The Church

Acts 2:42-47 And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, andmany wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved. 

I read the above passage this morning as part of my daily reading and it hit me: Are any churches this way? The group I fellowship with has a tendency to pride themselves in believing that they are a New Testament church. But after reading the above passage, I seriously doubt anyone is.

Let's break it apart. "They devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching." Many churches have great teachers; I won't deny that and I thoroughly enjoy listening to many on radio or Sunday morning or Tuesday nights. BUT it doesn't say listen; it says devoted themselves to. What does that mean or even more important what does that look like? I'm reminded here of the Bereans who after hearing the Word preached, checked for themselves the Scriptures to make sure that what was being taught was according to the Word of God - THE OLD TESTAMENT. The New Testament hadn't even been written at that point in time. Do we examine the Scriptures after we have been taught, or do we glibly accept what has been said? I have to admit that I don't very often. 

It's also not just checking out what they said to see if it lines up with Scripture, but it is then applying it to their lives. They were praising God and having favour with all people! And God was [adding] to their number day by day. We definitely don't see that. How much of my life is praise to God and being in favour with ALL people? Do I see anyone saved?

...the fellowship... I can't speak for all fellowships but the ones I am familiar with, there is a great lack in this area. Our idea of fellowship times are the break times between meetings or any potluck "fellowship" times. The thing is I believe that true fellowship is based on the Lord Jesus and knowing Him. How much of the time when we spend it with other believers is spent actually talking about Him and what He is doing in our lives? We are so afraid of being vulnerable that we hide behind our "busy"ness. It is easier to not open up to others about what God is teaching me for fear I might be misunderstood or even worse might be wrong about what I'm thinking. I'll just keep my Christianity between me and the Lord. No wonder we don't know our brothers and sisters in Christ. No wonder there is so much hurt in the Church. No wonder there are mega Churches exploding - it's easier to go there and hide and be accepted when I want to be.

I'll come back to the breaking of bread in a moment, but first I want to talk about prayer. Prayer: the easiest thing to do. Prayer: the hardest thing to do. It's easy because we can do it anytime, anywhere, about anything. It's hard because it means taking the time to talk to God AND to let Him answer. It's easy to fill up our lives with other things, but to take the time to talk to God, that's hard. But it's what He tells us we need to do. The Saviour was in constant communion with His Father and even then took deliberate times to get away so that He could just talk with Him alone. Oh that we might see our need of spending the time with Him alone. 

The Breaking of Bread. A beautiful time of remembering Christ sacrificing His body and His blood so that we might be redeemed. Our group pride's itself that we do it on the first day of the week, every week. But I noticed, "day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes..." It was done every day in their homes. I don't know of anyone anywhere that is doing that. Were we to do it that way, wouldn't there be a change in our lives? Wouldn't there be more fellowship as we would be hosting people in our homes, remembering the Lord? We would definitely be talking about Him! And with so much daily emphasis on Him wouldn't there be a difference in us? Wouldn't the people around us notice the difference? Would our neighbours become interested in what's going on in our lives and see the difference Christ makes?

As I write this I am greatly challenging myself. I need to change in so many ways. I am asking, Father, change me to make me pleasing to You in all ways. Not for my sake but so that You may be praised and receive all glory.

Faith of a Child

This morning I am struggling with the concept of faith. Not that I've stopped believing in God or anything like that. It's just I say I believe God, I believe in Him, but I know that my actions don't always say that. It's so easy for me to tell someone this is what you should do because that's what the Bible says, BUT when it comes to me, the story is different.

Yesterday I read about the woman who came up to Jesus, believing that if she just touched the fringe of his cloak, she would be made well. And she was! But He wanted her to come to Him. So He asked, "Who touched me?" Knowing that she had been discovered she came forward and confessed everything. Why did He have her do that? So that she could know she was more than just someone to be healed; she was someone special to Him and she needed to know that.

