Spurgeon had a way with words and imagery…
“Do not give me ready money now; give a cheque book, and let me draw what I like. That is what God does with the believer. He does not immediately transfer his inheritance to him, but lets him draw what he needs out of the riches of His fulness in Christ Jesus.”
Charles Spurgeon, The Lord is my Shepherd
To those gracious and generous souls who supported Timothy and me on our trip… thank you! Your prayers and connections through Facebook and emails greatly encouraged us and our team while we were in Africa. And I can’t help but wonder how differently our trip would have felt and progressed without your prayers?! After all, our flight to Liberia was to take only two days. Instead, it took six! I truly believe our team was under attack as time after time our progress was delayed or halted altogether. But the enemy can only bring what the Lord permits and in the end we did arrive and do what we felt God had called us to do.
Once in country, our shortened trip took us directly to the Bush (jungle area). When we arrived at the small jungle village, we were greeted in the dark of night by over 50 pastors and teachers, many which had come from miles away for the training we would lead. Amidst dancing and singing, a welcoming ceremony unfolded in a little church where only a few years ago people had never even heard the Good News of Jesus Christ. Now, pastors were assembling to learn how to better handle God’s Word. I’m a bit emotional and greatly humbled to think I had the opportunity to minister amongst them.
There were 22 “hopeful” and “hungry” pastors in all, some of whom had walked several hours just to attend. “Hopeful” that amidst the persecution they face in this area – that the blinders would be removed from the hearts of those with whom they share Jesus. “Hungry” that more materials, more Bibles, and more training would come to their obscure little part of the world. 
Kerry Buttram, Robby Wisnewski, and myself spent hours teaching through II Timothy (we only made it up to chapter 3!) and parts of Acts. The pastors themselves had many questions, some dealing with various passages and some dealing with practical issues facing the African Church. “What is the sin unto death?” and “What should we do with a man who has four wives and becomes a believer?” were just two examples. Just everyday, run-of-the-mill questions…
…I was seeing what it is like for pastors, many of whom were just young Christians themselves – who live in hostile environments – gulp down whatever spiritual water was shared with them and they still wanted more. Some of these “pastors” had taken the role because out of the few believers in their area, they may be the only one who could read. And so they try to faithfully follow the Savior, relying on the Spirit and the knowledge that only Jesus satisfies. Their parting words to us: “Please come again. Come again with MORE.” So, as I write, I’m asking the Lord to make that a reality.
As we were greeted by the Elders of the town, we heard them say, “we are glad you have come. You’ve even brought your children to meet our children. Thank you.” God is definitely up to something! Please pray for the pastors in this area. The opportunity is there, but because of the established religion in the area, my heart tells me that the persecution is going to grow.
After three nights in the jungle, our team did return to the capital city, Monrovia, on Thursday the 16th. After three days of “bucket baths” in the jungle, we were able to enjoy a shower with running water! Oh the comforts I take for granted! But it felt sooooo good. Later that night, we also went to a restaurant and enjoyed a nice meal.
On Friday, we were greeted by 57 teachers from 4 different Christian Schools on the campus of E.L.W.A. Christian Academy. Rob Marks, Karen Rigsby, Lisa Romines, and myself taught on a variety of topics … everything from assessment to worldviews. The teachers were separated into two groups: preschool – 1st grade, and then all the other grades above them. The teachers received our seminars gladly and readily. It is humbling to be used as an encourager to men and women who are being used by God to repair the lives of a city that has been crushed and destroyed by a war that went on for 14 years… most of those years without education.
I don’t think our team ever met anyone who hadn’t experienced loss, who hadn’t had their lives turned upside down. There is still no electricity in homes or businesses unless there is a generator to run things. Poverty is rampant. Traffic is chaotic. Pollution is suffocating. And yet, God is working, moving, unfazed by a lack of technology and commerce. These things will come and indeed are coming back even today. And so is Jesus and the church He is building there.
Pray for Liberia. Pray for Samaritan’s Purse. They have HUGE opportunities to affect this country for Christ. So does Water of Life, another organization that we partner with in Liberia. The wells and clean water they are bringing to people in Jesus’ name is showing Christ’s love in very powerful and practical ways.
Thank you again for your prayers. And for those of you who gave financially – Timothy and I are so appreciative. May the Lord richly repay you for your kindness.
P.S. There is some intentional vagueness on my part related to locations and religions. If you want more information, get in contact with me. 🙂
Spurgeon had a way with words and imagery…
“Do not give me ready money now; give a cheque book, and let me draw what I like. That is what God does with the believer. He does not immediately transfer his inheritance to him, but lets him draw what he needs out of the riches of His fulness in Christ Jesus.”
