I’m sitting in a Sheraton Hotel in Michigan. It’s Christmas evening. In a few short hours Christmas 2011 will come to a close. We will say goodbye to the festivities of months of preparation for one twenty-four hour period. Right now I’m anticipating a Starbucks morning before I go visit my dad and my sister to celebrate Christmas past – by just one day.

My dad won’t remember my being there ten minutes after I’m gone. He has Alzheimer’s and is also blind. I love him dearly and hate he is the victim of this cruel disease. I hate it with a passion. I hate visiting my dad and being the only one visiting. It’s not that he wouldn’t want to visit – he can’t. Recently a nurse walked into the room while I was with my dad. She said, “You understand he doesn’t know you don’t you or realize you’re here don’t you?” I replied, “Yes. But what’s important is that I know him and I know I’m here.”

Time has a way of restoring memories even when your visitation partner is not really with you. My love for my dad is not contingent on his awareness of me being with him but rather my awareness of being with him. I hope you understand that. I will also visit my sister. She was raised with my mother being her primary caretaker for all but the last several years since my mom’s passing. She is now in a group home for the mentally disadvantaged. Her mentality is that of approximately a nine or ten year old. She was placed there against her will and she has all but been forgotten by far too many in her life. I wrestle with this whole issue. She can’t help she is who she is or she was raised the way she was. She can’t help she was catered to by my mother most of her life. She is like the lion caged for many years then released. All the lion knows to do is walk in a perceived cage that is 10’ X 6’. My sister was raised in a limited environment and I don’t understand why so many want to hold her responsible for that. As D.L. Moody once said of a drunkard walking down the street, “But for the grace of God there go I.” Any one of us could have been born into the place of my sister. God be thanked we were not.

Why write about all of this? I really don’t know. It’s Christmas. I missed my mom today for some reason. I missed my dad today. I missed being with them on this fleeting day we call Christmas. A day when Christians around the world trade gifts, laugh, eat dinners together and remember times past. I love my family time. I love my two son’s with a passion and a commitment I would die for. I love their wives and my granddaughter with an unbelievable passion. I love my grandson who is on his way. My daughter in law exclaimed he was “playing soccer” the other night at a time she wished he would’ve been napping. I love them dearly.

I think of Baby Jesus. I think of his half brother James who probably didn’t accept Him as the Messiah till after the resurrection. Can you imagine dinner time at their house? I think I am misunderstood at times. I think I am sometimes not only controversial but confrontational. I can only hope that those around me can contain their lack of understanding me and simply accept me for who I am as I am who I am in Christ and He is constanlty working on who I am.  Does that make anys sense at all?  I have little patience with ignorance and none with stupidity. Kim reminds me that the problem with my theory is that ignorance and stupidity are both subjective to my definition. Oh well. It is what it is.

Back to my Christmas point. Christmas is about a moment in history when a baby would change the world. What about us? Did that baby really change us? Did the baby just give us some sense of having a free ticket to the pearly gates or did the baby really change us?   Did the baby change us inwardly? Did the baby change how we treat each other when we don’t understand one another completely? Did the baby change our patience with each other?  Did the baby help us to comprehend the deepest love we could possibly have for one another? Did the baby change our ability to change our inability to be tolerant of others we really don’t get along with?  Did the baby change our ability to not exclude those in our life that we wish we could exclude?  Did the baby really change how we look at those who don’t quite fit our litmus test of acceptance – whatever we think that is?  This is a blog of rambling but its my blog so it is what it is. I think Christmas is more than a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. I think Christmas is about extending ourselves to a world that will eventually oppose us. Loving people that make themselves hard to love. Being tolerant of those who differ from us. Being less critical of the critical who criticize all but themselves. Forgiving those who have sinned against us even when the sin against us seems unforgivable. Visiting those who have loved us but aren’t aware that those who love them are in the same room as they are. Sharing with those who most have forgotten and hold responsible for a life they could in no way be responsible for. Christmas is a powerful expression of a baby who not only changed the world but is still changing the world. At least mine. How about you?

Having tried to figure out some dreams lately has caused me to lean heavily on prayer partners. This brought me to a place of realizing that all of us, regardless of our spiritual strength – need prayer partners. All of us! One of the lies the enemy of prayer uses is that since we are going through some difficult or trying times – we cannot pray for others – either in the altar, intercessory or our personal prayer closets. He uses this lie so often that some of you have relinquished your place in praying for others. When you do that you allow the enemy to defeat you and interfere with your anointing to bring others to victory in spite of your own spiritual battles or difficult seasons.

I am reminded of Paul the apostle when under tremendous pressure still found a place of ministry to others. He never allowed his “season” to interfere with the responsibility of working his anointing. Neither should we.

Read the following scriptures: 2 Corinthians 1:8-11 (8) For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; (9) indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; (10) who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, (11) you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

What amazes me about this passage is that Paul did not have email, Twitter or FaceBook. He didn’t have internet. You have to realize that what happened on his missionary tours was communicated by word of mouth or by letter courier. Someone on a horse or riding a camel would bring the news. Days would pass before someone received notice that Paul was “in trouble.”  When you realize that and then read what Paul wrote: “you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many” – you realize the importance of prayer for the saints. You also realize the tremendous pressure both he and the saints he ministered to were under. You can’t even imagine the difficult times he and the church faced – and they survived by praying for one another.

Paul indicates that the favor of the Lord was on him due to the prayer of “many” of the saints. We don’t have to know the mechanics of how this works – all we have to know is that it does. Regardless of the load you or I am under – it cannot interfere with our responsibility to pray for others. I urge to you rediscover your place in altar working, intercessory prayer and your personal prayer closet. Do not allow the enemy to bring the lie into your spirit you are not strong enough to pray, you are too burdened to pray or you are not spiritually where you should be due to your own spiritual barometer. He is good at it – no doubt. We just can’t buy into his lies.

