I was once invited to attend a Third Day concert that was by invitation only. The concert was limited to a small number of guests and was done at a cool little venue in downtown Nashville. I was really amped up about getting to go to this concert as I was a huge fan and they were also planning a question and answer time during the concert.
The concert was awesome and Third Day put on a great show as they had done the other times I had watched, but I went away with one thing from the concert that has stuck with me. They were asked a lot of question and they gave some serious answers and a few funny ones, but one question they gave an incredible answer to. They were asked if they could say one thing to the youth of the day what would it be. I do not know the names of all the band members, but one of the guitarists spoke up and answered. He said that he would tell them to quit living for tomorrow and take advantage of where God has them today.
I truly believe this ideology would turn the world upside down if Christians took the time to think about what it would mean in their daily lives. What if we quit worrying and just got to work. How about we quit focusing on trying to figure out what the heck is going on and just put our boots on. This sounds incredible but very few have grasped it, in fact I would say Third Day swung and missed just a little bit a few years later if you take there music as their life philosophy.
I do not know if it is there most recent album but Third Day released an album a few years ago entitled “Revelation.” While this album was a great listen the title track is a common held theology that leaves many people within the church full of questions, regrets and stagnation while the lost perish. You ask what this theology is? A look at the Christmas story found in the Gospel of Luke will shed some light.
Zechariah is the father of John the Baptist. Luke tells the story of John’s birth and starts with an angel, Gabriel, coming to visit. Zechariah is a priest and he had entered the temple of the Lord to burn incense to God. Now this might not seem like a huge deal but at the time this was considered a pretty dangerous job. The reason for the danger was due to how incredibly holy this place was. If a person came into this inner temple and did not have their junk together they would be struck dead. The priest would literally wear a rope tied to their leg so that if they did die they could be pulled out. Zechariah is alive and burning the incense when Gabriel comes to visit. Gabriel then tells him that his barren wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to the foreteller of Christ. Now if an angel of the Lord appeared to me, I would hope that at that point I would be ready to do what ever he said, but not Zechariah. Zechariah responded with a question, “How shall I know this.” This does seem like a unreasonable request, but God was not happy. Zechariah had to spend the next nine months not being able to talk. Why?
The Word of God is alive. The Word is true and it speaks boldly into our lives today. The Word is our perfect guide. My mom tells a story about when my father was stricken with cancer. She had been visiting with our Pastor and she had expressed her desire to know exactly what God would have her do. She says that our Pastor pointed at his Bible and said He (God) did. I do not think he was talking about just flipping your Bible to random page reading the first verse you see and doing what it says. When you really think about it doesn’t that seem a little crazy? The Bible makes more than a few commands, but I personally believe the main message is to make know the incredible name of the King. Now if that is to be our goal what are we waiting for. I have heard so many people, myself included, say that they are just waiting on a sign or revelation. Waiting for God to tell us exactly what to do, then we will do it. Imagine that you were a parent and you tell your son to go to the store and get some milk. Thirty minutes later you are looking for the milk and you ask your son where it is. He then gets up and heads to the car. He says as he is leaving that he was just waiting on a sign. What if the consequences were greater? What if you were nurse and you were caring for a patient? The doctor tells you to stop the patients bleeding. The patient bleeds until he is no longer alive. The doctor returns as you now have the bleeding stopped and ask what happened. You respond with you were just waiting on a sign before you started. These two situations would never happen, well the first might, but the next two happen more than just often. You are sitting in church and the church plans a mission trip. You tell God you will go if he will send you a sign. You ignore the Bible that tells about taking the Gospel to all people and you wait for some sign to be written in the sky. You never go. You are sitting in the stands at a sporting event. The person sitting next to you that you have spent many games getting to know reveals that they are not Christian. You tell yourself you will share the truth of the Gospel if God will show you a sign. You ignore the fact that the Bible has told you to share with all people. You never share.
An angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah. Lets say that again. An angel of the Lord APPEARED to Zechariah. Zechariah could not take this as his sign though. He wanted to have more assurance that this was going to happen. The amazing thing about this though is that Zechariah had gone into this temple to meet with God and then when God shows up he ask for more proof. How many times have you said you will do whatever God ask of you, but ignored what He has already told you to do? Can you imagine how many people would be walking around deaf if God were still in the making deaf business? The Bible is not a hidden message that needs to be decoded, nor does it need to be verified. The Bible stands alone and its message is clear. Quit waiting on signs. The Lord said to make His name great. There does not need to be another sign. Could you imagine how many more people would have already heard the Gospel if we were not waiting on signs to tell them?
I hope this is not your sign. I pray that you take the Bible and it very clear message serious. Do not be apathetic to a lost and dying world. Take the commands of our Lord as exactly what they are and tell the lost and dying world of a Holy, Holy, Holy Savior King.
12.20.2011
Gifted?
About two weeks ago two young men that had spent about five months with me headed back to the States. That did a great job while they were here. They worked hard and were passionate about wanting to see people come to faith in the One True God. They were also a lot of fun and will be missed. There are many more stories to tell about their time here, but one that happened on their second day will be the focus today. I did not know anything about these guys and neither did my supervisors, so we set down to meet with them and learn all we could about them. We wanted to learn strengths and weaknesses so that we could figure how best to put them to work. We asked them about things they had done in the past and how comfortable they were with meeting new people. Then my supervisor asked them about spiritual gifts.
Have you ever done a spiritual gifts inventory? If you have ever taken a personality test they are basically the same thing. You answer a multitude of questions and then from your answers the test discerns your spiritual gift/s. The test is designed to tell you if your gift is giving or evangelism, encouragement or discernment. The list goes on and on, but basically you are given your top three and these are your spiritual gifts. I understand the idea of the test but honestly I am just not a big fan. I believe they can help a person understand how the Lord is blessing them but I think more often they are more of a hindrance to the taker. For example, if the test tells me that evangelism is not my gift, should I work to improve it or like I have done in the past just chalk it up to not being my gift and leave evangelism to people that were given the gift. The answer of course is no, we are all tasked with telling all the people that we can about the unwavering pursuit of the Savior for their soul. The test also does not take into account the abilities of the taker. I have skills just like anyone else that are not listed among the spiritual gifts. This is something I believe these test miss out on. I realize this is not the point but still believe it to be a shortcoming. Thus instead of using all abilities for the greatness of His name we can separate them into different sections of out life. They should not be separated though. Should we not use all means necessary to make Him known. One of the guys either had this figured out or really has not clue what a spiritual gift is.
When we asked them about their gifts he immediately responded with “I can fix things.” When he first said this I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. He really did not answer the question. We did not ask about life skills. We asked about spiritual gifts. He went on to tell us that he enjoyed fixing things and was really good at it. I hope you realize that nowhere in scripture is “fixing things” listed as a spiritual gift, but does that mean we do not use it for Christ. He may have misunderstood the question just a bit, but he has grasped hold of something bigger. He understands that he enjoys fixing things and is good at it, and if that is the case he must use “fixing things” in service of the King.
What if this was the idea of the church? No longer will an electrician have to be hired because the one sitting in the fifth pew back uses he skill to fix the church. The guitarist uses his ability to play to lead others in worship and not just entertaining the patrons at the local pub. The artist uses their skill to help the teachers teach. The Doctor uses his knowledge to get into a county were Christians are not allowed. The quilt maker teaches the poor a skill that can be used to buy bread. The linguist spends time translating the Bible for those that have no access to the Bible in their own language. There is no skill that is rendered useless when talking about impacting the lost and dying world. We are engifted by the Holy Spirit and these gifts should be used in His service, but we should use everything that we have to this end. The Bible says that even if we are eating or drinking we should do it for his glory. If that is the case should not my ability to hit a baseball or solve a math problem be used to the same end. My young friend seems to understand this idea, should you not also? Let all that you do be done in worship of the King. Let every gift, skill and ability used to make Him known by all people.
