Sometimes it takes more faith just to be nice than to move a mountain. I think we've all had those moments. You've just been so hurt, cheated, betrayed, whatever, that everything inside you is screaming to respond in a way that's, well, not exactly Christlike. Your heart feels smashed into a thousand pieces and your brain is on code red alert, "Defend yourself! Defend yourself!" At this moment, being gracious or kind or loving seems like pure idiocy. How better to guarantee that you will simply be hurt or taken advantage of again?
Jesus asked, "When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8) I wonder what kind of faith he will be looking for. Matt. 7:22 says, "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?'" Clearly, these works outside of relationship will not impress Jesus. And my experience is that it doesn't impress the world much either.
Just like Jesus, the world is also looking to see if we really have that relationship. When they wonder if God is real and if the Gospel is true, they don't look for miracles as much as they look to see if Christians really look like Jesus. If God the Holy Spirit is real, then the evidence should be a transformed and "peculiar" people who know Jesus so well that they have enough faith to live according to his teaching. THAT is what takes faith.
Don't get me wrong. I love miracles and "power evangelism" as a way to demonstrate the goodness of God, but frankly, it doesn't take a lot of faith to pray for a miracle. Amazingly, I can watch God dissolve a tumor right under my fingertips, then go right back to my own self-centered thoughts. My battle for faith takes place in the deep places of my heart, not in public places of ministry. To live the "Sermon on the Mount" and not just brush it off as a hypothetical goal we should aim at but never expect to reach - now that takes faith! In the O.T. God said, "Come out from them and be a peculiar people..." I think Matthew 5-7 and elsewhere in the N.T. we are told exactly what "peculiar" is supposed to look like.
When I look at the Church and see it riddled with much of the same anger, bitterness, pride, greed and self-centeredness that characterizes the world, I have to wonder, "Will he find faith?" I can look in the mirror and ask the same question.
I want the kind of faith that pleases God. Faith to be peculiar. Faith to lay down my defenses and let him be my Shield. Faith to lay down my protective anger and let him be the One who holds my heart, safe in his love. Faith to lay down my rights and let him be my Reward.
Thank God, his work in me is a finished work, finished at the cross. But my heart's desire is that it will also be a manifest work in this life. He is faith-full. He will do it. Through all the bumps and bruises - all the crash-and-burns of this life - he is growing in us the faith to be peculiar.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Finding God's Will in Friendship
The first thing I wanted to know after deciding to seriously be a Jesus-follower was, “How do I know God’s will for me?” I met people who didn’t choose their shoes for the day without consulting “God’s will” on the matter. Really? If God was going to choose my shoes, then surely I’d better consult him on my career path! But I had this nagging doubt. Was his will really that specific? Shoes? And if not, where did he draw the line? I can choose to eat organic (or not) but God decides on the pork issue? Just how much was up to me and how much did I need to search for divine direction or risk really missing the boat for my life? I noticed a lot of Christians walking around anxiously wondering if they were “out of God’s will” or not. Some concerns were relatively trivial – did I buy the right present for my friend variety. Some were huge – did I marry the wrong person? Yikes. That’s a lot of anxiety. Some people seemed to be stuck in years of torment, struggling with questions like, “Does God want me to quit my job and be a missionary to Kazambi?” They went to pastors, prophets and endless special meetings hoping for the finger of God to come down and burn into the carpet, “GO to Kazambi!” Because, of course, unless that happened, you just couldn’t be sure and you wanted to be sure when it comes to God’s will!
I’ve come to believe the answer to knowing God’s will lies in what we DO know about God’s character. And what we DO know about his ultimate desire for us, which is relationship. Intimate relationship, real relationship – the kind best friends share, the kind genuine lovers share. The whole Bible, beginning to end, is about this relationship – how it got ruined and the extreme lengths God has gone to, to restore it. It’s not about what God has done to acquire more servants and it’s not about what God has done to build a bigger army of soldiers. It’s about walking in the garden with him like Adam did. It’s about being called a “friend of God” like Abraham, speaking face to face like Moses did. This is God’s heart…and therein we find his will.
Your best friend doesn’t tell you what to wear in the morning. Your beloved doesn’t tell you what to order for dinner. They might have a suggestion, but they are not going to shun you in disgust and sever your relationship if you don’t take their advice. God’s like that. He’s nice. Not just powerful and big, but nice! He has great ideas. He knows best what will work for you and satisfy your soul, so it’s really good to embrace those ideas. He cares even about the details, but he doesn’t dictate the details of your life, waiting with a, “Oh you blew it this time,” paddle of rebuke if you miss it. But what about the really big stuff?
Does God have a purpose and destiny for your life? You bet. Are you called to something glorious? Yes! So…how do you find out what it is? Take a walk in the garden. Hang out with God. When you are with him, what makes you happy? When your heart is aligned with his, what makes you want to get up in the morning? He is not calling you to something that makes you want to pull the covers over your head. If Kazambi makes you cringe, that’s not what God wired you for. If, on the other hand, the thought of Kazambi puts fire in your bones, you probably just got hot-wired to go! When your heart is his, you can trust what grows there.
