I have been thinking a worthy goal for the new year might be to face our situations with a question made famous by Charles Sheldon more than 100 years ago in his book, "In His Steps". The book focuses on the pastor of a socially-proper church who challenged his parishioners to pause before taking action in a given situation and ask the question, "What Would Jesus Do?" (known simply today as WWJD). The remainder of the book follows the main characters through their inspiring journey of faith as they develop the habit of following his suggestion. I think such a practice would be a growing experience for any Believer. We might ask, however, how do we know what Jesus would do? Like most any of life's key questions, the answer can be found in the Bible. The New Testament has many examples of what Jesus actually did, in real life situations. For example, Luke 19 has the story of His meeting Zacchaeus, chief tax collector for the Roman Empire, traitor, and thief. He was hated by the Jews and they would likely have stoned him. But what did Jesus do? He directed His full attention toward Zacchaeus, called him by name and then did the unthinkable; went as a guest to his house, an act of genuine acceptance. This resulted in public repentance, and salvation of Zacchaeus' household. Another example is found in the eighth chapter of John which gives the account of the woman taken in adultery; in the very act. The religious leaders wanted to stone her, according to the Law of Moses. But Jesus rebuffed them as He publicly forgave her and set her free to "... go and sin no more." Mark 10:46 tells the story of blind Bartemaeus. When he cried out to Jesus, the people rebuked him and told to be quiet (this was the last week before the crucifixion). But Jesus said, "Call him"; He gave the man His full attention, determined what he wanted, and healed him.
When confronted with a new situation, we are ready to react. Naturally our response is determined by our mood, our prejudices and past experiences, our emotional investment in the situation, etc. We usually don't stop to ponder the matter. That's all normal; it's part of our humanness. But we can't stop with normal. The Bible calls us to be renewed, to be transformed by the renewing of our minds; and like so many things, it happens a step at a time. One step might be to begin developing the habit of facing life with the question in our minds, "In this situation 'What would Jesus do'"?
A couple of years ago when we were in the States doing our Christmas shopping, I really began to notice all the incredible devices we have for communicating with one another. At the same time, I started becoming more aware of the content of what is being communicated. Having spent many years outside the U.S. some of this was pretty new and I was somewhat taken aback. It was about then I first made the statement regarding our society; "Such incredible capacity for communicating; so incredibly little to say."
That's ironic, especially at this time of year when we are once again celebrating the greatest story ever told. It is true, we cannot change our world, at least not in the short term, but we can choose the content of our communication. Instead of cluttering our minds with popular songs which are often loud, repetitious, and pretty much devoid of meaning; we could enjoy some Christmas carols or Handel's Messiah. Instead of being persuaded by the endless flow of commercials, we could try to persuade someone else to seek the deeper meaning of Christmas. Instead of settling for the one-size-fits-all way of thinking, we could continue pursuing the perfect fit.
It is tempting to focus on everything that is wrong. That would be heading down the wrong road in a different direction. In spite of it all, Christmas, even in this day and age, is a wonderful time of the year. All our children will be home for the holidays this year and will try to choose from the best in order to make it a time to remember.
November 10, 2011, was payday for our fourteen employees. We needed 37,476 lempiras; our bank balance was only 26,767 lempiras. Then, I remembered we had 4,000 lempiras left over from car repairs. Now, we were short $354.
I called our finance person in Oklahoma to see if perhaps donations had arrived. A check for $300 had arrived the day before; now, we were short only $54. The very next morning, I learned a check for $50 had come in. We had all but $5.16; we could manage the $5.
However, there's a little more to the story. Next day, Nicholas and I went to San Pedro to do our banking. When we were ready to come home, we were almost out of gas and $5.16 won't buy enough to make the trip. Neither of us said anything, but I think we were both thinking the same thing: "How are we going to get home?" We were driving through our old neighborhood when Nicholas got a call. It was Nelson, our computer teacher. He had just collected 5,500 lempiras from his students for their tuition and wanted to know what to do it. You can probably guess. We borrowed 5,000 from payroll and bought gas. God is good and His timing is perfect!
This "Answer" journal comes from a list of 25 pages of answers to our prayers I began recording at least as far back as 2008. They are reminders which serve to strengthen our faith, and bless others.
