I was 19 years old when I locked arms with a group of students who wanted to become like Jesus.  We began to meet every week for prayer, study, and encouragement.  We started eating meals together in the cafeteria.  We hung out with friends, many of them didn’t know Jesus.  For the first time I was experiencing what the bible calls “community”.  Without knowing the church language, I was actually living as a “missionary”- a “sent one”.  We didn’t call it “missional community”, but that is what it was.  The result: my life has never been the same.

At the time I didn’t understand that God was a “missional” God.  I had no idea that the word “mission” means “to send”.  That God expressed His heart for us by sending His Son and Spirit into the world.  I didn’t realize that I was living out my “sentness” in community with others, partnering with the living God on His redemptive mission.  All I knew was that my life was being transformed.

There are a couple of passages that now shed light on what I was experiencing:

“as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” John 20:21

In this verse, Jesus deliberately and precisely makes his mission the model for our mission.  Any understanding of our mission should be derived from Christ’s mission.

This is why we need to ask: “Why?  Why did the Father send the Son?”

Of course, the major purpose of Christ’s coming was uniquely to die for our sins.  In a more general way, however, we can say that Jesus came to serve.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”   Mark 10:45

The climax of the Savior’s life of service was his sacrifice for our sins.  Obviously we cannot model that; but in a general sense we can say that we are sent to embrace a life of sacrificial serving.  The model of Jesus’ life can be summarized in Luke 22:27:  “I am among you as the one who serves.”

Jesus was sent to serve.  And we too, like Jesus, are sent to serve.

So, how did Jesus serve?  He served by entering into our world.  He took on our humanity, our culture, and dwelt among us.

In modeling the “sentness” of Jesus, we too must be people who take the initiative to enter into the world of those far from God.  We do that by embracing the posture of a servant.  We serve through word and deed; through proclamation and good works; through evangelism and sacrificial actions.

Let me ask us a question: Do we see ourselves as “sent”?  As a missionary sent by Jesus to serve people lost in their sins?

The other key passage is:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” Matt 28:19

When Jesus gives the Great Commission, he gives it to the Church.  All of us are called to make disciples.  Biblically, a disciple is a learner and follower.  As disciples of Jesus, we learn from Jesus as our Teacher and follow Jesus as our Lord.  To make disciples is simply our intentional effort to serve others by helping them learn from and fully follow Jesus.

How are we (you) doing at making disciples of Jesus?

I want to share with you something that keeps me awake at night; something I am fully committed to.  I feel so strongly that I am giving my one and only life to this.  It is the conviction that:

Every Christ-follower is called to be missionary and a disciplemaker.

All of us are sent ones.  Every one of us is to make disciples.  These are the straightforward, final words of Jesus to His Church.

May I ask: How are you doing as a missionary and disciplemaker?

Most of us are falling short.  And this is where we as a church want to help.

There are many avenues to grow and mature as followers of Jesus.  The primary and often most fruitful place to grow in Christlikeness and be stretched to fulfill God’s purpose I our life is in a Missional Community.

A Missional Community is a group of people seeking to follow the way of Jesus by gathering regularly to put into practice our shared commitments of loving God back (up), loving one another (in), and loving our neighbors (out).

In a Missional Community, Jesus is our focus (Col 1:15-20).  Together under His lordship we embrace the following shared commitments:

*  We love God back (Matt 22:37; 1 John 4:9,10)  – UP

Our love for God is a simple response to his overwhelming love for us.  We love God by worshipping Him, sharing in the Lord’s Supper, studying and applying His Word, confessing our sin, learning what it means to walk in the Spirit, singing, and much more.

*  We love one another (John 13:34,35) – IN

The mark of a Christ-follower can be stated in a single word: Love.  As a community, we are committed to loving each other, clearing our busy schedules to make one another a priority, sharing meals together, praying, caring, and helping provide for each other’s needs.

*  We love our neighbors (Matt 22:39; Luke 10:29-37) – OUT

The love of Jesus was constantly reaching out to the least and the lost, befriending the hurting, sharing the Good News, and sacrificially serving.   In community we serve together on mission.  We also support and encourage one another as missionaries to those around us.

At Bay Area, we dream of people connected in community under the reign of Jesus in which we are loving God, each other, and our neighbors.  A place in which everyone is a missionary and everyone is a disciplemaker.

I didn’t know it, but the group I was in many years ago was really a missional community.  And it was such a powerful life-changing environment that I saw huge changes in my life.  I experienced early on the joy of being a missionary and a disciplemaker.  And now I dream of that for each of us.

I love the Christmas season.  No Ebenezer Scrooge at my house!  During Advent, it’s good to reflect on the amazing truth that God has invaded our world in the person of Jesus.  I marvel at the Christmas story.  The angel Gabriel’s appearance to Mary. The 90 mile trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem only to find “no room in the inn”.  I never tire of hearing the accounts of the birth of Jesus.