Consider the following clues:
“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps. 37:4
He is the One who “satisfies your desires with good things.” Ps. 103:5
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you.” John 15:7
Whoa, Nelly! Did Jonah want to go to Ninevah? No! Did Moses want to go before Pharaoh? No! Hence the big fish and burning bush. I think God reserves those voice-of-God experiences for when he has to overcome the fact that our hearts are NOT aligned with His. Sometimes he just has to pull out the 2x4 to get through. But in the context of abiding, being connected in relationship, he speaks most often through the transformed heart.
A short time ago, I asked God, “Do you want me to go back to India?” I was amazed at what I heard in my spirit. His gentle response was, “Well, what do YOU want to do?”
Really? I get to choose? Of course, I realized. He’s my friend. He said, “Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance.” (Ps. 2:8) So I asked him. I love India. More specifically, I love the women of India. So I prayed, “Give me the women of India. Let that be my work, the place where I can give myself.” Within 24 hours, I received an email from a woman in India I had not heard from in a year. She was inviting me to India for a women’s conference! I told you. God’s nice! He loves to love us and he longs to satisfy the desires of our heart.
God does not have a vague, elusive will hidden in some holy fog, forcing you to spend anxious days, months, even years searching in frustration to find it. That would just be plain mean. And he’s not mean. That’s not his character. In the context of your friendship with God, what rings your bell? He is the one who made you, who wired you, who gave you a new heart that resonates with His. Look at what it is that you desire and embrace the fact that God created this desire for a reason! Yes, we are created for His glory and whatever we do, we do for his glory. But you were also wired for joy. Those are mutually compatible ideas. That was Jesus’ promise. Joy.
For me, joy comes from watching the Holy Spirit settle over a Nepali woman’s soul, flooding her with peace as she understands the Word for perhaps the first time. For you, it could be anything! Eric Liddell, Olympic champion runner, said it well, as quoted in Chariots of Fire. His sister thought his running career was frivolous. She thought he should give it up for more religious endeavors. Eric disagreed. He said, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” You see, God wired him to run for his glory. Maybe you are wired to grow flowers for his glory, or fix cars for his glory, or raise children for his glory. You know what it is. It’s that thing that makes you say, “Thank you Abba Daddy that I GET to do this!” It’s not a chore; it’s not a duty. It’s a joy!
It’s not complicated or hard. The indwelling Holy Spirit has made you one with the Father and the Son. His heart beats in yours. Really. It might not seem like it a lot of the time, but it does. What makes your heart race and thrill and say “Yes!”? Bingo. You found what he wired you for. And he’s just waiting for you to ask him for more, to “enlarge the place of your tent” so to speak. He loves to love you by satisfying the God-given desires of your heart. That’s his will.
I’ve come to believe the answer to knowing God’s will lies in what we DO know about God’s character. And what we DO know about his ultimate desire for us, which is relationship. Intimate relationship, real relationship – the kind best friends share, the kind genuine lovers share. The whole Bible, beginning to end, is about this relationship – how it got ruined and the extreme lengths God has gone to, to restore it. It’s not about what God has done to acquire more servants and it’s not about what God has done to build a bigger army of soldiers. It’s about walking in the garden with him like Adam did. It’s about being called a “friend of God” like Abraham, speaking face to face like Moses did. This is God’s heart…and therein we find his will.
Your best friend doesn’t tell you what to wear in the morning. Your beloved doesn’t tell you what to order for dinner. They might have a suggestion, but they are not going to shun you in disgust and sever your relationship if you don’t take their advice. God’s like that. He’s nice. Not just powerful and big, but nice! He has great ideas. He knows best what will work for you and satisfy your soul, so it’s really good to embrace those ideas. He cares even about the details, but he doesn’t dictate the details of your life, waiting with a, “Oh you blew it this time,” paddle of rebuke if you miss it. But what about the really big stuff?
Does God have a purpose and destiny for your life? You bet. Are you called to something glorious? Yes! So…how do you find out what it is? Take a walk in the garden. Hang out with God. When you are with him, what makes you happy? When your heart is aligned with his, what makes you want to get up in the morning? He is not calling you to something that makes you want to pull the covers over your head. If Kazambi makes you cringe, that’s not what God wired you for. If, on the other hand, the thought of Kazambi puts fire in your bones, you probably just got hot-wired to go! When your heart is his, you can trust what grows there.
Consider the following clues:
“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps. 37:4
He is the One who “satisfies your desires with good things.” Ps. 103:5
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given to you.” John 15:7
Whoa, Nelly! Did Jonah want to go to Ninevah? No! Did Moses want to go before Pharaoh? No! Hence the big fish and burning bush. I think God reserves those voice-of-God experiences for when he has to overcome the fact that our hearts are NOT aligned with His. Sometimes he just has to pull out the 2x4 to get through. But in the context of abiding, being connected in relationship, he speaks most often through the transformed heart.
A short time ago, I asked God, “Do you want me to go back to India?” I was amazed at what I heard in my spirit. His gentle response was, “Well, what do YOU want to do?”
Really? I get to choose? Of course, I realized. He’s my friend. He said, “Ask of me and I will make the nations your inheritance.” (Ps. 2:8) So I asked him. I love India. More specifically, I love the women of India. So I prayed, “Give me the women of India. Let that be my work, the place where I can give myself.” Within 24 hours, I received an email from a woman in India I had not heard from in a year. She was inviting me to India for a women’s conference! I told you. God’s nice! He loves to love us and he longs to satisfy the desires of our heart.