Have you ever done a spiritual gifts inventory? If you have ever taken a personality test they are basically the same thing. You answer a multitude of questions and then from your answers the test discerns your spiritual gift/s. The test is designed to tell you if your gift is giving or evangelism, encouragement or discernment. The list goes on and on, but basically you are given your top three and these are your spiritual gifts. I understand the idea of the test but honestly I am just not a big fan. I believe they can help a person understand how the Lord is blessing them but I think more often they are more of a hindrance to the taker. For example, if the test tells me that evangelism is not my gift, should I work to improve it or like I have done in the past just chalk it up to not being my gift and leave evangelism to people that were given the gift. The answer of course is no, we are all tasked with telling all the people that we can about the unwavering pursuit of the Savior for their soul. The test also does not take into account the abilities of the taker. I have skills just like anyone else that are not listed among the spiritual gifts. This is something I believe these test miss out on. I realize this is not the point but still believe it to be a shortcoming. Thus instead of using all abilities for the greatness of His name we can separate them into different sections of out life. They should not be separated though. Should we not use all means necessary to make Him known. One of the guys either had this figured out or really has not clue what a spiritual gift is.
When we asked them about their gifts he immediately responded with “I can fix things.” When he first said this I honestly had no idea what he was talking about. He really did not answer the question. We did not ask about life skills. We asked about spiritual gifts. He went on to tell us that he enjoyed fixing things and was really good at it. I hope you realize that nowhere in scripture is “fixing things” listed as a spiritual gift, but does that mean we do not use it for Christ. He may have misunderstood the question just a bit, but he has grasped hold of something bigger. He understands that he enjoys fixing things and is good at it, and if that is the case he must use “fixing things” in service of the King.
What if this was the idea of the church? No longer will an electrician have to be hired because the one sitting in the fifth pew back uses he skill to fix the church. The guitarist uses his ability to play to lead others in worship and not just entertaining the patrons at the local pub. The artist uses their skill to help the teachers teach. The Doctor uses his knowledge to get into a county were Christians are not allowed. The quilt maker teaches the poor a skill that can be used to buy bread. The linguist spends time translating the Bible for those that have no access to the Bible in their own language. There is no skill that is rendered useless when talking about impacting the lost and dying world. We are engifted by the Holy Spirit and these gifts should be used in His service, but we should use everything that we have to this end. The Bible says that even if we are eating or drinking we should do it for his glory. If that is the case should not my ability to hit a baseball or solve a math problem be used to the same end. My young friend seems to understand this idea, should you not also? Let all that you do be done in worship of the King. Let every gift, skill and ability used to make Him known by all people.
12.11.2011
In A Rush
Since I have graduated high school I lived in quite a few different places. I have attended four different schools. I have bounced around quite a few jobs. I know some might not like to move around so much but, I always enjoy the different places and really enjoy all the new friends. Every time when I leave the same feelings occur. I always wish I had taken just a little more time to get to know people. Some I wish I had just taken a few seconds to learn their name. Other I wish I would have spent a few minutes learning about their lives. There were people I worked with that I greatly admired, but never learned what helped shaped them. People I went to school with that I wanted to catch up with and walk across campus but always was heading somewhere else. Then there were a few people that I took time to invest in but wish I would have invested just a little more time. I cherished moments with them. I loved laughing with them and sharing intimate time with them, and I would give a right arm or two for a few more of these incredible seconds.
This last trip I went on was a little off the beaten path from where you typically encounter other tourist. Often times on these trips we throw our lives into the hands of the locals as were ask for food and a cool dirt floor to sleep on. The neat thing about these areas is that the locals do not encounter a lot of tourist. The children will simply stare at you like a calf looking at a new gate. The adults will often nod their heads as you walk by unless you can speak a little of the language. My mastery of the local language still has a ways to go, but I am able to carry on a conversation for a minute or two when the opportunity arises. I often times say hello and then ask them how there day is, but then quickly carry on with the trudging. This last I was stopped in my tracks for a moment though.
There was man walking towards me that looked to be in his 60’s. He had the usual sun worn face, and the slightly hunched back from years of carrying potatoes and bending over in the rice fields. While he looked to be in his 60’s it is quite possible that he could be 15 to 20 years younger. I saw him as he came around a bend in the trail and from a distance said hello as I hoped this would allow me to keep walking and still have my typical hello-goodbye conversation. Once he heard me speak in the local language he became very excited. He stopped me as I approached and immediately began to challenge my language skills. We talked about his day. He told me what he had done and where he was coming from. He asked me what I was doing and why I had came to his village. We talked a little about his family and he asked why a man of my age was not married. I honestly was enjoying hearing this man’s story but I was getting left behind and really wanted to catch up to the rest of my group. I began to bring the conversation to a close and told him goodbye.
