The God of Restoration
As you read through the Old Testament, especially the books that deal with the history of Judah and Israel you can clearly see the heart of God for his people. Many people think that the God of the Old Testament is different than the God of the New Testament. They see him in the OT as a vindictive God who kills and destroys lives while they see the God of the NT as one of grace and peace. God has not changed; he is the same yesterday, today and forever. His character and nature have not morphed into a big teddy bear god who loves and forgives everyone whether they repent or not. He is still of God of holiness and justice and he holds each one of us accountable for our actions. The image of God has been distorted by people who want to create God in their image and likeness so they can feel good about the lifestyle they have chosen to adopt or a specific sin that they do not want to give up. We need to be conformed to God’s image and likeness and not vice versa. We need a clear picture of God so we can worship and honor Him in spirit and in truth. Tonight I want to look at one aspect of God that is revealed throughout the OT and NT and that is He is a God of restoration.
One of the clearest examples of His desire to bring restoration is seen in the life of Manasseh. Manasseh was the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah. He was conceived during the 15 year extension of life the Lord gave Hezekiah after he cried out to the Lord that his life be spared from the sickness that was going to kill him. God had mercy on Hezekiah and gave him more time to live and also gave him the joy of having another child during these final years of his life. I do not know what kind of father Hezekiah was but he was a man who sought after God and brought reforms to the people. He cleansed the land of idols and reestablished the priesthood with the sacrifices in the temple along with worship (2 Chron. 31). 2 Chron. 31:20-21 recaps his life with these words, “Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and true before the Lord his God. And in every work that he began in the service of the house of God, in the law and in the commandment, to seek his God, he did it with all his heart. So he prospered.” Hezekiah was not a perfect father because there came a time when his heart was filled with pride because of the greatness of the blessings God had given him, but he did humble himself and God delayed punishment.
His son Manasseh was a different story. He was not like his father but was one of the most wicked kings of Judah. 1 Kings 21:1-10 describes his wickedness.
New king of Judah: Manasseh
His age at the beginning of his reign: 12 years old
Length of reign: 55 years, in Jerusalem
Mother’s name: Hephzibah
Character of his reign: evil; he did the same things the nations had done that were thrown out of the land to make room for the people of Israel
3-5He rebuilt the hilltop shrines that his father Hezekiah had destroyed. He built altars for Baal and made a shameful Asherah idol, just as Ahab the king of Israel had done. Heathen altars to the sun god, moon god, and the gods of the stars were placed even in the Temple of the Lord—in the very city and building that the Lord had selected to honor his own name. 6And he sacrificed one of his sons as a burnt offering on a heathen altar. He practiced black magic and used fortune-telling, and patronized mediums and wizards. So the Lord was very angry, for Manasseh was an evil man, in God’s sight. 7Manasseh even set up a shameful Asherah idol in the Temple—the very place that the Lord had spoken to David and Solomon about when he said, “I will place my name forever in this Temple, and in Jerusalem—the city I have chosen from among all the cities of the tribes of Israel. 8If the people of Israel will only follow the instructions I gave them through Moses, I will never again expel them from this land of their fathers.”
9But the people did not listen to the Lord, and Manasseh enticed them to do even more evil than the surrounding nations had done, even though Jehovah had destroyed those nations for their evil ways when the people of Israel entered the land.
Hezekiah was dead when Manasseh was appointed king when he was12 years old. The godly influence of his father was not there to help direct his life. Perhaps he had a lot of evil people influencing his decisions but nonetheless he became a very evil and wicked king and God had to bring judgment upon him. God’s judgment upon Manasseh and Judah was just. Whenever God brings judgment it is not without warning or opportunity to repent. He sent prophets to warn Manasseh but he did not listen. Finally judgment fell and he was carried off to Babylon with hooks through his nose and fetters on his feet. How humiliating that must have been for him. During this time of captivity among the Assyrians Manasseh realized what he had done and he greatly humbled himself and repented. God heard his supplications and restored him to Jerusalem as king. Manasseh made an about face and destroyed the idols, the foreign gods, the altars of sacrifice to the gods and restored the altars of sacrifice in the temple. It was a dramatic change in his life and a dramatic demonstration of God’s desire to restore us when we humble ourselves and repent of our evil ways. God could have left Manasseh in Babylon, he certainly did enough damage and evil that God would have been justified in leaving him there. Yet God is a God of restoration. He is longing for people to humble themselves and repent so he can restore them into the relationship he desires to have with them. He is a God of wrath but He is also a God of restoration when are hearts are right before him. God wants to bless his people. He is a loving Father who always wants to give what is best for us but we hinder and block the reception by living lives outside of his will in disobedience to his word. We may not immediately receive the full brunt of his wrath because of his mercy and long suffering that causes him to delay it with the hope that we will repent and return to him so he can restore us. This is the image of God that the world needs to see, a God who desires to bless us and restore us to the relationship that he longs for and waits for as we humble ourselves. Pride is one of the seven deadly sins mentioned in Proverbs. Pride is what caused Hezekiah to fall and pride is what caused Manasseh to fall. He would not humble himself and turn from his wicked ways in spite of the warning he received. We all have the same tendency in our lives to ignore what the Scriptures clearly tell us not to do. In our pride we think we are different and we think we can handle it or that we will not be affected by our disobedience. You cannot play with fire and not get burned. You cannot bypass a road block and not suffer the consequences. Our pride causes us to think we know better and that the rule does not apply to us. We set ourselves up for a fall and if we do not repent we will suffer. God patiently waits for us to come to our senses so he can restore us to himself and bless our lives.
I was talking to a Pastor recently who was trying to resolve a serious problem between two members of his church. One of the young ladies who was going through premarriage counseling revealed to him that one of the leaders of the children in the church had violated her when she was 8 years old and he was 16. He did not do this one time but numerous times. She never revealed this to anyone but it all came to light in the counseling session. When the now married man with a child was confronted about the issue he immediately denied ever having done it. I sat in on the confrontation meeting with him and my immediate sense in my spirit was that he was filled with pride and was unwilling to admit any wrong doing because he had too much to lose. He offered to submit himself to disciplinary procedures by the church leadership but was not willing to admit he did anything wrong. He was willing to be disciplined for something he would not admit that he did which to me is pretty strange. Why would you want to be punished for something you did not do? It was obvious to me that he did not want to humble himself and make things right with this girl, who had forgiven him and had no reason to falsely accuse him, and get his heart right with God. What he did was shameful but what he is now doing is worse because he will not seek forgiveness from his heart for the wrongs he has committed and he is hindering his life from being blessed by the Lord. His pride will not allow him to admit he is wrong probably because he does not want to suffer the consequence of his admission. The sad part is that he is already suffering for his unwillingness to ask for forgiveness and he cannot be placed in a leadership role in the church with this hanging over his head. I think of the humiliation that Manasseh went through being led off to a foreign country like an animal and I wonder what it will take to bring this young man to the point of repentance so he can be restored. God eagerly awaits for him to humble himself so he can be restored. It does not matter what you have done, how evil it was, whatever we do probably is not anything compared to what Manasseh did in his life but the message God wants to communicate is that he will restore us, he wants to restore us and he waits for us to humble ourselves before him.
Someone once said the three greatest words you can say to keep your marriage relationship in tact are, “I AM SORRY.” These are not flippant words but are words that express humility and willingness to admit you were wrong and that you wronged someone else by your attitude and actions. It does not apply when our attitude is one that says, “I am sorry I got caught.” Or “I am sorry because I am paying a price for my actions.” But is it the true expression of someone who is sorry because they have been convicted of their sin and they admit it and take responsibility for what they have done. These words spoken in humility open the door for restoration to begin in the relationship.
One of the reasons we do not say these three words is that we have a self-righteous attitude. We truly think we are right in our actions or responses to someone. We are right and they are wrong and we are not going to humble ourselves and admit our part in the problem. We hold on to our pride and self-righteousness and hinder any kind of restoration from taking place. We practice avoidance of these people, we shut them out of our life and we feel very justified in what we are doing. Meanwhile the separation gets wider and the hurt or resentment grows deeper and it becomes even more difficult to bring restoration to the relationship. Sadly some people live their entire lives with these unresolved issues and seem to be content with acceptance of the unchangeable status of the relationship.
