The Miracle Disclaimer

Mark 9:38-40: And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part. I find it interesting to hear many Christian's response when told stories of modern day miracles. Some simply do not believe it at all. Others rejoice and praise the Lord for what He is doing. And a third group seem to believe but also throw in what I will call the miracle disclaimer, "that's good but remember it's not all about the miracles." The first group who simply do not believe I can understand. While I don't agree with them when they try to tell me God does not do signs, wonders and miracles today, I at least understand where they are coming from. The ones who believe I also understand. But the ones who sort of believe but also feel the need to throw in the miracle disclaimer, those I am having trouble understanding. As I read the gospels and meditate on the attitude Jesus had towards the miraculous I walk away with the belief that Jesus is for miracles, not against them. The above passage is a great illustration regarding this matter. The disciples witnessed people who were outside their group doing the miraculous in the name of Jesus. They decided they needed to do something about this and so they confronted them and told them to stop. Maybe they thought Jesus would be happy with their "word of correction". But Jesus tells them not to forbid them because no man can do a miracle in His name and then lightly speak evil of Him. Something happens to a person when they do a miracle in the name of Jesus. When they see the hand of God at work right before their eyes they are forever changed. This is something to be pursued and valued in our walk of faith, it is not something we should put up on a high shelf with warning labels on it. I get sad when I hear someone, especially a child, who witnesses a miracle and then gets so excited they tell everyone and then a Christian with good intentions takes them aside to read them the miracle disclaimer. Jesus had something to say in verse 42 about this: And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. This is not something Jesus took lightly and neither should we. Please don't walk away feeling condemned if you are someone who struggles with unbelief -this is something common to us all. A prayer that helps me is this, "Lord I believe, help my unbelief." Let's learn to steward the measure of faith that has been given to us and not waste our time and energy by trying to disprove every person or ministry who we disagree with. This also goes for us who believe in the miraculous - we should not spend so much time worried about those "religious folks," and trying to prove they are wrong. I think it's simple. Spend more time focused on the Lord and less time focused on what is wrong. Easier said than done, right?

Peer Pressured

Ok...it's been over a year since I have posted on here, so just to keep this blog legit I thought I would write something. I was also motivated by peer pressure to blog again - Matt Perkins told me that he was going to remove me from his friends link on his blog if I didn't post something soon. So here you have it. I made my first post for 2009 and it is about nothing. Oh and I got married on June, 13, 2009 to the most amazing woman in the world, Lacie Joy.

Well, next time I will try to write about something profound or at least slightly interesting.

What's the Number of Your Days?

“So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”

Ps.90:12

How many days do we have left here in our mortal bodies?

If I live to a ripe age of 120 I would have 35,430 days left. Now that seems like a lot but compared to the 8,521 days I’ve already spent on the earth, it’s not that much really.

Anyways, what is the essence of this verse? Is it to motivate us all to get our calculators out and do the math or is meant to teach us something much greater? I believe God wants to reveal to us how temporary and short our time is here. I sometimes think about old men on their deathbeds and when they look back at all they done they remember what was really important.

Mark Twain said, “Buy land, they're not making it anymore.” You know what else they’re not making anymore of either? – Time. Because if someone were making it they would be the richest person on the planet. Time is more precious then oil and more valuable then gold, that is if you place a high enough value on it. Now if your personality is like mine you may automatically be thinking of ways you can improve time management. There is nothing wrong with that but if you would, refrain from going down that path for now. I want to bring our focus to wisdom not efficiency.

The reason God wants us to number our days is that we may apply our hearts to wisdom. So what is wisdom? Answering that question may take us the rest of our lives but Proverbs tells us that the fear of the Lord is where wisdom starts. And Jesus is the wisdom of God (1Cor 1:24). So we are introduced to wisdom through the fear of the Lord and wisdom also then dwells in our hearts when we ask Jesus to come and live in us. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of wisdom and is crying out to every one of us. The question is, do we have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying?

So I said that to say this, if we are willing to take an inventory of our temporal existence here I believe we will begin to see our desperate need for wisdom. Our American culture offers us an endless supply of choices and paths to take in life. We can seek after so many things in life only to discover they had been distractions from the call of God on our lives. One last verse I would like to leave with you:

“See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise,

Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”

Eph 5:15,16

Kingdom vs. Religion

What was life like for Adam and Eve in the garden before the fall? What was a “normal” day like for Enoch before he walked off into the sunset with God one beautiful evening? What was it like for the nation of Israel to stand before the Red Sea and watch the waters part before their very eyes? What was it like for Elijah when the fire of God fell on Mt Caramel during his showdown with Baal’s prophets?

I bet it was simply amazing and for them. And yet these were all people living in the First Covenant, a Covenant that was inferior to the One we have today! Hebrews 10:19,20 says:

Therefore, brethern, having boldness to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is His flesh.

Something awesome happened when Jesus died on the Cross, there was a supernatural shift in heaven and earth. At the Cross He opened up the door to enter into the Kingdom of God. He made it possible to know God and to have God live inside of us. Yes we have assurance that when we move on from this life we will be with Him forever in heaven but He also opened up the door to heavens reality here on earth! Here is some good news - we don’t have to wait till we die to experience God’s goodness, we can know it now, in the land of the living.