One of the greatest passages of scripture we can lean on when it comes to praying while under pressure ourselves is that which points to Christ as our example: Hebrews 5:7 In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.

Bible scholars point to this passage as being one of the most transparent passages in all Holy Writ concerning Jesus as the Son of Man. The intent of this passage is that Jesus was praying for his personal need and for protection. Yes, you read it right. The language here indicates a man who is under pressure, facing death and is asking for help. Jesus, the Son of God, prayed for help. Look at this verse closely:

• Jesus prayed – made a request before God
• Offered supplications – asked for favor; a Greek symbolism of entering the temple with an olive branch in search of favor or blessing
• Prayed with loud crying – intense wailing
• Prayed with tears – deep emotional release

When you take this verse alone and break it down you see that “human” side of Jesus who is struggling with dying for the sin of the world. He bore on his shoulders the weight of the world. It was heavy. It was agonizing. He did what any other person should do in a crisis – he prayed.

We also discover that His prayer was heard. In John 11.42  Jesus exclaimed “I know you always hear me.” What I find amazing here was the sheer faith of the Lord. He “knew” his prayer was heard – and He still faced pain, suffering, agony and eventually death. His “knowing” he was heard was the open door to perseverance unto death. That, my friend, is pure faith in the One who hears our prayers. When we can “know” our prayers have been heard and still face calamity and crisis – we are people of great faith. There were no immediate false teachers to declare that since Jesus died there must have been something wrong with his faith. God forbid!

Let me address this for a moment. A prayer heard is not necessarily the quaint little phrase of “answered prayer by our will or standard.” His prayer was heard due to his piety – His tremendous reverence for the Father and pure submission to the perfect will of the Father. Without a doubt there is lesson here for all of us. A prayer heard is a prayer answered – according to the will of the Father. Jesus had to trust the One who heard His prayer and know that whatever suffering He was enduring was the absolute will of God.

I love the verse that follows: 5:8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

Do you see what I see there? Jesus suffered. He wrestled with his own season of difficulty. He labored in prayer by asking for help and protection. He learned from his season of suffering. He did and so can we. Suffering should never move away from our calling to pray. Never. Ever.

Prayer is not easy. If it were we wouldn’t wrestle with the discipline of it. Accepting the full will of God is not easy. For many of us there is a huge gap, a colossal gorge between knowing God has heard us and how He chooses to answer our prayers.  I look to Hebrews here for another remark: Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

The word rewarder means “one who pays wages.” A simple word here from a guy who is rather simple. Wages are normally determined by the employer not the employee. God pays us for our faith at the determination of His will – not ours. Jesus learned obedience – following the will of another – through His moment of prayer.

I close with the following scriptures. Read them and then know that nothing should effect our responsibility to pray for others. Don’t let Satan lie to you and unjustly disqualify you from prayer.

Romans 15:30 Now I urge you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.

2 Corinthians 1:11 You also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

Philippians 1:19   For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

1 Timothy 2:1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men.

Philemon 1:22 At the same time also prepare me a lodging, for I hope that through your prayers I will be given to you.

So much to learn about prayer and trusting the ultimate will of the Father – our spiritual employer. How about you? Are you learning obedience through your season of crisis or are you complaining, whining and pouting? Just a thought.  Just a simple thought!

Mark chapter nine holds some unique isights for us. So often we have been trained to look at scripture from the hyper faith side of life. We tend to look at what Jesus did and the miraculous power He worked with. We sometimes over look the more cerebral side of what happened in scripture. Mark nine can present us with this dilemma.

Mark nine within itself is an awesome chapter. Who wouldn’t want to live on the side of hyper faith with this event. A dad has come to the end of his rope with a demon possessed child (not up for debate – the child was possessed). The disciples tried and failed to cast the demon out. What an indictment against the church then and even now if the same were to hold true. Jesus over hears the arguing and sees the crowd gathering and inquires about it. The dad speaks up. He explains the issue to the Jesus. Jesus goes into action!

Jesus lays out this statement that is so “hyper faith” according to today’s standards of faith. Jesus says, “All things are possible to him who believes!” Botta-boom botta-bing! There it is! So simple. So true. So hard to get a hold of.


This dad has been struggling with this issue for many years. Since his son was small. The boys behavior was overwhelming, embarrassing, humiliating, unbelievably strong and down right violent at times. Every day this dad would wake up and wonder what events the day would bring to him because of his son’s “condition”. Everyday was filled with depression, oppression and possession. Not a lot of answers. When he thought he found an answer he witnessed failure on the disciples part (ie: the church). The church failed him. Didn’t “they” represent Jesus? Weren’t they ambassadors for Him? Hadn’t He given them authority to do this level of ministry?

Mr. Mark Nine speaks up again and opens himself up in a powerful and real way. He says to Jesus, “Lord, I believe, but there is part of me that can’t grab hold of this ‘“all things”’ issue!” This dad is being what we know as “rubber meets the road” honest with his feelings about the church and about God answering his prayer. He is being brutally honest with Jesus. Been there done that was possibly what was crossing his mind. Yeah right! Just believe! Have you been there?

Have you depended on the church only to be let down? Have you put your trust and confidence in other believers only to find they can’t come through for you? Have you been told the same thing that Jesus told this dad – “All things are possible if you will just have faith!” The only problem is that your faith has been violently attacked by false doctrine, false hope and false shepherding in the past. You have prayed and have been disappointed. You have sought God and have been terribly let down. You can’t help but be honest and say what Mr. Mark Nine said, “Lord I believe but help my unbelief.” You want to believe – but there is a struggle to catch all of what Jesus has promised.

Jesus gives you an assuring Word. He speaks to the issue you have brought to Him. He says, “Come out, go away and don’t ever come back.” Oh my! So simple! Right now you would expect everything to go to pure sunshine, no clouds, no overcast skies, quite and calm and soft symphonic music playing somewhere in heaven and finding its way to your hearing. Not so.