I am glad that God is not like that. He wants restoration, he is not content to keep things between us but has made provision for us to be able to come to him and receive forgiveness for our offenses against him. He does not reject us when we approach him but welcomes us because he values the relationship. He is a God of restoration and he has gone to great lengths to enable restoration to take place in our relationship to him. The story of the Prodigal Son clearly demonstrates the heart of a father for a lost and wayward son who made horrible choices and decisions yet when he returned home with a repentant heart he was robed, ringed and restored to sonship. David wrote in Psalms 51:17; “A humble and contrite heart you will not reject.” This is what God is willing to do for us. Are we willing to do the same for people who have wronged us or whom we have wronged? In order for reconciliation to take place someone needs to take the first step.
In the story, “Peace child” two tribes in Papua, New Guinea were warring against each other for wrongs that both had suffered at the hands of each other. Don Richardson and his wife lived among one of the warring tribes and witnessed the tremendous suffering that the people experienced not only in the physical injuries that happened in the battles but also the tremendous fear they live it as they constantly had to be prepared for the attack of the enemy. There was no peace in their minds. The warring went on for an extended time and finally the Richardson’s told the tribe that they would have to leave unless something was done to restore peace between the tribes. The leader of the tribe realized they were serious and he also realized how much they needed the Richardsons in their community as they had done many things to make their lives better and healthier. The only solution to bring peace between the tribes was through the offering of the peace child to the other tribe. This meant that the leader of one tribe had to give up his baby to the other tribe and allow them to raise the child. As long as they had this child there could be no war between the tribes. It was a tremendous price to pay but the leader was willing to do it. Relationships were restored as a result and peace ruled between the tribes.
We have to be willing to be peacemakers, people who want restoration of relationships more than being right. Often times misunderstandings cause the breaking of relationships or they keep people from even considering restoration. Our approach to people who have been at odds with us can often be met with greater acceptance if we come to them to ask forgiveness for the actions and words we have spoken against them even though they may have been guilty of doing many things against us. We have to be willing to take the first step toward reconciliation and restoration. We have to be the ones to go and begin the process by humbling ourselves, not approaching others with accusations but with a desire to restore a broken relationship. The story of David and Absalom is an example of what happens when a relationship that went wrong is not made right. Absalom was guilty of killing his step brother for violating his sister Tamar. He fled from Jerusalem as was not permitted to see his father David. This separation went on for three years until Absalom made the first step toward restoration of his relationship with his father. David did not seem very interested in bringing Absalom back and surely he had justification. But one day Joab, David’s military commander sent a woman to make an appeal to David by speaking a made up story that was a reflection of the relationship between David and Absalom (2 Sam. 14:1-24). The woman claimed to be a widow. Her sons got into a fight and one killed the other. The people in the community wanted to put her only son to death and she was appealing to the king that this not happen because it would leave her without descendants and the name of her husband would be snuffed out. David responded favorably to her appeal and said he would issue an order on her behalf to prevent her son from being killed and she would also be protected along with the rest of her family. The woman was not done talking to David. She was now going to address the problem that existed between David and Absalom.
13 So the woman said: “Why then have you schemed such a thing against the people of God? For the king speaks this thing as one who is guilty, in that the king does not bring his banished one home again. 14 For we will surely die and become like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. Yet God does not take away a life; but He devises means, so that His banished ones are not expelled from Him.
This statement truly reflects the heart of God who he seeks to restore those who have been driven away from him by their sin. God does not delight in seeing people banished from his presence he desires restoration of all broken relationships.
David allowed Absalom to come back but he did not see his face. He alienated himself from Absalom and the relationship never mended. Absalom eventually tried to overthrow his father and led a coup that resulted in his death. David mourned greatly the loss of his alienated son and I wonder how often he thought about what he perhaps could have or should have done to try to mend the relationship.
Paul in his letter to the Galatians church encouraged the church to restore the one who had fallen into sin.
“Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted.” Gal. 6:1-2
If we truly are spiritual people we will have a heart that desires to restore one who has fallen. We will not be content to see them alienated from others. The word “restore” in its original meaning was used to describe setting of a bone that has been broken. It has to be done gently so that there is no more damage done. I have had only one broken bone, my collar bone, and in order to set it correctly so it would heal properly I had to have surgery. I was asleep during the operation that inserted a 6 inch screw into my shoulder and connected the two parts of the bone that were out of alignment. I can’t imagine what the operation would have been like if I had been awake but I am certain that the doctor would have been very gentle trying to move the bones in place. So it is when we are restoring another person, putting things in right order in their lives so they can heal properly. It must be done gently and also be done with the right attitude lest one be tempted to think more highly of oneself because you did not fall into the same temptation. We are all guilty of passing judgment on people who have done things they should not have done and often we make statements such as: “What was he thinking?” What an idiot, what a moron, what a complete idiot.” “Helloooooo!” Paul recognized how weak we can be and when we allow pride to enter we invite failure, because pride goes before a fall.
When we restore people who have been caught doing wrong it has to be done in the right spirit and the right way. The goal must always be to restore to full health, complete restoration of the relationship with the Lord and anyone else that has been affected by the actions of the person.
Not all relationships will be restored; this is the reality of the world we live in. Many will go to their grave with unresolved issues that possibly could have been restored if there had been true humility, willingness to admit fault and a true desire to have the relationship restored.
I want to close with a story I read authored by Bart Campolo in Sojourners Magazine. It is one of the greatest examples of restoration that I have ever read.
“I often tell people not to ask me for statistics because in this work all the statistics are bad. Ask me for stories instead, I say, because even in the worst of times I always have a good story. Whether it is one of my own or comes from someone else doesn’t really matter to me anymore. What matters is that it rings true. Like this one I picked up on a visit to Philadelphia last week, which was first told to psychologist Jack Kornfield by the director of a nearby rehabilitation program for violent juvenile offenders:
One 14-year-old boy in the program had shot and killed an innocent teenager to prove himself to his gang. At the trial, the victim’s mother sat impassively silent until the end, when the youth was convicted of the killing. After the verdict was announced, she stood up slowly and stared directly at him and stated, “I’m going to kill you.” Then the youth was taken away to serve several years in the juvenile facility.
After the first half-year the mother of the slain child went to visit his killer. He had been living on the streets before the killing, and she was the only visitor (in jail) he’d had. For a time they talked, and when she left she gave him some money for cigarettes. Then she started step-by-step to visit him more regularly, bringing food and small gifts.
Near the end of his three-year sentence, she asked him what he would be doing when he got out. He was confused and very uncertain, so she offered to help set him up with a job at a friend’s company. Then she inquired about where he would live, and since he had no family to return to, she offered him temporary use of the spare room in her home. For eight months he lived there, ate her food, and worked at the job.
Then one evening she called him into the living room to talk. She sat down opposite him and waited. Then she started, “Do you remember in the courtroom when I said I was going to kill you?” “I sure do,” he replied. “I’ll never forget that moment.” “Well, I did it,” she went on. “I did not want the boy who could kill my son for no reason to remain alive on this earth. I wanted him to die. That’s why I started to visit you and bring you things. That’s why I got you the job and let you live here in my house. That’s how I set about changing you. And that old boy, he’s gone. So now I want to ask you, since my son is gone, and that killer is gone, if you’ll stay here. I’ve got room and I’d like to adopt you if you let me.” And she became the mother he never had.”
Tonight we all need to ask ourselves if all is well with our soul. Is there anyone that you need to seek to be restored to, any relationship that has been broken through sin or misunderstandings? If you find yourself in this situation you need to be the one who acts like God who devises ways for the banished to be restored. You need to be the one who is willing to take the first step to bring restoration. Perhaps you need to be the one who admits wrong even though you have been wronged even more than the other person. This is not an easy thing to do but it is worth the effort because a restored relationship brings peace and joy which have no market value we can place a dollar figure on. You must make the attempt, be the initiator and leave the results up to the Lord. The other person may not be receptive, you have no control over that, but they will live with the memory that you made the attempt to restore the relationship and the door will always be open for the process to begin when they are ready.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Friday, July 10, 2009
Position, Place, Grace
Position, Place, Grace
Each of us is faced with trying to figure out what we should do with our lives and how we can best serve God’s purposes. It is a question that seems to come back to us throughout our lives as we live in a dynamic continuum in which change is constant. It is good at times to step back out of your present situation and evaluate what is happening in your life and if you are doing what is in your heart to do.
