What Does God's Calling Look Like Today?

⁶ And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. ⁷ And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them. ⁸ So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. ⁹ And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” ¹⁰ And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

¹¹ So, setting sail from Troas, we made a direct voyage to Samothrace, and the following day to Neapolis, ¹² and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city some days.¹³ And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to the riverside, where we supposed there was a place of prayer, and we sat down and spoke to the women who had come together. ¹⁴ One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul. ¹⁵ And after she was baptized, and her household as well, she urged us, saying, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay.” And she prevailed upon us. 

²³ And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to keep them safely. ²⁴ Having received this order, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, ²⁶ and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bonds were unfastened. ²⁷ When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul cried with a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” ²⁹ And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. ³⁴ Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God. (Acts 16:6-15, 23-34)

The Holy Spirit told the apostle Paul “no”.  Sounds a little strange, doesn’t it?  On two occasions Paul wanted to go into northern Asian Minor (modern Turkey) and preach the gospel.  But, He who “makes known the end from the beginning” and who says, “my purposes will stand and I will do all that I please” (Isaiah 46:10) said, “Not now…Paul.”  God’s timing is always perfect!

But “not now” was countered with a vision of a man from Macedonia saying, “Come over here and help us.”  Paul and Silas headed for Philippi, a leading city in Macedonia.

The inbreaking of the kingdom of God in Philippi is interesting.  I often wonder how Paul – if he did at all! – envisioned the beginnings of this new church plant.  Interestingly, the kingdom launches with a “non-resident” (Lydia was from the city of Thyatira) and a Roman Jailor who was standing watch in the prison where Paul and Silas were being kept.  A conversation by a riverside and listening to prayers and singing at midnight that stirred the imagination of a jailor brought two people and a handful of others into the blessings of the gospel.  These two people, who probably didn’t know each other previously, come together, along with a few others, and form the body of Christ in Philippi.  Amazing! 

 

I enjoy reading the conversion stories in the book of Acts.  Each reading reveals something new about the gospel and the kingdom.  Reading through Acts 16 stirred my imagination about a few things:   

1.  It’s the American way to “plan” everything we do.  Churches aren’t much different.  There is something to be said for “strategizing.”  But perhaps we put too much credence in gallop polls when it comes to bringing the gospel to people.  Paul got into the streets and moved about talking to people.  He planted the seed of the gospel wherever he had opportunity. He interfaced with people.  No marquees.  No internet.  No press releases.  No big events that they invited people to.  No…he talked to people.  In Paul’s absence, a woman merchant and a jailor spread the gospel.  This story reminds me that if we have a genuine conviction about the gospel it will compel us into more face-to-face” conversations with people. 

2.  This story reminds me that we shouldn’t underestimate small beginnings.  Churches sometimes reflect the values of culture.  We talk about “niches, special interest groups, profiles, target audiences, etceteras.  A quick reading of the book of Acts reveals that Paul went to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles.  But rich/poor, educated/uneducated, skin color – none of that mattered.  He was interested in people…period.  A wonderful congregation emerged from small beginnings in Philippi.  Ten years later they receive a letter from Paul that includes in its salutary remarks “…to the elders and deacons” (Philippians 1:1-2).  They had grown numerically and in maturity in a small window of time. 

3.  This story reminds me that sharing the gospel may put us in situations that call us to sacrifice something.  Did Paul’s Macedonia call reveal “jail time” before he set sail for Macedonia?  Probably not.  But, he allowed the gospel to come through him even after a beating and sitting in jail.  Maybe that’s why we prefer to do everything in our buildings.  We like a controlled environment. But what might happen if we took the gospel into lunch settings, over the internet, into friendships of 20 plus years and scores of other situations that afforded people a hearing?  Some will be receptive.  Some will not.  Presenting the good news may cost us something.  For many Christians around the world this is a daily occurrence.  But none of that is really our concern….is it?  Paul’s vision said, “Come over and help us.”  That’s our calling, too.  We give people the opportunity to hear the good news about Christ….no matter what.   Ten years later Paul tells them,

“27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, 28 and not frightened in anything by your opponents. This is a clear sign to them of their destruction, but of your salvation, and that from God. 29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake, 30 engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have. (Philippians 1:27-30)

How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news (Romans 10:15). 

