Sunday, January 31, 2010

Identifying & Defeating the Real Opposition

Reading in Numbers 13 and 14, I see a great lesson for me to learn from the faith Joshua and Caleb. You'll recall they are the two spies sent into the land of Canaan by Moses.

The other 10 men were spiritual wimps, seeing only opposition, not opportunity. Joshua and Caleb saw with different eyes. In this story I am struck by the realization of what was the real opposition Joshua and Caleb faced.

Faced with a bad report from the 10, the people were quick to despair, grumbled, and wished they had died! Moses and Aaron fell on their face before their people.

But Joshua and Caleb tore their clothes -- a sign of grief, of horror. They realized the great opposition they faced, and it wasn't giants in the land! It was the spiritual midgets of their own people.

When they spoke to the Israelites, they told of how great the land was, then said, "If the Lord delights in us, He will bring us into this land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lor d is with us. Do not fear them."

There is much more to the story, but get this:

External circumstances (how big are the giants; how fortified are the cities) do not matter.
Only the favor (or disfavor) of the Lord matters!

Joshua and Caleb said "If the Lord delights in us" . . . "do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of their land, for they are our bread" . . . "their protection has departed from them" . . . "the Lord is with us."

If you KNOW Him. If you know you are on assignment from Him. Then all that matters is that His protection is ON you and thus not on anything that opposes you. God is not double-minded, two-faced. If He has instructed you, He will empower you. Look only at Him.

Note that Joshua and Caleb said that to fear the opposition was to "rebel against the Lord."

I can think of circumstances in my life and our families life where I am in danger of "rebeling against the Lord" by not believing that He will deliver to me what He has promised, or deliver me through what He has promised!

Our opposition -- sometimes people, sometimes circumstances -- often seems giant and well-fortified. When this is what you see, tighten up your relationship with the Lord, narrow your focus to Him.

Learn from Joshua and Caleb.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Equippers Newsletter: Thoughts, Quotes, Links

Today's offering is quote/link intensive because I've become backed up, in a good way, with quality tidbits I wanted to share. I'm sure you'll find at least a decent percentage of this very useful. Much of it gleaned from monitoring preaching and family ministry leaders on Twitter.

All may not appear to be directly related to raising children, but most have principles you need to teach. Or, they are here to strengthen and encourage you.

* Saying "I love them but I don't LIKE them" is hypocrisy,self-delusion, and violates agape. "Love covers all sins" Prov.10:12 -- Rick Warren

* "Surrendering to Jesus is laying down my own plans and using my life for the benefit of other people." - -- Rick Warren

* "Intercessory prayer is love on its knees" -- Allan Taylor

* Consider sharing this 1 minute, 15 second history video with your children. Very educational. A lot of into for a short clip. http://www.onenewsnow.com/ap/vid/default.aspx?videoId=18725

* If you are a Christian, does anyone see anything in your life that deserves a supernatural explanation? -- Dr. Gerald Harris

* Great article on what it means to live in the power of the Gospel: http://www.billygraham.org/News_Article.asp?ArticleID=764

* Will Mancini heard this in a vision-casting session, from a surgeon: "When the nucleas is cohesive the rest of the cell knows what to do; it knows how to multiply." How does that apply to the home? The church?

* "You protect your personal integrity and testimony when you do not fight and do not fuss." -- Charles Stanley

* "To all those who has been hurt loving someone, there's no other remedy but to love some more." -- Run-D.M.C.

* Check out this list of myths about Christian marriages, and read the linked article from Rick Warren: http://blogs.lifeway.com/blog/marriage-family/2010/01/myths-of-a-christian-marriage.html

* A touching blog from a dad about the adoption of two boys from Haiti. It had been in the works for years and came to fruition miraculously after the earthquake. http://aaronivey.com/?p=9593

* Powerful 2 1/2 minute video clip on the relationship between adoption and abortion.
http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/2208_russell_moore_on_the_connection_between_abortion_and_adoption/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+DGBlog+%28DG+Blog%29&utm_content=Twitter

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Jesus Gathered with His Disciples; So Should We!

"Now Judas . . . knew the place, for Jesus often met there with His disciples." -- John 18:2

The latter part of the verse is somewhat obscure, yet it jumped out at me a few days ago. It clearly suggests that Jesus and His disciples met regularly at the same place.

The whole of the Gospels makes clear that Jesus ran with 12 men, pouring His life into them. He 'did life with them,' teaching them truth and showing them compassion as they went went. They were on the go, on mission, learning as they went, empowered as needed.

As my friend and mentor Alvin Reid says, paraphrased, we in conservative U.S. evangelical life have spent generations proving that merely getting bible teaching materials and a group of people together in a room (often called Sunday School) is not creating disciples.

What creates disciples is the act of a mature Christian (or at least one a few steps ahead of his pupil!) showing and teaching a younger Christian what it takes to walk with Christ.