God does not have a vague, elusive will hidden in some holy fog, forcing you to spend anxious days, months, even years searching in frustration to find it. That would just be plain mean. And he’s not mean. That’s not his character. In the context of your friendship with God, what rings your bell? He is the one who made you, who wired you, who gave you a new heart that resonates with His. Look at what it is that you desire and embrace the fact that God created this desire for a reason! Yes, we are created for His glory and whatever we do, we do for his glory. But you were also wired for joy. Those are mutually compatible ideas. That was Jesus’ promise. Joy.
For me, joy comes from watching the Holy Spirit settle over a Nepali woman’s soul, flooding her with peace as she understands the Word for perhaps the first time. For you, it could be anything! Eric Liddell, Olympic champion runner, said it well, as quoted in Chariots of Fire. His sister thought his running career was frivolous. She thought he should give it up for more religious endeavors. Eric disagreed. He said, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” You see, God wired him to run for his glory. Maybe you are wired to grow flowers for his glory, or fix cars for his glory, or raise children for his glory. You know what it is. It’s that thing that makes you say, “Thank you Abba Daddy that I GET to do this!” It’s not a chore; it’s not a duty. It’s a joy!
It’s not complicated or hard. The indwelling Holy Spirit has made you one with the Father and the Son. His heart beats in yours. Really. It might not seem like it a lot of the time, but it does. What makes your heart race and thrill and say “Yes!”? Bingo. You found what he wired you for. And he’s just waiting for you to ask him for more, to “enlarge the place of your tent” so to speak. He loves to love you by satisfying the God-given desires of your heart. That’s his will.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
silver & gold
In case you haven't noticed, we live in a world of hurt. Over the last few years, almost every part of the globe has been hit with a natural, man-made, or political disaster. Before one area can recover, another is hit - like waves crashing down while the previous one is still receding. If you've ever almost drowned in a shore break, you know what that feels like! Resources to deal with these disasters are strained as compassionate people empty their pockets yet again. Earthquakes in China, Haiti...oil explosion in the gulf...floods in Tennessee, Thailand...Tsunami in Japan and the Pacific Rim...rioting in France, Egypt...a new war in Libya...nuclear meltdown? Religious persecution rages unchecked for millions. Drug addiction and human slave trafficking have reached an historic high. Crazy-level corruption causes terror and chaos all over Africa and South America. On top of all this, many predict the damage caused by the recent tsunami will pale in comparison to the catastrophic effects of the coming worldwide, economic "tsunami." Feeling a little anxiety yet?
How do YOU respond when human suffering reaches such proportions? Are you just too charity'd out to hear anymore? So you set your TIVO and throw another burger on the barby? Even the most caring and well-meaning can only take so much, right? But then you step outside and realize that pain is not just for the far away...it's right at your door. Marriages are crumbling, cancer crops up in the "nicest" people, the young husband next door will not be returning from Iraq, the Ph.d can't find a job and bills are piling up... So, how DO you respond?
This morning, as I read about yet another group of Christians in Pakistan being murdered in the street, I asked myself that question. So much suffering, yet what can I do? I have NOTHING to give! I am like someone with a squirt gun standing in the middle of a California forest fire. Suddenly the Holy Spirit brought to mind the story of Peter and John at the steps of the temple, faced with the impossible need of a crippled man. They could not give him what he thought he needed; their pockets were empty. Peter replied, "Silver and gold I do not have..." Ah, but he didn't stop there. He continued, "...but what I have, I give you."
OK, then! Silver and gold we may not have, but think about what we DO have! We have what is needed! I was sitting here thinking, "I have nothing." And Jesus agreed with me in a sense. "You're right. Apart from me, you have nothing. But you have me! And 'me' is what is needed. In me, you have your inheritance, the resources of heaven."
I have inherited so much more than silver and gold. What have I done with my inheritance? When is the last time I said to someone, "what I have, I give you" and prayed the Kingdom into their life? How have I stewarded this amazing inheritance? I think about the younger brother in Jesus' parable of the man with two sons. He was not a type of the unbeliever as many interpret the story. He was a "son!" But he took his inheritance and squandered it on selfish, short-sighted living. We have an anointing, an inheritance that we are meant to steward wisely. "Freely you have received; freely give," Jesus said regarding this inheritance. Am I giving away the presence and power of Jesus? Or am I just enjoying the blessings of my own little world?
We live in a world of hurt. But we have a whole lot more than a squirt gun. We have the thundering rain of heaven! And it showers comfort on the deepest sorrows and healing on the greatest pain. Every Christian out there needs to be rising up, dancing in the rain and telling the world, "Silver and gold I may not have, but what I DO have, I freely give you." Let it rain!
How do YOU respond when human suffering reaches such proportions? Are you just too charity'd out to hear anymore? So you set your TIVO and throw another burger on the barby? Even the most caring and well-meaning can only take so much, right? But then you step outside and realize that pain is not just for the far away...it's right at your door. Marriages are crumbling, cancer crops up in the "nicest" people, the young husband next door will not be returning from Iraq, the Ph.d can't find a job and bills are piling up... So, how DO you respond?