The person that enters into a relationship with God enters into a life of the miraculous and the unknown. A life of radical love and continual revelation. But when a person enters into a relationship with religion they are limited to only knowing about God and are restricted from that life that Jesus came to bring.

We’ve heard so much talk about religion VS relationship but what does that mean anyways? I’ve heard many different explanations of what it means to not be religious but really does it have anything to do with the way we dress or the style of our worship music? Most of what I hear about not being religious has to do with outward things but God looks at our hearts. I believe being free from religion has more to do with embracing the Kingdom then it does with rebellion against the traditions of man.

One of the most deceptive things about religion is that it has so many good ideas, especially Christianity. But Jesus didn’t come to give us good ideas He came to us with the news of an entirely new reality: the reality of the Kingdom of God. What were His first words of public ministry?

“Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Mt 4:17)

Is it necessary that people spend their entire lives living for God but never coming to actually know Him? Of course not. Our understanding of what it means to be a disciple of Christ has been so contaminated by man’s teachings that we must be willing to come to Him as a child and receive His words in true humility.

Why do some people burn with a fire that consumes their entire lives? Why do some end up turning cities and nations upside down for the glory of God? Why does God do awesome miracles in other countries but here in America we see so little? Does God not have an American passport? Maybe we should have a car wash and raise some money so we can buy Him one.

You might think I’m being out of line here but are we not out of line when we preach a different gospel than Jesus, Paul and the early church preached? They preached the gospel of the Kingdom and the Lord confirmed this message with signs and wonders. Paul said in 1 Cor 2:4 that his speech was not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.

Generally speaking a minister or ministry that operates this way, with signs and wonders, is bound to receive a lot of criticism and skepticism. But the pastor that preaches the traditional evangelical salvation message, that is completely void of any power or working of the Spirit, is almost never criticized. Now my intention here is not to spark a wave of criticism or backlash on our Christian ministers, no it’s to simply say that the God who we read about in the Bible is the same God today. He’s never stopped being a God of wonder and power, He never changes.

I hope you hear my heart in all this. I am not a disgruntled believer who just wants to rebel against the church. My rebellion is against the lies the enemy has sold to us. Did the creator of the universe, the one who does everything with purpose, the master designer, did He send His Son to us so that we could sit in a church service for two hours a week and simply be good Christians with respectable morals? Our example is Christ is it not? Can you picture Jesus just kind of half-heartedly serving at His church and learning scripture so He could debate with other Christians? What would He do if He came on the scene today?

I think He would stir things up just like He did then. I believe He would heal people, cast out demons, raise people from the dead and preach with authority, proclaiming the Kindom message. Where is Jesus in our midst today? The Word says He lives in us so if He is not being released to our world there is something inside us holding that up. And if Jesus just lives in our minds and our religiously correct doctrines then that’s how He is received to the world. But if He actually lives in our hearts and our spirits are actually connected with the Holy Spirit then we have the honor of being living witnesses to this amazing God.

God and His word are either real or they are not. So we must confront our unbelief and hardness of hearts and get honest with ourselves and our God. Jesus rebuked His disciples for their unbelief even though they walked with Him in the flesh for three years. If Jesus sat down and talked to you about faith what would He say? God has called us to live a life that so demands His presence and power that without it we will fail. When we set our sights on only the things that can be accomplished through our own human effort we have missed the high calling of God.

After you finish reading this you have a choice to either disregard it or act on it. I ask that you take this to God in prayer and see what He has to say on the subject of His Kingdom. Remember when we ask God something we must believe that He will answer (James 1:5-8). Time is short and we have a choice. We can either continue down the road of the mundane and expected or we can step out of the boat and walk towards God. We can live the adventure we were destined to and truly come alive as we understand our life purpose. Don’t let this opportunity pass you by, take advantage of this moment and step into the realm of the unknown; it’s scary at first but not as frightening as meaningless existence.

Lesson's in Love

(Abhay and Hoinu's family. Live in Bombay)

"Were you mentally prepared for what you saw in India?", my boss asked me yesterday. I looked at here intently and gave it a serious thought. "No, most things do not shock or surprise me but I was definitely not prepared for what I experienced over there."

We've all seen the pictures and read the stories of third world countries but experiencing it for ones own self is quite different. Out of sight and out of
mind. How sad but painfully true those words are. Before I was a Christian I remember watching those tv ads showing starving African kids with bloated bellies and thinking, "yeah that's bad but they are just trying to use guilt to make me give money," and then switch the channel. Now I wish more people would give to causes that are actually making a difference and being effective at what they do. While I was in India God broke open stony ground that was in my heart as He showed me the importance of love and relationships.

