The Next Play

Philippians 3:13 "But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenwards in Christ Jesus."

Running up the score is a big issue in this current Patriot's season. They've been winning by such large margins that opponents and commentators have accused them of piling on the points even when they're comfortably ahead. Anyone who has played sports long enough has been on both the receiving and giving end of lop-sided scores. Once in awhile, it feels as if the team you're playing is unnecessarily running up the score. It's not a fun place to be, because while you hate it, you don't want to give them the satisfaction of knowing that they're so much better than you that they need to stop trying.

I know that's the way I felt when I was playing. If they were beating me 50-0, I would think to myself: "But you're not going to win the NEXT play." I learned that playing with my older brothers. No matter how many times they beat me, and by how much, I wanted one more chance. I saw this in my son Luke recently. He was in the backyard playing against an older cousin and lost 50-1. I overheard him say, "Let's play again."

That's the mentality I want him to have. No matter how many times he gets knocked down, I want him to stand back up and say to himself, "I'll win the next play."

It's the Christian mentality. Paul says that he doesn't care what happened in the past, good or bad, he's looking ahead and he's going to win the prize. The knockdowns don't matter - it's the rising again. Proverbs 24:16 says " for though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again."

I don't know where Christians get the idea that we'll never get knocked down. We will, and sometimes when it happens it will feel as if the enemy is piling on, or running up the score. The promise is not that we won't get knocked down - the promise is that we will rise again. Every time.

God Nation

II Timothy 4:3 "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. "

Red Sox Nation - what a victory last night. But the way it was approached by Sox fans is similar to our approach to Christianity in America. Sox Nation has many parallels with God Nation.

Before they won the Series in 2004 - we were desperate. We didn't care how they won, as long as they won. A sweep, a 7-game series, the other team getting abducted by aliens - who cares. Desperation just pleads for the result - everything else is superfluous. Now, however, it's not enough to simply win the Series - we want it done in a particular manner. Winning it in Denver? That won't do - lose a few games so we can win it at home!! Can you imagine thinking that way back in 2004?

This is exactly the problem with Americanized Christianity. There's not enough desperation. We have everything handed to us, so we dictate the terms. The right sound system, the right temperature, the songs we want, comfortable chairs, the best audio/visual system, preaching that tickles our ears. If not - I'm somewhere else, a place that will suit my desires. We've lost the desperation for the Truth.

As a pastor, this is hard for me to figure out. Just because we live in a comfortable society doesn't mean I should make myself purposefully uncomfortable just to prove a point. If we have good technology available, or comfortable seats - we'd be foolish not to take advantage of that. But as the demand for these luxuries increase, it makes it harder and harder to get to the Truth. Just as Sox Nation is not satisfied with the victory in the Series, God Nation is not satisfied with the victory in Jesus. The luxuries take the place of the Necessity.


One more parallel between Sox Nation and God Nation - and it pains me to say this but it's true: We are both obnoxious. We're everywhere, beating the drum for our cause, suffocating any other thoughts. We think we have everything just right and everyone else is just wrong. (Please note: I'm not saying there are other ways besides Christ - I'm saying the obnoxious approach does nothing but make us hated.)

The true fact is that this really isn't or ever was a true Christian Nation and any attempt to espouse that idea just drives us further away from being an effective witness for Christ. We better be careful, because a nation that thinks it's a God Nation - when it really isn't - is just a step away from Damn Nation.

So Where Were We?

Exodus 31:15 "For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord."
Exodus 35:2 "For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the Lord."

What happened between these two verses? Not much - only total rebellion, the golden calf, the threat of destruction, the smashing of the tablets, the intercession of Moses, the plan of God to restart through Moses, the killing of 3,000, the Tent of Meeting, Moses on the mountain (again), the rechiseling of the Law, the radiant face, the veil . . . . in other words, a total mess that had to be fixed.

But what's interesting about this is that after all of this mess - God basically picks up right where He left off. He was talking about the Sabbath, and that's right where He started again. I love this. It tells me volumes about the mercy of God. Sin has consequences - but when all is atoned for, when the dust has settled, God wants us to get right back into the game. Right where we left off.

In other words – after all the wrestling, pleading, waiting . . . when God forgives, He forgives completely. There are consequences – but the position is restored. Think of the Prodigal Son story, or the story of Peter. The position is immediately re-established and God wants to continue to move forward. He doesn’t want to linger on the past anymore. That's the point of forgiveness. It's as if God were saying, "Okay, now that we got through that, where were we?" I mean, come on! Who does that? When someone hurts us, we NEVER pick up where we left off. We may forgive - but with incredibly complex strings attached. God never attaches these strings.

The mess of Exodus 32 - 34 is a pretty good description of my life. But to know that the story can be picked up where it left off? Wow. That's one of the best definitions of grace that is found anywhere in Scripture.

Truth Too Soon?