My favorite Christmas passage is John 1.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God.  All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. John 1:1-3

Jesus is eternal. Jesus has always been with God. Jesus is God. Jesus is the co-creator of all.

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14

One of the most difficult concepts of the Christian faith to grasp is the Incarnation.

Ask a neighbor, a friend at work, a parent from your child’s basketball team:  “Do you really believe in Christmas?  Do you truly believe that God –who always existed, who created everything – became a baby 2000 years ago?”

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.  The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it… John 1:4,5

It is fitting to ask yourself this time of year:  “Do I truly believe this?”

If you have doubts, you aren’t alone.  A brilliant man who lived 1600 years ago had deep doubts.  This doubter would eventually become the most influential Christian since the Apostle Paul.  His name: Augustine.

Augustine was 32 years old before he came to faith in Jesus. Prior to belief, he was consumed with trying to find meaning & purpose in life.  As a teenager he found himself caving to peer pressure.  He was guilty of stealing.  Partying became a lifestyle.  He was consumed with loose living.  By the age of 18 he had a live in lover and had fathered a son.  Unable to forsake this lifestyle and yet torn with restlessness of heart, he decided to pursue education.  His brilliance turned fame, quickly becoming a renowned teacher of rhetoric and logic.  Later, his attention turned to philosophy in the pursuit of truth.

Augustine’s mother, Monica, was a devout Christian who prayed daily for her son.  And yet this message of God becoming Man who chose to die was too much to believe.

Still, the hole in his heart was not satisfied.  He says in The Confessions, “When I turned away from you, the one God, and pursued a multitude of things, I went to pieces.”

At the age of 30 Augustine moved to the city of Milan and met an amazing man named Ambrose.  Ambrose had been a popular Roman governor who left his position, gave his wealth to the poor, and became the bishop of Milan.  Because Augustine was a teacher of rhetoric, he enjoyed listening to Ambrose speak.  Soon a friendship was established.

Augustine would later write: “This man of God welcomed me with fatherly kindness and showed me charitable concern…I began to feel affection for him, not at first as a teacher of truth…but simply as a man who was kind to me…”

One of the issues that Ambrose labored to make clear was the true meaning of Christmas.  During that time there was a huge controversy over how Jesus could be fully God and fully man.  Some argued that Jesus was not eternal and therefore not fully divine.   Ambrose made his defense by penning this beautiful poem, Come Thou Redeemer of the Earth:

Come, Thou Redeemer of the earth,

And manifest Thy virgin birth:

Let every age adoring fall;

Such birth befits the God of all.

Begotten of no human will,

But of the Spirit, Thou art still

The Word of God in flesh arrayed,

The promised One to man displayed.

Forth from His chamber goeth He,

That royal home of purity,

A giant in twofold substance one,

Rejoicing now His course to run.

O equal to the Father, Thou!

Gird on Thy fleshly mantle now;

The weakness of our mortal state

With deathless might invigorate.

Thy cradle here shall glitter bright,

And darkness breathe a newer light,

Where endless faith shall shine serene,

And twilight never intervene.

All laud to God the Father be,

All praise, eternal Son, to Thee;

All glory, as is ever meet,

To God the Holy Paraclete.

- Ambrose of Milan

As Augustine spent time with Ambrose, the light begin to penetrate the darkness of His heart.  He wrote: “As I opened my heart to appreciate how skillfully Ambrose spoke, the recognition that he was speaking the truth crept in at the same time, though only by slow degrees…The case he was making began to seem defensible to me, and I realized that the faith…was in fact intellectually respectable.”

A short while later, Augustine placed His faith in Jesus Christ and found the life he had been searching for.  He would latter pen these famous words:

“You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it finds its rest in You.”

In his pursuit of happiness, Augustine’s search led him to faith in Christ.  Not to be outdone by his mentor, Augustine sat down and penned what has become one of my favorite readings during Advent, a poem fittingly entitled: Christmas.

Christmas

Maker of the sun,

He is made under the sun.

In the Father he remains,

From his mother he goes forth.

Creator of heaven and earth,

He was born on earth under heaven.

Unspeakably wise,

He is wisely speechless.

Filling the world,

He lies in a manger.

Ruler of the stars,

He nurses at his mother’s bosom.

He is both great in the nature of God,

And small in the form of a servant.

2000 years have passed since the birth of Jesus. 1600 years have gone by since Ambrose and Augustine wrote their poems.  The message remains the same: the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…and the Light shines in the darkness.

Today we are very much into the swing of the fall and as a church there is much to be grateful for.  As we commit ourselves to making disciples of Jesus, the leadership is constantly giving thanks for our growing missional communities.  I’m praying Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 1 – that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened to know His hope, inheritance, and immeasurable greatness of His power!

