Archive for year: 2021

Until the End

“The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke.

Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?”

And I said, “Here am I; send me!” Isaiah 6:4-5,8

“Send me” is the only response Isaiah can make. In this moment of complete surrender, Isaiah said he would go. In this moment of total worship, Isaiah knew he had to say yes. In this moment of overwhelming emotion of his own sinfulness, Isaiah said yes.

If you had been standing there, would you have said “Yes, send me”?

The call of God hasn’t changed over the generations. He still calls us to go into this world that needs Him. We may be called to the marketplace where we encounter the lost. For some of us the call is to the ends of the world, to other cultures and people groups. Granted, the call for most people will never be quite as dramatic as it was for Moses, David, Peter, Paul or Isaiah but the impact will still be Kingdom changing.

Sitting in the Regal Cinema watching the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) documentary “Ends of the Earth,” I couldn’t help but think, God is still asking the same question, “Who will go?”  “It’s a mysterious part of the gospel that says God loves the people at the very edge of the world, the people who are marginalized. You know, even among Christians there’s is a kind of calculation about return on investment (ROI) and “bang for our buck.” You hear this with mission work too. But we can’t really approach this from an ROI perspective. The gospel is costly. Jesus comes and He gives His life so we can have life. And He’s the shepherd who goes after the one lost sheep.” David Holsten, Pres MAF

The gospel is costly in so many ways. It puts you in the crosshairs of our secular culture. The cost will require you to sacrifice time and energy. For some, such as MAF pilot, Joyce Lin, it was giving her life in a plane crash in Papua, Indonesia. Her yes to “send me” cost her life. In Haiti this week, 17 missionaries were kidnapped. Their yes to “send me” is a loss of freedom and possibly worse.

Your yes to “send me” will cost you. Will the cost be worth it?  Isaiah doesn’t ask what cost he will suffer, his only question is, “How long, O Lord?” God’s answer: forever. Isaiah doesn’t think, he simply says, “send me”. Frederick Buechner writes, “And that is what a prophet does for a living and, starting from the year that King Uzziah died, when he saw and heard all these things, Isaiah went and did it.”

A young coal miner from Iowa said “yes” to God’s call. George Bennard became an itinerant missionary and preacher. When he was interrupted and harassed in a service by those mocking the cross, it caused Bennard to think deeply about Christ and the Cross. As he meditated on the meaning of the cross, six initial words “I’ll cherish the old rugged cross” birthed the hymn, “The Old Rugged Cross.”

Our “yes” to “send me” will cost us something. Our “yes” to “send me” will look different from anyone else’s “yes.” Yet in the end, our “yes” will be worth it. The words from the final verse of Bennard’s hymn say it well:

“To the old rugged cross I will ever be true; its shame and reproach gladly bear;

Then He’ll call me some day to my home far away, where His glory forever I’ll share.

 So I’ll cherish the old rugged cross, till my trophies at last I lay down;

I will cling to the old rugged cross, and exchange it some day for a crown.”

Use me Lord to the end. Let others see you in me. Give me eyes to see, ears to hear your call in my life. Fall fresh on me. Fall fresh on me. Amen

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.” Matthew 6:19-21 (NLT)

“How much money is enough?” The reporter’s question prompted John D. Rockefeller’s response, “Just a little bit more.” Over his lifetime Rockefeller would amass a fortune becoming the first billionaire in the United States before his death at age 97. Yet I think Rockefeller fully understood that the “little bit more” could not be held onto for eternity. Rockefeller, who daily read his Bible, attended prayer meetings twice a week and led a Bible study along with his wife, understood the temporary status of his treasure. A lot of his giving was church-related; generous to Baptist missionary causes, funding universities and social ministries.