When Jesus spoke by His authority – pardon my expression, but all hell broke loose with this boy. Something that Mr. Mark Nine had seen so many times in the past was happening again – right in front of Jesus. Really? Couldn’t there have been at least an image of immediate deliverance? Really Lord? Did you have to let this boy go through this again? You call this deliverance? You call this healing? You call this an answer to prayer? Are you kidding?

This poor dad is standing there witnessing his son fight for survival again. The dad can’t see the fight will be the last one his son ever has with his assigned demon. All he can see is what has always happened, what has been a manifest curse in his home and what has broken his heart far too many times! The boy screams with sounds that only a demon can produce. He is violently thrown into convulsions. He suddenly stops and lays lifeless in front of Mr. Mark Nine. You could have heard a pin drop on the ground. The silence was so loud no one moved! He laid like a corpse in front of the crowd. Whispering starts among the people and before long what everyone was thinking is spoken out loud by someone who had the guts to do so – “He is dead!”

All Mr. Mark Nine has to go on at this point is what he can see. He sees his son in the position of death. What he asked God to do once again comes across as a failed attempt at hyper faith – someone’s hyper faith but not his. Mr. Mark Nine has something to learn here. While those around us see our predicament as being dead, lifeless and violently destroyed in spite of faith in Jesus – Jesus Himself sees what we and others cannot. He sees through eyes of faith. He reaches out to this lifeless body that images a corpse and takes it by the hand. He presents Mr. Mark Nine Jr. to Mr. Mark Nine. What a day for this family to remember!

He then explains to his dumb-founded disciples who just can’t understand what happened that this kind of event can only be secured by prayer. End of story.

Mr. Mark Nine struggled with experience.
- dissatisfaction with the church
- a demon possessed boy who he wrestled with for years
- broken promises from religious people
- his son laid seemingly dead after Jesus dealt with him
- at least before he had some semblance of life – now he looked too much like a corpse
- dealing with an ongoing problem with evil that no one seems to understand

The disciples struggled with experience.
- the lack of it to bring deliverance to this boy
- the lack of understanding as to how to go about spiritual warfare
- the humiliation of facing Jesus when they were not successful in ministry
- the humiliation of facing this dad who had so much confidence in them to begin with

Jesus struggled with experience.
- His own disciples lack of prayer to perform deliverance
- the dad’s lack of healthy experience with the church (disciples)
- proving deliverance to this dad when everything seemed to go from bad to worse
- a crowd that lived by sight and not by faith

All of us have been there from time to time. We have prayed prayers and clothed them with all the faith we could find in our heart. We released our issue to the Lord. Then all hades breaks lose and it looks like things have gotten worse (the boy imaging a corpse). We struggle with life and experience. We wonder sometimes silently to ourselves and sometimes out loud to family and friends. We can’t see what Jesus sees. He sees an act of deliverance while we see an act of violent possession that kills.

It’s at these moments we step into those quite moments just before Jesus takes our problem by the hand and gives divine life to it. We have a choice. Listen to the crowd or wait on Jesus to manifest His Word.

Hebrews says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen. Where was the evidence that Mr. Mark Nine’s son had been healed? He couldn’t see it. Therein would lie the answer to his prayer – in what He couldn’t see but in what Jesus would present. Maybe we haven’t given Jesus enough time to walk over to our defeated problem and hand it to us personally. Just a thought!

I was an honor to have Rear Admiral Ray Alexander (Retired) with us yesterday.  He shared his military experiences with us and how his faith impacted his day-to-day faith disciplines.  I enjoyed his testimony immensely.  Thank you Ray for your thirty-three years of military dedication.  You represented the Navy, the nation and your faith extremely well yesterday.  I salute you, Sir, for a job well done.

Admiral Alexander made a statement in his testimony that challenged my thinking.  When he was sharing about his role in the military compared to firemen – he exclaimed that he at least has a weapon with him and firemen don’t.  He said, “I can shoot back at the enemy!”   That simple statement grabbed me for a moment.

The Admiral touched on the fact that there is a time for “shooting back”.  I thought about that statement.  I came to the conclusion that the cross of Christ was a weapon for God to effect evil.  There is a time that “law” will not suffice in keeping the “law breaker” away.  There is a time when law will not stop evil from attempting to triumph over good.  God pulled out the weapon of the cross and loaded it with His Son.  The finished product was to accept the work of the cross and the Savior – one can defeat the work of evil.

Zechariah 7:12

(12)  “They made their hearts like flint so that they could not hear the law and the words which the LORD of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of hosts.

Acts 13:38-39

(38)  “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,

(39)  and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.

Romans 8:2-4

(2)  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

(3)  For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,

(4)  so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

In dealing with evil you soon discover that every act of evil is only a repeat of the original act of sin.  Evil introduces nothing new.  For instance when 19 men armed with box cutters attacked our nation ten years ago they did so out of evil that is nearly 6000 years old.  They simply recycled hatred.  God introduced law to bring order to humanity.  In what law could not do God sent His only begotten Son to do.  The cross was the weapon of God against the evil of the world.  God introduced the “big gun” of the cross.  The load was Christ.  Evil has been defeated in the cross and the shed blood of the Savior.  God won.  He did so through grace and mercy.  He hit the target of evil.  He took center on the bulls eye!

God sent His Son to die on the cross.  The resurrection was the validation of the message.  Evil has been defeated.

To all of those who think that their methods of evil can take down righteousness – think again.  To all of those who preach radical Islam and the ideology of Allah – think again.  Your evil is masked under the guise of religion that presents a false hope to your adherents.  There is only one way to one God – that is to believe in the work of the cross, the death and resurrection of Christ. Period.  Love triumphs over your evil. Grace triumphs over your sin.  Mercy triumphs your worthy judgment.  In the end – the weapon of the cross will show itself a powerful weapon.  The blood of Christ that cleanses all men from their sin is the only way to eradicate acts of evil from the earth.