One day while we were walking the streets in India a scripture came to mind, "knowledge puffs up but love edifies." Over here in America we have a superabundance of knowledge while the God type of love is a precious and rare treasure. I could see that knowledge has the ability to be used as a wall to separate the mind from the heart. It can also be a link between people and used as sort of a pseudo relationship. Meaning that people can gather around knowledge and certain truths while missing the most important elements of Christianity, love and relationship. I don't intend to teach about this because I know so little about it. I just know that when me place a higher value on knowledge and learning than we do on loving God and loving one another we are setting a serious trap for ourselves.

I could see that the ministers in India could not afford to buy into a Christianity that had a form of godliness but denied its power. It was an honor to be able to meet these servants of God and learn from there lives. We were privileged to be able to stay with YWAMers in all the cities we stayed at except Delhi. And I will say that I was very impressed with the effectiveness of the people in this movement in sharing the gospel and doing the Lord's work. YWAM stands for Youth With A Mission and is a ministry that trains people up in the ways of the Lord and then sends them to evangelize the nations. We developed wonderful relationships with a handful of these YWAMers and look forward to staying in touch with them throughout the years.

India is the second most populated country with 1.2 billion people and less then 5% Christians. 1949 is the year it achieved independence form Great Britain and the country is still developing its own identity. Right now it seems like everything is changing in India, all the way from the government and economy to the people and culture. So please pray for India and that God's blessing would be upon the country. We want to see the name of Jesus lifted high as the light of the gospel chases away the darkness there. When sin abounds grace abounds even more. It is not too difficult for God to move in a mighty way and to touch the lives of millions of Indians in the upcoming years.

India Update

Two words that best describe my experience so far in India: Eye Opening. Going into this trip I realized that we were going to see some things that are so different from our norm but I don't thinkI could have imagined some of the things we've experienced here. One thing I must say though, India is a beautiful country even with all the poverty and spiritual darkness. I have come to really love this land and the people in the short time I've been here. The hospitality we've been shown by our brothers and sisters in Christ has been overwhelmingly kind and gracious. My faith in Jesus Christ as the living hope of the world is even stronger than before as I see Him changing lives in a completely different culture but with the same Spirit of Love. We have visited and prayed over several temples and strongholds in Bangalore, Calcutta, Bombay, and also here in Delhi. It's a blessing to be able to partner with the prayers of the saints here and agree with them for God to heal this land. There is alot of stories I'd like to share but here is one that really moved me:

We went to the Red Light District in Bombay with some local YWAMers and prayed and ministered to the women who are working as prostitutes to survive. One young lady we prayed with gave us her prayer request: that her two young daughters would be able to go to a Christian hostel before the are old enough to get into "the business". As we layed hands on her and prayed I could sense the Presence of the Lord in that little shack. When we finished I could see her quickly wipe away a stream of tears that flowed down here face. It was hard to see these things and not be broken for the people. Well it's late and I'm tired so more on this trip later.

Fire in the Barn

It's amazing what happens when we throw our man made agendas out the window and simply yield to God. I got to spend the majority of the weekend in this red barn along with about 60-70 other men and it's safe to say I was not prepared for what I experienced. But then again when are we ever fully prepared for when God moves? Just the fact that an estimated 30 different churches were represented here and we still had unity is a miracle itself. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethern to dwell together in unity!...For there the Lord commanded the blessing---Life forevermore. (Ps. 133:1,3)
Time restricts me from really sharing all the Lord did in my heart during the last few days but a couple things I will share. The first night we heard about Father God's love for us. And how many in the church have know Jesus as their savior and have had experiences with the wonderful Holy Spirit but many have never known the love of Daddy God. Pastor Paul Marin from Michigan taught us the importance of getting right with our earthly dad and the power of forgiveness.
Grace was also illustrated by Pastor Anthony Carter's testimony. He shared his story about being in ministry and then falling into sin after the tragic death of his daughter whom he felt responsible for. He was living a life as a cocaine addict, drug dealer and adulterer until God spoke to him and delivered him out of darkness. I appreciate the courage men like Anthony take to bare it all in front of a crowd of people, it is very powerful.
And Pastor Douglas Chieza from Zimbabwe preached a couple sermons where he talked about deliverance and also shared his dramatic testimony. In his first sermon he shared some stories of casting demons out of people and the dangers of sexual sin and soul ties. And during the next session we got to have a time of mass confession and repentance where many were set free from sins related to sexual immorality. We then started to worship God and folded up all the chairs and stacked them on the walls so we would dance and praise the Lord for His goodness! My legs are still a little sore from dancing but that's OK.
I wish I had more time to talk about these things but I know this, I am more free then I was a few days ago. I know that God is not someone to only learn about and develop theology about but He is very much into meeting with His kids. His desire is for our well being and He knows that sin only hinders us from whole heartedley entering into His courts with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Anthony said this, "come to God just as you are." Don't wait till you think your more righteous or more pure, but come as you are. There is nothing like the blood of Jesus to set the captives free. Grace speaks so much of the cross and without a revelation of His grace we are bound to go down the road of powerless religion. Take the time even right now to let go of any pressing thoughts and just ask the Lord about grace. I've found that God is great at demonstrating His truths to our hearts and His grace is no exception.

....India, 7 days and counting