Tertullian wrote, “A disciple is first born then made. He is born by the Spirit of God with the right factory-installed equipment. Then, he must be built, trained and taught, and led to commitment to Jesus Christ.”

The 'factory-installed equipment' is a personal relationship with Christ that causes the Holy Spirit to live in Him. I could write at length about how our discipleship (I prefer to say 'mentor' instead of 'disciple' because church has watered-down and given mixed-meaning to the word 'disciple') is so poor in the Kingdom that most Christians have absolutely no understanding of what it means that they have the Holy Spirit in them. Francis Chan has already expressed that problem and it's solution brilliantly in his latest book Forgotten God. It is a must read.

So what must we do? Mentor/disciple! You are made to be a re-creator. You are commanded to pass on what Jesus has placed in you. The lack of power in the body of Christ today is the responsibility of the Christians who didn't share their growth with the baby believers!

If we are powerless it is because we have been satisfied by mere salvation (it is not 'mere' but I write it for effect) and don't go on to depth and commitment to serve and pour into others. (Such an attitude calls into question whether one is in fact a Christian, but that is another discussion).

I heartily accept the view of Herb Hodge (Tally Ho the Fox): “Discipling is done by someone, not something. It is done by persons, not by programs. It is accomplished by individuals, not by institutions. Technically, Discipling is one Christian person imparting his whole life to another, by example, leadership and relationship. It always involves life transference.”

Life transference does not come in a rote academic program, but as each mentor is led to coach His mentee. The safety is in the fact that the basics of the walk have to be covered, and that the basics of the basics all come from the same Scripture. Beyond that, the Spirit leads the mentor and empowers the mentee.

At First Baptist Concord, we are working to equip more mentors, refine ones we already have, and mentor young (in maturity; age isn't the factor) Christians so they can mentor. (contact me for more info)

It is how spiritual growth happened in Jesus' time, which is consistent with how the early church -- reflected in Acts -- lived.  Our instituationalized church must return to the roots of spiritual formation, we must mentor! The one effectively mentored will mentor, and we'll see multiplication instead of addition. We'll have power because we'll have mature Christians who understand the commands of Christ and, as important, His power and how to have it!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Equippers Newsletter: The Price of Serving Him is Worth It!

On Jan. 12 I stood in a concourse at in the Atlanta airport with 10 other families as we watched 12 children we'd grown to love deeply walk through gates to go 'home' to their 10-to-a-room orphanage in the Ukraine. They'd been with us three weeks, but left a permanent indention in our lives.

(Now hold on, those of you who know our passion for the homeless and may  be tired of it :), this is not a diatribe about that.)

Before we left the concourse and right after the children walked away, the host families (many who had kept their children out of school that day to let them experience the send-off) gathered together, all sad, many in tears. I shared one thought:

"This is part of the price of serving Him and serving His children," I said, paraphrasing now. "I think we would all agree it is worth it."

The Word of God says that true family is body of Christ.
The Word of God says to "let the dead bury their dead."
The Word of God says to leave father and mother to serve.
The Word of God shows a life - Jesus'! - and paints a clear picture of giving sacrificially, pouring ourselves out, which is letting Him flow through.

That paints a picture that, taken out of context, can seem hard and cold. Parents, we have a tender-hearted, bottom-line God. Those two are not in conflict. He is tender-hearted through us and bottom-line when it comes to his command to strip away everything that hinders our service to Him.


That's what those families were doing. And it hurt so good (thank you, John Mellencamp) because Jesus was alive in them! And because of that, Jesus is alive in six of the 12 children, they having come to Christ on the trip (and five being baptized in Jeff & Melissa's Birkholz' bathtub, with 48 people jammed into their master bath to watch!) And some may be coming back to a new life here.

Listen, you don't have to be taking in a child to be pouring yourself out. It's just one example. But to live this life, to know His power, to be obedient, you must be leading your family in service that requires His presence to succeed.

A vital, fundamental passage for the believer who wants to walk with Christ (can there be any other kind?) is 2 Corinthians 1, 3- "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God." (emphasise mine)
 
In his great new book Forgotten God, Francis Chan writes, "the Spirit led the first Christians to do unexplainable things, to live lives that didn't make sense to the culture around them, and ultimately to spread the story of God's grace around the world."


Ukraine Kids Welcoming @ FB Concord on Arrival Day

So what are you doing? This isn't intended as a guilt trip. If you feel one, take a step back. Ours is a gracious God. He's calling you, not admonishing you. He's saying, "Let's take a step forward," in service, one that positions your family to be used by Him, positions you and your children to experience His power.