I believe that God has a position in his body for each one of us. He also has a place for us to serve Him and when we find these two he provides the grace to be able to do the work He has given us. Tonight I want to look at these three things and I pray that you will have a clearer understanding of what God is asking of you as you seek to serve Him.
God has a position for each one of us in his body. We all have specific gifts and talents that equip us to do a specific task. 1 Cor. 12:4-7 states, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God to works all things in all persons. But each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit, for the common good.”
Paul goes on further to say, “For the body is not one member but many…but now God has placed the members each one of them, in the body just as He desired.” 1 Cor. 12: 14, 18
Your position is critical to the body being able to operate fully. For many of us we realize the importance of the variety of positions but we often struggle with identifying our personal position. We try to discover our gifts and talents through tests and experiences we have and that is good. But there are also hidden gifts and talents within each of us that will be developed as we respond in obedience to God’s call on our lives. William Carey thought he was called to go to India to preach the gospel, yet he found that he was not very good at it and after 7 years had only one convert. He discovered that his real gift and the position God had for him was linguistics. He translated the English Bible into the languages of the people of India and did many other similar tasks that were a tremendous blessing and influence in the culture. Once he discovered this ability he flourished in his ministry. The nation of India is indebted today to the work that William Carey accomplished. God placed this ability in William Carey and he discovered this as he responded in obedience to go to India. I think often in life we are placed in a situation where we may not feel comfortable but during this time God reveals to us the hidden gifts and talents that are within us and he opens new doors of service to use these gifts. Your position in the body can change over time as these gifts and talents come to light and become more developed. I think we can also limit ourselves by not exploring new options because of fear or lack of finances or whatever excuse we can contrive to keep us doing the same thing we have been doing. We can get comfortable in our position and hunker down to do the job we are given and stay in this position for our entire life. That may be true for some people and if it is they should become the most efficient and productive person in their field. But often people become stagnant in their position. They seem to get bored and unchallenged and in their hearts they are not content or happy with the present situation. They may have aspirations to make changes in their position but the fear of insecurity or failure holds them back from pursing something new and different. Their lives seem to waste away and they look forward to retirement when they can do whatever they want to do. They will change their position when they have the security to leave their present situation. Frequently people who make this change at this time in their lives comment that they wished they would have done it years earlier. They discovered that their real position in life was something other than they had spent most of their life doing. Sometimes losing your present job is the best thing that could ever happen to you as it opens up new opportunities to discover gifts and talents that you did not know you had. Young eagles are forced to leave the comfort of their nests by their mothers who literally throw them out of their home. It’s fly or die and I am sure the little things go into shock for the first moments of the rapid descent. But after they learn what they are capable of doing life becomes a joy as they soar through the sky so effortlessly.
I watched on the news this past week the story of a man who has Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a horrible disease that takes away all your muscular abilities and slowly causes your body to shut down. He was a teacher in a college and loved his job but the day he received the diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease he said he returned to his home and curled up into a fetal position and just lay there thinking of how horrible his life was going to be. He was given a new position in life, one that he did not ask for and one that he really did not want to accept. He came to realize shortly thereafter that he could make the most of his situation and use his position to effect a positive change or he could just remain in a fetal position and feel sorry for himself and have a daily pity party. He decided that he would use whatever time he had left on earth to help raise money to conduct research for a cure for this disease. He has spent the past 3 years raising thousands of dollars for a cure. He accepted this new position in life and has made the best of it.
This is the challenge we all have in the position God has placed us. Sometimes we are placed by our own choices and other times we are simply asked to accept the choices made for us. The difference always lies in the attitude we take to the position we are in. We can make the most of it or we can regret it and always look for a way out and miss out on what we could have achieved if we had accepted the position and gave our best effort. Sometimes we can truly say love what I am doing and when we can’t say that we have to be able to say “I love what God is doing in me.” God uses these situations to work new things in us that possible will not come to fruition unless we are in the position we found ourselves.
Your present position may not be your permanent position. It may just be that God has you where you are to develop new abilities in you and through your faithfulness to do what you are doing he will open a new door of opportunity for you to pursue new adventures of faith with him. He may have you where you are at because he has someone you need to meet who will be instrumental in moving you into your next position.
God does not want you to be stuck in a position that is totally not what you should be doing. Many people accept jobs that have nothing to provide for them except money or benefits. One lady once told me she lives for the weekend because then she could do what she really wanted to do. I could not help but think her job was not very satisfying but was just a source of income for her. If you are unhappy, unfulfilled, and are not able to see how your present job helps you realize the dreams you have for your life then you need to pray and ask God to help free you from your job so you can begin to live life as you were designed to live. Some jobs are temporary and you know there is an end date that you can live with because you are moving on. Summer jobs were like that, they were temporary and though the work was not always the greatest and most fulfilling you knew there was a termination date and that you could do the work that was asked of you and do it well. It is a whole different thing if you are doing a permanent job that you absolutely do not enjoy and cannot wait to leave. Don’t waste your life pursuing things that have not hope for the future you want to have and live! Take steps to get out of the job and seek God for guidance, seek help from other people who can help get you connected to do what you feel you were made to do. Give your best effort at your job and leave a good reputation with your employer don’t slack off just because you are not doing what you want to be doing. Be a blessing to your boss and the business, they may become some of your greatest supporters in the future.
