Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“But he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. Consequently, he is able for all time to save those who approach God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:24-25

“Conscious communion with God through intentional prayer is vital for our Christian life. Only through regular conversations with God will we experience his vision for life and be effective for his glory.” (Dallas Willard).  David, as well as other writers in the Psalms, understood this fully. Some examples of opening prayers include:

“Help, O LORD” Psalm 12

“How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever?” Psalm 13

“Hear a just cause, O LORD; attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer” Psalm 17

These are heartfelt cries from deep within the writer’s soul. They understood the blessing that God listens and responds. He desires to hear from us and we desperately need to hear from Him. The most important lesson that the disciples wanted Jesus to teach them was how to pray and it was a lesson He most willingly taught them.

The church is rich with doctrines that help us understand our salvation, justification, and sanctification but one of the most powerful, yet often neglected, is the doctrine of intercession. “The atonement accomplished our salvation; intercession is the moment-by-moment application of that atoning work.” (Dane Ortlund)

Jesus prayed in the garden for those who would come after him. Jesus’ prayer was in the midst of the greatest war for our souls. He prayed that we would not be lost but experience eternal life. It was on the cross Jesus completed the task of atonement, but the task of intercession continues daily. It is in this intercession that Jesus sees and hears our prayer requests and goes before God the Father.

Peter didn’t understand the significance at the time when Jesus told him, “but I have prayed for you that your own faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:32) Jesus’ prayer of intercession would make the difference in Peter’s life as he would work through the shame and guilt of betrayal. Similarly, Jesus prays for us today in the face of our own shame and guilt that our faith will not fail.

The disciples didn’t understand the significance at the time when Jesus told them, “I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.” (John 17:15) Jesus’ prayer of intercession would give them the courage to face the trials they would eventually endure, just as he intercedes for us today in our trials.

I often wonder in the midst of the chaos, turmoil and divisiveness in which we find ourselves today, if we fully understand the significance of the fact that Jesus is making intercession for us. “Since then, we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast to our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Hebrews 4:14-16)

We rejoice in the gift of eternal life that Jesus made possible for us. Let us rejoice also in the intercession that Jesus makes for us on a daily basis. There is no burden, no problem, no challenge that God can’t handle as Jesus intercedes for us. “since He always lives to make intercession” is a mighty foundation on which to stand and place our hope.

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

 

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.”  Deuteronomy 31:8

King Saul was given the assignment in I Samuel to utterly destroy the Amalekites – an evil, godless nation who had persecuted and fought against the Israelites as they escaped Egyptian slavery. Saul was anointed by the prophet Samuel with the words, “The LORD sent me to anoint you king over his people Israel; now therefore listen to the words of the LORD.” I Samuel 15:2

“Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah as far as Shur, which is east of Egypt.”  If the account ended at this point everything would be perfect since Saul’s instruction was to destroy everything, leaving nothing behind. However, the story goes amiss when Saul decides to spare King Agag and keep the “best of the sheep and of the cattle and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was valuable, and would not utterly destroy them.” In fact, the record shows that Saul modified the instructions and only destroyed what he deemed “despised and worthless.”

Partial obedience in God’s eyes is no obedience. When Saul was confronted by his failure to follow God’s instructions, he followed the age-old tradition of justifying his actions. Saul, when confronted, proudly announced, “for the people spared the best of the sheep and the cattle, to sacrifice to the LORD your God.”

It is so easy to justify our sins if we paper them over with God-talk, religious intentions or feel good statements. God doesn’t want us to justify our actions, he wants us to follow him completely. Samuel reprimanded Saul with the words, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obedience to the voice of the LORD?”

The bottom line for Saul was that he wanted the best for himself. However, it didn’t take long for God to reveal Saul’s heart. Similar to the world today if we can sanctify our actions, then we can make our actions look very pious. In the same way as with Saul, God quickly reveals the nature of our hearts. God sees the heart, the real motives and calls them out. “Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD?”