What is the value you place on your treasures? Rockefeller used the wealth entrusted to him “where moths and rust cannot destroy.” Unfortunately, we often don’t realize the real value of something until it is gone. It could be something material or lost intimacy with a family member or a relationship with God. An antiques enthusiast in Connecticut could easily relate to Jesus’ parable in Matthew; “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.” (13:44)

An antiques hunter came across an interesting looking porcelain bowl at a yard sale in New Haven, Connecticut and purchased it for $35. The buyer did some research on his purchase and found out the bowl was a 15^th century Ming Dynasty-era piece. The $35 yard sale bowl ended up selling for $721,800 at a Sotheby auction. Angela McAteer with Sotheby said it was a once in a lifetime discovery. McAteer said, “How the bowl ended up at a Connecticut yard sale remains a mystery. It’s possible it was passed down through generations of the same family who did not know how unique it was.”

How easily do you discard your treasure? A 64-year-old man in southeast Germany found two framed paintings in a roadside dumpster. The paintings were actually 17^th century original portraits by Italian artist Pietro Bellotti and Dutch artist Samuel van Hoogstraten. The police launched an investigation into how two priceless artifacts ended up in the trash can. I am pretty certain that whoever threw out the two paintings had no idea of their real value.

Time after time Jesus confronted the religious leaders of the day because they repeatedly rejected the precious gift of God’s love replacing it with worthless rituals and requirements. “The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure.” (Matthew 12:35)

Do we discard the real treasure of a friendship over a heated argument about politics? Do we discard the real treasure of a church family because of a disagreement over an issue? Do we discard the real treasure of a relationship with God because He didn’t answer a prayer the way we though He should?

In Star Winar magazine, a most interesting article was posted on the relationship between happiness and treasure. “The most remarkable research is one done involving the world’s richest and poorest peoples.  The Forbes 400 “richest” list was given a survey and their satisfaction level was rated at exactly the same point as were the people of Masai of Kenya and the Intuit people of northern Greenland, both of whom have neither electricity nor running water.

Money is a necessity to live but apparently it can’t buy happiness and that’s for you to decide.  And as the old saying goes, “Money can buy you a house but it can’t buy you a home.”

Regardless of the size of our bank account, our 401K or the square footage of our house; the real treasure is “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Paul writes in 2 Corinthians that “we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.” There is nothing wrong with earthly treasures if you hold them loosely. The real treasure you need to guard and hold tightly is the treasure of heaven found in Jesus Christ. One writer asked the question, “What do others see in you—the glory of God in a clay pot, or a clay pot trying to look like a treasure chest?”

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

The forgotten blush

“Are they ashamed of their disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush! Therefore, they will lie among the slaughtered. They will be brought down when I punish them, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 6:15 NLT

Remember when the teacher called on you in class and you didn’t have the foggiest idea of the answer? Your face turned deep red.

Remember when you did something totally stupid and everyone turned to look at you? Your face turned fire engine red and you wanted to crawl under the table.

Blushing is a natural response to some action that embarrasses or shames you. It is an involuntary reaction to an event and the bottom line is that you can’t control blushing. Charles Darwin called blushing “the most peculiar and most human of all expressions.” Mark Twain said, “Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to.”  I am pretty confident in saying that most of us have even blushed because we blushed!

Ray Crozier, a psychology professor from England concluded that “blushing evolved as a means of enforcing the social codes to which we humans must adhere for our societies to function in a friendly manner. By blushing when we’re embarrassed, we are showing others that we recognize we’ve just mis-stepped socially, and that we’re paying the price for it. Others who see us blushing after an awkward situation understand from experience the unpleasant feelings we’re undergoing at that moment, and blushing may serve as a nonverbal, physical apology for our mistake.”

Greek philosopher Diogenes once remarked to a blushing boy, “Courage my boy, that is the complexion of virtue.” The late Lucille Ball was reported to have said, “The problem with our world these days is that we no longer blush.” Long before Lucille Ball or Diogenes, long before your first blush, God shared how a whole nation didn’t “even know how to blush.”  Awkward social situation blushing is normal and healthy. However, when a culture no longer blushes then you are facing a major spiritual problem.