The second thing after you discover your position, or your gifts and talents is to allow God to place you where he wants you to be. 1 Cor 12:18 “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired.” He places us in his body but he also places us in a specific location. God has a destination for each one of us. Paul was an itinerant evangelist and apostle for much of his life but God also placed him in certain locations like Antioch and Ephesus and Rome for longer periods of time. He has a special place where he wants you to use the gifts he has given you. God will direct you to a place to serve Him and once you are there the enemy will do everything he can to get you out of there. He understands the power and potential in you and he wants to sidetrack your life so you never achieve what you are capable of doing. Often times he places another person in your path who perhaps unintentionally draws you away from what you are called to do and you begin to lose the passion and focus you once had. Sometimes we give into temptations and fall into a sinful lifestyle or behaviors that destroy the ministry God has given us. I read yesterday of a Lutheran pastor in North Dakota who paid a women to have an affair with him. Eventually the woman began to demand more money and if she did not receive it would expose him to his spiritual leaders. He could not meet her demands and the whole affair went public causing him to lose his ministry and probably his marriage. Other times there is discouragement that what you thought you would be able to do is not really what is happening or that it is taking a lot longer than you anticipated. We often find ourselves guilty of comparing ourselves with other people. We see their success and question our abilities, do we really have what it takes or we wonder why others seem to get all the breaks. John Maxwell tells the story of two milk cows standing in a field when a milk truck passed by that said, “Milk: homogenized, pasteurized, standardized, Vitamin D added.” One cow turned to the other and said, ‘Makes you feel sort of inadequate doesn’t it.’”Discouragement sets in when expectation is different than reality. What we want to see happening is often a far cry from what we are experiencing and it is easy to get discouraged and think about quitting or leaving. You have to find your place and then stay in that place until God, not people, trials, circumstances, disappointments etc. move you on to the new place God has for you. The news media is filled with speculation about the decision Sarah Pallin recently made to step down as Governor of Alaska. Many felt disappointed that she did not serve out her time and others gave her the benefit of doubt that her decision was not spontaneous or not contemplated correctly. People will always question your motives but the reality is that you are first accountable to God and if he says it is time to go then it is time to go. I believe he will make it clear to you and that his peace will rule in your heart. I remember when I decided to leave my job which I enjoyed for 7 years to pursue missions full-time, I felt confident that it was the right decision yet still had some fears as to whether it was the right decision and the right time. My boss held a very nice going away party for me which was attended by many of the instructors in the program who worked with me. They all were encouraging me to pursue what was in my heart to do and I walked away from my job with the confirmation of others but most of all I had peace in my heart that God was directing my steps to bring me to a new place. It required me to sell my house and move onto the campus with my daughter for a year of training in missions. It was one of the best years of my life and I totally enjoyed the experience the Lord gave me. This was just a stepping stone to get me to Guatemala in 99. Six years later I moved to be here permanently and have just within the last 2 weeks received my temporary residency status. It took awhile to get me here full time but I believe God’s timing is always perfect as we learn to wait upon him to orchestrate what needs to happen. Many want to rush from one thing to another and have not learned to wait on God’s timing. We are so prone to seek instant gratification and the thought of waiting on God to move us to the next place is hard on the flesh. Those who learn to wait will find greater satisfaction and enjoyment in life. I recently listen to a message by David Lewicki of Marble Church in which the he quoted from an article in the New Yorker magazine written entitled “Don’t” by John O’Leary. The article discussed a study that was conducted in the 1960’s at Stanford University with 4 year olds to test their ability to delay gratification and exhibit self control. The children were invited one by one into an empty room that had only a table and a chair. On the table was a plate that had a marshmallow, an Oreo cookie and a pretzel. They were told. “You can have any you want and you can eat it now or you can wait and when I return you can have 2 of any.” The children agonized over the decision. They covered their eyes, some turned their backs so as to not look at the treat, others started kicking at the desk or tugged at their hair, some even stroked the marshmallow like it was a little stuffed animal. One boy with neatly parted hair immediately looked around the room, he took the Oreo and unscrewed it, licked the cream out of the middle and put it back, sure that no one had seen him. Most of the children struggled, but only for less than 3 minutes and then they gave in and ate the treat. Some of them broke down right away while others would stare at the marshmallow and break down. About 30 per cent of the children were able to wait for what eventually would be 15 minutes before the researcher would return. The kids who waited found a way to resist. They were the ones who found a way to think about something other than the cookie or the marshmallow. The researchers observed that the ones who succeeded, distracted themselves. They would cover their eyes, they would pretend to play hide and seek under the desk and seat, they would sing songs from Sesame Street and do anything to get their mind off of their desire. Their desire was not defeated, it was always there, they just managed to consider something else long enough to gain the ultimate reward. The long term observations of the young people involved in the study have shown that the ones who were able to wait 15 minutes when they were 4 years old for 2 Oreos went on to have a healthier and happier adulthood. They performed better in school. On average 200 points better on their SAT’s. They coped with problems better, they had better relationships with their peers, they planned their lives better, and they even seemed to have better overall health. Self control is a primary indicator of human flourishing. Being able to wait does matter.
When we are in right relationship with the Lord we learn to wait upon him and in our waiting we renew our strength, we don’t give in to impulses of our flesh or make rash decisions that end in disaster. Isaiah 40:31 states, “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength.” As you learn to submit yourself to God’s timing, He will direct your steps and you will move from strength to strength not frustration to frustration. You won’t burn bridges behind you but build bridges to your future destination. God has a place for each of us and we must learn to wait upon him to direct us to a new place in his perfect timing. It is always better to leave one place with the blessing of the people who left than leave with broken relationships and huge disappointments or unresolved conflicts. At times you may need to leave abruptly to spare your life but it will be in obedience to God directing you.
I read a book recently called “The Heavenly Man”. It is the story of Brother Yun who spent years in prison in China. In 1997 he said he reached the lowest point of his life as both he and his wife along with many other pastors were imprisoned. The guards had been ruthless to him and broke his leg so that he could not stand or walk on them. He had spent months in the jail and missed his family and he wanted out. In his agony and pain he cried out to the Lord and the Lord spoke to him through a vision and through his Word, telling him that today was his day to be set free. Escaping the prison would take a series of miracles since every door that had to be opened was guarded by 2 guards and could only be opened on one side. He also had to descend two flights of stairs to reach ground floor.. In addition since his legs were broken he stuggled to walk so it seemed impossible that his escape could really happen. After the Lord spoke to him, he tapped on his wall twice which was the way prisoners signaled to each other that they needed prayer. Yun called out to the guard and told him he needed to go to the bathroom. The guard got one of the other believers in the adjacent cell to accompany Hun to the bathroom. When the other believer came to help him he told him that he should escape and then told him to get his towel and toothbrush to make it appear that he was going to the bathroom. His fellow prisoner was insistent that he should try to escape now. Even though Yun had these three confirmations that today was the day he would be set free he did not believe it. He would attempt the escape but and that after the guards shot him that the Lord would receive him into heaven. But as he reflected on what had happened he realized that God was speaking to him and that he needed to obey. He left his cell and proceeded to the first iron door that was shut and guarded with 2 armed guards. When he got to the door another prisoner was on the other side who was returning to his cell. The door opened and the prisoner passed through with another guard escorting him to his cell. The guard that remained, heard the phone ring on the floor below and left the post with the door open. Yun walked through the door and proceeded down the stairway. He did not realize it at the time but when he left his cell on the third floor the Lord healed his broken legs! He walked down the stairway to the second floor where there was a desk and an armed guard at the next door. The door was open which was unusual and the Lord spoke to Yun, “Go now, the God of Peter is with you!” He walked through the door and the guard did not even notice him it was as though he was invisible. He descended the next stairway and arrived at door that gave entrance to the ground level patio. This is the door that is protected the most yet at that moment it was open and he walked through. He walked by several guards who said nothing to him and then proceeded out the main door to the street. He had escaped from a maximum security prison which had never been done before or after. Immediately he encountered a taxi and he got in and told the driver to take him to his office which really was the house of some Christian friends. The day before his escape, the Lord spoke to the mother of his friend and told her that he was going to escape and would come to their home for a short time to pray with them before moving on to the next home where they had prepared a special hidden room for him to stay. Yun had learned to wait on the Lord and obey his voice when he told him it was time to move on. God may not move you on to your next location in a manner this dramatic but he will make it clear to you when it is time to go and we must hear his voice and respond in obedience to him.
God has a place for each one of us and he will keep us there as long as he wants and will move us on in his timing as we learn to wait upon him and respond in obedience when he speaks to us.
The final thing that we all need is the grace to do what God has called us to do. It is God’s grace that gives us the ability to do his work. Paul often referred to the grace of God that was given to him to be able to do the will of God. Ephesians 3:7 “By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving Him by spreading his good news.” Paul encouraged Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:1, “Timothy my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.” In many of Paul’s letters he opened them by praying for God’s grace to be given to the recipients of the letter and he also closed many of his letters with the same prayer. It was all about God’s grace not Paul’s great abilities. What is grace? Grace is God’s favor and provision in which he gives us something we do not deserve nor have the ability to do on our own. Paul saw his ministry as a ministry of God’s grace. In the letter to Romans he states. “Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God grace, I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles.” Romans 15:14,15 Paul relied on God’s grace to minister to people. In 2 Cor. 1:12 he wrote, “We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.” Another reference to Paul’s reliance upon grace is found in 1 Cor. 3:10, “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.” By God’s grace he gives us gifts to serve him. Romans 12:6-8 states, “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift of showing kindness to other, do it gladly.”
It is through God’s grace we are saved. It is through God’s grace that we are given gifts and abilities. It is through God’s grace that we carry out the ministry he has given us. We have a responsibility to this grace and that is to do our very best, to put forth our best efforts realizing that the abilities that we have are given to us by the Lord and he deserves our best effort to use the gifts he has given to us in the right way. We do not rely on our efforts or strive in our own strength but fully give ourselves to the work of the Lord’s grace in us to accomplish his will. We exchange self reliance with complete reliance upon God to carry out his plan. We are not driven to achieve to prove ourselves to God or to man but we respond to God’s grace by developing a relationship of intimacy and dependence upon him. Grace enables us to focus on God and enjoy our relationship with him and out of that relationship of intimacy we are able to carry out the ministry he has given us in the right attitude and motivation. If ministry seems to be a chore then most likely you have fallen out of the grace relationship with the Lord and you are trying to do things in your own strength. No wonder Paul prayed so much for grace for himself and the church. He realized that in his weakness, God’s grace was all he needed, it was sufficient and it brought contentment to him (2 Cor. 12:9). It is God’s grace that teaches us how to live in this present age (Titus 2:12). Grace is something we are to grow in so there must be a vast supply available to us (2 Pt. 3:18). Learning to live by grace and not our own strength is difficult for those of us who are performance oriented. We constantly want to do things and all too often they can be done in our strength and not God’s provision of grace. Grace is God’s way of opening doors of opportunity that we could not open by our own efforts, grace is God’s way of empowering us with His abilities to do his work. This is a liberating thing for all of us, knowing that he has a vast supply of grace for every situation we face in life. He wants us to turn to him and rely upon his grace.