Saul, like us, quickly justified his actions. “I have obeyed the voice of the LORD.” “I have gone on the mission” you sent me. I kept the best as a “sacrifice to the LORD.” The problem isn’t what God asked of Saul. His heart revealed a lot when Saul told Samuel the sacrifice is for “your God.”

The world today needs men and women who can say “you come to me with sword and spear and javelin; but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defeated.” (I Samuel 17:45)

Unlike Saul, David chose the road of obedience. One man or woman with a smooth stone, empowered by God, will destroy the greatest army. In a world where evil is rampant, when moral character and integrity is hard to find, where the family is under attack, where traditional understanding of gender and marriage are reeling, all seems hopeless until you pick up the stone that God has given you. It is a lonely, scary place to be. Vulnerable feelings of inadequacy until you let God guide your hand with the stone.

“A soul-deep emphasis on the love of Christ (what the ancients called “devotion to the heart of Jesus”), so vigorous in the past, so much on the decline today, would flourish once again if people would understand that it consists essentially in accepting Jesus Christ as love incarnate, as the manifestation of the unconditional love of God for us.” (Brennan Manning)

Jesus, I so desire to follow you completely in all the tasks you choose to give me. Find me faithful and in obedience to the assignments you give me. Let me pick up the smooth stone that is needed to impact my world for you.

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

 

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:21-22

“U.S. Church Membership Falls Below Majority for First Time.” This recent headline came at the same time as Holy Week.  Christians around the world celebrated Easter yesterday and yet fewer and fewer Americans identify with the church. Gallup first measured this statistic in 1937. Church membership that year was at 73%. Over the course of the decades there was a slight drop but still maintaining a majority of the population, until 2010. We began to see a significant decline, resulting in this year’s dramatic drop to 47%.

I will not go into all the rationale given for the decline nor the obvious impact on society. As you well know, church membership doesn’t necessarily imply passionate followers of Jesus Christ. In some ways this number may actually represent a positive trend as the church rids itself of “in name only” Christians. The church is growing leaner but hopefully not meaner. Could it be that we are on the verge of a new awakening?

I mourn for those who have walked away from the church yet I am hopeful the day will come after the world has beaten them down, robbed them of hope and left them empty,  they will hear Jesus calling, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

The message of Easter isn’t about a spectacular past event celebrated once a year nor is it about waiting to live a blissful life after death. “The message of Easter is that God’s new world has been unveiled in Jesus Christ and that you’re now invited to belong to it.” (N. T. Wright)

The Resurrection was and is bodily, a transformed body. The transformed, resurrected body of Jesus brings life and hope to a fallen world.  The power of Easter must be put into effect to “transform at a macro level and to the intimate details of our daily lives.” In the midst of changing cultural norms, increased social divisions and rampant violent actions, it is only through the power of Easter that this world has hope. Easter as a once a year event gives us bunny rabbits and chocolate covered eggs, but it doesn’t transform lives, doesn’t impact nations, nor bring hope to those in need.

“Christian holiness consists not of trying as hard as we can to be good but of learning to live in the new world created by Easter, the new world we publicly entered in our baptism. There are many parts of the world we can’t do anything about except pray. But there is one part of the world, one part of physical reality, that we can do something about, and that is the creature each of us calls, “myself.” (N. T. Wright)

How do we live in the world created by Easter?

We live in the world with our focus upon “a new heaven and a new earth.” Rev 21:1

We live in the world different because God said, “I am the LORD your God…Be holy, for I am holy.” Lev 11:44

We live in the world in light of Matthew 4:17. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

We live in the world having let “the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts.” Col 3:15

We live in the world for we “are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one In Christ Jesus.”  Galatians 3:26,28

“How do we live in the world created by Easter?” Our answer is pretty simple . . .  Jesus. This will be the only answer that will make a difference for those walking away from the church.

 

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

Let us live life “without murmuring and arguing, so that we may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, that we may shine like stars in the world.” Philippians 1:15

  • Two Rochester teens, ages 14 and 16, who allegedly set man on fire in apartment now face murder charges.
  • State governor facing calls to resign after multiple sexual harassment claims
  • 21-year-old man takes responsibility for killing eight people in Atlanta.

