Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

While Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch, some false teachers came from Judea to trouble the believers. They taught, “unless you are circumcised, as the law of Moses requires, you cannot be saved.” Acts 15:1

The battle for the truth that frees every man, woman and child continues to be fought just like it was in the first days of the early church.  There have been and continue to be those who teach a “Jesus is not enough” theology. They will agree that Jesus is important but there is always something missing that you need to do to be saved.

In this current page of history, the battle seems to grow more intense each day for the souls of each person. Just one in three adults believe salvation is only through Jesus Christ.  “New research shows that unlike past generations, who readily recognized the reality of sin and the need for salvation through Jesus Christ, American adults today increasingly adopt a “salvation-can-be-earned” perspective, with a plurality of adults believing that if a person is generally good, or does enough good things during their life, they will “earn” a place in Heaven.” (Cultural Research Center)

Luke shares an early account of a faith vs works debate in Actus 15. “Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” (v5) Paul and Barnabas engaged in a heated exchange with this group of believers who taught a “works plus Jesus” salvation.

The ways of tradition and religious laws will always seek to place their heavy yoke of bondage on people. The same is true in our current generation. According to the 2020 American Worldview Inventory the report states that, “a majority of people who describe themselves as Christian (52%) accept a works-oriented means to God’s acceptance. Even more shocking, however, is that huge proportions of people associated with churches whose official doctrine says eternal salvation comes only from embracing Jesus Christ as savior, and not from being or doing good, believe that a person can qualify for Heaven by being or doing good.”

The study goes on to highlight some of the popular beliefs:

  • There is no absolute moral truth (58%)
  • Basis of truth are factors or sources other than God (58%)
  • Right and wrong is determined by factors other than the Bible (77%)
  • The Bible is not the authoritative and true word of God (59%)
  • People are basically good (69%)
  • The personal definition of success is not based on consistent obedience to God (79%)

Thankfully, God has consistently raised up teachers and leaders over the course of church history who could point people to the truth. They have stood, as Peter stood that day and recounted the truth of a “Jesus-only” salvation. “Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” (v10-11)

P.T. Forsyth wrote that we “do not tell people how they ought to feel towards Christ. That is useless. It is just what they ought that they cannot do. Preach a Christ that will make them feel as they ought.”  It is Jesus Christ that we proclaim. Frank Viola writes that “The apostolic message of Century One was so powerful that it brought Christ and His love to life before its hearers.”

Lord, I desire to see the power of Christ dramatically impacting the lives of people, culture, nation and world.  I pray that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is proclaimed fully as the way of salvation.

 

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

Unleashed – As You Go – Pray

“The council members were astonished as they witnessed the bold courage of Peter and John, especially when they discovered that they were just ordinary men who had never had religious training. Then they began to understand the effect Jesus had on them simply by spending time with him.” Acts 4:13

 

We do things more often than we think simply because something is a habit — formed out of repetition, necessity or observing others. As others observe your actions, they begin to copy those actions. Often, as I worked at my desk in Johannesburg, I would put my pencil behind my ear—a habit. A missionary dad asked his son one day why he was walking around the house with a pencil behind his ear.  His response was, “That’s what Uncle Lynn does.”

A habit, as defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary, is “a settled tendency or usual manner of behavior. An acquired mode of behavior that has become nearly or completely involuntary.” Various studies come to different conclusions about how long it takes for an action to become a habit. In the 1950’s, Dr. Maxwell Maltz’s research showed that it requires “21 days for an old mental image to dissolve and a new one to jell.” Later research, from an intense study at University College London, determined “on average, it takes more than two months before a new behavior becomes automatic—66 days to be exact.”

It didn’t take long for the leaders of the church council to see the difference in Peter and John. Instead of cowering at the inquest, the council leaders were confronted by transformed men.  The council leaders realized they were different for one simple reason, they had spent time with Jesus. Jesus’ habits had become their habits. Jesus’ thoughts had become their thoughts. Jesus’ way had become their way. The years with Jesus had penetrated deep into these two disciples.