Joni Erickson Tada wrote an article in Discipleship Journal Nov/Dec 1987 issue entitled “When You Can’t Escape” and I would like to close with an excerpt from it. Most of you know that she is confined to a wheelchair after suffering a spinal cord injury. Back in 1987 she wrote an article about relying upon God’s grace to sustain her in her times of being completely confined because of pressure sores that developed on her body. She could only lie in 2 positions in order to facilitate healing the sore. It was a very oppressive time as she could only stare at the wall as she lay on her side. She wondered if God’s grace would be enough to sustain her during this trying and difficult time.
“In a halting, yet sincere prayer, I presented my brokenness—my pain, disappointment, spiritual laziness, and fear—to Him. In turn, the first thing I sensed was a peaceful desire to "will and act according to his good purpose." Meanwhile, I couldn't help but remember those around me in the hospital ward during my early days of rehabilitation. Some, like me in the beginning, were bored and restless. Others were callous, angry, and indifferent. Looking back, now I could understand their problem. "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many," I read in Heb. 12:15. Remembering those hospital roommates, I knew I no longer wanted to be miserable. I wanted to be content.
Joni did not want to miss out on the grace of God by letting bitterness overtake her. When she wrote this article she remarked that she wondered if she could make it for 20 more years confined to a wheelchair with limited activity. She has proven that God’s grace is sufficient and her life is a testimony of one who has truly learned to live by the grace God gives one day at a time.
Tonight you may be here facing many decisions about your life and your future. I pray that you will walk away from here encouraged that God has a position for you that will utilize or reveal the gifts and talents he has given you. God also has a specific place of ministry for you, a location where he wants you to serve him and use the gifts he has given you. You may be in the process of waiting for that new place to be revealed and in that time of waiting God is working his purposes in your life and wants you to be renewed in his strength. Finally God has sufficient grace for you to enable you to do what he has given you to do. He wants you to trust in his grace to always be there no matter how difficult the situation you face. The Christian life is all about grace, God’s favor and God’s abilities at work in our lives. Rest in his grace, trust in his grace and he will bring great joy and satisfaction to your life.
Each of us is faced with trying to figure out what we should do with our lives and how we can best serve God’s purposes. It is a question that seems to come back to us throughout our lives as we live in a dynamic continuum in which change is constant. It is good at times to step back out of your present situation and evaluate what is happening in your life and if you are doing what is in your heart to do.
I believe that God has a position in his body for each one of us. He also has a place for us to serve Him and when we find these two he provides the grace to be able to do the work He has given us. Tonight I want to look at these three things and I pray that you will have a clearer understanding of what God is asking of you as you seek to serve Him.
God has a position for each one of us in his body. We all have specific gifts and talents that equip us to do a specific task. 1 Cor. 12:4-7 states, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God to works all things in all persons. But each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit, for the common good.”
Paul goes on further to say, “For the body is not one member but many…but now God has placed the members each one of them, in the body just as He desired.” 1 Cor. 12: 14, 18
Your position is critical to the body being able to operate fully. For many of us we realize the importance of the variety of positions but we often struggle with identifying our personal position. We try to discover our gifts and talents through tests and experiences we have and that is good. But there are also hidden gifts and talents within each of us that will be developed as we respond in obedience to God’s call on our lives. William Carey thought he was called to go to India to preach the gospel, yet he found that he was not very good at it and after 7 years had only one convert. He discovered that his real gift and the position God had for him was linguistics. He translated the English Bible into the languages of the people of India and did many other similar tasks that were a tremendous blessing and influence in the culture. Once he discovered this ability he flourished in his ministry. The nation of India is indebted today to the work that William Carey accomplished. God placed this ability in William Carey and he discovered this as he responded in obedience to go to India. I think often in life we are placed in a situation where we may not feel comfortable but during this time God reveals to us the hidden gifts and talents that are within us and he opens new doors of service to use these gifts. Your position in the body can change over time as these gifts and talents come to light and become more developed. I think we can also limit ourselves by not exploring new options because of fear or lack of finances or whatever excuse we can contrive to keep us doing the same thing we have been doing. We can get comfortable in our position and hunker down to do the job we are given and stay in this position for our entire life. That may be true for some people and if it is they should become the most efficient and productive person in their field. But often people become stagnant in their position. They seem to get bored and unchallenged and in their hearts they are not content or happy with the present situation. They may have aspirations to make changes in their position but the fear of insecurity or failure holds them back from pursing something new and different. Their lives seem to waste away and they look forward to retirement when they can do whatever they want to do. They will change their position when they have the security to leave their present situation. Frequently people who make this change at this time in their lives comment that they wished they would have done it years earlier. They discovered that their real position in life was something other than they had spent most of their life doing. Sometimes losing your present job is the best thing that could ever happen to you as it opens up new opportunities to discover gifts and talents that you did not know you had. Young eagles are forced to leave the comfort of their nests by their mothers who literally throw them out of their home. It’s fly or die and I am sure the little things go into shock for the first moments of the rapid descent. But after they learn what they are capable of doing life becomes a joy as they soar through the sky so effortlessly.
I watched on the news this past week the story of a man who has Lou Gehrig’s disease. It is a horrible disease that takes away all your muscular abilities and slowly causes your body to shut down. He was a teacher in a college and loved his job but the day he received the diagnosis of Lou Gehrig’s disease he said he returned to his home and curled up into a fetal position and just lay there thinking of how horrible his life was going to be. He was given a new position in life, one that he did not ask for and one that he really did not want to accept. He came to realize shortly thereafter that he could make the most of his situation and use his position to effect a positive change or he could just remain in a fetal position and feel sorry for himself and have a daily pity party. He decided that he would use whatever time he had left on earth to help raise money to conduct research for a cure for this disease. He has spent the past 3 years raising thousands of dollars for a cure. He accepted this new position in life and has made the best of it.
This is the challenge we all have in the position God has placed us. Sometimes we are placed by our own choices and other times we are simply asked to accept the choices made for us. The difference always lies in the attitude we take to the position we are in. We can make the most of it or we can regret it and always look for a way out and miss out on what we could have achieved if we had accepted the position and gave our best effort. Sometimes we can truly say love what I am doing and when we can’t say that we have to be able to say “I love what God is doing in me.” God uses these situations to work new things in us that possible will not come to fruition unless we are in the position we found ourselves.
Your present position may not be your permanent position. It may just be that God has you where you are to develop new abilities in you and through your faithfulness to do what you are doing he will open a new door of opportunity for you to pursue new adventures of faith with him. He may have you where you are at because he has someone you need to meet who will be instrumental in moving you into your next position.
God does not want you to be stuck in a position that is totally not what you should be doing. Many people accept jobs that have nothing to provide for them except money or benefits. One lady once told me she lives for the weekend because then she could do what she really wanted to do. I could not help but think her job was not very satisfying but was just a source of income for her. If you are unhappy, unfulfilled, and are not able to see how your present job helps you realize the dreams you have for your life then you need to pray and ask God to help free you from your job so you can begin to live life as you were designed to live. Some jobs are temporary and you know there is an end date that you can live with because you are moving on. Summer jobs were like that, they were temporary and though the work was not always the greatest and most fulfilling you knew there was a termination date and that you could do the work that was asked of you and do it well. It is a whole different thing if you are doing a permanent job that you absolutely do not enjoy and cannot wait to leave. Don’t waste your life pursuing things that have not hope for the future you want to have and live! Take steps to get out of the job and seek God for guidance, seek help from other people who can help get you connected to do what you feel you were made to do. Give your best effort at your job and leave a good reputation with your employer don’t slack off just because you are not doing what you want to be doing. Be a blessing to your boss and the business, they may become some of your greatest supporters in the future.