This morning, as I read about yet another group of Christians in Pakistan being murdered in the street, I asked myself that question. So much suffering, yet what can I do? I have NOTHING to give! I am like someone with a squirt gun standing in the middle of a California forest fire. Suddenly the Holy Spirit brought to mind the story of Peter and John at the steps of the temple, faced with the impossible need of a crippled man. They could not give him what he thought he needed; their pockets were empty. Peter replied, "Silver and gold I do not have..." Ah, but he didn't stop there. He continued, "...but what I have, I give you."
OK, then! Silver and gold we may not have, but think about what we DO have! We have what is needed! I was sitting here thinking, "I have nothing." And Jesus agreed with me in a sense. "You're right. Apart from me, you have nothing. But you have me! And 'me' is what is needed. In me, you have your inheritance, the resources of heaven."
I have inherited so much more than silver and gold. What have I done with my inheritance? When is the last time I said to someone, "what I have, I give you" and prayed the Kingdom into their life? How have I stewarded this amazing inheritance? I think about the younger brother in Jesus' parable of the man with two sons. He was not a type of the unbeliever as many interpret the story. He was a "son!" But he took his inheritance and squandered it on selfish, short-sighted living. We have an anointing, an inheritance that we are meant to steward wisely. "Freely you have received; freely give," Jesus said regarding this inheritance. Am I giving away the presence and power of Jesus? Or am I just enjoying the blessings of my own little world?
We live in a world of hurt. But we have a whole lot more than a squirt gun. We have the thundering rain of heaven! And it showers comfort on the deepest sorrows and healing on the greatest pain. Every Christian out there needs to be rising up, dancing in the rain and telling the world, "Silver and gold I may not have, but what I DO have, I freely give you." Let it rain!
Monday, November 24, 2008
Crisis and Re-Creation
I would have to agree with much of what was said in Robert Holme's recent prophetic message. ( http://www.stormharvest.com.au/ )
For at least 20 years, as I've traveled in several developing nations, I've felt that a massive, global redistribution of wealth was inevitable and it would bring a huge change in lifestyle to Americans. Just as Israel lost sight of her destiny to be "light to the Gentiles" and a blessing to many nations, the United States has lost sight of who God called us to be in terms of blessing and influence in the world. Certainly we have made mistakes, but in general, we once used our position of favor and abundance to protect the weak and bring freedom to the oppressed (think of WWII and also our opposition to such demonic leaders as Mao and Stalin who murdered tens of millions of their own citizens). But we became worshippers of false gods, just as Israel did, and lost our moral right to stand for what is good and true. The eastern world of Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims mock us and despise us for our moral depravity and our uncontrolled spending on our own lusts and materialism. Mr. Holmes' facts on our national debt point to our slavery to the flesh and the bondage we have put ourselves in. (10.6 TRILLION and rising!) Some may say it is war spending that has put us into this debt, but that's not true. It pales in comparison to the money we spend on entertainment and "stuff".. I've watched at the ports of Hong Kong and Shanghai while massive ship after ship is loaded DAILY with MILLIONS of containers of consumer goods - all headed for the USA. It's just "stuff"! And now we owe the world. Literally! But we also owe an answer for how we have stewarded the wealth we have been blessed with. (We could feed the world with one weekend's movie box office receipts.)
Things WILL change whether we like it or not! My sister owns a factory in China where wages have tripled in the past two years. Masses of people have internet access, cell phones and T.V. The world has shrunk and there are no secrets. They know the score now!! They are simply NOT going to work for $5 a day, live in a miserable hovel and wonder how they are going to keep their children alive when they KNOW they are slaving all day to make sneakers for someone who spends $5 a day at Starbucks! And that's China, where the masses have benefitted from a huge improvement in their standard of living. The women who sew in Indonesia (where a LOT of our clothing comes from) and pick tea in India (so we can sip our gourmet chai) work long, back-breaking hours for $1 a day. We should not be surprised that most of the world hates us and thinks it's high time things change.
Having said that, I am VERY aware that Americans can be incredibly generous and have given more to improve the health and development of impoverished nations than any other nation. Sadly, this generosity often never reaches the common people who need it because of the corruption and evil that exists in their own countries. Millions of tons of food donated to famine areas never get past the docks because corrupt officials and their thugs with machine guns would rather see the food rot than distributed if they cannot line their own pockets. In Mozambique, my brother Rolland once watched a World Hunger Relief ship loaded with millions of tons of donated food turn around and sail away from the Maputo harbor during the devastating flood & famine there because this charity organization could not pay the US$100,000 bribe being demanded at the dock. This has happened a hundred times over. I'm convinced that world hunger is totally unnecessary. God has created a bountiful earth that produces more than enough food to feed the world, but it is the evil in men's heart that keeps things so out of balance. The amount of food we destroy in the U.S. each year to keep up prices would feed all the hungry in the world!