I have the flu right now and have not been able to sleep well for days. Yet it didn't hit me until this morning to ask the Lord to heal me. Why? Because I don't believe He can? No, I do believe He can, but as I thought through it even more I began to think do I have any right to ask Him for that. I have an uncle who was just diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. His sister just died from that same disease 4 months ago. I have a dear, dear friend who has ovarian cancer. Her mom and sister have both died from it. The doctors have told her there is nothing they can do for her anymore. I cry out to God for them. They need healing - they need it now. But me I'll get through this.

Or is that the problem: "I'll" get through this. I'm not looking to Him, but looking to me and to the meds that I'm taking. Has this generation of Christian become so dependent upon the "healings" that we offer through meds, that we don't even consider the Great Physician any more.

I was talking to my daughter about this and she reminded me of some scenarios when she was a child. She said, "Mom, do you remember when I was little and cut myself near my eye? You took me to the ER to get it taken care of right away. Do you remember when CJ came to you crying about his finger really hurting and you couldn't even see anything wrong? Both of us needed care and you gave us both the love and care that we needed. CJ got a band-aid even though he didn't need one. and I got my stitches. But in both cases you were the mom who loved us and gave us what we needed. Don't make God more complicated than He is. He loves us all as His children and He gives what we need."

I'm very thankful for my daughter. It was what I needed to hear. I am asking for healing from the flu, thankful that I can go to my Father with my little cares and that He still cares even about the little things. I'm thankful too that I can go to Him with the big cares like my uncle and my friend. Will any of us be healed? That's His decision; my part is to just trust Him with us all.

Where Are the Missionaries?

I just read the prayer letter from some dear friends. The husband is planning a trip to the Philippines to help a missionary there and encourage some others. At the close of his letter he had a photo of a tribal man with this written underneath.

"Over 100 people groups have asked for missionaries and are waiting!"

What a sad state in which we are living. People are asking for missionaries to come and teach them about God! Why aren't they going? Where are they?

Today in North America Christians are wealthier than they have ever been. They own homes, 2-3 cars, have time-shares, and are taking the most extravagant vacations they can afford. Why? Because, "we have earned it." The money that is given to the Church is used for making the place where we worship more comfortable and providing the things we need for "ministry here at home." Take a look at almost any Church Budget in North America and that which is set aside for missions is pathetic.

The problem is that we don't believe people are really going to hell. We don't believe that people really have a need for a Saviour. We don't believe what the Bible is saying. We don't believe God. We have become selfish and are "looking out for number 1!"

We've lost the view of the Church from just over 100 years ago; the time when they sent out missionaries like Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael and George Muller. A time when people gave sacrificially because they knew there was a lost world around them and they could not sit idly by.

I pray that we may have a change of heart; that we would see the world the way God sees it. Our eyes would be opened to the sinful state around us and that we would be brought to our knees in repentance and then be willing to do whatever and/or go wherever He wants us. May the Lord wake us up from this sleep that we have chosen. May it even begin today with me.

Ignoring God

The LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they paid no attention.

This was a part of my reading this morning and the severity of the phrase hit me - they paid no attention.
We as Christians in North America have a tendency to take the things of Scripture that we like and apply them to our selves. We like being "saved" because we won't be going to hell. We go to Church because that's what a good Christian does. We even read our Bibles; we have done our duty. But do we know Christ and what He requires of us.

For the past year the Lord has been emphasizing in different ways Who He is and who I am. He is the One, True, Eternal God, the Great Redeemer of mankind. I am the weak, sinful, lost one who has no right to demand anything from Him. I keep forgetting.

When Christ called His disciples, He said, "Take up your cross and follow me," and NOT "Follow me and I will bless you abundantly!" Don't get me wrong - Christ does bless. He blesses in ways that I could never imagine. He has promised every spiritual blessing according to Ephesians 1. But that's not how or why I am to follow. I am to take up my cross and follow Him."

When He told His disciples that, He had not died on the cross yet. But the disciples were familiar with crucifixion. It was a normal thing during the Roman Empire. They knew that taking up a cross could lead to only one thing death.

And that's why Christ is calling us. We need to die. Die to this world. Die to the things around us. Die to ourselves and to our selfish desires and wants. There is nothing good in us, so why would we want to keep ourselves alive?