Charles Spurgeon, The Lord is my Shepherd
There shall be more wonder at the going to heaven of the weak believers than at the stronger ones. Mr. Greatheart, when he comes there, will owe his victories to his Master and lay his laurels at his feet; but fainting Feeblemind and limping Ready-to-Halt with his crutches, and trembling Little-Faith—when they enter into rest, will make heaven ring with notes of even greater admiration that such poor creeping worms of the earth should win the day by mighty grace.
Suppose that one of them should be missing at the last? Stop the harps! Silence the songs! No beginning to be merry while one child is shut out! I am quite certain if, as a family, we were going to sing our evening hymn of joy and thankfulness, if mother said, ‘Where is the little mite? Where is the last one of the family?’ there would be a pause. If we had to say, ‘She is lost,’ there would be no singing and no resting till she was found.
It is the glory of Jesus that as a shepherd he has lost none of His flock, as the Captain of salvation, he has brought many sons to glory and has lost none.”
Charles Spurgeon, “Jesus Admired in Them That Believe”
Just had to share this… I love it.
Horatio Bonar, in the first paragraph of his short work, The Everlasting Righteousness, summarizes the impact the Holy Spirit using sound doctrine can have on individuals. In this case, he is referring to the era of the Reformation:
“The awakened conscience of the sixteenth century betook itself to “the righteousness of God.” There it found refuge, at once from condemnation and from impurity. Only by “righteousness” could it be pacified; and nothing less than that which is divine could meet the case. At the cross this “righteousness” was found; human, yet divine: provided for man, and presented to him by God, for relief of conscience and justification of life. On the one word tetelestai “It is finished,” as on a heavenly resting-place, weary souls sat down and were refreshed. The voice from the tree did not summon them to do, but to be satisfied with what was done. Millions of bruised consciences there found healing and peace.”
Horatio Bonar
The Everlasting Righteousness, Preface
In His mind, when the true understanding of “the righteousness of God” was made clear, it was as if chains of bondage fell off people. As I read his words, I was reminded of the great work God has done even on my behalf. Nothing I deserved. Nothing I earned. Nothing I scammed. Simply God being God. Reaching down and saving whom He wills. Why He chose to save me? That lies in the eternal mystery of God’s pleasure. For my part though, He truly has done it all. I wonder if the church of today doesn’t need a shot of that same reality? Is the life-giving/life-saving righteousness of God truly enough or must there be more… more effort, more prayer, more Bible reading, more fasting, more giving, more volunteerism, more religious rites, more church services attended, more of whatever I think it is going to take for God to be pleased with me? What I think the church at large today has failed to reckon is that anything we add to the Gospel of Jesus Christ in order to gain relationship with God is death. As has been said before, “The Gospel plus anything equals nothing. The Gospel plus nothing equals everything.” Prior to our conversion and even after it, the Gospel calls us to abandon all self-improvement projects – anything that adds to the work of Christ to reach us and save us. Repeating the words of Horatio Bonar: “The voice from the tree did not summon them to do, but to be satisfied with what was done.”
Drink deep… be impressed by… be satisfied with the God who has done it all.
Early this morning, I had breakfast with Sam Storms (not literally… I was just reading one of his books). The particular book was Signs of the Spirit. I found some wonderful morsels to chew on and thought I would share a couple of the tid-bits that stirred me.
“When the soul of a believer receives God’s light, ‘its nature is changed, and it becomes properly a luminous thing. Not only does the sun shine in the saints, but they also become little suns, partaking of the nature of the fountain of their light.’
“The communication of God to the soul releases a divine energy and power that reaches to the depths of the heart and affects its very nature, imparting an abiding divine presence that sustains over a lifetime the gradual renovation of the thoughts and impulses and actions of the soul.” (Signs of the Spirit, page 121)
Paul wrote in II Corinthians 3.18:
And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. (ESV)
What a wonderful thing to know that when I am rescued by a soul-seeking, sin-pardoning, salvation-bringing Savior, not only is my slate cleaned, but I am also radically changed within so that I partake of the Spirit in such a way that He tranforms me from one degree of glory (this weak and fallen state) to another degree of glory (greater conformity to the image of Christ). And therein lies a great mystery to me – a perfect God dwelling inside an imperfect man, doing what only He can do – rescue me… over and over again; day-by-day.
Any number of things may have an effect on how we think and feel, but God alone changes the nature of the soul itself. (SotS, 119)
Ever felt like there was more to your experience than what you were experiencing? Jacob found out what that was like… In Genesis 28, God records for us an encounter that He had with the man whom He had chosen to be His vessel of blessing to the world.