But back to us Americans - our giving, as a PERCENTAGE of our spending, is still quite small in comparison to the generosity of the poor that I have witnessed in every developing nation I have been in. The poor will share their last meal with you. We give out of our excess and know little of sacrificial giving. In 2 Cor. 8, Paul commends the Macedonians because they were so completely given over to God and had so excelled in the "grace of giving." The fact the Paul refers to their giving as a "grace" three times tells us that their ability to respond this way was because God supernaturally enabled them. His grace changed their heart! Think about this verse. "Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." I believe, in the coming days of great financial shift, this is where God is calling his people. We will need to give ourselves to God as the Macedonians did, and rely upon his grace. And as we walk controlled by the spirit and not our flesh and our fear, we can know that our God is faithful; we WILL receive the grace we need. And according to his SUPERNATURAL power, we will experience this incredible and very odd pairing of opposites - severe trial/overflowing joy - extreme poverty/rich generosity. It will make no sense to the natural mind! Why are God's people joyful and generous when the circumstances say we should be consumed with our trials and poverty? We will have an opportunity to shine and be a great witness once again - IF we will repent, turn from our gods of self-indulgence (HUGE demonic principality in this country!) and be a Bride that seeks to demonstrate the heart of a lavishly generous and loving God.
The carnal mind will want to close the hand, hoard, and cut back giving out of fear and an instinctive desire to be self-preserving. Followers of Jesus will "give themselves to God" and walk by grace. Followers of Jesus will reflect the richness of our Father's grace and His giving nature. And hey, we may even be DELIVERED from our dependence on entertainment and stuff for our happiness!! Wouldn't that be a miracle! And instead, we might learn to walk in the JOY that comes from His presence and being one with Him, His heart, and His purposes. The Bride still has an incredible destiny to fulfill and the Bride continues to pray, "your Kingdom come!" -- as in "righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Much love,
Linda
"Seriously and frequently meditate on the account that men are to give of using their wealth. We are not lords of our riches, but stewards; and a steward must give an account of his stewardship." William Gouge, "Of Well-using Abundance" (sermon, 1655)
For at least 20 years, as I've traveled in several developing nations, I've felt that a massive, global redistribution of wealth was inevitable and it would bring a huge change in lifestyle to Americans. Just as Israel lost sight of her destiny to be "light to the Gentiles" and a blessing to many nations, the United States has lost sight of who God called us to be in terms of blessing and influence in the world. Certainly we have made mistakes, but in general, we once used our position of favor and abundance to protect the weak and bring freedom to the oppressed (think of WWII and also our opposition to such demonic leaders as Mao and Stalin who murdered tens of millions of their own citizens). But we became worshippers of false gods, just as Israel did, and lost our moral right to stand for what is good and true. The eastern world of Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims mock us and despise us for our moral depravity and our uncontrolled spending on our own lusts and materialism. Mr. Holmes' facts on our national debt point to our slavery to the flesh and the bondage we have put ourselves in. (10.6 TRILLION and rising!) Some may say it is war spending that has put us into this debt, but that's not true. It pales in comparison to the money we spend on entertainment and "stuff".. I've watched at the ports of Hong Kong and Shanghai while massive ship after ship is loaded DAILY with MILLIONS of containers of consumer goods - all headed for the USA. It's just "stuff"! And now we owe the world. Literally! But we also owe an answer for how we have stewarded the wealth we have been blessed with. (We could feed the world with one weekend's movie box office receipts.)
Things WILL change whether we like it or not! My sister owns a factory in China where wages have tripled in the past two years. Masses of people have internet access, cell phones and T.V. The world has shrunk and there are no secrets. They know the score now!! They are simply NOT going to work for $5 a day, live in a miserable hovel and wonder how they are going to keep their children alive when they KNOW they are slaving all day to make sneakers for someone who spends $5 a day at Starbucks! And that's China, where the masses have benefitted from a huge improvement in their standard of living. The women who sew in Indonesia (where a LOT of our clothing comes from) and pick tea in India (so we can sip our gourmet chai) work long, back-breaking hours for $1 a day. We should not be surprised that most of the world hates us and thinks it's high time things change.
Having said that, I am VERY aware that Americans can be incredibly generous and have given more to improve the health and development of impoverished nations than any other nation. Sadly, this generosity often never reaches the common people who need it because of the corruption and evil that exists in their own countries. Millions of tons of food donated to famine areas never get past the docks because corrupt officials and their thugs with machine guns would rather see the food rot than distributed if they cannot line their own pockets. In Mozambique, my brother Rolland once watched a World Hunger Relief ship loaded with millions of tons of donated food turn around and sail away from the Maputo harbor during the devastating flood & famine there because this charity organization could not pay the US$100,000 bribe being demanded at the dock. This has happened a hundred times over. I'm convinced that world hunger is totally unnecessary. God has created a bountiful earth that produces more than enough food to feed the world, but it is the evil in men's heart that keeps things so out of balance. The amount of food we destroy in the U.S. each year to keep up prices would feed all the hungry in the world!