That is why I say, every Believer striving to know God, will experience these same kind of miracle answers from time to time. Believers should record the answers and be prepared to share them. This will be an encouragement for both their faith and other's faith as well.
I would guess high on the list of prayer objectives for most any evangelical Church is the prayer for revival. But then, what is revival? If you ask God for revival what are you asking him to do? And what will that do to you?
For one thing, if you were to experience real revival there would likely be a radical change in your personal life. Listen to Zacchaeus after his personal revival, John 19:8. "I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I had cheated people on their taxes, I will give them four times as much!" That's radical.
Or consider the village of Maentwrog, north of Wales, in the 1850s, just before the great Welsh revival. There was all manner of mischief, reviling, and all sorts of sin; but after the revival, young men fifteen and twenty years old were so full of fire they met in private homes after Church to pray, read, and sing, sometimes for hours. Is that what you really want? The fact is, neither you nor I may really know for sure. We might all be surprised how we would react if faced with the real thing, much like Peter when he told Christ he would gladly die for him and then denied him three times.
The real thing might be like meeting Jesus face-to-face; and we would probably be surprised how we would handle that too. To illustrate what I'm thinking, I suspect if He were to return to earth today and start a Church, the number of regular members would be relatively small. At first the crowds would flock to see their Savior. But then, one by one He would ask us to take another step away from our old life; away from even much of our old Church life and toward something new. Remember the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-23.) He approached Jesus excited, confident he could do whatever the Master might ask. After all, he was an exemplary churchman. But it all came crashing down when he realized Christ asked for something different and far more costly than he imagined. The Bible says his face fell and he walked away sadly; and sadly, we never hear from him again.
I think we can now agree revival is not just a week of special meetings with a visiting evangelist. The object of true revival is a changed life. This kind of change comes from deep within, through much prayer. Our plea is not just that God will bring revival. We are to wait upon Him for change, one that will develop a new appetite; will allow us to let go of all our worldly concerns and ask Him to do through us whatever He wills, now and forever.
Also, Valid evidence of revival is more than an expression of emotion, a show of hands, or recitation of a prayer. In any true revival there is evidence, but of a different sort.
There should be observable evidence in our personal lives. We saw how Zacchaeus' life was changed. Chapter 17:6 of the Book of Acts says, "These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also."
A more contemporary example is the Welsh revival of 1859 where not only were individual lives visibly changed; entire communities were transformed. It is reported that drunks and infidels left at taverns in order to spend time in church. The young men, 15 to 20 years old betting houses to read, sing, and pray sometimes for hours. A Welsh newspaper reported, "... not one person in every 50 of those who have assumed a profession of religion within the past 4 to 6 months has relapsed into the world."
And now to a personal level. What change when you and I likely experience in our lives if we were an object of revival? Likely there would be a change in appetite; a new hunger for God. In our free time we would probably prefer to sing, evangelize, study the Bible. We would likely demonstrate a high entity and new passion for souls.
We would likely also experience a new sense of urgency to pray; not just four minutes, but for hours. And I think we would find ourselves passing over that threshold that divides hanging on from "letting go"and a corresponding willingness to allow God to do through us whatsoever he wills, now and forever. The result of all of that would be a radical change in our personal lives.
This raises an interesting question. You might say it even brings us to a moment of truth. in light of all of this and our natural inclination to resist change, do we really want true revival?
Recently I was going through some old papers and came across this, penciled on a Day-Timer sheet dated April 13, 2002.
"I really don't know a lot about prayer (though I'm determined to know more). However, I've noticed a few things too obvious to miss. For example, my most productive days are those that begin very early with a season of prayer. With my "to-do" list usually far exceeding the time available, I may be reluctant to spend the time. However, the longer I pray the shorter the list becomes. That may look like a misprint and yet I think it reflects something of God's economy -- in this case the economy of effort. First of all, there are things on my list that need to be done but not today. Few things in life are less productive than doing the right thing at the wrong time. Then there are the urgent matters that need attention but could be better done by someone else. During my twenty-five years in human resources administration I was continually amazed at the capacity of ordinary people to accomplish extraordinary things -- given the right opportunity and encouragement. Finally, there are the things on my list which really don't need to be done at all. When measured by the yardstick of eternity they will never be missed."