“Jeremiah, say to the people, “This is what the LORD says: “When people fall down, don’t they get up again? When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back? Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path? Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back? They cling tightly to their lies and will not turn around. I listen to their conversations and don’t hear a word of truth. Is anyone sorry for doing wrong? Does anyone say, “What a terrible thing I have done”? No! All are running down the path of sin as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle!” (8:4-6)

Twice the call for spiritual renewal is met with the same response, “Are they ashamed of these disgusting actions? Not at all—they don’t even know how to blush!”  Jeremiah confronts a nation that no longer has the moral foundation that produces blushing in its people. They were a nation where the people no longer feared God enough to blush; a nation of people that no longer had tender hearts to their sins that would cause blushing.

Throughout history, people have decided to go their own path, forgetting God and hardening hearts that no longer blushed at their actions. You only have to read the latest headline or watch the morning news to witness in our nation the accusation that we “do not even know how to blush.” “Shamelessness has pervaded the culture. There is no shame in the vilest behavior. There is no guilt in the most evil act. There is no embarrassment when caught in the most abominable conduct.“– Dr. Daniel Merritt

Our generation must choose which path to walk: the ancient path of God or the modern path of evil. Scripture records for us how Ezra felt the shame and embarrassment of a nation that had rejected God’s path.  “At the time of the sacrifice, I stood up from where I had sat in mourning with my clothes torn. I fell to my knees and lifted my hands to the LORD my God. I prayed, “O my God, I am utterly ashamed; I blush to lift up my face to you. For our sins are piled higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached to the heavens. From the days of our ancestors until now, we have been steeped in sin. . . .” (Ezra 9:5-7b)

Lord, we need to again feel the weight of our sins until we can again blush in your presence. Give us hearts that are tender, lives that are open to you, minds that are pure and life-styles that are God honoring.  Let us again come to you in repentance.  Let us again seek “the ancient paths, where the good way lies; and walk in it, and find rest for our souls.”

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

“Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no foothold; I have come into deep waters, and the flood sweeps over me. I am weary with my crying; my throat is parched. My eyes grow dim with waiting for my God.” Psalm 69:1-3

Turn on the TV! These were the words I heard shouted as I answered a call from Connie. We had just moved from Nairobi, Kenya to Richmond, Virginia to take on a new assignment with the International Mission Board. September 11, 2001, a day forever etched in time. Saturday marked the 20^th anniversary of 9/11 which is still as fresh in our memory as if yesterday.

We joined that night with other believers at our church to pray. Across America, thousands of other churches opened their doors for prayer. For the next several Sundays there seemed to be a spiritual awakening as churches were filled to capacity. Millions were looking for hope, assurance that everything would be OK. People sought the fellowship of others in the midst of tragedy. The words of William Temple, the Archbishop of Canterbury after World War II, said it well, “The church is the only organization that does not exist for itself, but for those who live outside of it.” It was those from outside that also sought the comfort of the church.

Yet as quickly as our nation turned to God in fear and confusion on that bleak night, just as quickly people went back to their pre-9/11 lives. R. C. Sproul wrote that the very last sermon that Martin Luther preached was on people departing from the power of God. “Luther preached with passion about his concern for Germany. He observed that after the gospel had been rediscovered—after light had dawned and pushed aside the darkness that had eclipsed it during the Middle Ages—people were now becoming somewhat jaded to the gospel. They could hear it from virtually every pulpit in Germany, but it was no longer something that ignited fire in their bones.”

As our nation commemorates the 20^th anniversary of 9/11, we find ourselves deeply divided, less respectful of others, civility forgotten, fear increasing and anxiety prevalent. Instead of our nation focused on God, we find an increasing number rejecting the church. Janet Denison writes that “People will continue to blame “religion” for what is wrong in the world. It’s the job of every Christian to glorify God for all that is right. If we will take the time to “be prepared” and use every opportunity to share the “hope” that we have with “gentleness and respect,” we will change the culture one conversation at a time.”