Colossians 2:14-15

(14)  having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

(15)  When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

The cross – the weapon and Christ – the significant “load” – has disarmed our enemy.   To our declared enemy of terrorism – you have not nor will you ever defeat righteousness.   You have been triumphed over!  You can never defeat radical love, forgiveness and atonement for sin through Christ.  Try as you will – you will NEVER win.  You can win by conversion to a faith in Christ for forgiveness of your sin.  Simple.  Your radical acts of evil in the name of Allah will never triumph a faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.  Your belief that Jesus was a “good teacher” will not suffice.  Evil will lead you into a place of eternal torment without a Savior.  Allah cannot save you – Jesus can.  The cross was the open display of evil and its submission the greater work of righteousness in Christ.  Give it up.  You cannot defeat those who have a steadfast faith in Christ.  We have armed ourselves with the weapon of the cross.   Step away from Islam.  Place your faith in the One and only True God – Jesus Christ.  In Him you will find fulfillment in life – not in a weapon slung around your shoulder, the forced take over of an airplane cockpit nor a load of dynamite strapped to your chest.  Fulfillment and peace of life is found only in Christ.  Join a movement that has and will continue to outlive any presentation of evil.  You’ll be glad you did.

I was teaching this past week on Esther and the fact that she overcame being an orphan to become a queen.  One of the bumps in the road she had to deal with was not having any family in her life but her Uncle Mordecai.  He was a rock solid counselor to her and was instrumental in her faith development as a child growing up.  I mentioned to the church that she avoided this “distraction” in her life and went on to surpass the absence of family structure to find her destiny in God.   Esther was unlike many believers today who allow domestic issues to roadblock their ability to pursue their destiny because of family distractions.

One such occasion that involves “distraction” and family is found in Luke 10.38-42.  If you are the least of all Bible scholars or have any recollection of Sunday School stories at all – you know what this is about.  Let me paint the picture for you.

• Martha (not Mary) invites Jesus into her home
• Martha finds her way to the kitchen to prepare a meal for Jesus
• Mary gets comfortable at the Lazy Boy ottoman and fixes her attention on Jesus to take advantage of a teaching moment
• Martha has all she can take of her sister not helping with the kitchen duties
• She abusively confronts Jesus and claims he doesn’t care about her
• Martha wants Jesus to release his student to the kitchen to help her prepare a meal
• Jesus chides Martha about being distracted with her duties
• He claims Mary has found the most important part about His visit and connected with it

It’s funny that we don’t really see how this ends – I guess Jesus took care of everything and Martha returned to finishing her meal.  I am under the opinion that this was more domestic than it was anything else.   After reading this passage again and again and then looking to the story of the resurrection of Lazarus (John 11 – where the two sisters act independent, Martha is chided by Jesus, Mary is instrumental in Jews coming to Christ and Martha simply disappears)- there is an issue with Martha and Mary we may have overlooked.  It is purely domestic.  I think there is tension between the two sisters and Jesus – as He does still today – got caught between the two.  Jesus instantly went from teacher to domestic conflict counselor.   Let me explain.

The issue here is not one of teaching.  The issue all surrounds Martha and an attitude with her sister.  Martha invites Jesus in and therefore has a responsibility as the host to prepare a meal for Jesus.  Mary, by virtue of being Martha’s sister, probably should have assisted with the preparations and there is indication she started out helping Martha.   Martha makes the accusation that Mary “left” her which is indicative of the fact Mary probably started with helping but soon disappeared to the feet of Jesus.  She simply sat down at the feet of Jesus and was doing something “spiritual” when she should have been doing something practical.  Martha was somewhat ticked over this.

I don’t think Martha got this upset over something so trivial so quick.  I think – from the story of Lazarus as well – that Martha was the “less spiritual” of the two sisters.  Mary is found more often than not in a positive spiritual dynamic then Martha.  Martha is ticked – Mary is at the feet of Jesus.  Martha is abrasive with Jesus – Mary is calm and quiet.  Martha is confrontational with Jesus over Lazarus and Mary is hiding at the house.  Martha is somewhat publicly checked by Christ over Lazarus when He says to her (John 11) “Did I not say to you….”.   To me there seems to be some difference between the two sisters.  I think this issue of fixin’ fried chicken for Jesus was about jealousy, envy and just plain ol’ sibling rivalry.

There are two terms used by Jesus that bears a quick look.  First, Jesus says that Martha was distracted.  She was distracted by her duty to serve.  Martha went from serving with the right attitude to serving out of obligation.  This word distraction implies to drag something around.  Martha had gone from preparing a meal for Jesus out of excitement to literally dragging around her duty in the dirt of the kitchen.  It was about to explode! She took her frustrations out on Mary.  She yelled at Jesus but her focus was her sister.  This was a domestic issue that manifested in an argument – right in the presence of Jesus.  Martha was all about dragging her service to Jesus around in the dirt.  It wasn’t a pretty moment in the Martha household.

Second, Jesus said Martha was distracted with her “preparations”.  This word comes from the Greek word where we get the word “deacon” from.  It literally means service. Martha went into the family room dragging her service behind her in the dirt of their home.  She put herself in front of her service.  When we do that we usually get into trouble.  You know what happens when we lose touch with our calling, our service to the Lord?  We start dragging it around.  It doesn’t necessarily drag us down – we drag it down.  We let the flesh get in the way of our heart.  Our brain overloads our spirit man.  We become frustrated with the Lord and with others.  We become carnal.  We start asking why the Lord doesn’t “care” about us.  We simply lose focus.