A.W. Tozer asked a pertinent question a generation ago that is still relevant today Tozer wrote, “were we able to extract from any man a complete answer to the question, “What comes into your mind when you think about God?” We might predict with certainty the spiritual future of that man. Were we able to know exactly what our most influential religious leaders think of God today, we might be able with some precision to foretell where the church will stand tomorrow.”

Jesus said in Matthew, “But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this is what defiles. For out of the heart comes evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.” (15:18-19)

The tragedy of the three bulleted headlines above could have been so different if each person would have asked themselves this simple, profound question “What comes into your mind when you think about God?” The results of their actions could have been life-giving instead of life-taking.

What comes to mind when we think about God is one of the most important questions we must answer. Our answer will determine the course of our spiritual life as well as our natural life. We can answer in the way of the world or we can offer an answer similar to Psalm 86:15, “But you, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

We could answer like Peter in Luke 9:18 and respond, “The Messiah of God.” Or similarly to Paul in I Corinthians 1:18 “for the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”

What came to John’s mind when he thought about God in I John 4 was, “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God and God abides in them.” (16) For James, “every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” James (1:17)

Satan’s accusation against Job was that Job’s only thoughts about God were related to what Job could get for himself. Satan challenges God when he says, “Have you not put a fence around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.” (Job 1: 10) Satan goes on to confront God saying that if He would only, “stretch out your hand now, and touch all that he has,” then the reaction of Job thinking about God will be “he will curse you to your face.” (1:11) However, Job didn’t curse God because he had spent time over the years thinking about God.

What comes to mind when we think about God? The answer will come from what we have allowed to be planted in our hearts and souls. “Happy are those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or take the path that sinners tread, or sit in the seat of scoffers; but their delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law they meditate day and night. They are like trees planted by streams of water which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper.” (Psalm 1:1-3)

“From the beginning, God’s desire was that we would exist in an everlasting relationship with him. Sin gets in the way of that relationship, especially laziness that sidelines praise and prayer. May we never be too busy for both.” (Brennan Manning)

How will you answer, “What comes into your mind when you think about God?”

Father, I confess my often-lazy attitude for life, prayer and praise, letting sin harbor thoughts that prevent fellowship with you. Restore again the joy of prayer and praise that will permeate every fiber of my heart, mind and soul for you.

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

 

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“Thus says the LORD: Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies, and walk in it, and find rest for your souls. But they said, “We will not walk in it.” Jeremiah 6:16

Most of us, when driving on a country road, have pulled up to a crossroads only to find ourselves questioning whether we should turn left or right. Now imagine you are at a spiritual crossroads. If you “ask for the ancient paths” you will find yourself on God’s way and by taking this path, you go through both green pastures and dark valleys. However, on this path you are assured of God’s companionship on the journey. The other road might look attractive but you would travel without God’s presence on the journey. It will be a road that takes you where you never intended to go.

Mark Matson invited me to join him last week on the Mid-Day Prayer & Worship to talk about Soul Care. A concept new to some, but one that is as old as the ancient paths. Jesus recognized that all of us will eventually come to the same crossroads where life’s difficulties present us a choice of trying either this or that way. What is Soul Care? The definition I have come to appreciate and relate too is of “an adventure of learning to care for your soul for the sake of others.” Our soul is really who we are as a person, our identity and passions.  David Hansen writes of the soul that, “the soul is more like a river than a street, more like a forest than a city, more like a wild trout than a laboratory rat.” Hansen’s imageries are ones of adventure, freedom and uniqueness as made in God’s image.

So, what is a person worth? In terms of chemicals we are 99% composed of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus – valued at about $100. Worthless unless you remember that the body is simply an address for the soul to reside. Jesus totally redefined the beauty and dignity of the soul to those he encountered.