As a firefighter was sorting through the rubble and remnants of the south tower he made an unbelievable discovery: A Bible fused to a chunk of steel. Pages from the “9/11 Bible” remained with a portion of Jesus Sermon on the Mount showing, as if God was speaking to America, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” (Matt 5:38-39)

Joel Meyerowitz, the photographer assigned as record keeper of ground zero, after receiving the Bible, said, “It totally mesmerizes me that amidst the burning destruction of 9/11 and the remaining rubble, this fragile yet powerful piece of parchment was able to endure and send a lasting message to us all: Our fleshly nature urges us to repay evil for evil, but God calls us to press on in forgiveness and love, while leaving vengeance to Him.”  (To view a short video showing and discussing the 9/11 Bible click here)

On this 20^th anniversary of 9/11 I hope we set aside a time for prayer and reflection. Let it serve as a renewed time of prayer for our nation’s citizens to again be humble and willing to return to God. Pray that our nation would be used of God to touch the world for good. Let our churches be a place of healing and spiritual renewal. “When the unchurched, the lost, and those away from God enter our churches, they need to see us believing in the power of prayer and the power of God.” — Ronnie Floyd

“The grass withers, the flower fades; but the word of our God will stand forever.” Isaiah 40:8

God is great,

Lynn

“Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.”  I Kings 19:11-12

Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings in Brazil set off a tornado in Texas? This was the title of a speech given by Edward Lorenz, mathematician and meteorologist. Lorenz pioneered the concept of the chaos theory. “In the chaos theory, the butterfly effect is the sensitive dependence on initial conditions in which a small change in one state of a deterministic nonlinear system can result in large differences in a later state.” In other words, the idea that small causes may have effects in weather.

Johann Gottlieb Fichte had a similar thought in the 1800s when he wrote, “you could not remove a single grain of sand from its place without thereby…. changing something throughout all parts of the immeasurable whole.”

The Butterfly effect is often used as a metaphor that the existence of seemingly insignificant moments alters history and the shape of destiny. Instead of a “chaos theory,” what if we applied the butterfly effect spiritually?

Paul understood the butterfly effect of sin. Romans 5:12 tells us of the impact of Adam and Eve’s choice that has rippled through the ages. “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned.”

The butterfly effect of faith is incalculable. “One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4) Edward Kimball lived a simple life, had no formal education but was a passionate follower of Jesus and a faithful Sunday School teacher. It was in the backroom of a shoe store that he led a young man by the name of Dwight L. Moody to faith in Jesus Christ. Over the years, Moody shared the Gospel with millions, both in the United States and England.

It was in a little chapel in England where Moody preached that the young pastor, F.B. Meyer was inspired to change his ministry approach. Over the course of time Meyer had the opportunity to preach in America where another pastor, J. Wilbur Chapman was motivated, upon hearing Meyer, to move into full time evangelism. In one of Chapman’s crusades a young baseball player, Billy Sunday accepted Jesus as his savior. Sunday later took over Chapman’s ministry, preaching the gospel to thousands. In one of Sunday’s crusades, Mordecai Ham came to faith. Later on, Ham was called to preach in a tent crusade in Charlotte, North Carolina where a young man by the name of Billy Graham came to faith. It is estimated over 2.2 billion people heard the gospel through Graham’s ministry. The butterfly effect of one Sunday School teacher over the course of decades!

Can you imagine if we applied the butterfly effect to prayer? Unleashing the power of prayer to impact family, friends, communities and nations for Christ. The impact would be both life-changing and life-giving.

You may be frustrated with the ineffectiveness of our political leaders. Imagine the butterfly effect as you pray “the king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD, he turns it wherever he will.” (Proverbs 21:1)

You may be burdened with the cultural changes leading away from God. Imagine the butterfly effect as you pray “Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways!” (Ezekiel 33:11)

You may be overwhelmed with the staggering hopelessness in places like Afghanistan and Haiti. Imagine the butterfly effect as you pray that “The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble.” Psalm 9:9

The butterfly effect is not a theory when it comes to the realm of spiritual things. The spiritual butterfly effect was working long before our generation lived on earth. I know from personal experience of the spiritual butterfly effect.  I know that a faithful preacher preached the gospel that changed my life for eternity. I know that a loving Mother took her little boy to church every week. I know that many faithful Sunday School teachers taught me to love God and His word. I know dedicated school teachers taught me from a godly perspective.

Does the flap of a butterfly’s wings set off a spiritual awakening around the world?

“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Revelation 4:11

God is great,

Pastor Lynn