I would add one more sentence: "having made these adjustments, the remaining tasks would make for a challenging, productive, and blessed day."
Awhile ago I wrote myself a note that says, "I hope I never get to a place where we have to reach back in to our past to give testimony of how God has met our needs in a miraculous way." I hope we will always look to Him and not other resources. I feel uneasy just writing that as my natural inclination is just the opposite. I want to be in charge-I am drawn to my own plans; I want to know the future; to have some money in reserve. For example, today is December 11th, by the 15th we have to have enough money for salaries, custom's fees, insurance and plane tickets. I would like to have the money now, but we have almost none of it. A part of me wants to be down with the uncertainty we have lived with for the last ten years. But then, we look at the several pages of answers to prayer and remember how these answers have encouraged us and others. That is when I reconsider and say again, "I hope we are always living in such a way that we are totally dependent on God to meet our needs."
“…if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say unto this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it would move….” (Matthew 17:20). If ever I were to write a book it would include a chapter entitled, “The Power of a Little Thing.” It would address things like the mustard seed, a word of prayer; the first step in a journey of faith. It would speak of the tongue, so powerful a single word can lift a person up or bring him down. It would describe the power a child; naive and innocent and yet able to see what the experienced and learned cannot. If you doubt it, try explaining to a child your carefully crafted plan to stabilize an economy by spending more money you don’t have. He will likely give a quizzical look and then return to his play without gracing your proposal with a response.
I would add to these examples the power of a smile. It costs nothing and takes little time or effort and yet a smile has the power to bring the dead to life. I have seen this perhaps most clearly in Honduras among those who seem to have lost hope. They are easy to spot, staggering along the road beneath a massive load of wood; or struggling to move a loaded wheelbarrow down a busy highway; or maybe just shuffling along, aimless and seemingly without life. In any case the head is bowed, shoulders stooped, the gait is slow, eyes are dull and without expression. This is a face that hasn’t smiled in years.
You would expect that such a person would not notice when you come near. Surprisingly, unless the man has completely lost hope, he knows you are there, and almost inevitably, before you pass by seems compelled to take a quick glance at your eyes. His motive is not to exchange a greeting; it is sheer curiosity, because years of experience have shown he will likely receive in return a look of pity, condemnation, disgust, and often anger.
If you can see this portrait in your minds eye, then the stage is set for you to see the power of the smile. Get ready. Prepare yourself. When your eyes meet he will be suspicious at first; noncommittal. But when he sees that you are genuine, you will behold something that could have been brought forth by little else…not by encouraging, coaxing, flattering, teaching, preaching. You will see dead come back to life; you will behold the power of a smile.
I had assumed this to be a third world phenomenon, but during a recent visit to the U.S. I observed the same thing… many opportunities to see the power of a smile, especially among those who might feel unwelcome in our country. I urge you to try an experiment. Try giving a smile to one who least expects it. It will consume none of your time or your resources, but you will be amazed at how it blesses your day.
Recently, Cheryl and I were invited to speak to a young adult Sunday school class. Since I had already spoken to the group several times, I was wondering what else I could say. During the week before, I was out for a walk. I don't remember if I was praying or just wondering, but in a flash this thought illumined my mind: "Tell them concerning their future plans, you can do it My way, and you let go; or you can do it your way and I will let go." That was it. I shared it with the class; there were a few words of discussion and the class ended.
In the days that followed, I could not help but wonder what exactly does this mean? How does it apply to us in a practical sense? This is what I concluded. The first part, "do it My way and you let go"....that is easy to understand. It is a reference to those who are willing to let go of their plans, resources, of everything that brings security, and trust God completely. These are the ordinary people who continue to do extraordinary things.
Then there is the second part, where we do it our way and He lets go. I do not think it means that if we hold on to the right to control our own lives that God will abandon or reject us. The Bible says He will never do that. Nor do I think it means we won't go to heaven when we die. I think it does mean that if we continue to insist upon controlling our own life, having our own goals, our own plan of action, He will at some point take a step back--not so far He cannot help in time of need, but far enough to let us do it in our own strength. These are the ordinary people who will continue to do ordinary things.