II Corinthians 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."

Where have all the children gone? You know, the ones who were 'saved' when they were in Sunday School or Youth Group or at camp or whenever. They seemed to have faded back into the canvass of the world.

Was it a case of Truth Too Soon?

The Simple Truth: We are sinners, Jesus died for us, and by entering into an abiding relationship with Him we have eternal life in heaven and purpose on earth.

There are generally two paths that one can take when one finds the Simple Truth at an early age - questioning whether it is really the truth and looking into all other possible thoughts, or accepting that it is true and building upon that premise by going deeper into that truth. Both are valid responses to your initial acceptance of this truth.

I, for one, am glad that I chose to accept the simple truth and have spent my time digging deeper into the intricacies of it. As I have ripped apart every doctrine, searched into every corner of the Word, meditated on the implications of swallowing it whole - I have found it to be not only simply true - but deeply true as well. No matter how much you rip it apart, every strand holds. Old Testament stories and New Testament passages are perfectly meshed in every detail. The complexity supports the simplicity. II Corinthians 10:5 is very real to me - the arugments and pretensions of the world have been demolished by Christ as I dig deeper into Him and into His world.

But I do not deny the fact that these "pretensions" have an appeal. We have lost too many people to them. Others of my generation have received the Simple Truth but questioned all the side issues and thus got sidetracked. You almost wish that they had found the Truth when they were older and could appreciate the simplicity of what it offers to them right now, as they experience the real questions of eternity and purpose and hope within their current circumstances. A child isn't able to take the Simple Truth to these levels of real living, and when they have turned aside it is so hard to get them to come back.

But this is not going to stop me from praying for my own children to 'get it' at the earliest age possible. I just pray that after they get it, they will tunnel deeper into it and not spend their time circling it and ultimately getting lost in the emptiness of the world's arguments, which have temporay appeal but no eternal value.

I say this as sincerely (and hopefully as humbly) as I can: I have dug deep and have found the Truth to be secure. It's a nice place to rest.

So You Say You Want a Revival?

Acts 19:17 "They were all seized with fear and the name of Jesus was held in high honor."

There's been a lot of talk about revival lately. Especially in New England churches, as we have been involved in the greatest revivals of America. People are holding prayer meetings asking God for a revival to pour out upon this area.

I would think long and hard before you prayed this prayer. Are you sure you want a revival? Really? I don't think many of us understand what a true revival will bring. Hearts will be torn open. Sins will be revealed. It won't simply be hands raised and praises sung. That will happen, of course - but only in due time. First, the dues must be paid. The breaking must come.

Are you sure you want a breaking of your heart - with all of its contents pouring out? Especially one that may turn public? That's what a true revival is. The heart is opened and the fear of God breaks down every wall, penetrating every corner, revealing every hidden sin. Read Acts 19 for what happened when revival broke out in Ephesus. Sin was revealed and hearts were broken - devasted in Godly sorrow. They came forward with their sins and painfully put them out there. It wasn't all fun and praise.

Also, a true revival will not bring any glory to a church or a pastor. (I think we often pray for revivals so that we can 'show' other churches how spiritual our church is.) A true revival will cause the name of Jesus to be held in high honor- no other name. Not a church. Not a pastor. Not a person. Self-seeking has no part in a revival.

Here's a challenge - deal with these things NOW in your life. Pray the prayer of Psalm 19:12,13 "Who can discern his errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep Your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then will I be blameless and innocent of great transgression." Then when a revival hits, you can be a useful vessel for God, helping with the mess that's been created by all those lives being spilled out - not simply another in a long line of broken ones.

Break now.

I Want To Want To . . . .

Philippians 2:13 "For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose."

It is my heart's desire to please God. I want nothing more than to know Him and live a life that is worthy of His love for me. That's it. Like Moses - face to face with Him. That's all I want.

At least I think I do. I mean . . . I really want to want to.

There's the problem. I want to want to love Him more than I do. I want to want to live a life that is holy and pure before Him, more than I do. I have a desire to desire Him more deeply. I have a longing to long for Him more passionately.

I came across a passage from a book by Charles Spurgeon that really touched my heart regarding this. In it he said,

“When I was seeking the Lord, I not only believed that I could not pray without divine help, but I felt that in my very soul that I could not. I could not feel as acutely, or even mourn or groan as I would have. I longed to long more after Christ, but I could not even feel that I needed Him as I ought to have felt it. This heart was then as hard, as adamant, and as dead as those that rot in their graves. Oh, what I would, at times have given for a tear. I wanted to repent, but I could not. I longed to believe, but I could not. I felt bound, hampered, and paralyzed.”

I know exactly what he's talking about - and I’m sure that many of you do as well. You see your sin, you hate it, but you don’t hate it to the point of tears. You don't hate it to death. You long to have a deeper sense of your own unworthiness and a greater sense of the love of Christ. You would love to love Him more.