Right now I’m riding the “missional community” high so I thought I’d share a couple of thoughts as to why.  In past homegroup experiences, Mary Kaye and I enjoyed very meaningful relationships and growing times in the Word.  But by and large, we didn’t see the same kind of spiritual growth that we are experiencing in our present Missional Community.  I’ve reflected on this, asking, “What’s making the difference?”  For us, it boils down to a few practices that the Holy Spirit is using.  Here they are…

Practice #1:  We eat together.

The first half hour of our time revolves around food…an old fashioned potluck. I’m amazed how sharing a meal together transforms the atmosphere and connects us relationally.  In the busyness of schedules, there are often times when we just don’t want another meeting.  Throw food into the equation and upon arrival, it’s all good!

Practice #2:  We take communion.

Following dinner, we share in the Lord’s Supper.  We take turns leading so that everyone gets involved.  Focusing on the death and resurrection of Jesus helps remind us that we are objects of His grace.  It puts our struggles into perspective.  Between good food and communion – even if nothing else takes place, that’s a great night!

Practice #3:  We’re on mission.

We challenge one another to reach out and pray for the people God places in our lives.  But we don’t stop there…we serve together.  Our focus has been the Midshipmen.  Several from our group are discipling Mids and all of us are engaged in serving Campus Crusade’s ministry on the Yard.  Last Sunday was very fulfilling for us as after church we fed over 50 Mids delicious Texas barbecue with all the fixings!

Practice #4: We engage globally.

Our missional community leader led us to pray about getting behind one of BACC’s global ministries.  We chose India and decided to trust God to finance building a church!  God provided over and above this need and now three from our community will travel to India in January with the upcoming mission trip to dedicate the church building!

I hope these 4 practices encourage you.  As we focus on Jesus and live out our shared commitments of loving God back, loving one another, and loving our neighbor, the Holy Spirit will lead each of our communities!

One final encouragement:  The Christmas season is around the corner.  Christmas is a wonderful time to reach out to those far from Christ.  We will be providing several Christmas outreach opportunities through the church, but I encourage you to challenge your community as to what Jesus would have you do this season to reflect His love to those needing His touch!

Praying for you and encouraged by you,

Greg

Off the heals of preaching this past Sunday I received an email from a visitor to Bay Area who enjoyed her time with us, but was curious to why I was wearing a Tee-Shirt with a Skull on it. She was wondering if it had a message in it about Halloween, or if there was something else I was trying to communicate to the congregation. It was a nice email, and I thought I’d share my response to her with you – in case you were wondering the same thing…this was my actual response…

Hi XXXX,

Thanks for visiting us this past Sunday, and thanks for your honest feedback about my T-Shirt. The content of the Shirt had no message that I was trying to communicate. Its just a brand that I am particularly fond of. The Skull and the animal integrated into the letters “RVCA” have no correlation with Halloween or anything like that. But, the T-Shirt itself, in general, was communicating an intended message. You don’t typically find strong biblical, Gospel centered preaching, being done in jeans and a T- Shirt. That attire is not the cultural norm in most church environments. To some, it is a bit of a shock. And my heart is not to shake up the churched, but to welcome in the un-churched, and for them, a T-Shirt like the one I was wearing is a cultural norm, and also inviting to those who feel uncomfortable walking through the doors of a church gathering. Not everyone shares my conviction on this, but I do find it grounded in Scripture.

On one side of the coin you have Jude 3, which calls Christians to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.” This is holding tightly to the non-negotiable truths of God’s word. These are the doctrines you fight for. Things like the Trinity, sin, salvation by grace through faith, among others. We are to engage culture with this kind of close handedness when it comes to our faith. Yet on the other side of the coin we are to engage culture in a way that connects- in a relevant way. Here, I am guided to 1 Corinthians 9: 19-23, where Paul explains that “I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings.” Paul is explaining how he is free to contextualize the gospel, not by adopting the character of the world, but speaking the language of the world.

And this is the tension we all face as believers. This tension sends us into the world to be like Jesus, who came full of Grace (1 Cor 9) and Truth (Jude 3).

That said though, every believer must be led by the Holy Spirit in every situation to determine whether it is beneficial or not to engage the culture in any particular way (i.e. wearing T-Shirts with Skulls) – especially guarding against causing other believers to stumble, which Paul addresses in Romans 14 (“For is your brother is grieved by what you eat, you are no longer walking in love”). So we need to be discerning when it comes to reaching out to the lost, while not causing brother and sisters in Christ to be grieved. I can’t say that I always do this well. I am bent toward the side of engaging the culture, because I don’t feel that Christians are doing enough of it – but that’s a topic for another day!

I hope this helped a little in explaining the environment I seek to create while preaching. And I really appreciate you sharing with me, and welcome any feedback or insight, anytime.