Jacob, a scoundrel and schemer – sent away by his father Isaac to find a wife amongst his relatives – sent away by his mother Rebecca to be safe from his brother Esau – flat broke – on his own for the first time – free of mama’s skirt strings – fending for self – alone in the world – laid his head down on a stone to sleep. On top of all of this, the writer lights our minds to the fact that “the sun had set.” This really was a dark time in Jacob’s life – but as Jacob found out, God specializes in dark times.
“Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed… And behold, the Lord … said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.’ 16 Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.’ 17 And he was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.’”
Genesis 28:12-17
Quite honestly, this passage amazes and astounds me. It gives me hope and causes me to cry out for the God who is there. I see much of me in Jacob. Like him, I can be a conniver, a deceiver, and a schemer. Like Jacob, there have been times in my life where I have worked to ensure that the blessings God had already promised did in fact become my own. I told people that God could be trusted and then I went out and acted as if He couldn’t. And even as Jacob was a usurper, I see that God’s mercy was indeed wide enough to cover the unfaithfulness and doubt that existed. Indeed, it covers my own unfaithfulness and doubt. I see the Gospel in this passage, for I see a God who promises deliverance and salvation to Jacob in spite of everything that Jacob has done (and hasn’t done).
In this passage, God writes several checks that will be cashed by Jacob both at a later date and in the moment… payment so undeserved that the lavishness of the promises boggles the mind. Land returned and bestowed even after leaving home for a couple of decades. God’s presence and protection given in order to insure that Jacob makes it back from his travels. And for all Jacob knows, these promises are going to cover weeks, maybe months, but certainly not years and definitely not decades! The promise of a family that would spread through all the earth is the great indicator though that God is up to something massive. God stays by Jacob and reveals Himself to Jacob through many years of what I am sure seemed like a desert of hardship.
And so, with sleep in his eyes, Jacob comes to the wonderful conclusion that “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” Ever been there? I have. Am. Will be again. God was giving to Jacob faith, the stuff without which we cannot please the Lord. The stuff without which we can’t have relationship with God. The stuff without which man remains an enemy of God. The stuff without which the spiritual world remains a myth.
A.W. Tozer, a long time pastor now dead, wrote:
“Faith enables our spiritual sense to function. Where faith is defective the result will be inward insensibility and numbness toward spiritual things. This is the condition of vast numbers of Christians today. No proof is necessary to support that statement. We have but to converse with the first Christian we meet or enter the first church we find open to acquire all the proof we need.
A spiritual kingdom lies all about us, enclosing us, embracing us, altogether within reach of our inner selves, waiting for us to recognize it. God Himself is here waiting our response to His Presence. This eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to reckon upon its reality…
Faith creates nothing; it simply reckons upon that which is already there. God and the spiritual world are real. We can reckon upon them with as much assurance as we reckon upon the familiar world around us. Spiritual things are there (or rather we should say here) inviting our attention and challenging our trust.”
As I grow in this thing called the Christian life, I am coming to reckon more and more (like Jacob) that “the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it.” I want the Lord to close these gaps of blindness more and more each day so that one day I will see more than I do now. I am not a man of great faith, but my faith is growing and sensing afresh that there is a God who still speaks, who still guides, who still holds and protects, who still moves, who still does miracles.
Tozer, a man for whom I am growing to respect and admire more and more, continued on with his thoughts about faith:
“The spiritual is real. If we would rise into that region of light and power plainly beckoning us through the Scriptures of truth we must break the evil habit of ignoring the spiritual. We must shift our interest from the seen to the unseen. For the great unseen Reality is God. `He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.‘ (Hebrews 11:6) This is basic in the life of faith. From there we can rise to unlimited heights. `Ye believe in God,‘ said our Lord Jesus Christ, `believe also in me.‘ (John 14:1) Without the first there can be no second.”
This is more than just “Matrix” thinking, positively believing that we can somehow overcome a world that is holding us back… blue pill vs. red pill thinking… this is believing that there is truly a world we are called to live in, and that in this world is the God who is.
“As we begin to focus upon God the things of the spirit will take shape before our inner eyes. Obedience to the word of Christ will bring an inward revelation of the Godhead (John 14:21-23). It will give acute perception enabling us to see God even as is promised to the pure in heart. A new God-consciousness will seize upon us and we shall begin to taste and hear and inwardly feel the God who is our life and our all. There will be seen the constant shining of the light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world. (John 1:9) More and more, as our faculties grow sharper and more sure, God will become to us the great All, and His Presence the glory and wonder of our lives.”
The Lord is in this place, and I know it.
I had a chance to watch some of the Football Hall of Fame enshrinement on Saturday evening. The Class of 2008 included Fred Dean, Darrell Green, Art Monk, Emmitt Thomas, Andre Tippett, and Gary Zimmerman. As I watched I was struck by the fact that to a man, these great ballplayers, while physically gifted, never considered their success to be an individual accomplishment. As a matter of fact, the three speeches I did hear were basically tributes to family, friends, and teammates who helped them to become the players they had become. And the two words from these speeches that stick out the most in my mind are simply: “Thank you.”