I think Jesus stood up that day and got in the face of Martha and said, “Martha, Martha” – as if to say, “woman get ahold of yourself!”  Martha isn’t the spiritually strong one here – Mary is.  We engage in communication and service with Jesus – but we get frustrated when it doesn’t go our way.   Remember when Simon Peter declared his service to the Lord?  Didn’t quite work out the way Simon Peter planned did it?

Sometimes when we invite Jesus into our “household” we expect something along the lines of favorable treatment because its “our” house.  After all, we did the inviting.  Sometimes we engage in service out of obligation and when it doesn’t go right we “fly off the handle” – have words with Jesus and blame others for their lack of spirituality.  It is so easy to do.

Martha had issues with Mary.  I don’t think we can deny that fact at all.  I haven’t seen this before and maybe my deduction here is off base.  It’s not like we don’t see sibling rivalry anywhere else in scripture.  When we allow family or friends to interfere with our service to the Lord we deserve Him to grab us by the collar and repeat our name over and over until we get it.  He may shake us a little.  He is going to tell us there is one thing more important than any other in our life.  We can correctly assume that the implication here is hearing the Word of the Lord because after all faith comes by hearing and without faith it is impossible to please Him. Wow! That was a loaded line!  But is the real issue sitting and listening or is the issue serving Him out of a pure heart?  Rather we frying chicken for Him or being a student – our motive must be pure.  The issue is overlooked far too often.  Martha was distracted with her service to the Lord and conveniently tried to take it out on Jesus and her sister.  Mary and Jesus were victims of Martha’s frustration with life and duty to serve. How many such victims have we lashed out because we have lost focus with our calling?  Our pure service to the Master – even if we have to do it solo?  Some in the body of Christ have gone from pursuing their calling to dragging it around behind them…only to get it dirty with the cares of this life (Luke 8.14).  We need Jesus to get in our face.

I challenge you to check your call to service.  You aren’t distracted with it are you?  You aren’t upset with the Lord that it isn’t going the way you thought it would – are you?  You aren’t finger pointing to others and expecting Jesus to line them up according to your calling – are you?  You aren’t accusing Jesus of not caring for you because others don’t agree with you – are you?   You haven’t gone from pursuing your calling to dragging it around behind you – are you?  I sure hope not.  Oh my…your collar does look a  little ruffled!

Kids are amazing!  At VHC we have engaged a vision the Holy Spirit gave to me last September (2010).  Out of this vision our church has aggressively pointed our future toward reaching, teaching and discipling succeeding generations for Christ.  This will be an expensive, testing, trying and pioneering effort for us.  I am convinced that there are young people out there who have a hunger for a real experience in Christ that exceeds an academic one.  They have heard all the stories, seen all the drama and they have grown up to seek out an experience that will get them through life.

I am reminded of Matthew 19.14 where Jesus says, “Let the children alone – don’t hinder them from coming to Me!”  This isn’t just one of those passages of scripture we ignore until we preach on a familial subject and merely reference it.  It should be a model passage for all of our churches.  Jesus pointedly says do not interfere with children coming to Him.  I can assure you of this – any church that doesn’t focus on children will be a dying church.  While reaching, teaching and discipling succeeding generations is expensive, demanding, and spiritually challenging – there is no alternative.  Anything short of focusing on reaching kids is simply interfering.

Jesus doesn’t tell us what are the results of hindering children coming to Him – He just tells us not too. Maybe there are some things better left unsaid.  I am confident I don’t want to find out so my goal is to focus on reaching our succeeding generations.  I watched our team this week as they worked together like a fine Swiss watch.  Every person accomplishing their assigned task.  Every person where they were supposed to be, doing what they were supposed to be doing, when they were supposed to do it.  It worked perfectly.  The kids were having an absolute riot.

Back to the command of Christ – “do not hinder children coming to Me”.  How do we hinder them?  Impeding a child coming to Christ can be seen in the slack concern of a so called parent who doesn’t have the energy to see their child either get on the van or bring them to church.  Impeding a child coming to Christ can be seen in living out hypocrisy at home while playing Joe and Sally Christian at church.  Impeding a child coming to Christ can be seen in not supporting the church with your financial contributions while whining about something not meeting your expectations of children’s ministry resources.  Impeding a child coming to Christ can be identified in your personal lack of involvement in any event the church sponsors for kids – even though you bring yours to church for the event.  I think impeding a child coming to Christ can manifest in a so many ways.  How do we not impede a child coming to Christ?

Simple.  There are two key elements to what was happening with Christ and children.  First of all, touch was involved.  Jesus wanted to lay hands on the children.  He was blessing them.  He was anointing them.  The disciples represent that part of the kingdom that impedes this process.  Children come into our churches dirty, from dysfunctional homes, whining, with dirt diapers and some show up deep emotional hurts. Jesus was working toward touching them.  Touch is intimate, personal and at times – critically dangerous to the religious people around us.  Jesus didn’t care.  He rebuked the “structured church” for not allowing children to come to Him.  Morons!  Stepping in the path of a child coming to Jesus!  No wonder He rebuked them!

Then there is the issue of “hindering” them.  The Greek word used for “hinder” here can also be translated as “taxing”.  In other words we can put more on a child through legalistic teaching than is necessary.  I like to think we’re beyond this in most cases but we are not.  Taxing children can be the legalism we robe our children with the points to all the “don’ts” in the kingdom.  Don’t do this and don’t do that.  Before long we have removed fun from the venue of worship and service to the Master.  Oh how I remember all the “do not’s” in the church. Few people sat me down and explained to me the “do’s”in the church.  Sanctification was not just purifying something from the world – it was purifying something unto Him.  I eventually grew out of the model of not being able to do anything and fell in love with spiritual liberty.