Dear BACC family,

Since the birth of Bay Area, God has blessed us with gifted corporate worship. For many, music is the most stimulating aspect of our worship experience.  That’s one of the reasons I’m excited to share with you that we have recently embarked on a search for a full-time Worship Leader. Because of the importance of this hire, I’d like to give you an idea of the type of person we believe the Lord has for us.

First things first:  We are on a search, not so much for a worship leader, but for the Lord’s mind.  If we get the Lord’s mind, then we get the worship leader He has for us.  We know Satan is opposed to what we are doing, that’s why I’m asking all of us to bathe this process in prayer, believing His will to be done on earth as in heaven!  In faith, let’s expect God to provide!

We are looking for the worship leader “called” of God.  We are not looking for the person who needs or wants a job.  When a person is “called”, they have a settled sense of conviction that this is where Jesus wants them.  They are willing to step out in faith, sacrifice, and believe God to bless others through them.  They will have a supernatural love for the people of BACC and the Annapolis area.

We are believing God for someone of godly character who exudes passion for Jesus that is contagious.  Out of that character he is a spiritual, servant leader.

This person must be a disciple-maker who sees himself on mission with God and God’s people to see the nations worship Jesus!

He is able to lovingly shepherd the body through the conflict of unrealistic expectations, criticisms, and demands people have on worship styles.

He should have a thought through biblical theology of worship that he lives out.  Worship is to be viewed as all of life and music is seen as one aspect of worship.

There must be a high degree of musicality so that our quality of our musical offerings remains high.

The worship leader not only receives great delight in leading others in worship, but must also be fulfilled in raising up and equipping other worship leaders to lead people in worship.

We envision a worship leader who is a team builder able to work with volunteer musicians.  We don’t embrace a model that limits the participation on the worship team to a select few.   Our worship leader will be committed to and skilled at managing the tension between quality and wider participation.  This will involve a commitment to diversity (age, gender, race) on the worship teams that is aligned with the heart of God.

God’s person will be a team player.   Our worship leader will play a vital role on the gathering team.  There must be synergy with the team, and especially with Josh Shirlen (our Gathering Team Leader), Pat Linnell (our Teaching Pastor), and myself.  Some leaders prefer a less collaborative approach and desire to be more in charge.  We are looking for a person with spiritual leadership who wants to serve on a team and take responsibility for the role of worship leading as expressed in the job description.

Our worship leader will need to fit the culture and chemistry of BACC.

One final thought: the appreciation of worship music is largely subjective.  This means that regardless of who the Lord brings, some will inevitably have other stylistic preferences.  It’s my prayer that we would look beyond the subjective issues such as style, genre, or “the way it used to be,” and seek to have the mind of Christ, focusing on character and gifting we are in search of.

Throughout the history of BACC we have been blessed with truly gifted and remarkable worship leaders and musicians.  Dave Hatcher, Marshall Drake, Pat Wood and a host of others have been powerfully used by God to help mature us in Christ.  Just as He faithfully brought us these worship leaders, He will faithfully bring us the right person.  Thanks for being on the journey of discovering who God has!  Please stand with us in prayer.

Believing God with you,

Greg

This past Sunday we reflected on a few questions that help expose the things and people we deify in our lives. One of our Community Leaders (Steve Onken) wrote this helpful summary for those who wanted to spend more time on those questions:

What does “LORD” mean to you?

When the disciples of Jesus’ day called him “Lord”, they were esteeming him above Caesar, “lord” of Rome!

That was a significant, and even dangerous, distinction to make then.  What about nowadays?  “Lord” doesn’t carry much weight anymore.  But Peter, James, John and the others are all DEAD now!  WE are the disciples of today!  What is our attitude about Jesus as Lord?

Anything we hold with a tighter grip than Jesus is our lord, whether we acknowledge it or not!

Evaluation questions:

Can you ask yourself these questions honestly …

Who, or what, do you praise most passionately?

For whom, or for what, do you sacrifice your time & money?

Where do you turn first to heal the wounds of life?

Who, or what, do you trust above others?

On September 8^th and 9^th, 2011, I attended a meeting of the board of trustees of World Relief. This was the first time that I attended the Board meeting during my tenure that it was held outside of the Baltimore home office. This time it was held in Chicago. It was also the first time under the leadership of recently appointed President/CEO Stephan Bauman. I enjoy these meetings for several factors. I serve alongside some of the finest senior evangelical leaders in the US and the meetings afford me the chance to be updated on trends within the US evangelical community. I also learn a lot about board governance and senior management approaches by sitting around the table with men and women whose hearts are passionate about Christ and His church. But above all, I am touched by the desire of these men and women in standing with the vulnerable in the world.