There were thank yous to coaches and owners, teachers and mentors, parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, sons and daughters, grandchildren, cousins, fans, friends, and spouses. Thank you after thank you went out to people who either gave them a hand up, a shoulder to stand on (maybe even to cry on), or perhaps a much needed, kick in the pants. For the most part, these men had the necessary physical assetts, but there are many players who have great talents and never amount to much… These men not only succeeded (I would submit that anyone who makes it to the pro level in a sport has succeeded at their trade) but became “great” (isn’t that part of the definition of a Hall of Famer? someone who was “great” at their position?) And they did so because they had people who loved, encouraged, touched, and buoyed them when no one else would. At the end of the day, the only fitting tribute to give to someone like that is a word that wells up from the heart… “Thank you.”
In some small way, this blog is supposed to point people to the fame of the God who is worthy of praise. As I listened to these speeches, I found myself thinking that my journey toward God is also really nothing short of a journey of thanks. Some of the Hall of Famers talked of improbable odds. I’m no Hall of Famer (in any category), but as a sinner (Rom. 3.23) and one time enemy of God (Eph. 2.3), it is only fitting for me to speak of impossible odds. The Bible is clear that without faith, it is impossible for me to please God (Heb. 11.6). The Bible is clear that without being radically tied into Jesus, it is impossible to have a life that produces a Jesus kind of fruit (John 15.4-8). The Bible is clear that left to myself, it is impossible for me to chose Jesus or even seek after Him (Romans 3.10-12; Ephesians 2.1). The Bible is clear that without the Spirit, it is impossible for me to comprehend the plan (wisdom) of God (I Cor. 2.7, 14).
That’s why I am so thankful for a God who specializes in the impossible. The Bible is clear that with man these kinds of things are impossible, but “with God all things are possible” (Matt. 19.26). My life was faithless but Ephesians 2.8 tells me that faith is the gift of God and I have it now. I was like a branch severed from the life giving vine of Jesus but Colossians 3.4 tells me that now, Christ is my life. I wasn’t even looking for God, but Ephesians 1.4 tells me that God was looking for me and chose me before the foundation of the world and now I am His. I was blinded by Satan who was keeping me from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, but God said, “Let light shine out of darkness,’ and He has shone into my heart to give me the light of the knowledge of the glory of god in the face of Jesus Christ” (II Corinthians 4.6).
When I let the weight of the glory of these statements press down on me, I find myself with a thesaurus of words to appeal to, but capable of using only two that really captures what my heart truly wants to say… “Thank you.”
“Our dull, culturally saturated churches have too often forgotten what and how to celebrate. The dull church goes through the liturgical motions mechanically, without passion. The dull church must ask itself, “Why theater/church at all?” In contrast, there are now megachurches in North America that, while far from dull, are unclear as to what is being celebrated. Some celebrate the physical facilities, others the music, and still others this or that therapeutic program. But the cry of Christian celebration is not “Eureka, I have found it” but “Eucharisto, He has found us!” The church, as the theater of the gospel, celebrates the good news that God is with us and for us… The company of the gospel celebrates the body of Christ, given for us-celebrates being the body of Christ“
Kevin VanHoozer, “The Drama of Doctrine” (WJK, 2005), pg. 407
I came across this quote in a recent newsletter I receive. I was so arrested by the second half of the quote that I wanted to post it. Surely this is the way that all rescued people feel… Surely this is the way that we should respond every time we are encountered with the truth of the Gospel… Surely this sentiment should be the motivation that compels us to cry out to the Lord in praise and adoration… Surely the realization that “He has found us!” should awaken our hearts in exultation.
Perhaps church should be more like a rescue site where formerly hopeless people are now excited, thrilled, and amazed, because their friends and family, who had been trapped in a collapsed cave, were finally dug out after 2 days without heat, light, food, or hope… and were rescured alive!… perhaps church should be more like a neighborhood street where families are gathered and celebrating over the fact that two children were pulled from a second story window before the house went up in flames, and saying “thank you, thank you, thank you” to the firemen who rescued the children… or perhaps church should be more like the young mother who is crying, laughing, rejoicing, and hugging her child after the 8 year old was lifted from the bottom of the pool – without pulse, blue in the face, not breathing – but the lifeguard who was simply doing his job, revived her… “thank you, thank you, thank you!”
“He has found us!”… in the cave of sin that collapsed around us … without air, without light, without human touch, without knowledge of what to do, water converting dirt to mud, time was out – BUT, “He has found us!”
Ephesians 2.11-13:
11 Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh…
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
Sentinel Court 
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