Our churches are full of adults who were hindered in coming to Christ as a young person or a child.  They are bound in their worship.  They are bound in their minds.  They are bound in their love.  They live for Christ out of obligation instead of intimate relation.  Remember, Jesus wanted to lay hands on the children.  He wanted them to experience Him.  He wanted them to go beyond the “roped off area” the disciples had established.  You can do this but you can’t do that.  You can go here but you can’t go there.  Here’s our legalistic rope.  Don’t go beyond it.  The problem with establishing ropes that keep young people away from Christ?  Eventually these kids move in reverse and go the opposite way.  They will chase genuine experience with something rather it is Jesus or not.

I say take the barriers down.  I say pull the ropes away.  Let’s create an atmosphere and a church campus where children and young people can experience Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.  Let’s get out of the way.

WorldNetDaily.com reported that the long running series of Jack Van Impe Ministries (end time prophecy program) has pulled out of air time with TBN.  The rift was over Van Impe’s teaching on the liberals engaging the damaging Chrislam doctrine on TBN.  Here we go!  I recently did a series on Chrislam at my church.  Van Impe was naming names – as I did – and TBN didn’t like it.  Obviously money is more important than truth.  I am not surprised at the approach of TBN toward this doctrine.   I am not sure if TBN is more interested in what has been termed “common ground” money issues instead of “common ground” doctrine.  Here’s why I ponder the question.

Truth is the fixed Word of God.  Holy Writ contains the precepts, principles and doctrines that humanity needs for relationship with a Holy God.  When you entertain a break down of those standards you are entertaining false doctrine.  The opposite of truth is false.  No big revelation there!  But we have movements with high profile ministers in America who are influencing the church and leading many to drink the Kool-Aid of false doctrine.  If it’s not based on truth then its false.  Don’t drink the Kool-Aid!!!

I have strong opinions of the Muslim faith.  If we call it “Muslim faith” than it cannot be “Christian faith.”   The two are opposing doctrines.  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know the difference.   Muslim faith practitioners believe in Allah.  While Allah is real in the sense that he represents a false god – he is not God Jehovah.  I rest my case.  A “non-god” cannot compete with the real God Jehovah.

Van Impe is right.  He should not stand down on his preaching truth.  There is already an ongoing rebellion driven by the spirit of the world.  The anti-christ movement is running at full speed ahead.  It will take Godly men with spiritual tenacity to stand against it.  While there is movement in the church toward this liberal moronic teaching of Chrislam – there is a grass-roots group praying and seeing a manifestation of true faith rising to the surface.   Any doctrine that has Muslim practices sprinkled all over is nothing more than a soft cupcake of doctrine that denies that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the only Savior offered to the word. Allah cannot save you!  Jesus  can and will with confession and repentance.

I remind my readers of this.  I am preaching this Sunday a message titled: “Has the Church Become an Enemy of God?”  My base line scripture for this is James 4.4 which states clearly “whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”  Plain and simple.  It doesn’t get much more clearer than this folks.  The church on several platforms has allowed the world to influence it instead of us converting the world – even Muslims.  How do you convert a Muslim when you take away the Savior factor in order to gain “common ground” with them?  How do you reach the world to convert them when we have allowed the world to impact our pews to the point they…the sinner is asking, “What do I convert from?  I’m doing everything the church is already doing?”   God is a jealous God.  When you choose to disagree with Him – you have chosen to deny truth.  Simple isn’t it?  We make this so complicated due to our desires to live like the world and still go to a holy and pure heaven.

Whatever happened to the command – not a subjective suggestion – but a command given by inspiration of the Holy Spirit to reprove, correct and instruct in righteousness against false doctrine (2 Timothy 3.16)?   When we reach for so called “common ground” we ignore the standard doctrine of truth found in Holy Writ.  When we do this than all arguments for common ground seem reasonable.  But I remind you in closing that Titus (Titus 1.9-11, 13) declares that the church is to hold fast the faithful word and through sound doctrine convert the gainsayers.  Scripture refers to these liberal doctrine thumpers as “unruly, vain talkers and deceivers…who must be stopped” and we are to “rebuke them sharply.”

Here’s the problem.  TBN isn’t allowing Van Impe to rebuke those of false doctrine sharply so I guess Crouch and his team will have to get in line to board the ship of false doctrine.  Obviously TBN and other institutions are based on the fear of truth and not the love of it.  There is a love for liberal false doctrine but not truth as found in Holy Writ.  This false doctrine ship is loading fast.  It will make a lot of people comfortable.  But where it’s headed is the bay of Truth.  It’s headed for a Titanic mission.   It is what it is folks.

Leading Backwards!

They left two times a day.  Kayak tours.  Sometimes there would be only a few and one time there was what seemed to be a school class of about thirty students.  Kayaker’s.  They rented a kayak to begin for most of them what would become a type of mysterious journey.  They were for a few moments of the day – wishful pioneers.  Pioneering their way to a strange place in the marsh lands off the coast of Tybee Island, Georgia.  What a sight.  They were bold, bright colored kayaks.  Their occupants were of all ages.  They sat under the direction of a kayak leader.  He gave verbal instructions as they paddled their way into a few moments of discovery.  Banking memories never to be erased.  Their fearless leader had been there before.  He had crossed that place where on ancient maps the world was supposed to be flat and marked in scruffed lettering, “Here be dragons!”  They would survive the dragons and come back home after about two hours.  But for two hours those amateur kayakers were making history and tattooing themselves with another bold life experience. And they followed a leader.  Not that leading is unusual in these type of recreational endeavors – but there was something that marked this event above others.

Watching these amateur kayakers follow their leader was interesting.  On their way to their destination their leader was rowing his kayak sitting backwards.  He was facing his “following” and leading backwards.  He was in forward motion but he had his back to the direction he was leading.  He was leading backwards! He had been there before.  He was leading by faith not by sight.  He was setting a standard to follow that was amazing.  It didn’t matter how many followers he had – he led the same way.  I note several things about this event.