The dignity of the soul is found in that we are created in the image of God (Gen 1:27), valued to the point that every hair is counted (Matthew 10:30) and so loved that he gave up His only Son (John 3:16). “When human beings are devalued, everything in society turns sour. Women are humiliated and children despised. The sick are regarded as a nuisance, and the elderly as a burden. Ethnic minorities are discriminated against. The poor are oppressed and denied social justice…labor is exploited in the mines and factories. There is no freedom, no dignity, no carefree joy. Human life seems not worth living because it is scarcely human any longer…people matter…because every man, woman, and child has worth and significance as a human being made in God’s image and likeness.” (John Stott)

To care for our souls for the sake of others requires time – space – community. Jesus understood well the need for time-space-community. When asked which commandment is the greatest, “He said to him, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:37)

Soul care will require time with God where you can be alone and listening. Soul care will require setting aside a place that becomes your sacred place of worship and reflection. Soul care will require community, a group of believers who speak into your life.

Caring for your soul allows you to care for others, nurture someone, become a trusted listener and to pray deeply. Soul care is a rhythm where “as we comfort and teach and encourage, we will be comforted, taught and encouraged in turn.”

Jesus offers the invitation for us to walk the ancient paths to care for our souls for the sake of others. “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30 The Message)

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen strange things today.” Luke 5:26

“Of all the roads you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.” Growing up in rural Oklahoma, my childhood home sat on a dirt road. The great thing about living on a dirt road, you could see the cloud of dust rising behind the vehicle long before they got to the house. I had a sense of excitement and expectation as the car pulled closer. Who could be coming? Would they simply pass by the house or were they coming to visit us?

Growing up in poverty, I had only dreams of the adventures that existed beyond the dirt road. I read almost every book in the church library and would imagine myself in the stories of the people and distant places as they would come alive on the pages of those books. Unbelievably, that small Oklahoma dirt road would someday lead me to a dirt road in Africa. Connie and I found ourselves in our first house in Bophuthatswana facing a dirt road. Similar to the Oklahoma dirt road, long before we knew who was coming, their approach was heralded by a cloud of dust. Whether arriving by donkey cart, on foot or in a car, we would welcome our dusty guests.

Our dirt roads have been paths of adventure that have allowed us to see some strange things. However, at the end, they always brought us to a place where we could glorify God and be filled with awe. We travelled roads that led to small church buildings in the middle of nowhere, yet where the gospel was preached, the people prayed and they gathered to worship God. There were dirt roads that led to medical clinics providing care for physical needs as well as encouraging the soul. The beauty of God’s creation lay at the end of many dirt roads; majestic mountain ranges, breathtaking canyons, thundering waterfalls and beautiful, simple villages.

Luke captures a “dirt road” experience in chapter 5. Faith fueled four men to pick up their friend’s mat and carry him along a dusty Judean village road looking for a Savior. He was a paralyzed man being carried with hope in his heart, perhaps for a chance to walk. Did Jesus see the “cloud of dust” from the four men coming? The men found a room filled with religious curiosity seekers which kept them out. Yet, dirt road walking leaves you ready for the unexpected. They managed the narrow stairs with their friend’s limp body. One by one, they removed tiles, leaves and dug a hole to lower their friend.

Would Jesus rebuke their intrusion? What would people think of their disrupting the master teacher? The crowd knew what to do, throw him out – not Jesus. He welcomed him, blessed him and sent him home walking.

Little did I know where I would travel on that small dirt road in Oklahoma. It has been an adventure that is still going on. It has been a privilege to be able to serve on staff at FBCPTC. Thank you for allowing me to serve you these last four years. I am grateful for the sweet sprit that welcomed us, encouraged us and has blessed us through these years of ministry on staff. I look forward to continuing to be with you in fellowship on my walk and to continuing writing this prayer blog.

As you travel the roads ahead of you, may this portion of prayer by Benedict of Norcia encourage you:

LORD, be with us to guide us,

within us to strengthen us,

without us to protect us,

above us to raise us,

beneath us to uphold us,

before us to lead us,

behind us to guard us,

ever about us,

this day and evermore;

this day and evermore.

 

Amen.

