about the ministry of caring for the poor, the oppressed, and the imprisoned. And all of this while living a rigorous life of prayer, study, and reflection.

This commitment to neighbor and passion to proclaim the gospel story was so great that John and Charles [his brother] rode in a cart with a condemned prisoner so that they could sing and pray on the way to the hangman’s scaffold…

Holy living is a direct result of and inseparable from a holy heart. To experience Christian perfection is to live as Jesus lived. It is to be obedient to the One proclaimed as Savior and Lord. Matthew 25 is a text to be taken seriously. To know Christ and to be known by Christ means to walk with Christ in the everyday business of life. 

– Rueben P. Job in “A Wesleyan Spiritual Reader”

#5440

THE MEASURE OF GREATNESS

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”  (John 13:14-15 NIV)

The Bible is a disarmingly honest book.  As the disciples sat at the table, in the hours before Jesus was crucified, they argued about "which one of them was to be regarded as the greatest" (Luke 22:24).  It wasn't a very noble conversation!  As a matter of fact, it was downright petty.  Now we might excuse them in a measure by saying that they didn't realize the gravity of the hour and the nearness of their Lord's suffering.  But of course, that's the point. They were so self-absorbed in their dreams of greatness that they didn't sense Jesus' pain.  Self-centeredness does its greatest harm not in intentional acts of evil, but in neglect and insensitivity.  So Jesus talked with them about what constitutes true greatness.  If you want to be great, He said, you will need to serve.  Service is the measure of greatness. 

-- J. Ellsworth Kalas in “New Testament Stories from the Back Side”

#5439 

THE SEASONS OF GRIEF

"For everything, there is a season," a familiar verse [in Ecclesiastes] tells us.

Life and death come quickly in nature -- buds swell into green leaves, turn golden, then brown, and drop to the earth. Nature shows us [rebirth] as plants are reborn and flowers, once fresh with life, return to the earth to become nourishment for other plants.
 
Nature shows us seasons of life and death everywhere we look.  But nature seams not to mourn these deaths -- not the flowers, not even the animals. Within the lifecycle is a built-in process of survival as one part of nature nourishes another.
 
But people do mourn and grieve -- and so we alone need a season of grief. In this season, the seeds of rebirth are planted. What varies from person to person is the length of this season, the right time for harvest, and the time when rebirth comes.
 
When the seed of life is implanted in a woman we speak of her pregnancy going "full term." By this we mean that she will carry her unborn child the full term of nine months, without intervention. The season of grief must also be allowed, without intervention, to go to full term.
 
It makes me angry when people say, "Get on with your life, it's time to stop grieving." Nobody can tell you what the season of your grief is. It may be a summer, a winter, a spring, a fall, perhaps another winter -- or another -- or another.
 
Just as the gestation period varies from creature to creature, the natural process of grieving varies from person to person. The harvest of renewed life will come in its own season.
 
-- Ted Menten in “After Goodbye” 

#5438

LIFE'S PURPOSE

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)

"What is the purpose of my life?" I've had many meandering conversations with a variety of people over this topic, first to gain insight on how God has led or is leading them to their life purpose, and second to be encouraged by what God is doing in these lives. It's exciting to hear about how people discover their gifts fitting perfectly into some niche of their lives.

What I've discovered in my own reflections and conversation is that the most important thing for me to know about myself is that I'm a child of God. Anything else I discover about myself and my life purpose is secondary to this.

The fact that I'm a child of God means that I'm endowed with a tremendous capacity to love. I may find myself confused because I'm not yet sure which direction my life should go, but wherever I may be, I know that I have a capacity to love others, and that is an unconditional gift I can use anywhere. 

-- Mark Ahn, ChristianityToday.com 

#5437

THE JOY-BRINGER

“Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His,
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
For His anger is but for a moment,
His favor is for life;
Weeping may endure for a night,
But joy comes in the morning.”  (Psalm 30:4-5 NKJV)
 
Jesus came as the Joy-bringer. The joy we see in the happiest child is but a fraction of the joy that resides in the heart of God. [G. K. Chesterton, in his book "Orthodoxy",] speaks of this in a memorable passage:
 
Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every morning, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.
 
-- John Ortberg in “The Life You've Always Wanted”

#5436

THE REIGN OF GOD

Much of what Christian community needs right now is... awareness... In its most complete expression in both Eastern and Western spiritual traditions, awareness is the quality of simple alertness and receptivity to whatever the Divine Presence may be doing.

Jesus seeks to draw people into a fuller state of awareness with the words we know nearly by heart: "Let the little children come to Me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. Truly I tell you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will never enter it" (Luke 18:16-17).