He was a confident leader.  He knew where he was going.  He was leading by faith.  He was familiar with his surroundings and knew where he was going by the appearance of what was behind him.

He led by example.  He gave verbal instructions and then gave his followers / students a visible pattern to follow.  They not only heard instruction but they “saw” their leader in action.  He became one of them by example.

He kept his eye on his followers.  Leading by faith and not by sight gave him the unique ability to see his followers.  He could communicate with them.  He engaged in “relationship” with them. His leadership was relational not merely positional.

He led them back to their place of engagement – experienced for the better.  Their leader led to a place of discovery and brought them back safely.  What a leader!   They were more experienced, matured in life, were able to bank memories and most of all – they were back for another phase of life experience.

I see some real parallels here to our faith life.  We need a leader who is confident in where he is going. Spiritually a leader has to have been somewhere by faith before he can lead others.  He may not have been there physically but he has to be there in faith before he can lead.  That’s why the kayak leader could lead backwards.  He was so powerfully confident in where he was going he could sit with his back to his desired destination and be in forward motion faith.

His followers could see his example.  He wasn’t a positional leader that sits without ever interacting with his followers.  Leading successfully is about 80% visibility.  That’s why God had the priests to lead while shouldering the Ark by walking one mile ahead of the “gang.”  The nation of Israel could see the Ark.  They could see the priesthood and follow with confidence because he was leading by personal example.

Spiritual leaders need to be aware of what their sheep are doing.  I know there was a season in the faith community where leaders were instructed to separate themselves and become the positional “king of the roost” instead of being relational.  That creates cold monumental leadership but not relationship leadership.  Not for me at all.  This positions him/her in a place of superiority in my opinion.  I believe leaders need to be relational. I heard John Maxwell say one time that leaders have to stay far ahead enough to lead and close enough to build relationships.  That my friend is a hard line to draw sometimes.  The point to make here is that leaders have no choice but to be relational.  Jesus proved that more than any other leader who lived.

Leaders lead toward growing in faith.  The kayak tour leader lead his followers to a place of experience. Experience would take them to a more mature place by sheer education alone.  Going where they had not been before.  Doing what they had not done before.  Seeing what they had not seen before.  Hearing what they had not seen before.  Touching what they had not touched before.  Yep!  They would come back with a greater life experience.  Most of them left the shore of Tybee Island by faith. They came back with strengthened faith. That should be the goal of every spiritual leader – lead to a greater faith experience.

Leading backwards is possible.  I highly recommend that if you are a leader to examine yourself and see if its possible for you to accomplish this amazing task – lead backwards.  Matter of fact I double dog dare you to try it.

I am sitting in Pastor Shane Coppick’s office writing.  I have slept here (on is office floor) two nights in a row. We are here in Hueytown, Alabama with our mission team from Victory Hill Church in Lancaster, Ohio.  It has been an amazing trip to say the least.  Our team has done awesome in ministry and hard physical labor.  I stand amazed at what the human body can produce in relationship to energy.

The Hueytown Church of God has opened their building and hearts not only to us but to this community.  They have prayed with us, fed us and lodged us.  Pastor Shane is a freight train!  He is unstoppable. Hat’s off to Pastor Shane.   I encouraged him to “shepherd the city not just this congregation.”  It’s a rule of thumb one of my mentors taught me years ago.  Jesus never intended the church to stay locked up in a building producing grain for our own.  He intends for us to step into the streets doing the work of ministry.  The New Testament church set this model up for us by not staying in the upper room.  Hint! Hint to those congregations who have a self-imposed campus ministry to your own.  Jesus didn’t come for the healthy – He came for the sick.  Too many of our congregations are full of sick people who need more of a pacifier than ministry intensive direction.  Oh, well, my griping is over.

I digress to Alabama.  We see that “Katrina” look in too many people’s eyes.  I spoke with an elderly man attempting to clear his property by himself and saw the “look” in his eyes.  My layman’s attempt to evaluate him was that he was still in shock.  All it took was for me to ask him is he was alright and he started crying and said, “No…no…no…I don’t think I am!”  After hugging him, holding him and letting him weep on my shoulder we moved in with a team of guys and chain saws and helped him clear his property.  Job done.  Move on to the next and the next.  Sometimes it seems like all we are doing is moving a toothpick in comparison to the overall devastation.  But we are here for one person, one family and or one congregation.

His name is Ricky Adams.  He pastors a small rural church in Argo, Alabama.  His home was almost completely destroyed.  His church is half gone.  What’s left is being evaluated for demolition.  He still smiles and laughs.  He has a choice to whine, complain, moan and ask God those big questions that no one can really answer.  He chooses to laugh and smile.  His wife stood near what used to be the parsonage and held their little girl who was probably about four years old.  She talked about how their entire family “missed” this one. She could do nothing but give praises to the Lord.  Across the street from the Argo church a small community of people didn’t fair so well.  Four people were lost in one small community of homes.   I spoke with one aged fellow who lost his sister.  He talked about finding her body some ninety yards away from her home with sat behind what was left of his home.  They never did find her home….just her body.  He was thankful that they were at least able to recover the body – so many others were not as “blessed.”

I hired a Bob Cat operator to help us on the Argo sight.  He spoke of loss but still managed to go into Tuscaloosa and help with the recovery of bodies.  They stacked the bodies on his Bob Cat so he could drive them out of areas normal vehicles could not get into.   He explained the worse event for him was when they put a fireman’s ladder in the bucket of his Bob Cat.  He then raised a fireman up to a tree to remove a decapitated torso out of the tree.  Unbelievable!  He wept openly about his experience.  He had to talk about it.  He had to get it out.  We were there for that purpose also.  To hear the gruesome stories and the survival stories alike.