 

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“After the plague the LORD said to Moses and to Eleazar son of Aaron the priest, “Take a census of the whole congregation of the Israelites, from twenty years old and upward, by their ancestral house, everyone in Israel able to go to war.” Numbers 26:1-2

“Close to you I waken in the dead of night,

and start with fear-

are you lost to me once more? Is it always vainly that I seek you,

you, my past?

I stretch my hands out,

And I pray-

and a new thing now I hear:

The past will come to you once more,

and be your life’s enduring part,

through thanks and repentance.

Feel in the past God’s forgiveness and goodness,

Pray him to keep you today and tomorrow.”

These are the words from the last stanza of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s poem, “The Past.” Our past lives with us forever since our tomorrow will soon be our past. Our past is made up of events both ordinary and spectacular.  However, more importantly, our past is made up of people. Those individuals who shape us, teach us, love us and hurt us. We will remember events that impacted us because of the people who shared the event with us.

Moses has walked faithfully with God through the wilderness leading the nation of Israel. Now God commands Moses to count the people by their family heritage. The census will become a family tree for those getting ready to enter the promised land, a record of faith that has been passed down from one generation to the next and a past that is not always glorious, but a past that will link each generation to the next.

Bonhoeffer wrote from his prison cell at Tegel shortly before his execution these words to his great nephew on the day of his baptism:

“You are the first of a new generation in our family, and therefore the oldest representative of your generation. You will have the priceless advantage of spending a good part of your life with the third and fourth generation that went before you. Your great-grandfather will be able to tell you, from his own personal memories, of people who were born in the eighteenth century; and one day, long after the year 2000, you will be the living bridge over which your descendants will get an oral tradition of more than 250 years.” 

Biological family trees are important but the richness of your faith family tree will bond generations together. Our faith family trees will include many of our biological family members, but there will be a depth and richness that will be added to the tree from school teachers, neighbors, Sunday school teachers and many more. “To be deeply rooted in the soil of the past makes life harder, but it also makes it richer and more vigorous.” (Bonhoeffer)

Who makes up your faith family? What relationships, writers, artists or places have shaped your ways of believing and worshipping? During a personal spiritual retreat create a faith family tree of spiritual influencers in your life.  Draw a faith family tree, placing yourself at its base, then on the branches and trunk nearest you, write the names of those most directly engaged in your spiritual journey. As you move away from the base, place names or descriptions of other influences on your spiritual life.

Allow this exercise to become holy ground for you as you pray and reflect upon those who God used to water and shape your tree of faith.  Pray over each name, place, event that shaped you. Allow this experience to become a precious and moving time of worship.

“Take care and watch yourselves closely, so as neither to forget the things that your eyes have seen nor to let them slip from your mind all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children” Deuteronomy 4:9

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“Moses said to Aaron, take your censer, put fire on it from the altar and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them. For wrath has gone out from the LORD, the plague has begun.” Numbers 16:46

“Jesus Christ carries on intercession for us in heaven; the Holy Ghost carries on intercession in us on earth; and we the saints have to carry on intercession for all men.” These words, from Oswald Chambers, challenge us to the overwhelming task of interceding for others. The role of intercessor calls us to run into the midst of situations we can’t even fathom. A role that pushes us into a spiritual battle that we are unable to wage solely through our own power.

Moses and Aaron have come face to face with a rebellion of the people – a spiritual battle of rebellion against God and themselves. Already Moses has had to intercede on behalf of the people to stem the anger of God. Aaron responds to Moses’ command, picks up his censer, “and ran into the middle of the assembly, where the plague had already begun among the people. He put on the incense, and made atonement for the people.” 16:47

It would have been easy for Aaron to turn the other way, abandoning the people to face the consequences of their sins. Instead “He stood between the dead and the living; and the plague was stopped.” 16:48

We carry the censers of intercessory prayer for those dying from the plague of sin. Seeking God’s mercy upon people who are so trapped in their sin that we become those standing “between the dead and the living.” We watch as the plagues of materialism, sexuality, greed, corruption, racism, abuse and violence destroy people’s lives. Standing between the living and dead was not a comfortable place for Aaron, nor will it be for us.