Today the world offers countless self-help books wanting to help you take an action and transform it into a habit. However, greater than the self-help books that focus on personal activities that become habits, and more important, is the inward change that comes when we spend time with Jesus.

Over the years I have found a habit that is most helpful in my spiritual life; keeping a journal. I doubt there will be many profound insights archived there, but I do hope that when my children and grandchildren someday read the pages of my journals they will know my heart. I want my journey to be one of hope, faith and prayer regardless of the circumstances. Yes, there will be entries of despair, failures and personal insights but through all the pages I want them to know that whatever the situation, God was my shelter and rock.

During these days when I may feel overwhelmed, uncertain and struggling it is important for me to capture my thoughts and prayers. Not to remember the hurt, but to know I came through it because of the time spent with Jesus. It is from these pages I can reflect on the hope, encouragement, joy and renewal to sustain me through anything.

An open heart, a quiet spirit and an open Bible allows time with Jesus that makes a difference. A lot of folks are missing out on some beautiful times. According to Life Way Research only, “A third of Americans who attend a Protestant church regularly (32%) say they read the Bible personally every day. Around a quarter (27%) say they read it a few times a week.”

This is my prayer for today:  “Lord, my desire is to know You, not what I can get from You, onlyYou. I will ask for things but let them always be with the desire to know You first and foremost. Never let ‘things’ be my prayer list but only that Your will be done. I want to be so in oneness with You that requests flow out of Your heart to my heart. I will never know the depth or the fullness of what You desire unless I am fully one with You.”

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

 

Unleashed – As You Go – Pray

“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah? They came out of the town and made their way toward him.” John 4:28-30

“WHAT’LL YA HAVE.. WHAT’LL YA HAVE?” This legendary greeting at The Varsity in Atlanta has been shouted out to Presidents, college students, business people and countless others since 1928. It can be a little overwhelming the first time you walk into the restaurant, trust me, it is better to go with an experienced Varsity patron the first time! These welcoming words provide the opening needed to satisfy one’s hunger and thirst.

“Will you give me a drink?” are gentler, quieter words spoken in John 4. However, these words will prove to be much more life altering than “What’ll ya have..what’ll ya have?”  Instead of asking for a “Chili-Cheese-Slaw-Dog” with a side order of onion rings, a fried peach pie and a “frosted orange drink” this woman will finally ask for food that gives complete life.

A nameless, broken woman has trudged along the same dusty path, in the blazing heat of noon, day after day for years. Never looking up, she has walked this same path from her village in Sychar to fill her water jug at the community well. Unlike the Varsity that says, “there’s not a faster, fresher, or more fun-filled dining experience like it anywhere,” the well is a lonely, isolated place for this woman. There are no sounds of laughter from other women. There is no one to help her pull the heavy bucket out of the well. There is no one to share stories.   Lonely, rejected, tired – that is, until one day she hears a man asking for water.

John tells us that Jesus was tired from his long journey from Judea. Finding a place in the shadow of a well, Jesus sits down. In the distance he sees this broken, tired woman making her way to the well. As she lowers the pot, Jesus begins a life changing conversation with the simple question, “will you give me a drink?”

The exchange is still as powerful today as it was then. We live in a world still building walls – ethnic, racial, economic, and gender.  Not Jesus! He is breaking down these walls, inviting us to a new life.

“You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman.” The woman runs to get behind her ethnicity wall. Jesus will not let her!

“Just then his disciples return and are surprised to find him talking with a woman,” The disciples try to put her behind the wall of her gender. Jesus will not let them!

“Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” The woman tries to get behind her religious tradition walls to hide. Jesus will not let her!

“The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” The woman tries to hide behind the wall of easy ‘believism’. Jesus will not let her!

“I have no husband.” The woman tries to hide behind her wall of guilt and shame. Jesus will not let her!

“Meanwhile his disciples urge him, “Rabbi, eat something.” The Disciples try to hide behind the wall of momentary pleasure. Jesus will not let them!