On Thursday morning, Stephan shared of how the new leadership transition has created a much-needed positive and vital momentum within the organization of 2500 staff scattered throughout the world. A senior leadership retreat reported a compelling shared agenda. Increased efforts at fundraising are yielding satisfactory results. In reports, it was obvious that Stephan has brought renewed energy to the leadership team; as he put it, we are erring on the side of taking proactive action.

In a sub-committee teleconference two days earlier, we had been apprised of several new appointments to fill vacancies. We celebrated South Sudan in becoming a new nation in July 2011. We were also informed of still significant security issues including one of the trucks belonging to World Relief in Sudan which was overturned by a landmine, resulting in the loss of life. World Relief has now purchased ballistic blankets for their vehicle, to cover the underneath against landmines. Drivers are being trained in how to drive in such environments. This underlines to us the continuing dangers we face as we seek to stand with the vulnerable.

Some of the board members came to Chicago from international trips, one coming as far as from Singapore! Board members whose schedules are much heavier than mine always show remarkable commitment with their presence and engagement. The board discussed and approved the new year’s budget. They also discussed at length a possible continuity program: a person-to-person initiative that makes support for and advocacy of justice a personal and individual issue. How can the US church tap its vast social network, a formidable spiritual network in standing with the vulnerable around the world? That was a question with which we engaged from different angles.

On Thursday afternoon, we paid a site visit to the World Relief Chicago Office in Albany Park. Over forty languages are spoken in that zip code, which is considered one of the most diverse parts of the city. Lilian Samaan, an American citizen of Jordanian roots, gave us a tour that related to the lives of refugees before they arrive in the US. Many of us were surprised to learn that it is not unusual for some refugees to stay in refugee camps 10-15 years before they are given opportunity to resettle in another country. Many children who are born in refugee camps do not know the home countries of their parents. World Relief is one of the organizations that resettle refugees in the US. The Chicago office does this work with grace and understanding. We learned from recently arrived refugees about of the various steps in adjusting to life in an urban US area. A man from Burma forcefully compared his former life as night and his present circumstances as day. He recounted how he has exchanged his bamboo dwelling for a high-rise in Chicago. He proudly reported of how World Relief has helped him to get a job and now he is able to provide for his family. All of this was rendered in English, a language that he learned when he came to the US. Even though the US government funds the refugees for 3 months, the World Relief staff showed that their interaction with the refugees typically lasts from 6-12 months. The top three countries from which refugees come these days are Iraq, Bhutan and Burma.

After the tour, we had a session in a hall where we met all the staff and some volunteers and friends of refugees. It was remarkable to note that more than half the staff members are former refugees themselves. Lilian, who heads the office, exuded palpable enthusiasm for her job. Her background is in working for such leading mission agencies such as TransWorld Radio and Operation Mobilization. She served on O. M.’s  ship Doulos in 33 cities, 24 countries and 4 continents. An elderly gentleman Jerry, who had adopted an Ethiopian family for the last ten years, recounted the joy and privilege he has to serve as father and grandfather to a family that was fatherless. One statement he made stuck with me: If everyone knew that all it took was love, everyone would be volunteering to host refugees. Stephan, a pastor of a Korean church, confessed that earlier he had not been interested in refugee resettlement even though most of his church had benefitted from the program in the past. In his re-engagement, he has now helped a Nepali congregation to meet at his church building on Sunday evenings. Sadly, only 5 churches in the immediate area take advantage of the opportunity to provide donated furniture, a warm welcome and continuing friendship to these refugees, some of whom are Christians fleeing religious persecution from their homelands.

On Thursday evening, Dr. David L. Parkyn, President of North Park University and friend of World Relief, hosted us in the university’s Hamming Hall. Over 200 friends, donors, and staff of World Relief gathered to eat and to hear inspiring messages from the leadership. The board also paid tribute to Sam Wolgemuth, a former board chair who served as interim CEO during the 9 months of transition from Sammy May to Stephan Bauman. The evening’s keynote was given by a former fellow Boston pastor, Dr. Soong-Chan Rah, author of The Next Evangelicalism: Freeing the Church from western cultural captivity.

Dr. Rah lamented on how the demographic shift in the center of Christianity from European/American heartland to Asia/Africa/Latin America has not been matched by a comparable shift in finance, power and influence. He lauded desire and attempts at adapting Christianity to cultural forms, but warned that all too quickly the gospel becomes so domesticated that it is almost indistinguishable from the local culture. He contrasted the theology of haves, which is celebration, and the theology of have-nots, which is suffering. He challenged the powerful US church, dominated by a theology of celebration, to go to those suffering and learn in humility by listening to their stories. Just as the resurrection does not make sense without the cross, so a theology which is heavily weighted on celebration or suffering is a reflection of a partial and ineffective gospel. For me, as a mission’s pastor, his most telling comment was that if a westerner goes to a non-western world and has not been mentored by a non-westerner, he goes as a colonialist.