But back to us Americans - our giving, as a PERCENTAGE of our spending, is still quite small in comparison to the generosity of the poor that I have witnessed in every developing nation I have been in. The poor will share their last meal with you. We give out of our excess and know little of sacrificial giving. In 2 Cor. 8, Paul commends the Macedonians because they were so completely given over to God and had so excelled in the "grace of giving." The fact the Paul refers to their giving as a "grace" three times tells us that their ability to respond this way was because God supernaturally enabled them. His grace changed their heart! Think about this verse. "Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity." I believe, in the coming days of great financial shift, this is where God is calling his people. We will need to give ourselves to God as the Macedonians did, and rely upon his grace. And as we walk controlled by the spirit and not our flesh and our fear, we can know that our God is faithful; we WILL receive the grace we need. And according to his SUPERNATURAL power, we will experience this incredible and very odd pairing of opposites - severe trial/overflowing joy - extreme poverty/rich generosity. It will make no sense to the natural mind! Why are God's people joyful and generous when the circumstances say we should be consumed with our trials and poverty? We will have an opportunity to shine and be a great witness once again - IF we will repent, turn from our gods of self-indulgence (HUGE demonic principality in this country!) and be a Bride that seeks to demonstrate the heart of a lavishly generous and loving God.
The carnal mind will want to close the hand, hoard, and cut back giving out of fear and an instinctive desire to be self-preserving. Followers of Jesus will "give themselves to God" and walk by grace. Followers of Jesus will reflect the richness of our Father's grace and His giving nature. And hey, we may even be DELIVERED from our dependence on entertainment and stuff for our happiness!! Wouldn't that be a miracle! And instead, we might learn to walk in the JOY that comes from His presence and being one with Him, His heart, and His purposes. The Bride still has an incredible destiny to fulfill and the Bride continues to pray, "your Kingdom come!" -- as in "righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit."
Much love,
Linda
"Seriously and frequently meditate on the account that men are to give of using their wealth. We are not lords of our riches, but stewards; and a steward must give an account of his stewardship." William Gouge, "Of Well-using Abundance" (sermon, 1655)
Election lost? Kingdom gained!
Discouraged by the election? Don't be! The Kingdom is at hand!
In the past few days, I received two emails that made me stop, catch my breath, and read them again - processing what I had just read - and cry. One came from an Indian pastor who wrote telling about the baby he and his wife are expecting in March, just before I expect to arrive in India. He wrote,
"hie timing will be perfect for me as we are expecting our new baby on March 22nd. I will love for you to join in our joy and bless the new comming to be martayer for teh Kingdom."
Have you ever seen that on a baby announcement in America??? I read that over and over, at first shocked and then humbled at how completely this man had abandoned his life, his family, even his new baby to Christ.
Then I received a news story concerning Christians in China from ASSIST news:
Church leaders and Christians have passed word to the West that they still need constant prayer. "Although, in the West, many sermon topics are ones such as 'How to Live a Successful Christian Life' in the East it is 'How to Suffer and Die for Jesus,'" one well-known leader stated. "It is a totally different mind set and even the songs center on the differences."
Yes, it certainly IS a different mind set! Clearly the Christians of the east understand something about following Jesus that we do not. There is an understanding of the Kingdom of God that we do not yet grasp. It is understanding - revelation - birthed in the purifying fires of suffering and persecution. It sheds some light on what Jesus meant when he said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:10)
The topic of "Kingdom" has become wildly popular in the west. I'm amazed at the number of books on the topic and how many ministries are specializing in this as a focal point of teaching. But although everyone is using the hot buzzword "kingdom", I wonder if we really know what that means. It's obvious that we're not all defining it the same way.
In some contexts, you could swap out the word kingdom and replace it with "health and wealth." Take that message and plunk it down in the refugee camps of Sudan and it makes absolutely no sense!! It makes no sense in the jungles of Orissa, India where today 53,000 believers are trying to survive being burned out of their homes. It makes no sense in North Korea where believers are brutally tortured if captured. In fact, it makes no sense in most of the globe. If the Kingdom is global, then whatever we teach as a Kingdom message must be true globally. If it doesn't hold true everywhere, if believers can't stand on it and stake their lives on it everywhere, we shouldn't be teaching it anywhere!
Others interpret "kingdom" as a political/socio-economic target that gives the Church a divine mandate to seek global domination. In this camp, "kingdom"- minded people believe the church has a neo-manifest destiny to take over institutions, schools, governments, etc. so that Christians are "in place" when Jesus returns. In this way, we are to prepare for the global government of Christ. The language is militaristic and, to me anyway, downright hostile. Something tells me that Jesus won't have a problem setting up his rule and reign whether we've taken things over in advance or not. Jesus said "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matt. 5:5) If I were a non-believer, I would have a hard time distinguishing between the spirit of this "kingdom" view and the view of radical Muslims that are intent on global domination in the name of God. It's a jihad mentality - just sneakier. It frightens me because it seems to be more about "overcoming" and taking over the lost world rather than restoring the lost to their Abba Father by serving them and loving them.
Do we understand what an "overcomer" is? In the world, you overcome by defeating someone. But in the kingdom, I think you "overcome" by serving and blessing someone. You "overcome" when you are supernaturally able to respond to evil with good, to hate with love. "Overcoming" has nothing to do with having successful Christian businesses supplant other businesses. It has nothing to with having powerful Christian politicians defeat others. It has nothing to do with ANYTHING else that the world uses to measure victory and might. The Kingdom of God, as we all know, is a place where all the measuring sticks of the world are turned upside down. The smallest is the greatest. The leader is the slave. What would happen if Christians in a city stopped trying to oust the non-Christian mayor but instead all the pastors showed up at his office and said, "Mr. Mayor, how can we help you?" What would happen if all the Christians stopped sending millions of nasty emails about the president and instead, we all wrote the White House and said, "Mr. President, how can I pray for you?" The demonic powers and principalities of the air - anger, hatred, fear, etc. - would be so confused!!! If we simply refused to partner with those spirits and responded full of the Holy Spirit - an opposite spirit - we would understand the true Kingdom meaning of "overcoming." We would not just be reading Eph. 3:10,11; we would be experiencing it!