It's very easy for me to look at some of my friends and think they are not living for Christ. They go on cruises and have all these nice things and are constantly "moving up" in the world. It's very easy for me to judge them and their hearts by what I see. Am I right or wrong about them? It doesn't matter. Christ's concern is with ME and how I am dealing with things.

I need to die to self; I need to take up my cross and follow Him. My problem is I don't fully believe that. Because if I did believe it I wouldn't hold onto things that are not beneficial to my walk with Christ. I'm not saying these things are sinful, BUT they are things that distract me from the mind of Christ.

I find it so easy to get caught up in playing games. I'm serious; I love computer games. I can spend hours going from one game to the next. Are they bad for me? Noooo. But I get lost in them and can play and play and play.

What Christ is showing me is what consumes my time is my idol. Unfortunately, it's me. And yielding to Him, learning more of Him, asking Him, "What would You have me do, Lord?" moment by moment of the day, is all that He requires.

I may be hearing Christ, but the big question is, AM I PAYING ATTENTION?

Denied Blessings

This morning my Bible reading was in 1 Chronicles 25 & 26 and in both of these chapters it speaks of the blessing of the Lord. Do you know what the blessing was? CHILDREN! The first was a promise to Heman to exalt him. How did God do this? By giving him 14 boys and 3 girls! The second was a man named Obed-edem; he had 8 sons and this was God's blessing! God used children to bless these men. But not only were they a blessing to their parents, they also became blessings to the nation of Israel because God used them in the temple to lead the people in praise and worship. AND they were recorded in the Scriptures as being a blessing to their parents and being used in God's temple! How much more can a parent ask for?

My question for us in North America, is: have we denied ourselves blessing because we "decide" how many children we will have? My husband and I have 3 children and each one is a blessing. But we decided not to have any more because my emotions during my pregnancy scared me and I was fearful of what I might do. I didn't trust God. I let my own fears dictate my future, our family's future and even the future of this world. What have I denied the world of by being selfish and not trusting God? What blessings have I denied myself of for a lack of faith?

Our reasons can be different, but the source is always the same: we don't trust God to do what He says He will. Children are a blessing and He needs to be the One Who decides how many we will have. I have a dear friend who wanted children desperately. And for a number of years she and her husband tried. There was no physical reason why they shouldn't have children. One day, out of the blue, she became pregnant! I remember she told me one of her co-worker who asked her how it happened. She said she was kind of embarrassed but had to answer, "The regular way." It was awkward for her and yet kind of funny at the same time. She has 2 beautiful daughters, one who is graduating from high school shortly, and that is all the Lord gave her.

We also have some very dear friends who have 9 daughters! These are some of the sweetest most charming young ladies I have ever met. Yet these parents have also faced sorrow within the past few years they have had 2 miscarriages. Should they have stopped? Some would definitely say, "Yes - A LONG TIME AGO!" But they have chosen to trust the Lord and let Him lead in this area. They are truly blessed and yes each one of those girls is a blessing! And God has carried them through the hard time of the loss of not seeing those 2 little ones on this earth. But they know they will see them again soon before the throne of God where they will not have to have dealt with this sinful world.

He knows what we can and cannot handle BUT He allows us to choose if we are going to trust Him or not, whether it be for our emotions or our finances or whatever. The choice is ours. May we stop being selfish and allow God to do the good work He wants to do for us. May the parents of North America wake up and see that children are a blessing and not a burden.

Growing

Sometimes we don't like growing because it means changes. Right now is a time of changes for me.

Yesterday our youngest son left for Colorado to follow his dreams. In less than a month's time our daughter will be leaving to serve the Lord in Asia. No more children at home; back to just my husband and me - oh yes, and the Lord. A time of growing.

For 26 years my life has been wrapped around children. But even back in those early days I can remember how the Lord used them to change me.