I go to these meetings to get as much (if not more) as I hope I give. I was given the privilege of leading in devotions at the beginning of the board meeting, for which I used the video on the World Methodist Peace 2011 Award recipient Ros Colwill. I also ended with a prayer by Max Lucado on 911 – Do it Again, Lord! When I go to these meetings I am reminded afresh of the mission of partnering with the church, both global and local, in standing with those vulnerable in our world today. The 4 million plus served by the global World Relief family become front and center of our thoughts and prayers, even when we are meeting as we did on the 80^th floor of the AON Building, the luxurious Mid-America Club, and sleeping at the equally well-apportioned Hyatt nearby. (All in a day’s work.) I give thanks to God that He keeps my heart focused in the midst of everything on the things that break His heart.

- Casely

How are we to know what problems/trials/weights we are to handle and which ones to impart upon the LORD? Are we not supposed to do work on our own too?

Two great passages to refer to on this question are Galatians 6:1-10 and Matthew 11:28-30.

In the Galatians passage, it seems like the writer gives conflicting advice.  First, we are told to carry our own load.  Then, we are told to do good and help lift the burdens of our brothers.  Which is it?  It is both.  We are to carry our own loads, in the sense of taking responsibility for our behavior, our relationships, and those challenges that God allows in our lives.  At the same time, we are to willingly help each other.  Think of it this way: Imagine a few friends hiking together with a guide, each carrying a backpack loaded with food, water and equipment.  Now imagine one person growing weary during the early part of the hike and handing his pack to the guide to carry.  That sounds all right at first, and the person who was tired is definitely feeling better.  But now imagine a second hiker becoming tired and asking the guide to carry his pack and then a third.  Pretty soon, the guide is carrying too much weight and the whole group suffers.  The better solution is for the whole group to rest periodically or for those who feel strong enough to split up the contents of the packs or for different people to take turns shouldering the extra weight or to simply take a shorter route.  We have to carry our own responsibilities in life, and we need each other.

But what about man carrying his own problems versus giving the weight to God?

Jesus answers that dilemma for us in the Matthew passage.  Coming out of a time of prayer to his heavenly Father, he invites us to come to him when we are heavy laden and receive rest.  He invites us to learn from him and find rest for our souls.  And he describes his yoke as easy and his burden as light.  We are always invited to share our burdens with the Lord and to exchange the weight we cannot carry for his rest.  If I have a financial debt, for example, or if I’ve hurt someone or am depressed or fearful or feeling overwhelmed by life’s challenges, Jesus invites me to give him the burden and receive his rest and help in return.  And he helps.  Sometimes he helps through the removal of the difficulty, sometimes he sends someone else to help with the problem, sometimes we experience his peace and a new perspective on handling the situation and sometimes we get his comfort and companionship in the midst of the pain or loss.  Jesus helps us in a variety of ways, but pain is almost always born best in community – when we support each other and turn to God for his help.

When is an exorcism required?

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica (a good place to start for a definition), an exorcism is a prayer addressed to evil spirits to force them to abandon an object, place or person; technically, a ceremony to expel demons from persons who have come under their power.  Jesus expelled demons (Matthew 8:28-34, Luke 7:21, Luke 8:2) and his followers also drove out demons in his name (Luke 10:17, Acts 19:11,12).  And throughout the history of our faith, people have sought intervention when they sensed oppression by an ungodly spirit.  In our evangelical culture, “exorcism” is a term rarely heard in Sunday morning worship but it is a practice embraced by a number of believers.

The distinction is generally made between possession and influence.  In demon possession, the person is owned or controlled by an evil spirit(s) from within.  And it is important to know that a believer cannot be possessed by a demon.  There is no place in Scripture where an evil spirit is in possession of a Jesus-follower and 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19 teach that the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.  If there is an evil spirit possessing someone, that person is not a believer and the family or friends should pray for that man or woman and seek pastoral help in this matter.  This act of seeking help to deliver a non-believer from demon possession is what we would call exorcism.

Demon influence is what Greg was preaching on last Sunday.  Demonic influence is interference in a person’s life from the outside.  Spirits move freely in the spirit realm and have the ability to influence believers and non-believers alike through temptation or deception (remember rat thoughts and the roaring lion).  Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, and he resisted through God’s Word (Matthew 4). We are to pray the moment we sense there is demon influence, then flee temptation or resist the lion.

If Satan isn’t omnipresent how can he affect all humans?

There is only one being known as “Satan” (accuser), also known as “Lucifer” (light-bearer) or “the devil.”  He is a created being and is described in Ezekiel 28:12-19 as the model of perfection and a beautiful being.  So what went wrong?  He was led astray by his own beauty and splendor and was expelled by God from Heaven (Revelation 12:7-9).