The greeting here is done with two praying hands and slight bow, and this also is what is used to say goodbye. I went with the traditional greeting, but as we were ending I went to shake his hand. Most of the people are familiar with this and seem to enjoy it when they get to partake in our culture. They do add a little touch to their handshake. While shaking one hand you reach with the other and give a solid two-hand shake. This is exactly what we did, but then a little extra was added as I was starting to pull away. This elderly worn man started to bow his head and began to raise my hands as he gently touched them to his forehead, but I was back to hurry-up mode and pulling them away. This man was showing me a sign of incredible respect, but I was in too big of a hurry to show the respect back that he greatly deserved. Shame on me and my desire to cut a few seconds off of the six-hour trek I was engaged in.
My life has not been the most stable since I graduated. As I said earlier I have been to many places and worked many jobs. I have made great friends, keeping a few of them and losing most of them. I do not regret losing them though, what I regret the most is that I did not spend enough time with them when they were a part of my life. I do not know how many more places I will live in my life or how many new friends I will make, but it is time to stop treating my time here as if it belongs to me. I need to slow down and not be so worried about making it to the next place. God does not want us to get so caught up in the next stage that we miss the outpouring of his flooding grace and mercy. Are you caught up in the destination or enjoying the journey?
This last trip I went on was a little off the beaten path from where you typically encounter other tourist. Often times on these trips we throw our lives into the hands of the locals as were ask for food and a cool dirt floor to sleep on. The neat thing about these areas is that the locals do not encounter a lot of tourist. The children will simply stare at you like a calf looking at a new gate. The adults will often nod their heads as you walk by unless you can speak a little of the language. My mastery of the local language still has a ways to go, but I am able to carry on a conversation for a minute or two when the opportunity arises. I often times say hello and then ask them how there day is, but then quickly carry on with the trudging. This last I was stopped in my tracks for a moment though.
There was man walking towards me that looked to be in his 60’s. He had the usual sun worn face, and the slightly hunched back from years of carrying potatoes and bending over in the rice fields. While he looked to be in his 60’s it is quite possible that he could be 15 to 20 years younger. I saw him as he came around a bend in the trail and from a distance said hello as I hoped this would allow me to keep walking and still have my typical hello-goodbye conversation. Once he heard me speak in the local language he became very excited. He stopped me as I approached and immediately began to challenge my language skills. We talked about his day. He told me what he had done and where he was coming from. He asked me what I was doing and why I had came to his village. We talked a little about his family and he asked why a man of my age was not married. I honestly was enjoying hearing this man’s story but I was getting left behind and really wanted to catch up to the rest of my group. I began to bring the conversation to a close and told him goodbye.
The greeting here is done with two praying hands and slight bow, and this also is what is used to say goodbye. I went with the traditional greeting, but as we were ending I went to shake his hand. Most of the people are familiar with this and seem to enjoy it when they get to partake in our culture. They do add a little touch to their handshake. While shaking one hand you reach with the other and give a solid two-hand shake. This is exactly what we did, but then a little extra was added as I was starting to pull away. This elderly worn man started to bow his head and began to raise my hands as he gently touched them to his forehead, but I was back to hurry-up mode and pulling them away. This man was showing me a sign of incredible respect, but I was in too big of a hurry to show the respect back that he greatly deserved. Shame on me and my desire to cut a few seconds off of the six-hour trek I was engaged in.
My life has not been the most stable since I graduated. As I said earlier I have been to many places and worked many jobs. I have made great friends, keeping a few of them and losing most of them. I do not regret losing them though, what I regret the most is that I did not spend enough time with them when they were a part of my life. I do not know how many more places I will live in my life or how many new friends I will make, but it is time to stop treating my time here as if it belongs to me. I need to slow down and not be so worried about making it to the next place. God does not want us to get so caught up in the next stage that we miss the outpouring of his flooding grace and mercy. Are you caught up in the destination or enjoying the journey?
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