The second thing after you discover your position, or your gifts and talents is to allow God to place you where he wants you to be. 1 Cor 12:18 “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as he desired.” He places us in his body but he also places us in a specific location. God has a destination for each one of us. Paul was an itinerant evangelist and apostle for much of his life but God also placed him in certain locations like Antioch and Ephesus and Rome for longer periods of time. He has a special place where he wants you to use the gifts he has given you. God will direct you to a place to serve Him and once you are there the enemy will do everything he can to get you out of there. He understands the power and potential in you and he wants to sidetrack your life so you never achieve what you are capable of doing. Often times he places another person in your path who perhaps unintentionally draws you away from what you are called to do and you begin to lose the passion and focus you once had. Sometimes we give into temptations and fall into a sinful lifestyle or behaviors that destroy the ministry God has given us. I read yesterday of a Lutheran pastor in North Dakota who paid a women to have an affair with him. Eventually the woman began to demand more money and if she did not receive it would expose him to his spiritual leaders. He could not meet her demands and the whole affair went public causing him to lose his ministry and probably his marriage. Other times there is discouragement that what you thought you would be able to do is not really what is happening or that it is taking a lot longer than you anticipated. We often find ourselves guilty of comparing ourselves with other people. We see their success and question our abilities, do we really have what it takes or we wonder why others seem to get all the breaks. John Maxwell tells the story of two milk cows standing in a field when a milk truck passed by that said, “Milk: homogenized, pasteurized, standardized, Vitamin D added.” One cow turned to the other and said, ‘Makes you feel sort of inadequate doesn’t it.’”Discouragement sets in when expectation is different than reality. What we want to see happening is often a far cry from what we are experiencing and it is easy to get discouraged and think about quitting or leaving. You have to find your place and then stay in that place until God, not people, trials, circumstances, disappointments etc. move you on to the new place God has for you. The news media is filled with speculation about the decision Sarah Pallin recently made to step down as Governor of Alaska. Many felt disappointed that she did not serve out her time and others gave her the benefit of doubt that her decision was not spontaneous or not contemplated correctly. People will always question your motives but the reality is that you are first accountable to God and if he says it is time to go then it is time to go. I believe he will make it clear to you and that his peace will rule in your heart. I remember when I decided to leave my job which I enjoyed for 7 years to pursue missions full-time, I felt confident that it was the right decision yet still had some fears as to whether it was the right decision and the right time. My boss held a very nice going away party for me which was attended by many of the instructors in the program who worked with me. They all were encouraging me to pursue what was in my heart to do and I walked away from my job with the confirmation of others but most of all I had peace in my heart that God was directing my steps to bring me to a new place. It required me to sell my house and move onto the campus with my daughter for a year of training in missions. It was one of the best years of my life and I totally enjoyed the experience the Lord gave me. This was just a stepping stone to get me to Guatemala in 99. Six years later I moved to be here permanently and have just within the last 2 weeks received my temporary residency status. It took awhile to get me here full time but I believe God’s timing is always perfect as we learn to wait upon him to orchestrate what needs to happen. Many want to rush from one thing to another and have not learned to wait on God’s timing. We are so prone to seek instant gratification and the thought of waiting on God to move us to the next place is hard on the flesh. Those who learn to wait will find greater satisfaction and enjoyment in life. I recently listen to a message by David Lewicki of Marble Church in which the he quoted from an article in the New Yorker magazine written entitled “Don’t” by John O’Leary. The article discussed a study that was conducted in the 1960’s at Stanford University with 4 year olds to test their ability to delay gratification and exhibit self control. The children were invited one by one into an empty room that had only a table and a chair. On the table was a plate that had a marshmallow, an Oreo cookie and a pretzel. They were told. “You can have any you want and you can eat it now or you can wait and when I return you can have 2 of any.” The children agonized over the decision. They covered their eyes, some turned their backs so as to not look at the treat, others started kicking at the desk or tugged at their hair, some even stroked the marshmallow like it was a little stuffed animal. One boy with neatly parted hair immediately looked around the room, he took the Oreo and unscrewed it, licked the cream out of the middle and put it back, sure that no one had seen him. Most of the children struggled, but only for less than 3 minutes and then they gave in and ate the treat. Some of them broke down right away while others would stare at the marshmallow and break down. About 30 per cent of the children were able to wait for what eventually would be 15 minutes before the researcher would return. The kids who waited found a way to resist. They were the ones who found a way to think about something other than the cookie or the marshmallow. The researchers observed that the ones who succeeded, distracted themselves. They would cover their eyes, they would pretend to play hide and seek under the desk and seat, they would sing songs from Sesame Street and do anything to get their mind off of their desire. Their desire was not defeated, it was always there, they just managed to consider something else long enough to gain the ultimate reward. The long term observations of the young people involved in the study have shown that the ones who were able to wait 15 minutes when they were 4 years old for 2 Oreos went on to have a healthier and happier adulthood. They performed better in school. On average 200 points better on their SAT’s. They coped with problems better, they had better relationships with their peers, they planned their lives better, and they even seemed to have better overall health. Self control is a primary indicator of human flourishing. Being able to wait does matter.
When we are in right relationship with the Lord we learn to wait upon him and in our waiting we renew our strength, we don’t give in to impulses of our flesh or make rash decisions that end in disaster. Isaiah 40:31 states, “Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength.” As you learn to submit yourself to God’s timing, He will direct your steps and you will move from strength to strength not frustration to frustration. You won’t burn bridges behind you but build bridges to your future destination. God has a place for each of us and we must learn to wait upon him to direct us to a new place in his perfect timing. It is always better to leave one place with the blessing of the people who left than leave with broken relationships and huge disappointments or unresolved conflicts. At times you may need to leave abruptly to spare your life but it will be in obedience to God directing you.
I read a book recently called “The Heavenly Man”. It is the story of Brother Yun who spent years in prison in China. In 1997 he said he reached the lowest point of his life as both he and his wife along with many other pastors were imprisoned. The guards had been ruthless to him and broke his leg so that he could not stand or walk on them. He had spent months in the jail and missed his family and he wanted out. In his agony and pain he cried out to the Lord and the Lord spoke to him through a vision and through his Word, telling him that today was his day to be set free. Escaping the prison would take a series of miracles since every door that had to be opened was guarded by 2 guards and could only be opened on one side. He also had to descend two flights of stairs to reach ground floor.. In addition since his legs were broken he stuggled to walk so it seemed impossible that his escape could really happen. After the Lord spoke to him, he tapped on his wall twice which was the way prisoners signaled to each other that they needed prayer. Yun called out to the guard and told him he needed to go to the bathroom. The guard got one of the other believers in the adjacent cell to accompany Hun to the bathroom. When the other believer came to help him he told him that he should escape and then told him to get his towel and toothbrush to make it appear that he was going to the bathroom. His fellow prisoner was insistent that he should try to escape now. Even though Yun had these three confirmations that today was the day he would be set free he did not believe it. He would attempt the escape but and that after the guards shot him that the Lord would receive him into heaven. But as he reflected on what had happened he realized that God was speaking to him and that he needed to obey. He left his cell and proceeded to the first iron door that was shut and guarded with 2 armed guards. When he got to the door another prisoner was on the other side who was returning to his cell. The door opened and the prisoner passed through with another guard escorting him to his cell. The guard that remained, heard the phone ring on the floor below and left the post with the door open. Yun walked through the door and proceeded down the stairway. He did not realize it at the time but when he left his cell on the third floor the Lord healed his broken legs! He walked down the stairway to the second floor where there was a desk and an armed guard at the next door. The door was open which was unusual and the Lord spoke to Yun, “Go now, the God of Peter is with you!” He walked through the door and the guard did not even notice him it was as though he was invisible. He descended the next stairway and arrived at door that gave entrance to the ground level patio. This is the door that is protected the most yet at that moment it was open and he walked through. He walked by several guards who said nothing to him and then proceeded out the main door to the street. He had escaped from a maximum security prison which had never been done before or after. Immediately he encountered a taxi and he got in and told the driver to take him to his office which really was the house of some Christian friends. The day before his escape, the Lord spoke to the mother of his friend and told her that he was going to escape and would come to their home for a short time to pray with them before moving on to the next home where they had prepared a special hidden room for him to stay. Yun had learned to wait on the Lord and obey his voice when he told him it was time to move on. God may not move you on to your next location in a manner this dramatic but he will make it clear to you when it is time to go and we must hear his voice and respond in obedience to him.