The fragrance of mercy from Aaron’s censer finally begins to cover the stench of death. What does the fragrance of mercy smell like? It is the aroma of freshly baked cookies left on the porch of someone isolated due to the pandemic. It is the fragrance of those working at Wellspring Living caring for and protecting a sexually abused girl. The fragrance of mercy is the aroma of food you donated for the hungry, drink provided for the thirsty, the feeling of welcome made to a stranger, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and the imprisoned. The fragrances of mercy are those of hope, faith, peace and life.

“Another angel with a golden censer came and stood at the altar; he was given a great quantity of incense to offer with the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar that is before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, rose before God from the hand of the angel.” Revelation 8:3-4

“Reflect the glory of God with your life. God pours out love on us who are naturally unloving and unlovable. So, why would we refuse to offer it to others? Because we have the spirit of Christ, we, too, can reflect the glory of God by showing His love to our enemies. Show the world the grace God has bestowed upon you. We are to be like God, extending love aggressively in the face of hostility.”  (author unknown)

“So Moses prayed for the people.” Now is the time to pick up our censers and pray. Our prayers are offered up as a beautiful fragrance for those who are running from God. The prayers offered up for the politician we don’t like. The ideology that just seems so wrong. The neighbor, co-worker or person on the street who looks different from us. We offer up our prayers as a sweet aroma to God. It is through our prayers that we stand “between the dead and living.”

 

God is great,

Pastor Lynn

 

 

 

 

 

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“The LORD spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the LORD your God am holy.” Leviticus 19:1-2

 

Holy, Holy, Holy! Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning, our song shall rise to thee:

Holy, holy, holy, merciful and mighty!

God in three Persons, blessed Trinity!

 

“Be holy, for I am Holy” is at the heart of Leviticus. (A book many speed-read through on their way through their “Read the Bible in a year” plan.) Yet as we slow down and look around, we come face to face with the holiness of God.  Just as the hymn “Holy, Holy, Holy” is found on page one of most Baptist hymnals, it is on page one as we follow God. Just as the holiness of God took center stage in the hymnals, so it should rightly occupy page one in our lives.

Leviticus is not normally read as good news and most certainly not in the context with how the world now determines what is a modern, culturally acceptable worldview. However, J. A. Motyer looks at Leviticus totally differently. He writes, “Leviticus is good news. It is good news for sinners who seek pardon, for priests who need empowering, for women who are vulnerable, for the unclean who covet cleansing, for the poor who yearn for freedom, for the marginalized who seek dignity, for animals that demand protection, for families that require strengthening, for communities that want fortifying and for creation that stands in need of care. All these issues, and more, are addressed in a positive way in Leviticus.”

Visit Leviticus 18 and 19 again but read as one who seeks God, treating life as holy and allowing God to have control of your life. At the heart of each requirement is the holiness of God in the life of his people, a people set apart from the world. Culture no longer determines the standards, only God does.

As you read these two chapters, mentally or literally, create two columns. At the top of the columns, title one “God’s values” and title the other “Human Values.”  It doesn’t take long to realize God’s values and human values are worlds apart. Living a life set apart from the world requires God’s grace.

Augustine wrote that, “The LORD himself not only shows us the evil we are to avoid and the good we are to do (which is all that the letter of the law can do), but also helps us to avoid evil and to do good-things that are impossible without the spirit of grace. If grace is lacking, the law is there simply to make culprits and to slay; for this reason, the Apostle said; “The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6)”

Chapters 18 and 19 are not a “Golden Corral” buffet of principles. We don’t get to go through the line choosing the one’s we like and leaving the others. It is easy to pick a verse and sling it at someone, yet at the same time avoiding verses we would rather overlook. The problem: God didn’t give us a choice. Each requirement interlocks with each other forming a strong family, church, community and culture.

Requirements that set a people apart from the other nations, are not to set them on a pedestal but to glorify God. Jesus would take the law and empower it with grace. Jim Denison in his weekly blog shared that at the Super Bowl Breakfast, New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis received the Bart Starr Award. It is given to a player who best exemplifies outstanding character and leadership. Davis’ wife explained their shared purpose: “Our primary mission has always been to be a walking billboard for Christ, so that others may be able to see and encounter him through us and our experiences.”