We are to become like the awed and the open, like those blinking their eyes at the wonder of life. Do this, Jesus counsels, and then we shall enter most fully what God sets before us. Not long before His crucifixion, Jesus responds to those seeking dramatic signs of God's reign: "The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you" (Luke 17:20-21).

Be open, Jesus counsels. Be attentive. Be aware! The reign of God is in our very midst. 

-- Stephen  Doughty in “Discovering Community” 

#5435

LOYALTY TO KING JESUS

"Pilate therefore said to Him, 'Are you a king then?' Jesus answered, 'You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'" (John 18:37)

We have two kinds of kings in this world. The first is the parliamentary monarch, such as Britain's Queen Elizabeth II. As the object of great reverence, she was encircled by grandeur and gilded with tradition. In terms of real power, however, she had little; her opinions were heard with politeness and patience, but her office was primarily ceremonial. The British prime minister holds the reins of government.

The other kind of king is the absolute monarch whose office is both ceremonially impressive and politically powerful. He is head of state, he leads the nation, and his authority is supreme.

Many Christians treat Jesus like a parliamentary king. Once a week -- if it's convenient! -- they hold court with Him and make Him the object of great reverence. He is heard with politeness and patience, but in terms of daily life He has little influence.

Our Lord is an absolute monarch. He would rather have one person who is 100 percent committed to Him than a hundred people who are 80% committed. John Wesley said, “if I had 300 men who feared nothing but God, hated nothing but sin, and determined to know nothing among men but Christ, and Him crucified, I would set the world on fire.”

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him” (2 Chronicles 16:9).

-- Adapted from Robert J. Morgan in “He Shall Be Called”

#5434

MOVING INTO A NEW LIFE

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in Me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”  (John 14:1-4 NIV)

If we can ever get deep into our hearts that death is transition and not annihilation, that death is a movement from one context of living to another, then it becomes clear to us even at the end of our life in history that every exit is an entrance, every experience of death is also the prelude to an experience of birth. It can give rise to an enormous sense of hope that God is able to give us new places to grow and new things to become. We cease to be totally afraid of death and see it as moving into another arena of God's everlasting growing. 

-- John Claypool in an article titled "Hopeful Coping with Grief"

#5433

COUNTING THE COST

“Then Jesus said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be My follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow Me.’”  (Luke 9:23 NLT)

Let’s face it: commitment is costly. It calls us away from self-interest into sharing our lives and ourselves with others. It calls us to make difficult choices, and to live with the consequences. It means we cannot spend our lives keeping all our options open.

To live as committed individuals is, in fact, to live life as costly ointment, poured out in love to others, poured out in worship to God.

Is it worth it?

To find out, we will have to relearn the meaning of words like “sacrifice.” And still harder: “self-sacrifice.” We will have to relearn the special pleasure of deference as compared to instant gratification. We will have to give up our quick-fix, magic-wand approaches to Christianity, and pay the price of entering into relationship with a God who created and redeemed us for fellowship with Himself. We will have to learn how to sometimes say a final and ultimate “No” as well as a meaningful, and even eternal, “Yes.” 

-- Maxine Hancock in “Re-Evaluating Your Commitments: How to Strengthen the Permanent and Reassess the Temporary”

#5432

EQUIPPING THE LAITY

“Christ Himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.”  (Ephesians 4:11-13 NRSV)

The Church, rightly conceived, is the whole covenant people called to serve in the world.  The clergy are also part of the laity, and their true function is to help equip the laity to be the Servant People.  If they turn aside to rule and to secure their own status, they have betrayed the calling of the special ministry.

-- Franklin H. Littell

#5431 

MEETING TOGETHER

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near.”  (Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT)

I was struck by one observation from an alcoholic friend of mine: "When I'm late to church, people turn around and stare at me with frowns of disapproval. I get the clear message that I'm not as responsible as they are. When I'm late to AA, the meeting comes to a halt and everyone jumps up to hug and welcome me. They realize that my lateness may be a sign that I almost didn't make it. When I show up, it proves that my desperate need for them won out over my desperate need for alcohol."

-- Philip Yancey in “Christianity Today” magazine

#5430

TRUE FRIENDSHIP

“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”  (John 15:13 NIV)

The [following] incident was told to Col. John W. Mansur during the Vietnam War.

An orphanage in a Vietnamese village had been struck by mortar fire.  Missionaries and two children were killed, and several children were injured.  One was an eight-year old girl.  When medical aid was sought, American military personnel responded.  The navy doctor's examination revealed that some of the uninjured children's blood matched the injured girl's.