This is an extremely important desire to have, as it is the necessary first step to a true conversion. God is not interested in taking what you have and building upon it – for the simple reason that what you have is not worth building upon. We bring nothing to the table of salvation and healing. And the sooner we truly understand that, the sooner we will be healed. God is in the ‘new creation’ business. He is not interested in cleaning your filthy rags. He wants to give you new clothing – to robe you in the righteousness of Christ. Jesus is in the garment industry, not the tailoring industry.

And just as we cannot bring healing upon ourselves, we also cannot even bring the desire to be healed. It is God who draws men to Himself. In Philippians 2:13 we read that “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to His purpose.”

We cannot even bring the will to be healed into our hearts. God must bring the will and the healing. The ramifications of understanding this are huge:it totally affects how I pray. I put myself before God, and in tears, I cry for tears. In my heart of hearts, I plead for a greater will to have a greater desire to pursue Him above all things. I also pray for my unsaved friends differently. I pray for the will to be placed in their hearts to seek Him. If you think about it, that's a huge difference from how we normally pray for them.

My longing for Him comes from Him. That blows my mind - so I'll just accept it and rest in it and pray for Him to increase that longing, the longing that I can't conjure up in my mind. The will that is not naturally within me to seek Him.

Mobile Holy Ground

John 1:14 "The Word became flesh and dwelt (tabernacled) among us."

Note: Hellenistic Jews were those that did not necessarily live in Jerusalem, they had been cast to different parts of the world, adopting some of the Greek (Hellenistic) culture in the process. They were looked down upon by the Hebraic Jews - those who had remained in Jerusalem and stayed true to the Temple - which they considered the center of all worship.

I find it interesting that the Hellenistic Jews of Jesus' day looked upon the Temple as a concession. They thought that the Tabernacle of the desert time of their history was the greater way, the better part of the original plan. It was mobile holy ground. The Temple was a settling - and in their minds settling always leads to stuck. They thought of the Hebraic Jews as being stuck to this Temple, with a limited view of how God can move in this world. (For a better understanding, read Stephen's sermon in Acts 8.)

I must say that I agree. It's what has played out. The Temple was meant to be a beacon, but it became a barrier and was summarily dismissed by Jesus. We are now tabernacles on earth - moveable holy grounds.

The implications are enormous. We now can move out into the world. They don't come to us - we go to them, under His sanctification - His Name (John 17:13-19). You don't advance the kingdom by sitting in your 'temple' and saying, 'Here we are! Come to us!" You take the Temple to them. That's what God did. He tabernacled in our midst. He had to - we weren't coming to Him on our own. While we were dead in our sins, enemies of God, He died for us. That same thought must now take place in our own lives. In our work, our neighborhood, our families. We have to go to them. They aren't beating our door down to hear the Good News.

I think that the Hellenistic Jews had it right. In Jeremiah 31 God says that the real plan is to put His Law into our hearts - that we may be moveable holy ground. It's an awesome thought.

Too Many Buffaloes

I need a "buffalo stampede."

What is a buffalo in a church? It's a person who has no desire to grow in Christ, who never 'breaks down,' who pushes their own agenda (because all they do is 'play church') and who simply gets in the way. It's not that they're not nice people, it's just that they appear immovable. They are sucking the life out of churches across the region.

How do I get past the buffaloes and find the lost sheep? I don't know. I can't think of a way that won't involve hurting these huge, slow-moving creatures that are meandering about in our churches, grazing without consuming. Chewing without swallowing. Clearing out pastures without ever producing any meat. (Hey, I'd even accept some milk from them once in awhile!)

So I need a 'buffalo stampede.' That's when they finally start moving - - - out. I don't care if all I'm left with is a few sheep - all I want is to be with a group of people that have a consuming passion for Christ. "Give me Christ or I die!" Men and women who want Christ and not ministry.

Another thing about 'buffaloes.' It's not that they don't do anything. On the contrary, they are usually the busiest people in the church. They run programs, ministries, meetings, committees, etc. But the problem is that they don't simply run them, they run over them. They take them over. They enter into one of the deadliest places a church-worker can go: the ministry becomes their ministry and heaven forbid anyone who a) doesn't recognize them for that or b) tries to take it away from them. They have ownership issues which can stop ministries in their over-sized tracks.

The kitchen is their kitchen. The building is their building. The music is their music. And yes . . the pulpit is their pulpit. (A pastor can often be the biggest buffalo in the church.)

But I don't want to manipulate them into a stampede. I do love them. I need the words to preach that will cause them to change - or move on. They take so much of the resources of the church. Not just money and space. But our most precious resource: TIME. The clock is ticking and we need to be counting our days wisely. So I need to be able to distinguish the buffaloes from the sheep - and to breath a fire that even they can't extinguish.

So - back to my prayer. Help me, Lord. They make me want to quit. Either change them or move them along.