WORD

Posted on May 10, 2007 by Dana

In different times and different places, the Holy Spirit gave David, John, and Paul revelation that would encourage God’s people until all are raised in the last day. Praise God for the WORD, the LIGHT, and the LIFE. Praise God for His Spirit that guarantees what is to come. May we live by faith until we are at home with the Lord. (In the Scriptures below I have capitalized the three words above and put one comment in parenthesis.)

“Your WORD is a lamp unto my feet and a LIGHT for my path.”

“In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God.”

“I am the LIGHT of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the LIGHT of LIFE.”

“For God who said, ‘Let LIGHT shine out of darkness,’ made his LIGHT shine in our hearts to give us the LIGHT of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the LIFE of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his LIFE may be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but LIFE is at work in you.”

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

“Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by LIFE. Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose (to be swallowed up by LIFE!) and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”

“Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. We live by faith, not by sight. We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. ”

(Psalm 119:105; John 1:1; John 8:12; II Corinthians 4:6-12; II Corinthians 4:16-18; II Corinthians 5:1-10)

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resolutely

Posted on May 2, 2007 by Dana

Sunday, in an article in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about touring Italy, someone from Florence was quoted as saying, “The trouble with you Americans is that you think the best way to get from point A to point B is a straight line. For Italians, the journey is the destination.” As an American Geometry teacher who has recently been lost in Italy, I’m ready to adopt the Italian mindset.

“As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) But Jesus traveled in anything but a straight line. Find a map of his ministry, read the rest of Luke, and notice the winding road Jesus took to Jerusalem. He went through little towns and villages. He climbed mountains and crossed lakes. When his disciples learned that a certain village in Samaria would not welcome their Master because he was going to Jerusalem, two asked if they could “call down fire from heaven to destroy them.” James and John must have believed in a “straight-line, scorched-earth” approach, but Jesus rebuked them for such thinking and simply went to another village.

So what does “resolutely” mean? Another translation says “…he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.” Jesus knew his purpose on earth; he came to save all men. He came to be the sacrifice that would please a holy God. He came to accomplish the will of the Father… and that meant going to Jerusalem. But on his way, Jesus healed the sick, cast out demons, and called the lost sheep of Israel to repentance. He taught about his Father, he hung out with the poor, and he ate in the homes of sinners. He told stories with hidden meanings, he proclaimed the Kingdom of God, and he helped his followers catch fish. At times, a bystander might have thought Jesus had forgotten about Jerusalem, but those closest to him knew differently. When Peter tried to tell Jesus to quit talking about the horrible things he was predicting would happen, Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of man.”

While you won’t find a straight line from Luke 9 to Calvary, you will find a resolute Savior. So how do I walk in his steps? I’ve got to have in mind the things of God and not the things of man! “To know Christ…” is our goal and we must steadfastly keep our eyes fixed on him. Jesus kept his focus by staying in constant communion with his Father and he had joy in the journey. So it will be for all who stay in constant communion with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

“God is the source of all joy and if we come into contact with Him, His infinite joy comes into our lives. Would you like to be a radiant Christian? You may be. Spend time in prayer. You cannot be a radiant Christian in any other way. Why is it that prayer in the Name of Christ makes one radiantly happy? It is because prayer makes God real. The gladdest thing upon earth is to have a real God! I would rather give up everything I have in the world, or anything I ever may have, than give up my faith in God. You cannot have vital faith in God if you give all your time to the world and to secular affairs, to reading the newspaper and to reading literature, no matter how good it is. Unless you take time for fellowship with God, you cannot have a real God. If you do take time for prayer you will have a real, living God, and if you have a living God you will have a radiant life.” (R.A. Torrey from “Springs in the Valley”)

“After he had dismissed the crowd, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.” Matt. 14:23

“Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Mark 1:35

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here and now

Posted on April 25, 2007 by Dana

The message at the funeral I attended last week did not bring back the dead or dry all tears, but it did speak a hopeful truth. These words from Paul’s sermon in Athens were read: “From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being.” Acts 17:26-28

The Newsboys sing this acknowledgment and prayer:

You are the Author of knowledge… You can redeem what’s been done.
You hold the present and all that is to come.
Lord, I don’t know where all this is going… Or how it all works out.
Lead me to peace that is past understanding… A peace beyond all doubt.
You are the God of tomorrow… turning darkness to dawn.
Lifting the hopeless with hope to go on.
Oh, Lord, You are the Author… redeeming what’s been done.
You hold us in the present… and all that is to come.

Despite all we do not know, there is one thing for certain: God wants people to find him. God put us all in our place in history in the location we live with a great intent: “… so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out and find him.” The psalmist wrote, “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Those that taste him hunger and thirst for more. He is not far away… and he wants to be tasted.