Working through broken Vietnamese and sign language, the medical personnel told the frightened children that unless some of the injured girl's blood could be replaced, she would die.  Then they asked, "Would any of you be willing to give her your blood?"

After a period of awkward silence a boy named Heng haltingly raised his hand.  Quickly the young lad was laid on a mat beside the girl and a needle inserted into his vein.  As the transfusion started, he suddenly covered his face and uttered a sob.  The occasional sob turned into steady weeping.  The medical team knew something was wrong but had no way to clearly communicate with the boy until a Vietnamese nurse arrived.

The nurse began a dialogue in her own language with the sobbing boy.  As their conversation continued, his crying gradually ceased, and a sense of peace spread over his face. Then the nurse spoke to the American medical team and unraveled the boy's mysterious behavior.

"He thought he was dying.  He misunderstood you.  He thought you had asked him to give all his blood so the little girl could live."

A dumbfounded American nurse asked, "Why would he be willing to do that?"

When the Vietnamese nurse posed the question to the boy, he responded, "She's my friend." 

-- Dr. Norm Wakefield & Jody Brolsma in “Men Are from Israel, Women Are from Moab”

#5429

THE KINGDOM IS BREAKING IN

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  (Matthew 6:10)

God, make up there come down here. It can happen. 

Every time you are in conflict with someone, want to hurt them, gossip about them, or avoid them, but instead go to them and seek reconciliation and forgiveness… the Kingdom is breaking into this world.

Every time you have a chunk of money and decide to give sacrificially to somebody who is hungry or homeless or poor… the Kingdom is breaking into this world.

Anytime someone has an addiction and wants to partner with God so much that they're willing to stop hiding, acknowledge the truth, and get help from a loving community… the Kingdom is breaking into this world.

Every time a workaholic parent decides to stop idolizing their job, rearranges their life to begin to love and care for the little children entrusted to them… the Kingdom is breaking into this world.

Every time you love, every time you include someone who's lonely, every time you encourage someone who's defeated, every time you challenge somebody who's wandering off the path, every time you serve the under-resourced of the world… it is a sign that the Kingdom is once more breaking into this world.

-- John Ortberg in “God Is Closer Than You Think”

#5428

IN STEP WITH THE SPIRIT

Each of us is told in the Scriptures to walk in step with the Holy Spirit. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25) The command is to be in step with the Spirit. It does not tell us to be in step with one another.

Because the Lord leads His children by the same Word and by the same Spirit, much of the time our individual paths will converge. At other times our paths will only be parallel. Sometimes, as the Lord takes each of us through our different lives with different sets of experiences, our paths will differ greatly. Yet, through all of it, His motive is the same. It is not to conform each of us to each other but to conform each of us to Christ. We do not become more like Christ by becoming like each other. Just as a hand and a foot are not the same and cannot best complete the body by becoming alike. Each part in its difference is equally important in form and function and each best serves the well-being and wholeness of the body because of those differences.

When believers in Christ hold in common conviction the same core foundational beliefs, conduct their individual lives by the same Scriptures, and walk in step with the same Spirit, they are part of the Body. They are part then, too, of one another whether or not they attend the same church fellowship. 

-- Susan Kemenyas

#5427

THE 5 FINGERS OF PRAYER

The 5 Fingers Prayer was originally developed by Pope Francis, long before he was elected to be the Pope. He published this prayer method as a way to make prayer more accessible and help people pray for those who need prayer the most.

1.  Your thumb is nearest to you. So begin your prayers by praying for those closest to you.  They are the easiest to remember.  To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."

2.  The next finger is the pointing finger.  Pray for those who teach, instruct and heal.  This includes teachers, doctors, and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Keep them in your prayers.

3.  The next finger is the tallest finger.  It reminds us of our leaders. Pray for the president and other world leaders; federal, state and local officials; leaders in business and industry; and administrators.  These people shape our world and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.

4.  The fourth finger is our ring finger.  Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger; as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need your prayers day and night. You cannot pray too much for them.

5.  And lastly comes our little finger; the smallest finger of all. Which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others.  As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you."  Your pinkie should remind you to pray for yourself.  By the time you have prayed for the other four groups, your own needs will be put into proper perspective and you will be able to pray for yourself more effectively.

-- Adapted

#5426

SIGNS OF HOPE

“But as for me, afflicted and in pain -- may Your salvation, God, protect me.”  (Psalm 69:29) 

When we become aware that we do not have to escape our pains, but that we can mobilize them into a common search for life, those very pains are transformed from expressions of despair into signs of hope.

-- Henri Nouwen

#5425