“The woman said, “I know that Messiah is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” The woman tries to hide behind her wall of doubt and lack of knowledge. Jesus will not let her!

A conversation asking for water ends up changing a despised, broken woman into a beloved child of God. A timid announcement gets the attention of the village folks who end up welcoming Jesus as their Savior. A gentle reprimand to the disciples to “open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”

“You are no longer faced with an argument which demands your assent, but with a Person who demands your confidence.” –C.S. Lewis

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

Pray for those you meet to be ready to ask the question, “will you give me a drink?” A simple request that could began a life-changing conversation for you and them.

God is great,

Pastor Lynn Burton

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

Some of Jesus’ disciples remarked about the beauty of the temple. They pointed out all the lovely adornments and how it was built with excellence from the gifts given to God. Jesus said, “The day will come that everything you admire here will be utterly destroyed. It will all become a heap of rubble!” Luke 21: 5-6 The Passion Translation

One can only imagine the look of shock and bewilderment on the disciple’s faces that morning when Jesus spoke these words captured in Luke 21. Already a little confused over the lesson on giving, they now get thrown another blow. “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?”

There are volumes of books on the various end time theologies and interpretations. However, we often overlook the hope that Jesus shared in these verses. I have a sense that every generation since Jesus spoke these words could have applied this question to their situation. I could almost agree that these last few months could be written for us as we stand on our current stage in history. Daily on the evening news, we have seen things we hold dear being destroyed, wars and rumors of wars, epidemics, pandemics, plagues and the like.

C.S. Lewis wrote in “God in the Dock” that “The world might stop in ten minutes; meanwhile, we are to go on doing our duty. The great thing is to be found at one’s post as a child of God, living each day as though it were our last, but planning as though our world might last a hundred years.”

“We have, of course, the assurance of the New Testament regarding events to come. I find it difficult to keep from laughing when I find people worrying about future destruction of some kind or other. Didn’t they know they were going to die anyway?”

Jesus’ Disciples, just like us, wanted a date in time. It would be so much easier to have a date to put into our planning calendar when the world comes to an end. However, Jesus didn’t give them a date. He simply gave them Himself. When the impostors come, and they will, Jesus said don’t look to them. Jesus reminded them that “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified.” Jesus encouraged them when arrested that “this will give you an opportunity to testify.” He told them “simply speak with the words of wisdom that I will give you that moment, and none of your persecutors will be able to withstand the grace and wisdom that comes from your mouths.”

Maybe this verse was in the mind of NBA Orlando Magic’s Jonathan Isaac when he chose not to kneel at the start of the game. During the after-game interview he responded, “We all sin and the answers to all of the world’s problems, not only racism, is the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.” (The Associated Press)

How do we respond to our “Luke 21” times? Jesus reminds us “Be careful that you never allow your hearts to grow cold. Remain passionate and free from anxiety and the worries of this life. Then you will not be caught off guard by what happens. Don’t let me come and find you drunk or careless in living like everyone else.” (The Passion Translation)

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, writing from his jail cell at Tegel Prison, wrote that “Blessing means laying one’s hand on something and saying: Despite everything, you belong to God. This is what we do with the world that inflicts such suffering on us. We do not abandon it; we do not repudiate, despise, or condemn it. Instead we call it back to God, we give it hope, we lay our hand on it and say: may God’s blessing come upon you, may God renew you; be blessed, world created by God, you who belong to your Creator and Redeemer.”

Bonhoeffer’s words still ring true for us today as we struggle in our pandemic, violence and persecuted days while praying for our world to see the love and hope found only in Jesus Christ. Calling them back to God. “The righteous respond to their suffering…by blessing. This was God’s response to the world that crucified Jesus Christ—blessing. Without blessing, there is no hope. “ (Donald McKim)

Today may you “Keep a constant watch over your soul, and pray for the courage and grace to prevail over these things that are destined to occur and that you will stand before the presence of the Son of Man with a clear conscience.”

God is great,

Pastor Lynn Burton