God has a place for each one of us and he will keep us there as long as he wants and will move us on in his timing as we learn to wait upon him and respond in obedience when he speaks to us.
The final thing that we all need is the grace to do what God has called us to do. It is God’s grace that gives us the ability to do his work. Paul often referred to the grace of God that was given to him to be able to do the will of God. Ephesians 3:7 “By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving Him by spreading his good news.” Paul encouraged Timothy in 2 Tim. 2:1, “Timothy my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus.” In many of Paul’s letters he opened them by praying for God’s grace to be given to the recipients of the letter and he also closed many of his letters with the same prayer. It was all about God’s grace not Paul’s great abilities. What is grace? Grace is God’s favor and provision in which he gives us something we do not deserve nor have the ability to do on our own. Paul saw his ministry as a ministry of God’s grace. In the letter to Romans he states. “Even so, I have been bold enough to write about some of these points, knowing that all you need is this reminder. For by God grace, I am a special messenger from Christ Jesus to you Gentiles.” Romans 15:14,15 Paul relied on God’s grace to minister to people. In 2 Cor. 1:12 he wrote, “We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.” Another reference to Paul’s reliance upon grace is found in 1 Cor. 3:10, “Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.” By God’s grace he gives us gifts to serve him. Romans 12:6-8 states, “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift of showing kindness to other, do it gladly.”
It is through God’s grace we are saved. It is through God’s grace that we are given gifts and abilities. It is through God’s grace that we carry out the ministry he has given us. We have a responsibility to this grace and that is to do our very best, to put forth our best efforts realizing that the abilities that we have are given to us by the Lord and he deserves our best effort to use the gifts he has given to us in the right way. We do not rely on our efforts or strive in our own strength but fully give ourselves to the work of the Lord’s grace in us to accomplish his will. We exchange self reliance with complete reliance upon God to carry out his plan. We are not driven to achieve to prove ourselves to God or to man but we respond to God’s grace by developing a relationship of intimacy and dependence upon him. Grace enables us to focus on God and enjoy our relationship with him and out of that relationship of intimacy we are able to carry out the ministry he has given us in the right attitude and motivation. If ministry seems to be a chore then most likely you have fallen out of the grace relationship with the Lord and you are trying to do things in your own strength. No wonder Paul prayed so much for grace for himself and the church. He realized that in his weakness, God’s grace was all he needed, it was sufficient and it brought contentment to him (2 Cor. 12:9). It is God’s grace that teaches us how to live in this present age (Titus 2:12). Grace is something we are to grow in so there must be a vast supply available to us (2 Pt. 3:18). Learning to live by grace and not our own strength is difficult for those of us who are performance oriented. We constantly want to do things and all too often they can be done in our strength and not God’s provision of grace. Grace is God’s way of opening doors of opportunity that we could not open by our own efforts, grace is God’s way of empowering us with His abilities to do his work. This is a liberating thing for all of us, knowing that he has a vast supply of grace for every situation we face in life. He wants us to turn to him and rely upon his grace.
Joni Erickson Tada wrote an article in Discipleship Journal Nov/Dec 1987 issue entitled “When You Can’t Escape” and I would like to close with an excerpt from it. Most of you know that she is confined to a wheelchair after suffering a spinal cord injury. Back in 1987 she wrote an article about relying upon God’s grace to sustain her in her times of being completely confined because of pressure sores that developed on her body. She could only lie in 2 positions in order to facilitate healing the sore. It was a very oppressive time as she could only stare at the wall as she lay on her side. She wondered if God’s grace would be enough to sustain her during this trying and difficult time.
“In a halting, yet sincere prayer, I presented my brokenness—my pain, disappointment, spiritual laziness, and fear—to Him. In turn, the first thing I sensed was a peaceful desire to "will and act according to his good purpose." Meanwhile, I couldn't help but remember those around me in the hospital ward during my early days of rehabilitation. Some, like me in the beginning, were bored and restless. Others were callous, angry, and indifferent. Looking back, now I could understand their problem. "See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many," I read in Heb. 12:15. Remembering those hospital roommates, I knew I no longer wanted to be miserable. I wanted to be content.
Joni did not want to miss out on the grace of God by letting bitterness overtake her. When she wrote this article she remarked that she wondered if she could make it for 20 more years confined to a wheelchair with limited activity. She has proven that God’s grace is sufficient and her life is a testimony of one who has truly learned to live by the grace God gives one day at a time.
Tonight you may be here facing many decisions about your life and your future. I pray that you will walk away from here encouraged that God has a position for you that will utilize or reveal the gifts and talents he has given you. God also has a specific place of ministry for you, a location where he wants you to serve him and use the gifts he has given you. You may be in the process of waiting for that new place to be revealed and in that time of waiting God is working his purposes in your life and wants you to be renewed in his strength. Finally God has sufficient grace for you to enable you to do what he has given you to do. He wants you to trust in his grace to always be there no matter how difficult the situation you face. The Christian life is all about grace, God’s favor and God’s abilities at work in our lives. Rest in his grace, trust in his grace and he will bring great joy and satisfaction to your life.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
The Road Less Traveled...July 2009
Last month was a very busy month with the trip to India followed by ministry with City Light Church from Chico, California. The ministry in India was incredible and I enjoyed having the opportunities to minister in several places. When I arrived I was met by staff from YWAM Chennai who took me to their base and let me stay with them for 5 nights. I visited several of their ministry sites and wished I would have had time to see more of the great work they are doing in a city of 8 million people. After I arrived I was asked to conduct 3 meetings at New Life Assembly of God Church in Chennai, a church of 35,000 members. These meeting had already been arranged for Tom Elie of Oasis World Ministries but he was not able to come due to breaking his hip playing racquetball. The entire trip to India was almost cancelled because of his injury but once Tom found someone to go with me everything was back on schedule including the 3 meetings in Chennai which included a seminar on Evangelism attended by 800 people, preaching at one of the 5 Sunday morning services and conducting a healing meeting on Monday night attended by 2000 people. The Lord gave me messages to share and everything went well. Many people were healed at the meeting on Monday night including a lady who manifested a demon at the end of the service when we prayed for the sick. One lady gave testimony that she had a burning sensation on her side that was very painful for ten years but after we prayed for her the pain immediately left her body.
After the 5 days in Chennai I traveled by train to Anantapur where we hosted the first 5 day festival in a small town about 40 minutes from the city. Each night the crowds got bigger as word spread in the community that people were being healed and the message of salvation in Jesus was being preached. We saw over 3500 people make decisions for Christ and witnessed many miracles of healing. We also conducted a 3 day pastors school that was attended by 200 people. After the first festival I spent one day traveling to a church dedication service and dedicated 5 fresh water wells. At the church dedication a young couple came forward and asked me to name their baby boy. I was unaware that this was going to happen so when I was asked to name the baby I had to think real fast and pray the Lord would give me a name that would be meaningful and agreeable to the parents. I chose "Timothy" as the name and both parents had a big smile when I spoke the name.
After the first festival we traveled to another small town, Velagorde to conduct another Pastor's conference and 5 nights of evangelistic meetings. Like the first festival the opening night we had about 500 people attend and by the final night about 7000 came. It was amazing to see the crowd grow in number each night. We had over 3500 cards filled out by people who accepted Christ as their One True God for the first time. It is always a joy for me to see so many people come to the front at the invitation to give their lives to Jesus. We also witnessed many healings of blindness, deafness, heart conditions, pain in joints and a host of other things.