"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord."
His ways are not our ways. The wisdom of God is not the wisdom of man. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants [the angels - Matt.26:53] would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But my kingdom is from another place." If we think losing an election is defeat, then we never understood victory. Victory is already won. Victory has nothing to do with who takes office. We must not confuse the battles of the political arena with true Kingdom battles. I'm not saying we should not be involved in the political process. We should. I'm not saying we shouldn't campaign for what is right and just. We should. In fact, we have an assignment to be salt and light, a convicting and preserving influence, in every facet of life. But our battle is not a political one. If it were, we would be fighting against political forces of flesh and blood. His Kingdom is NOT of this world.
If we get confused about this, we will end up as discouraged and frightened as the disciples were as they watched Jesus being led away to Golgotha. They scattered and hid, terrified of their future which seemed in shambles. They saw the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus as utter defeat. Yet, the cross was EXACTLY what God intended! It was the cross the crushed the true enemy! It was the cross that ushered in the Kingdom. Jesus could have called upon legions of angels to deliver him, but he did not. It was not the plan. Could God have supernaturally turned this election? Of course. Is He not still King? Or has he lost his grip? Have things simply gotten away from him, out of control? So what's the plan?
I truly am excited about the future. Jesus WILL build His Kingdom, make no mistake. Could it be that the very thing that looks like defeat will be the thing that God uses to crush the true enemy? To usher in a greater manifestation of his true Kingdom? I believe so. But will we recognize it? When Jesus said, "The Kingdom is at hand," the people of Israel did not recognize it because they had a wrong definition of Kingdom. They were looking for God's blessing in terms of political, military and economic success. They were looking for their man, another David, to be put on the throne. Instead, God's chosen one was murdered! OK, so our "man" didn't get put in the oval office. Our "woman" got slaughtered by the media. If we measure this as defeat, we are as wrong as the people and disciples of Jesus' day because our definition of Kingdom is just as wrong. Jesus WILL build his kingdom. But it will not look like big, successful ministries, material wealth, and victories at the ballot box. In fact, if the stated agenda is enacted, we're in for a time of incredible freedom-crushing laws against Christians. We may well be underground within 20 years. So the Kingdom may not look like what you expected. The Kingdom will be manifest through the Bride - not because she is mighty and successful and influential - but because she has been emptied out and has learned to love and to serve unconditionally and sacrificially. The Kingdom will be manifest through a Bride refined by fire, radiant in the beauty of holiness, a Bride turned from her idolatry to cling to her King, a Bride walking in the power of the King because she has been tested and found faithful, a Bride purified and entrusted to carry the glory of the King!
A time of shaking, sifting and refining lies ahead. It is not defeat. It is the road by which we overcome. What Satan intends for evil will be the instrument of his defeat. The true Bride will arise from this stronger and holier and more passionate than ever.
Isaiah 4: 2-6. Read it! Be encouraged!
"Your Kingdom come!"
Linda
In the past few days, I received two emails that made me stop, catch my breath, and read them again - processing what I had just read - and cry. One came from an Indian pastor who wrote telling about the baby he and his wife are expecting in March, just before I expect to arrive in India. He wrote,
"hie timing will be perfect for me as we are expecting our new baby on March 22nd. I will love for you to join in our joy and bless the new comming to be martayer for teh Kingdom."
Have you ever seen that on a baby announcement in America??? I read that over and over, at first shocked and then humbled at how completely this man had abandoned his life, his family, even his new baby to Christ.
Then I received a news story concerning Christians in China from ASSIST news:
Church leaders and Christians have passed word to the West that they still need constant prayer. "Although, in the West, many sermon topics are ones such as 'How to Live a Successful Christian Life' in the East it is 'How to Suffer and Die for Jesus,'" one well-known leader stated. "It is a totally different mind set and even the songs center on the differences."
Yes, it certainly IS a different mind set! Clearly the Christians of the east understand something about following Jesus that we do not. There is an understanding of the Kingdom of God that we do not yet grasp. It is understanding - revelation - birthed in the purifying fires of suffering and persecution. It sheds some light on what Jesus meant when he said, "Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs in the kingdom of heaven." (Matt. 5:10)
The topic of "Kingdom" has become wildly popular in the west. I'm amazed at the number of books on the topic and how many ministries are specializing in this as a focal point of teaching. But although everyone is using the hot buzzword "kingdom", I wonder if we really know what that means. It's obvious that we're not all defining it the same way.
