UnChristian

I am reading a book right now called UnChristian, a book of groundbreaking research from the Barna Group, written by David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons. This book touches base on what a new generation thinks about Christianity...and why it matters. If I could, I would buy this book for every single person that I know. I am asking all of you to at least entertain the idea of purchasing this book and reading it. You will not be sorry that you did, I guarantee it.

Reframing The Picture

"You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me." Acts 1:8. A pastor I know and love is discouraged. Although he is diligent in prayer and works hard, his church remains small while a congregation nearby is rapidly developing into a megachurch. Yet, when I think of the alcoholics, drug addicts, and sexually immoral people he has led to Christ and a new way of life, I see him as one who witnesses in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Because of what happened on the Day of Pentecost, we tend to associate the the Holy Spirit's presence and power with amazing phenomena and large numbers. We forget that a little later, those same people filled with that same Holy Spirit, were flogged, rejected, and imprisioned, even executed. But through all of that, they were powerful witnessess. That same power can be evidenced in a dynamic preacher who attracts great audiences. It is seen as well, in the volunteer who carries on a one-on-one prison ministry, or in the person who witnesses to a co-worker or neighbor, and in the Sunday school teacher who is faithful week after week.
The power of Pentecost is not especially reserved for those who are highly gifted. Rather, it is available to all the belivers in Christ who wish to serve Him. The power of God's spirit gives power to our witness.

A Choice to Make

For faith to grow and be strengthened, it must pass through moments of choices. I am for certain that I am not the only one who has discovered that those choices always carry with them, a matter of obedience. Most of us prefer spaces of time between testing, but that is not up to us unfortunately. This is where our heart and character are revealed. The conflict that we endure does not make character; it reveals what's in the heart.
I am learning to guard my heart, and in the process I am learning the Heart of God. I notice the activity of God in the midst of the choices I make, and because I have chosen to be a servant, my choices in turn, reflect the understanding of that relationship. With God, there are no easy ways to maturity or short cuts to avoiding your real life situations. As far as I know, our lives on earth will always bring some measure of pain, conflict, sorrow, and even battle. I believe it is our perseverence through these battles that ultimately develop our character, especially our faith in Him. On a more personal level, I have battled since my family and I have entered into this new season of our lives of pastoring a community of believers. But even now, I know that regardless of my abilities, only God can give me the victory in overcoming my struggle with the change. God is looking for a heart in me, that will be loyal to Him, so He can show Himself strong on my behalf. Too many of God's people fail to relate to Him as His servants. When God is silent, they get upset or even angry, and they often jump to the conclusion that God has abandoned them. Then they begin to make demands of God, and too often forsake His words. Others just work themselves to death with good deeds using their human reasoning. They create their own vision and then proceed to ask God to bless them. It is part of God's covenant to bless us, and I believe He wants to before we even ask for it. When you want to be blessed, remember to bless someone else. I have found in my own life, that His blessings have never been late or short when He knows that He can trust me with the gifts He is giving. Love never witholds anything when it's appropriate. Love longs to give and flow forth. The more we respond to God's call through the choices that carry us farther along, this will ring true with more assurance. "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth, as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes, I sanctify Myself, so that they may also be sanctified by the truth." John 17:15-19.
Having knowledge of this truth should affect the choices that we make. We can choose to be obedient, even not knowing what the outcome our situation will be. The more we choose to do this, the more we see God's loving grace abound in our lives and our faith in Him is strengthened.

Thought Provoking...

While studying the Book of Daniel, I started thinking about "doing great things."
Word Biblical Commentary offers wisdom worthy of our meditation: "there is nothing inherently wrong about 'doing great things', but the expression is only used in an unequivocally good sense of God; of human beings it tends to suggest arrogance, or at least achievement at someone else's expense-mostly achievement that presages calamity."
My thought: the point of our being here is for God to use us for His greatness.
My suggestion: Pray for God to do great things. Our lives are meant to bear much fruit, but asking God to bear much fruit in us to His glory differs from asking God to make us do great things.
Think about this: when you pass an orchard that is bearing fruit, you shouldn't say,"behold, what great things these trees have done!" They are doing what they are created to do. Your life as well as mine will be lived greater and be more influential if we simply ask God to empower us to do that which we were created for.