When we had our first son, my husband encouraged me to go to the Ladies Bible Study at our chapel. I didn't want to go because I felt that that was for the "older" women. He continued to encourage me to go and I finally submitted. It was the best thing in my life. The women there ranged from my age to retired grandmas. I learned how to discipline my children in love as we poured over the Word of God. I learned that submitting to my husband was God's desire for me and the best thing in the world for me because it was God's protection of me. I learned that there was hope because one of the quietest women I knew used to yell at her children, but because of her husband, she had learned she didn't need to yell. A time of growing.

I remember the years (and there were 4 of them) when my husband wasn't employed and we believed God wanted me to continue to stay home with our children. God graciously provided for our needs throughout those years. We never hungered and we still kept our house. A time of growing.

Thinking back when we had to leave our chapel, our family of God, and move to Arizona for a job which only lasted 9 months. Remembering looking at different churches; trying to find out where we needed to be. Then coming to a little assembly and feeling right at home, even though it was an hour away. The friends made there were for life. Our children still talk about that little church with fond memories. A time of growing.

Believing that God wanted us to leave our comfortable home and church family again for a chance to serve Him in a different country. Not an easy choice, especially since our oldest was about to graduate from high school. It meant his home would no longer be there for him and our new home would be a place he wasn't familiar with. Trusting God to provide our needs not just for a month or even a few months or even a whole year, but for the rest of our lives. A time of growing.

Now the other two are leaving. Through it all God has been so faithful. How can I NOT trust Him for the future? He is able to do beyond what we can even think or imagine. And as this new season starts, there is also the beginning of something else: Grandparents. Our oldest and his wife are expecting a little boy. Though they are miles away, God always allows for us to communicate and still be a part. How can I NOT be thankful!

Times of growing; they are so needed and such blessings. May we praise God for what He does in our lives.

Are We Praying or Complaining? Part 2

The other day I began looking at Moses complaining. I want to continue today. Let's look at the passage again.

Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you dealt ill with your servant? And why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?  Did I conceive all this people? Did I give them birth, that you should say to me,‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a nursing child,’ to the land that you swore to give their fathers?  Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they weep before me and say, ‘Give us meat, that we may eat.’  I am not able to carry all this people alone; the burden is too heavy for me.  If you will treat me like this, kill me at once, if I find favor in your sight, that I may not see my wretchedness.”

Moses now begins to complain about how "he" is going to give them meat. Again, remembering that there are 600,000 people, did he honestly believe that God expected him to give the people meat? Sometimes we don't look at situation realistically. Unless you are one the richest people in the world AND have access to that kind of food supply, it's not going to happen for anyone! God did not expect Moses to give them meat - that was a "burden" the Lord never meant for him to have. Sometimes our burdens are of our own making.

Moses then goes back to the complaint of this burden. He says it is so great that God should just kill him right there so that Moses won't see his own wretchedness. Notice that I highlighted certain portions of the Scriptures. Moses emphasis is not on the people, or not even on God. No, his emphasis is on himself. "Poor, little me! Take my life and be done with it!" It's easy to feel that way when we take on the weight of the world which is something God NEVER intends for us to do. God gives us what we need, including the burdens we need, so that we may rely upon Him and not ourselves.

Too many times we think we are praying but in all honesty it's complaining. We need to remember Whom we are addressing: the God of the Universe, the One Who redeemed us, the One Who created us. Moses begins with accusation and then just rattles on. He never gives God the chance to respond. How many times do I do that with God? Unfortunately too many. This prayer is focused on Moses - I do that as well. I focus on me and not on the Lord. 

My mother died many years ago from a disease called scleroderma. It caused her a great deal of pain before her death. I can remember her sitting at the kitchen table just crying from the pain. But she would begin to pray (not about the pain) just to talk to God. The tears would go away and a slow joy would spread over her face. Had the pain gone? No, unfortunately, but her mind and heart were settled on something greater, her Lord. She could face it knowing that He was right there carrying her, holding her tightly to Himself, knowing that He had already sacrificed the greatest He could for her. 

This has been a challenge to me to 1) take the time to talk to God  2) wait for a response from God  3) always address Him as He rightly deserves and 4) NEVER accuse God of doing something wrong because He never does. I'm reminded of these verses in Romans 8:28-29 as I close:

 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.  For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.