It was a special time for me to be a part of all that God did during this trip to India. I was also blessed to be able to minister with my friend Darrell Dobbelmann of Dove International. We have ministered together in Guatemala and Mexico for many years so it was a privilege for me to have the opportunity to join with him again to preach the gospel. I have been invited to return to India to teach in a Bible School for a couple of weeks and would love to be able to do it when I can make arrangements.
As soon as I returned from India on June 16 I was busy helping with the outreach with the church from Chico. Part of their 19 member group stayed in Antigua to minister and the other part went to San Pablo La Laguna to build 2 homes and conduct ministry in 2 churches we work with on a regular basis. They prayed for Pastor Efrain's wife, Betty who had a tumor on her breast. The tumor disappeared some time after prayer but another tumor showed up on her arm and that one also disappeared! Betty has been battling cancer for a couple of years and we are praying that God will give her complete healing. Pastor Efrain and Betty have gone through some difficult times of late as their 12 year daughter was brutally beaten by a young man who was angry with her for not showing him enough attention. His solution was to beat her, he broke a bone in her arm and forehead and bruised her back. When she did not arrive home at the normal time and they suspected something was wrong and left their home to look for her. They found the vehicle she normally rides in to return home parked on the side of the road. A soccer field is close by so they went there to look for her and found her being beaten by this young man. The man was arrested and was looking at being sentenced to 8-12 years in jail. The day before the court sentencing his parents who had previously retaliated against Pastor Efrain after their son was arrested came knocking at their door and asked for forgiveness for their actions as well as their sons. It was a moment that was a real test for both Efrain and Betty and after prayer they felt like the Lord was asking them to forgive the young man and his parents. When they went to court and told the attorneys and the human rights representative that they were forgiving them and not pressing charges they could not believe it and became angry with them. They wanted this young man placed in jail. Since this incident the young man accepted the Lord as his Savior and is attending another church!!
We are now preparing to host our final group in July as well as making preparations for the Discipleship Training School which starts September 6. I have received applications from 4 students from San Pablo La Laguna who want to attend the DTS. They are from families with few resources and will need financial assistance to make the school a reality. I have received $2000 in donations for them but still need at least $3000 more to help them attend. Would you consider giving a donation to help them come? I cannot think of a better investment in their lives at this point than to make possible something that has the potential to change not only their personal lives but the community they come from. If you can send a donation in any amount it will be greatly appreciated. Please send a note with your donation indicating it is for the DTS student scholarship fund. Thank you in advance for your partnership in making this possible.
For the past 4 years Higher Grounds Coffee House has been under my supervision and it has been a tremendous blessing to many people who pass through Antigua or who are working here. Financially it has always been a challenge to pay the rent and bills but we have always stayed current. The owner of the property will be raising the rent at the end of the contract which is October 31 and we have decided that we will not continue the ministry after this time. We are praying that God will raise up another location and ministry to take it over as we do not have the staff to continue its operation. Our energies and time will be focused on other ministries that we are currently conducting as well as ministries we want to develop.
Thank you for your continued support for the ministry God has given me. Your prayers and gifts have made possible all that has happened as well as all that God has planned for the future. I am grateful for your partnership and pray that God will continue to lead me each day to accomplish His will.
For Him,
Bruce
New Correspondence Address:
Bruce Ahlberg
3ra Avenida 1-30, Zona 6
Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala
Contribution Address:
YWAM Chico
15850 Richardson Springs Road
Chico, CA 95973
(Please attach a note indicating your designation)
After the 5 days in Chennai I traveled by train to Anantapur where we hosted the first 5 day festival in a small town about 40 minutes from the city. Each night the crowds got bigger as word spread in the community that people were being healed and the message of salvation in Jesus was being preached. We saw over 3500 people make decisions for Christ and witnessed many miracles of healing. We also conducted a 3 day pastors school that was attended by 200 people. After the first festival I spent one day traveling to a church dedication service and dedicated 5 fresh water wells. At the church dedication a young couple came forward and asked me to name their baby boy. I was unaware that this was going to happen so when I was asked to name the baby I had to think real fast and pray the Lord would give me a name that would be meaningful and agreeable to the parents. I chose "Timothy" as the name and both parents had a big smile when I spoke the name.
After the first festival we traveled to another small town, Velagorde to conduct another Pastor's conference and 5 nights of evangelistic meetings. Like the first festival the opening night we had about 500 people attend and by the final night about 7000 came. It was amazing to see the crowd grow in number each night. We had over 3500 cards filled out by people who accepted Christ as their One True God for the first time. It is always a joy for me to see so many people come to the front at the invitation to give their lives to Jesus. We also witnessed many healings of blindness, deafness, heart conditions, pain in joints and a host of other things.
It was a special time for me to be a part of all that God did during this trip to India. I was also blessed to be able to minister with my friend Darrell Dobbelmann of Dove International. We have ministered together in Guatemala and Mexico for many years so it was a privilege for me to have the opportunity to join with him again to preach the gospel. I have been invited to return to India to teach in a Bible School for a couple of weeks and would love to be able to do it when I can make arrangements.
As soon as I returned from India on June 16 I was busy helping with the outreach with the church from Chico. Part of their 19 member group stayed in Antigua to minister and the other part went to San Pablo La Laguna to build 2 homes and conduct ministry in 2 churches we work with on a regular basis. They prayed for Pastor Efrain's wife, Betty who had a tumor on her breast. The tumor disappeared some time after prayer but another tumor showed up on her arm and that one also disappeared! Betty has been battling cancer for a couple of years and we are praying that God will give her complete healing. Pastor Efrain and Betty have gone through some difficult times of late as their 12 year daughter was brutally beaten by a young man who was angry with her for not showing him enough attention. His solution was to beat her, he broke a bone in her arm and forehead and bruised her back. When she did not arrive home at the normal time and they suspected something was wrong and left their home to look for her. They found the vehicle she normally rides in to return home parked on the side of the road. A soccer field is close by so they went there to look for her and found her being beaten by this young man. The man was arrested and was looking at being sentenced to 8-12 years in jail. The day before the court sentencing his parents who had previously retaliated against Pastor Efrain after their son was arrested came knocking at their door and asked for forgiveness for their actions as well as their sons. It was a moment that was a real test for both Efrain and Betty and after prayer they felt like the Lord was asking them to forgive the young man and his parents. When they went to court and told the attorneys and the human rights representative that they were forgiving them and not pressing charges they could not believe it and became angry with them. They wanted this young man placed in jail. Since this incident the young man accepted the Lord as his Savior and is attending another church!!
We are now preparing to host our final group in July as well as making preparations for the Discipleship Training School which starts September 6. I have received applications from 4 students from San Pablo La Laguna who want to attend the DTS. They are from families with few resources and will need financial assistance to make the school a reality. I have received $2000 in donations for them but still need at least $3000 more to help them attend. Would you consider giving a donation to help them come? I cannot think of a better investment in their lives at this point than to make possible something that has the potential to change not only their personal lives but the community they come from. If you can send a donation in any amount it will be greatly appreciated. Please send a note with your donation indicating it is for the DTS student scholarship fund. Thank you in advance for your partnership in making this possible.
For the past 4 years Higher Grounds Coffee House has been under my supervision and it has been a tremendous blessing to many people who pass through Antigua or who are working here. Financially it has always been a challenge to pay the rent and bills but we have always stayed current. The owner of the property will be raising the rent at the end of the contract which is October 31 and we have decided that we will not continue the ministry after this time. We are praying that God will raise up another location and ministry to take it over as we do not have the staff to continue its operation. Our energies and time will be focused on other ministries that we are currently conducting as well as ministries we want to develop.
Thank you for your continued support for the ministry God has given me. Your prayers and gifts have made possible all that has happened as well as all that God has planned for the future. I am grateful for your partnership and pray that God will continue to lead me each day to accomplish His will.
For Him,
Bruce
New Correspondence Address:
Bruce Ahlberg
3ra Avenida 1-30, Zona 6
Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala
Contribution Address:
YWAM Chico
15850 Richardson Springs Road
Chico, CA 95973
(Please attach a note indicating your designation)
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