But he wasn’t the only one expelled.  Revelation 12:7-9 tells us that Satan had influence over a number of demons and they were hurled to the earth with him.  So Satan is not omnipresent, there are many demons who work together.  Remember, too, that as a non-corporeal being, Satan isn’t confined by physical space.  He doesn’t have to walk to his next location or travel by plane; Satan and his angels travel freely through the spirit realm.

I’m confused on what’s wrong with the thought, “I don’t need anybody, I can solve this on my own.”

We need each other (Colossians 1:3-9).  1 Corinthians 12 tells us that we are all part of the body of Christ and that we need each other to grow, to learn, to resist, to be all that God has designed us to be.  All too often we stay to ourselves, hiding things that we’re ashamed of or telling ourselves we’ll live more transparently just as soon as we handle this problem or issue, but that’s not the model Jesus gave.  Jesus, the very Son of God, lived in community.  He lived with his disciples and he ate, worshipped, worked, wept, slept and learned together.  In his final moments with the disciples all together, he showed them the full extent of his love by washing their feet and teaching them to love each other (John 13).

It is great to make use of the gifts and abilities God gives us as we make decisions for our lives and the life of our family.  But we need each other.  We are to confess our sins to one another (James 5:16), pray with one another (John 17, Acts 1:14, Matthew 18:20), share in communion together (Acts 2:42), fellowship together (Acts 2:42), worship together (Hebrews 10:24,25), help carry each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:1-10) and live expressing our love for one another others will know we are Jesus-followers (John 13:34,35).

Which scriptures are best to pray to help resist the devils’ temptations?

A great scripture to pray is our sermon text from last week: I Peter 5:8-10. “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”

Also, James 4:7 is a short but powerful reminder.  “Submit yourselves to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Finally, this passage helps us keep in mind the one who is the very reminder of truth.  In John 16:13-14, Jesus told his disciples: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.”

Submit or draw near to God, pray for the Spirit’s discernment, resist the enemy and recite all the favorite Scripture passages that speak truth into your life and help you focus on God.

- Shelley Drake

Even though a small team of two, Dr. Francis Adams and I were given a full plate of ministry engagements. We started our mission by attending a day-long training retreat for the Christian teachers who shepherd the Scripture Union groups in the various schools. We were humbled to see about 50 of them spend their entire Saturday to learn how to be better mentors, disciplers and teachers of the students. These men and women have access to some of the most formative years of the students’ lives, and they alone are poised to make such a positive and lasting difference in the lives of the students which will last all lifelong. Their devotion and commitment to that cause was humbling. Dr. Francis gave a devotional on 1 Tim 2:22 and I spoke on Serving as Missionaries in the School Context.
Our next large engagement was to the 1583-student strong Aburi Girls Secondary School. The school offers one of the best academic preparation for girls in west Africa. It being their last Sunday before the school year ends added another layer of excitement. Several music ministries performed very well before I preached on Blessed to be a Blessing, using the story of the Four lepers in 2 Kings 7:3ff. After supper, we also met the 300+ Scripture Union group and Dr. Adams charged them to be faithful in obeying the Scriptures. The day was long but we ended with a sense of having been used by God to interact with some of the brightest students of the land.
Another ministry engagement was at Chemu Senior High School in Tema. We were invited to their Wednesday morning school assembly and Dr. Francis Adams delivered a very assuring message based on Psalm 23. It was very well received as the students were preparing to take exams that very morning.
We have also visited the newly donated house that serves as the official residence of the General Director of Scripture Union, and also were delighted to be able to present a very much needed photocopier/printer Xerox 7424 to the national office of Scripture Union.
On a more personal note, I am thankful to God that I was able to travel to Cape Coast to visit my aunties and uncles and other members of my extended family. I am grateful especially for the opportunity to spend 24 hours with my brother Johann with whom I have not spoken for more than 15 minutes at any time in the last decade or so. I was as much encouraged having him accompany me as he said he was by my inviting him to come along. One colleague in the church here also died and at the funeral, I was glad that several friends came so we could connect.
Over all I am thankful to God for this opportunity to serve. As several of you know, I had misgivings about coming with just one other team member but that was over ridden immediately I saw Dr. Francis Adams interacting with the students. The Lord has placed such a huge heart for the ministry on his heart that he has already made some very significant financial contributions while here.
Just within 24 hours of arriving. I was once again reminded of “third world realities” – I had to take a cold shower scooping water on my body; we had to travel on roads that are yet to be worked on; we experienced lights out twice for several hours within the first 24 hours; and of course, I have had limited access to the internet and hence to communication with the outside world. But all of these pale in significance, when I remember the smiling faces of the students we reached. If any one of them notes in their lives that our meeting marked a turning point in their walk with the Lord either by first understanding and receiving Christ or that we brought a spirit of renewal – that will be worth it.
Thank you for standing with us in prayer and support.
Casely
PS On Tuesday Aug 2, I leave a missions conference in South Africa returning to the US Aug 10.
PSS It was poignant to hear of the death of John Stott while sitting in the US office. One of the books I’m reading on this trip is his: The Radical Disciple: Some neglected aspects of our calling. Vintage Stott: simple, biblical, applicable. In an insightful section on death and a subsection on death in missions, he paraphrases Mark 8:35 with which I end: Whoever is determined to hold on to themselves and live for themselves, will lose themselves. But whoever is willing to die, to lose themselves, to give themselves away in the service of Christ and the gospel, will (in the moment of complete abandon), find themselves and discover  their true identity”