Some Believers would say there is nothing wrong in living an ordinary life; that we are free to choose. This is not exactly true. We cannot ignore the fact there are scoffers, scorners, and honest skeptics watching our lives from a distance. They have heard our claims and now they are examining the evidence. The Kingdom of God is hindered when those people observe that many Christians who are consumed doing things which an unbeliever could do.
The Apostle Peter said, "Live such good lives among the pagans that...they may see your good deeds and glorify God..." Jesus said, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven." An ordinary person who lets go and lets God is a powerful witness.
t's in Mark 14:26-31 that we read the familiar account of Peter's denial of Jesus. this is a most grievous, yet thought provoking passage.
First, Jesus says, "Every one of you disciples will desert me this very night. Then, Peters says, "Even if everyone else deserts you I never will." Then, Jesus says, "you will not only desert me once but three times. You will deny you even know me." Finally, Peters says, "Even if it kills me, I will never desert you." Yet he did...not once but three more times: in verse 68, again in 70, and a third time in verse 71.
The interpretation of this passage is straight forward. It is part of the narrative of the Passion of Christ. However, there are many applications to glean. The account might be seen to demonstrate that we should evaluate carefully before making a commitment. Perhaps, we should spend more time praying and less time sleeping. When God gives us a warning it should be taken seriously. There are many other applications in this passage. I think one of the most valuable applications is to alert us to the deceitfulness of the human heart.
Peter was not being flippant in declaring his unwavering commitment to his Lord. He was absolutely convinced he would not relent no matter what, even if it cost him his life. Yet when the pressure was on, he did what he swore he would never do--he denied Christ. I suspect no one was more surprised than Peter himself. Now you say, how could this possibly have any application to me? I would like to suggest at least for a consideration that we, too, can be deceived by our own heart, just as Peter was.
Consider the Lord's Prayer specifically the third petition which says, "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." I dare say every evangelical Christian would say that he or she is absolutely sincere when asking the Lord to grant that petition. But what are we asking? We could very well be asking God to send us to a place we have never been, to do something we have never done, or use skills we have never developed. If He should ask you, would you be willing to abandon your own plans and go? If He should ask me, will I walk away from my own goals and go? Knowing myself as I do, my honest response would have to be, "I surely hope so."
The fact is, I don't think any of us are sure what we will do in the moment of crisis. That is nothing new. Jeremiah declared in 17:9 "...the heart is deceitful above all things...who can know...understand his own heart." It is true we may not know now, but eventually we will know, one way or another. We can wait for the moment of truth to come...and then examine the evidence of our heart as with Peter; or we can pray as David did, "Search me Oh God and know my heart...see if there is any hurtful way in me and lead me in the way of learning." My challenge is to let God mold our heart; change our heart to help us "Go" when He says "Go."
Over the past several years we have had opportunity to share with a number of people about our work and how it started. Upon hearing our testimony many have concluded that we are extraordinary Christians; a special breed; that we are somehow among God’s chosen few.
That, if it were true, would invalidate most everything I have to say—namely, that God has a special call on every life that is every bit as unusual as ours. Some might infer from that statement that I am suggesting everyone should quit their job, sell their home and move to the foreign mission field. Absolutely I am not. I know that hasty decision has brought great suffering to many.
What I am suggesting, urging, challenging every Believer to do is to begin praying more seriously; to praying with purpose….the kind of prayer that is measured in seasons, not moments. I’m challenging you to pray with an open mind and a willing heart; one that says to God, “I’ll do anything You ask, whenever You might ask, wherever You might send me, at any cost You might exact.” Most Christians would fear this prayer. Perhaps that’s why so many Christians don’t really pray.
The Bible says that God has for every Christian a purpose, a calling that is “exceedingly abundant more than you could ever ask or think.” He says, “…eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for them that love Him.” Do you really believe that? If a skeptic were to follow you around for a day, a month, a year, hearing everything you say and watching everything you do, would he or she be forced to conclude that what the Bible says, at least about that vital subject, is true?
Prayer is the key. We are not asking God to help us achieve our goals; prayer is waiting to hear His goals. Oswald Chambers said it best when he wrote: “Prayer does not fit us for the greater work; prayer is the greater work.” I pray more will begin to act as if that were really true.
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