How do you take such steps?
1 -- Prayerfully consider (with your spouse, if married, and with your children, especially the older ones) the passions, gifts and talent your family members have. Literally write down what they are.
2 -- Consider where that might naturally lead you in types of service/ministry. Feel free to consult with a church staff member about opportunities.
3 -- Consider any impediments in family schedule that might keep you from service/ministry. You might have to make hard cuts before you are positioned to serve. 'We don't have time,' is a leadership problem, not a reason.
4 -- Make a move. Do something.

 I'd rather swing-and-miss than stand there while pitches blow by! I have found God to be very gracious about 'aggressive mistakes' (which is not an excuse for recklessness).

All around us are families who want to know His power, but are trapped in the busyness and distraction of our culture. It takes brave parents to break away, position themselves and their children to receive God's power, and then let it flow.

Are you a brave parent? Do you trust Him? Will you obey Him?

We're here to help.

Please respond with any testimonies of God working through your family, or any words of encouragement for other parents.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

How to 'Take the Land' God has Given You

As parents, that 'land' can mean a number of things, but I believe it must include successfully leading our children spiritually. Success could be defined as raising children to know Christ personally, and putting in them the 'mind of Christ' by teaching them the Word and consistently helping them apply it.


Joshua was told He would be given the Land He was to lead God's people into, and that God would "be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you." (Joshua 1:5)


What I want to point out to you today is what is requires to 'take the land.' In our application, it is what is required to lead our families successfully.


Three times in the next four verses Joshua is told to "be strong and of good courage," once with 'very' before good courage. The Hebrew words used for strong and courage here mean to 'be brave,' 'determined,' 'alert', 'hold fast', 'firm.'


So the first requirement is to be strong and courageous. Parenting frequently requires this. Maybe not is the classic, macho sense of protection and physical strength, but in the emotional fortitude to stand your ground, to confront wrong's your child faces, to stand with them in troubled times. I know Moms and Dads who are not 'strong and courageous' even when facing their child's emotional outbursts -- these parents would rather let the child have their (wrong) way that suffer short-term emotional discomfort. That is wimpy parenting!


The second requirement is be obedient to the Word of God. God tells Joshua in verse 7, "Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moes My servant commanded you." Then in verse 8, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success."


See, God says twice to obey His Word, indicating to speak His Word ("shall not depart from your mouth"), to study His Word comprehensively ("you shall meditate in it day and night").



The third requirement, arguably a sub-point of the second, is that we must be unwavering ("do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left") in our obedience and focus on the Word of God. This instruction comes with a promise: "For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.")


Parents, don't you want to 'take the land,' i.e., in this illustration, to have victory in the leadership of your family? God wants that for you! Family was His idea. Study His Word, because He know how to do family! He is the 'perfect Father.'


You must strong and courageous! I interrupted writing this blog for a 1-hour discussion with a dad who needed to show 'strength and courage' to face teenagers who were bucking his standards. He needed to know the Word of God more, so he would know what to tell them. He needed to set standards and be unwavering. It's hard work -- but when we know Christ, we have the power of the Holy Spirit!


Today I challenge you as parents -- if you are a couple -- to ask these questions:



In what area of parenting/leadership of the home do I need to show more strength and courage?




Am I being obedient to what God has has instructed me in my personal life and leadership of my family?




Am I unwavering (the contrast is that you are sending mixed signals that destroy confidence and foundation)?


Be strong and courageous!


NOTES, QUOTES, LINKS, COMMENTS & COOL STUFF!


1 -- "But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, "I am only a child," ' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you." -- Jeremiah 1:7. Now this is an interesting verse in context of a family with teens. When do you trust your kids to act and speak 'as the Spirit leads,' and when do you not? We must trust them to some extent, and yet their view cannot be that they are free to speak as they wish and hide behind it.

2 -- "Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave." -- Proverbs 12:24. Robin Bryce (RobinBryce on Twitter) comments that this is a 'no brainer, but not easy.' So many people take the 'easy' way out, and it turns out not to be easy! Let's teach our kids EARLY how to work, and the virtues of leadership will rise in them as they do it.

3 -- "No one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me." -- Luke 14:33. Soooo, how do you teach that one to your children? It should be a thought-provoking, soul-searching, Scripture-mining question. 'Giving up everything' is not what our culture and the 'American Dream' is about. How do we begin to change that in our home? Feel free to comment on this blog so I and others can consider.

4 -- In context of the national championship football game tonight (Thursday), see Colt McCoy's strong testimony at http://www.iamsecond.com/.

5 -- You know it's a God idea when you don't have the people, resources, or even a clue of how to do it, but it will bring Him glory! (via @Barbaragraves on Twitter). So what is your family doing that requires God?

6 -- "Once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely and we never lack for understanding or compassion." -- Oswald Chambers. This is a vital truth that we must work, work, work to help our children understand. It will protect them from wrong relationships by send them to the right source for comfort!

7 -- Great interview with Alex Kendrick -- director of Facing the Giants and Fireproof -- on being a courageous Father. http://www.billygraham.org/News_Article.asp?ArticleID=757