August 2, 2011

Two Sundays ago, Mary Kaye and I shared some of our marriage “dance”.  By God’s grace, we’ve learned a lot…especially me (because I had the farthest to go- you think?!).  Originally I was going to take a completely different twist with the message.  An angle that comes from observing and counseling married couples for years.  Not everyone will agree with me…but here is what I didn’t share.

If a husband truly strives to love his wife like Jesus, the marriage will flourish.

That’s it. That’s what I believe.  Controversial?  Perhaps.  Some will rebut there are no guarantees.  All I can say is that I’ve never ever seen a marriage fail when the husband seeks to love his spouse like Jesus. I have, however, seen far too many cases in which a wife is fully committed to loving her husband like Jesus and yet the husband remains hardened.

Here’s why.  We all need love.  But God especially built women to respond to it.   When a man loves a woman with Jesus’ love, over time it doesn’t matter how much money he makes, how flabby his stomach might get…love overpowers her.

This is why Paul instructs husbands to “love their wives as Christ loved the church” (Eph 5:25).  Interestingly, Paul does not specifically tell wives to do the same.  She is to submit to and respect her husband.  When a husband loves like Jesus, the wife –unless she has given her heart to another man – will over time be won by his love and the marriage will flourish.  This is one of the reasons I am hard on myself and husbands.  If we will step it up to be Jesus to our wives, that love is an irresistible overwhelming power that will eventually win the day.

Besides loving her like Jesus, for a great marriage, there are three other things I didn’t share but wanted to.

First, what every wife needs in a husband is what is found in the heart of Jesus.  Did you know that there is only one passage in the bible where Jesus describes his heart?  It’s found in the Gospel of Matthew when Jesus says:

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  Matt 11:29 KJV

Here is a word every wife longs for in her husband (though she might not know it).  It is the word, “meek”.  Too bad this word has fallen from grace these days.  I like it very much (almost as much a “propitiation”!).  It carries with it the idea of power under control.  To be meek is to be tough and tender; lion-hearted and lamb-like; strong and sensitive.  In old English one would “meek a horse”- which is to bring all that mighty strength under control.  What a wife truly longs for is not a star athlete, not a charismatic leader, not a successful businessman. She longs for a courageous, gentle, strong husband.  Meek.

Second, a wife yearns to be honored by her husband.  So much of her identity radiates from how her husband views and treats her.  If she feels special, significant, esteemed, she can overlook ten thousand bonehead mistakes we husbands make.  Peter puts it like this:

“You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life”.  1 Peter 3:7

Wives are honored when husbands are sensitive to them.  Long ago I relinquished the expectation that I would ever fully understand Mary Kaye.  No can do; it’s Mars and Venus.  But that in no way frees me from the responsibility to live with her in a sensitive, tender, understanding way.  Wives are honored when husbands treat them as something cherished (that’s the idea behind “someone weaker”).  A friend gave me this helpful picture.  She said, “Greg, remember when you first found out that Mary Kaye was pregnant? How you were extra sensitive to her, treated her more gently, were more aware of her presence and what she was doing?  That’s how you honor her.”  To honor is to treasure and cherish deeply.  When a wife feels that from a husband, life is good on the homefront.

And finally, a wife needs to trust that her husband is faithful and pure.   There is nothing more devastating to a marriage than infidelity.  When a wife knows that her husband is “faithful to death do us part”, it helps free her to share her deepest thoughts, give herself fully sexually, sleep well at night when he is traveling, and age  gracefully knowing her husband isn’t fantasizing over someone 20 years younger.  The writer of Hebrews issues this strong warning:

Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.    Hebrews 13:4

So…what I didn’t share two weeks ago but deeply believe is that so much of the weight of marriage rests on the spiritual leadership of the husband.  If the husband will passionately pursue Jesus so that Jesus is meeting his needs for security and significance, and then commit himself in Jesus’ strength to sacrificially love his wife, reflect Christ-like meekness, honor her, and be sexually faithful to her…over time…it’s irresistible.  The marriage will flourish.  Why? Because God built her to yearn for this kind of relationship.

I close with one final thought: It’s easier to write or read about this than actually do it.  But husbands, these are our marching orders.  So let’s step it up today!