In some contexts, you could swap out the word kingdom and replace it with "health and wealth." Take that message and plunk it down in the refugee camps of Sudan and it makes absolutely no sense!! It makes no sense in the jungles of Orissa, India where today 53,000 believers are trying to survive being burned out of their homes. It makes no sense in North Korea where believers are brutally tortured if captured. In fact, it makes no sense in most of the globe. If the Kingdom is global, then whatever we teach as a Kingdom message must be true globally. If it doesn't hold true everywhere, if believers can't stand on it and stake their lives on it everywhere, we shouldn't be teaching it anywhere!
Others interpret "kingdom" as a political/socio-economic target that gives the Church a divine mandate to seek global domination. In this camp, "kingdom"- minded people believe the church has a neo-manifest destiny to take over institutions, schools, governments, etc. so that Christians are "in place" when Jesus returns. In this way, we are to prepare for the global government of Christ. The language is militaristic and, to me anyway, downright hostile. Something tells me that Jesus won't have a problem setting up his rule and reign whether we've taken things over in advance or not. Jesus said "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth." (Matt. 5:5) If I were a non-believer, I would have a hard time distinguishing between the spirit of this "kingdom" view and the view of radical Muslims that are intent on global domination in the name of God. It's a jihad mentality - just sneakier. It frightens me because it seems to be more about "overcoming" and taking over the lost world rather than restoring the lost to their Abba Father by serving them and loving them.
Do we understand what an "overcomer" is? In the world, you overcome by defeating someone. But in the kingdom, I think you "overcome" by serving and blessing someone. You "overcome" when you are supernaturally able to respond to evil with good, to hate with love. "Overcoming" has nothing to do with having successful Christian businesses supplant other businesses. It has nothing to with having powerful Christian politicians defeat others. It has nothing to do with ANYTHING else that the world uses to measure victory and might. The Kingdom of God, as we all know, is a place where all the measuring sticks of the world are turned upside down. The smallest is the greatest. The leader is the slave. What would happen if Christians in a city stopped trying to oust the non-Christian mayor but instead all the pastors showed up at his office and said, "Mr. Mayor, how can we help you?" What would happen if all the Christians stopped sending millions of nasty emails about the president and instead, we all wrote the White House and said, "Mr. President, how can I pray for you?" The demonic powers and principalities of the air - anger, hatred, fear, etc. - would be so confused!!! If we simply refused to partner with those spirits and responded full of the Holy Spirit - an opposite spirit - we would understand the true Kingdom meaning of "overcoming." We would not just be reading Eph. 3:10,11; we would be experiencing it!
"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord."
His ways are not our ways. The wisdom of God is not the wisdom of man. Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants [the angels - Matt.26:53] would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But my kingdom is from another place." If we think losing an election is defeat, then we never understood victory. Victory is already won. Victory has nothing to do with who takes office. We must not confuse the battles of the political arena with true Kingdom battles. I'm not saying we should not be involved in the political process. We should. I'm not saying we shouldn't campaign for what is right and just. We should. In fact, we have an assignment to be salt and light, a convicting and preserving influence, in every facet of life. But our battle is not a political one. If it were, we would be fighting against political forces of flesh and blood. His Kingdom is NOT of this world.
If we get confused about this, we will end up as discouraged and frightened as the disciples were as they watched Jesus being led away to Golgotha. They scattered and hid, terrified of their future which seemed in shambles. They saw the arrest and crucifixion of Jesus as utter defeat. Yet, the cross was EXACTLY what God intended! It was the cross the crushed the true enemy! It was the cross that ushered in the Kingdom. Jesus could have called upon legions of angels to deliver him, but he did not. It was not the plan. Could God have supernaturally turned this election? Of course. Is He not still King? Or has he lost his grip? Have things simply gotten away from him, out of control? So what's the plan?
I truly am excited about the future. Jesus WILL build His Kingdom, make no mistake. Could it be that the very thing that looks like defeat will be the thing that God uses to crush the true enemy? To usher in a greater manifestation of his true Kingdom? I believe so. But will we recognize it? When Jesus said, "The Kingdom is at hand," the people of Israel did not recognize it because they had a wrong definition of Kingdom. They were looking for God's blessing in terms of political, military and economic success. They were looking for their man, another David, to be put on the throne. Instead, God's chosen one was murdered! OK, so our "man" didn't get put in the oval office. Our "woman" got slaughtered by the media. If we measure this as defeat, we are as wrong as the people and disciples of Jesus' day because our definition of Kingdom is just as wrong. Jesus WILL build his kingdom. But it will not look like big, successful ministries, material wealth, and victories at the ballot box. In fact, if the stated agenda is enacted, we're in for a time of incredible freedom-crushing laws against Christians. We may well be underground within 20 years. So the Kingdom may not look like what you expected. The Kingdom will be manifest through the Bride - not because she is mighty and successful and influential - but because she has been emptied out and has learned to love and to serve unconditionally and sacrificially. The Kingdom will be manifest through a Bride refined by fire, radiant in the beauty of holiness, a Bride turned from her idolatry to cling to her King, a Bride walking in the power of the King because she has been tested and found faithful, a Bride purified and entrusted to carry the glory of the King!
A time of shaking, sifting and refining lies ahead. It is not defeat. It is the road by which we overcome. What Satan intends for evil will be the instrument of his defeat. The true Bride will arise from this stronger and holier and more passionate than ever.
Isaiah 4: 2-6. Read it! Be encouraged!
"Your Kingdom come!"
Linda
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