My dad is bigger than your dad. Sitting on the playground we used to compare how our dad was so much bigger, smarter and meaner than all other dads.  You remember how on the play ground we used to talk about our sports injuries?  We looked at Billy’s scar and said, “Oh Billy! That ain’t nothing! Look at my scar!”  From childhood we are subconsciously taught to compare…or in all reality…judge one another.  We do it almost instinctively.  We just do.  Even here amid the pain, destruction and loss.  We are tempted to compare this event with Katrina.  We were in Pearlington, Mississippi for four weeks.  We saw unbelievable devastation. Mother nature showed up differently in Mississippi than here.  She still showed up in both places and wreaked absolute destruction.  The pain of loss is still the same.  Pain is subjective to the person who has lost something.  Pain is still pain.  People who hurt still need ministry.  Regardless if they lost their material assets in life or they lost life relationships.  Significant life loss is always subjective to the one experiencing the loss.

Why then do we continue to judge, criticize others, make fun of others, even compare our “pain scars” and lower the level of human emotion of someone else?  After all our pain is much more than theirs!   Not really. We are just back to the childish issue of comparing dad’s again.  It’s not about comparing pain with another’s pain.  It’s about ministering to others through our pain.  When we minister to others our own pain becomes significantly less.  It doesn’t go away but somehow it gets easier to manage.  Pain is pain.  It’s not about the size of the wound – it’s about how we manage the scar.

Thanks for letting me ramble about our mission trip.  I can’t help it.  I have one of the finest congregations around.  They are not shy about following visionary leadership and stepping out of the boat to walk on water. They are not boat people – they are water folk.  Not perfect by any means but they just don’t want to stay in the boat.  Read this passage of scripture and ask yourself what you and or your congregation is doing to minister to others – at any level.  You don’t have to step out of the boat like some do but you at least have to be able to be part of the voyage to some degree.  Fund it, pray for it, resource it – but don’t ever compare or criticize those who do get out of the boat.  Only one got out of the boat.  Others were on the team and stayed in the boat. They helped load the boat. They helped navigate.  They didn’t fault Simon Peter for getting out of the boat nor did they fault him for failing.  It really is an amazing story.  There is a sermon there somewhere!  Please read what Paul wrote about suffering.

2 Corinthians 1:3-11

(3)  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

(4)  who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

(5)  For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

(6)  But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;

(7)  and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

(8)  For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life;

(9)  indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead;

(10)  who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us,

(11)  you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

Like I said…life isn’t about comparing my dad and yours.  It’s not about your wounds and mine.  It’s about how we manage our scars through humility and grace.

Moses stood before one of the most powerful men in the known world at the time and said as a representative of Yaweh, “Let My people go.”  Pharaoh replied, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him and let Israel go?  I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5.1-2).   Arrogance clothed Pharaoh as did his royal garments.  Neither would suffice in the end.  His arrogance, hard heart, unbelief and pride would eventually lead him, not follow him, to his watery grave.   Although the incident occurred nearly 6000 years ago –  the question has been repeated far too many times

With the announcement of the killing of Osama bin Laden most of the world that hates evil celebrated in the streets.  Osama bin Laden was an evil man, with evil intentions and an evil history.  I wondered to myself how many times this man asked this question, “Who is the Lord?”   He hated Christ, he hated Christianity, he hated Christians, he hated Jews and he hated Israel.  In bin Laden’s mind the world would be a better place without America and Israel.  He spent his life and his wealth attempting to annihilate both.  He died a hero to a handful of extreme Muslim’s but died as a means to the end of American justice to multiplied millions of others.  Make no mistake about it, we are not fighting a war on terrorism – we are fighting a war against Islamic extremists.  Terror is only a tactic or strategy of war but not war itself.  We are fighting a religious war and political leaders around the world live in fear to recognize it.  Isn’t it amazing that those who have pledged themselves to our demise can speak so freely of “their” war against us be we refuse to recognize the real battle going on here is with religious freaks who have sold their soul to Allah?  Shear stupidity!

I digress.  I wonder how many times Osama bin Laden asked about the Christ or God of Christianity?  I wonder how many times he cursed the name of Jehovah?  I wonder how many times he asked the question is one way or another, “Who is the Lord?”  I just wonder!  Osama bin Laden will be replaced.  Evil has not died with the death of one of its representatives.  Evil will be eventually thrown into the lake of fire by one…just one, angel.  Not a host of angels.  Just one!  Evil doesn’t stand a chance against the King of all Kings and Lord of all Lord’s!   I wonder how many times God has laughed out loud (Psalm 59.8) in the heavens at the arrogance of men who question His deity or existence?  I wonder how many times God has smirked at the revelation given to men from another “god”?  Why is it that we have to deify men to compete with God?  Why is that we have to make saints out of mere mortals when scripture declares we are all saints?  Why is it that men gain followers by receiving an extra revelation that supersedes Holy Writ?  Why is it that humanity still refuses to believe the simplicity of scripture and accept Christ for Who He is?  With every attempt at a fraudulent religion, a counterfeit revelation – the question still rises with the sun – “Who is the Lord?”   Amazing.  We have had a revelation of who Jesus is for nearly 2000 years.  We still bow down to the power of the question mark and seek our own path of faith and religion.  We still refuse to accept Him for Who He is.

That leads me to my closing remark tonight.

We need to stop making such a big deal out of those who arrogantly and deceitfully ask the question, “Who is the Lord?” and focus more on the question asked by our Savior Jesus Christ – “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16.15).   Better yet, we need to focus on finding the answer to that question and their can only be one.  Just one.  Just one simple answer.  It can be found in the only revelation ever given to humanity of Who God is – the Scriptures.  The question is not, “Who is the Lord?” but rather “Who do you say that I am?”  When Jesus asked the question He was asking from the point of knowing who He was – His point was to qualify the question in the heart of those He was addressing. He is still asking the question today.   Well….what is your answer?