The person that tastes the Lord is changed… priorities shift and a new passion arises. The person that finds the Father wants to know him more and no mountain or ocean or valley can stand in the way. If possessions are a hindrance, he’ll get rid of them. If knowledge has puffed him up, he will become a fool. If a cross must be carried, he will pick it up every day. The way to the Father is through the Son and Jesus calls a disciple to a life of total abandon. “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ – the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.” (Philippians 3:8-11)

Paul was one who tasted God and he could not shrink back from an all-consuming quest. What else matters? Nothing… but to be found in Christ! In him there is righteousness… a righteousness not of our own. In him there is holiness… without holiness, we cannot see God. In him there is peace… the peace that passes all understanding. In our time and in our location, may we press on.

“Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14

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ligaments

Posted on April 19, 2007 by Dana

The privilege of worshipping God in different countries brings a little insight into the Body of Christ. While we don’t see this Body perfectly, God does, and he is preparing a bride for his beloved Son. As we worshipped in one of the poorest areas of Namibia, the Name of God was lifted up and a part of the Body of Christ (Namibian and American) listened to his Word.

Here’s a summary of the sermon the Sunday before Easter: “We are the Body of Christ. Jesus is the Head of this Body and he ties us together with ligaments that allow us to function. Do you know what ties us together? It is love! Of course ‘God is love’… so he ties us together, but we must participate with him. If we do not obey what the Head commands, the Body does not function properly. ‘My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.’ Brothers and sisters, we do not have a choice in this matter; we must love one another. Through this we will grow, as each one of us does our part. ‘Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful cunning. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.’” (Ephesians 4:14-16)

Such a message is as important in our land as it is in anywhere. The love of Christ has no national boundaries. The love of Christ has no status boundaries. The love of Christ has no positional boundaries. We are all members of one Body. Each of us is different with our own part to play. God has chosen where we are placed and how we are to function. But whatever our gifts, whatever our role, we must love.

I went to a funeral yesterday of a twenty-one year old friend who died of a drug overdose this past weekend. The grieving mother is a native of Brazil but she is a dear sister. Her younger, nineteen year old son dresses differently than my kids, but just like my children, he desperately needs to know the love of a Heavenly Father. How does this happen? How do all the young people who came to pay respects to their friend recognize that there really is hope in this world? I know only one solution: the all powerful, penetrating, perfect love of God. Oh may we be his instruments. May his love flow through every part of the Body of Christ. May the world know there is a God because his children love one another. May we love others as Jesus loves us.

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those that rejoice; mourn with those that mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” Romans 12:9-16

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intercede

Posted on April 12, 2007 by Dana

We had a great trip to Namibia. I thank God for his protection and provision for our team of eighteen. I got to accompany our missionary friend, John Hunter, as he went to the doctor to get final results of a bone marrow biopsy. John does not have multiple myeloma, but a similar though less aggressive cancer called Waldenstrom’s Macroglobulinemia. According to the medical community, this disease, which causes a thickening of the blood, is incurable but treatable. John and Suzanne will probably travel to Cape Town, South Africa soon to meet with a specialist. Their son, Christian, is a doctor at the Harvard School of Medicine so there is much investigation taking place in the States too. I know the Hunter family treasures all prayers.

One of the assignments our team was given this year was to intercede for the children and teachers of Community Hope School located in an area of the capitol called Katutura. This large section of Windhoek is a township where non-whites were forced to move in the late 1950′s. Apartheid still impacts many inhabitants of South Africa and Namibia. Katutura, meaning “a place where we will never settle,” is known for poverty, disease, and hopelessness. But the Light of Jesus shines brightly in all places where God’s servants pour out the Father’s love. Suzanne told us that a couple of weeks before our arrival the devil had been active in bringing fear and unrest to the young students in their school. Satanists had left evidence on the property of proclaimed curses and demonic manifestations had caused many of the children to be afraid. Suzanne’s words to our team were a bit strange to us Americans, but the spiritual world is very real in most sections of Africa. Witch doctors, sacrifices, and graven images are common in various pagan religions. Suzanne asked that we participate in spiritual warfare by walking through the neighborhood while praying for God’s will to be done. She wrote out Scriptures for us to pray as we walked. In the afternoons, our teenagers and adults trekked courageously through an unfamiliar part of the world praying for the lost, for children, for the hurting, and for all Christians in the area.

At the end of the week, I joined John and five natives of Namibia to intercede specifically for the teachers, students, and friends of Community Hope School. During this time, prayers were offered for John and me and our families. This was a very humbling experience as I found myself in a circle of brothers and sisters praying in languages I did not understand with a love that can only be found in Christ. It is even more humbling to realize that as we intercede for others, Jesus himself intercedes for us. “Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

I want to thank all who prayed for us the past couple of weeks. As usual, I felt great while out of the country. On these trips, I sense more than ever the wonders of the Kingdom. Jesus is our Good Shepherd. The Holy Spirit is our Intercessor and Counselor. God is our perfect Father. If He is for us, who can be against us?

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.” Romans 8:26-27 (read the whole chapter!)

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