Leviticus is a challenging book with some difficult passages, yet the shared purpose is for the people of God to be “walking billboards for Christ.” As you reflect on your two columns, use them to restore and empower you to live a life set apart for God. “It is said of St. Francis not merely that he prayed, but that he became a prayer.”

God is great!

Pastor Lynn Burton

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unleashed: As You Go – Pray

“Then Agrippa said to Paul “You almost persuade me to become a Christian.” And Paul said, “I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains.”  Acts 26:28-29 NKJV

Lots of words fall into the “sad” category but I tend to think the word almost ranks right at the top. It is a word filled with missed opportunities. It is a word filled with regrets, bitterness and struggles.  You are so close yet so far away. I almost won the race, yet I didn’t. I almost took that new job, but I didn’t. I almost won the election, but I didn’t run.  Almost, yet not. Merriam-Webster defines almost: “very nearly but not exactly or entirely, very near but not quite.” This little adverb finds itself in the company with words such as “about”, “all but”, “more or less”, “nearly”, “somewhere”. Words reflecting myriads of “could have been” and “should have been”

According to research by lottery expert Brett Jacobson, a total of $2.89 billion was never claimed by winners in 2017. Recently a $14.6 million prize expired in Arizona because no one came forward to claim the money. Hung Nguyen lost out on $1,008,624 because he lost the ticket. Lots of stories of almost.

Stefan Thomas made headlines this year when a lost password left his $220 million bitcoin account inaccessible. The Business Insider story said, “the secure hard drive, on which 7,002 bitcoins were stored, was an IronKey device. It gives owners 10 chances to guess their password before encrypting the contents.” Thomas went on to say, “It was actually a really big milestone in my life where, like, I sort of realized how I was going to define my self-worth going forward. It wasn’t going to be about how much money I have in my bank account.”

This little word almost keeps many of us from discovering the beautiful vista just over the mountain. We give up before we scale the top. Almost finds energy at the bottom of our valley experiences that are fueled by our fears, loss of time, lack of self-confidence, empty bank accounts and a host of other things that make saying almost so easy.

Scripture is filled with stories of almost:

The Israelites almost made it to the promise land but disobedience fenced them out.

The rich young ruler almost followed Jesus but the lure of riches blinded him.

King Agrippa almost became a Christian but for the pomp and power of position.

Paul, the defendant on trial, has spent two years sitting in prison based on false charges. Paul now has the chance to present his case to King Agrippa, yet instead of laying out his arguments to be released, he carefully and meticulously lays out the case for Christ in Acts 26. King Agrippa faces the ultimate decision of his life. What will he do? “If only Paul had been a little more eloquent. If only Agrippa had been a little more receptive, a little braver, a little crazier. If only God weren’t such a stickler for letting people make up their own minds without forcing their hands. But things are what they are, and almost is the closest Agrippa ever got to what might have changed his life.“ (Frederick Buechner)

In our spiritual life almost robs us of the peace and joy that God desires to give each one of us. It was almost that kept Agrippa from experiencing the greatest joy of life, Jesus. King Agrippa kept looking around at the pomp and ceremony of his position, he thought of his political fortune imploding if he said yes to Paul’s arguments. He realized people would no longer bow in his presence if he bowed in the presence of Jesus. Almost kept him from enjoying the ultimate gift of joy and peace.

“It is sad enough to miss God’s invitation. But to just miss it is sadder still, especially when an apostle is trying to help you discover it! May almost never mark our spiritual journey.” (Faith that Matters)

The world is filled with almost millionaires who will survive. The world is filled with politicians who almost won who will survive. Unfortunately, hell is filled with almost persuaded who will not survive.

Maybe almost doesn’t best fit in the sad category but, rather, in the tragic category. “If you have not chosen the Kingdom of God, it will make in the end no difference what you have chosen instead.” C.S. Lewis

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6

God is great!

Pastor Lynn