Lord, open our hearts to your call.  May we we be so "awake" to the power and urgency of the gospel that we live with a keen awareness of those moments when we are afforded the opportunity to bring a word of life and peace into someone’s life.  Instill courage in our hearts.  Remind us through your word and other believers that sharing gospel is the single greatest thing we can do on a daily basis.  Thank you for allowing us to be a part of what you do through the gospel everyday.  Amen.

Randy Daugherty

Stephenville, Texas

Thanks For Telling Me

I watched them tear a building down, a band of men in a busy town.

With a ho, heave, ho, and a lusty yell, they swung a beam and the sidewall fell.

I asked the foreman, ‘Are these men skilled?  The men you’d hire if you had to build?’

He gave a laugh, and said, ‘No, indeed, just common labor is all I need.

I can easily wreck in a day or two, what builders have taken a year to do.’

And I thought to myself as I went

on my way, which of these roles have I tried to play?

Am I a builder who works with care?  Measuring life by the rule and square?

Am I shaping my deeds to a well-made plan, patiently doing the best I can?

OR am I a wrecker who walks the town content with the labor of tearing down?

The word (parakaleo) is used in the New Testament over 100 times.  The word is translated ‘encourage’.  Literally, the word means ‘to call’ and  the word means ‘beside or alongside’.  If you picture the meaning of the word, it suggests calling someone to stand beside you.  I picture putting my arm around another’s shoulder to give them a word of encouragement.  

The poem at the beginning contrasts those who destroy or tear down with those who build.  It is so much easier to ‘tear down’ in our relationships than to ‘build up and encourage’.  Being an encourager requires effort and creativity on our part.  Sarcasm, belittling, and criticism often flow from our lips with ease.  As a parent, or a spouse, or a sibling, or a co-worker, are you one who builds up (ENCOURAGES) or are you one who says hurtful words to others?

Barnabas is given the nickname ‘son of encouragement’ in the New Testament.  It is easy to discover why.  He was generous with his possessions so that others would be blessed.  He made it easy for Saul (an outlaw to the Christians) to be accepted by the Jerusalem Christians.  He supported Paul on the missionary journey.  He gave John Mark a second chance and helped him mature into a servant for Christ.  He encouraged the new Gentile Christians in their new faith.

Will you commit yourself to encourage those you encounter starting today?  I am talking about your children, your wife, your brother or sister in Christ.  Will you do it today?  They may say to you, ‘Thanks for telling me!’

Prayer:  Father, help me to by more encouraging every day.  Help me not to overlook words of encouragement that need to be spoken.    

Terry Brown

Abilene, Texas

Joy Unspeakable

…you should want the pure and simple teaching.  By it you can mature in your salvation…I Peter 2:2 (NCV)

Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.  II Corinthians 5:5

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy… I Peter 1:8

Let’s not mince words.  God calls us to greater maturity in our faith.  He wants us to know Him more completely, to step through doors of spiritual discovery into ever greater depths of relationship with Him.   His Word is power-packed with bold statements of certainty given us as His rock-solid promises.  They are there for us as His sons and daughters to be anchors and bedrock foundations of truth that crush the uncertainties and lies of the world.   As believers and followers of Christ, through Him our salvation is won and guaranteed by God Himself through the Holy Spirit.  Our faith in this promise, authored by God and delivered by Christ is the passage-way to true life. Salvation is ours to be claimed with no doubts!  Our salvation is protected, delivered, fool-proof, given.  As different versions of I Peter 1:8 describe, our response to this is “inexpressible joy”, “joy unspeakable”, “joy that cannot be explained”, “a joy full of glory”, “a joy words cannot express”, “a joy with a hint of the glories of heaven”, “a wonderful and heavenly joy that cannot be explained”, “a glorious joy that is too much for words”.   We accept with faith the gift He promises which is too wonderful to ever describe in human ways.  This shapes us and transforms us into a new creation.  We move on to “meat” and not just “milk” in our lives as followers of Christ.  Our old selves are gone, no longer worried with the things of this life or our former way of living.  All we want is to please our Father.  We obey because of His incredible, never-ending love.  Our lives are purified by Him and our perspective of ourselves and others has changed.  We “love to a fault” and show mercy over being religious. As our loving, compassionate Father sees us, we see the sick, the hurting, the marginalized, and the unlovable through His eyes. Just as He is patient, compassionate, and forgiving to us, demonstrated over and over again, we too share this kind of love with all around us regardless of who they may be. Our hearts, our minds, and our eyes are fixed on Him.  Earthly things have lost their hold on us. The riches the world offers pales in comparison to the inheritance waiting for us.  All the pain and suffering the world doles out is insignificant as we know our lives are not here.  We are holy in response to His holiness.  We seek and follow His Spirit's leading and we understand and see more clearly.  We listen for God’s voice, we hear Him, and we recognize His voice as the truth we all seek in our lives.  We know our life here is a temporary waiting place. It is a place where our physical limitations combined with the spiritual tastes of His glory stir within us deep yearnings hard to explain, and only satisfied beyond this life. 

May we truly seek these things.  May we truly reach ever greater planes of relationship with You, of understanding how incredible You are, and of realizing the power You offer in our lives. May we receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation from You to know You. May our trust in You be so strong, so complete, with no doubts or reservations that we experience the euphoric, indescribable joy of Your salvation.   

In the name of Christ our Savior.

Scotty Elston

Shallowater, Texas

Terror

Well, darkness has struck again. The bombs went off in Boston. It seems no one is safe. It seems no place is secure. What can I do? Should I hide under my bed? Buy another gun? Should I demand cameras be put up everywhere? Should I demand drones be put in the air? What can I do? God has an answer in Psalm 146:3-9.          

“Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help. When his breath departs he returns to his earth; on that very day his plans perish. Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the sojourners, he upholds the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.”

Could it be that I am putting my faith in the wrong place? No wonder I am nervous, if I am putting my confidence in our leaders and our government.

So, how do I put my trust in God? It must be more than stamping it on our money. Only God can be everywhere and know everything. According to this Psalm, it is God who sets us free and heals. So, what do I do? This scripture says the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down.

Sometimes we are beat down with trouble, but when we bow down in worship to Him, He lifts us up. This scripture also says God loves the righteous. Our actions or conduct reflect our worship. Proverbs 14:34 says “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

I will never be able to keep my eye on every bad guy out there, but I can worship God and live by His commands.

  

Dear Father, when I was a child, I prayed “Now I lay me down to sleep. I pray the Lord my soul to keep. If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.”  I pray this prayer again today.  In the name of Your Son, Amen.

Paul Shero

San Angelo, Texas

Not Your Average Meal

“Then he turned to the host. “The next time you put on a dinner, don’t just invite your friends and family and rich neighbors, the kind of people who will return the favor. Invite some people who never get invited out, the misfits from the wrong side of the tracks. You’ll be—and experience—a blessing. They won’t be able to return the favor, but the favor will be returned—oh, how it will be returned!—at the resurrection of God’s people." - Luke 14:12-14

To say that Jesus was the “atypical” dinner guest is an understatement of the first magnitude.  Recently, I was reading through Luke chapter fourteen in preparation for a lesson and was again reminded of how "social" Jesus was throughout his ministry. He was tagged a "glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners" (Luke 7:34).  In the Gospel of Luke Jesus is either going to a meal, at a meal or leaving a meal! 

The meal scene in Luke 14 is bizarre and awkward.  It begins with a spontaneous healing that offended most of the guests which in turn leads to Jesus telling the guests how to seat themselves at the next party (go low before you go high!) to instructing the host to invite a different crowd the next time he throws a party.  Talk about rude.  But Jesus' only interest was in expanding their minds about the kingdom - not winning the congeniality award!  

As a child I regarded the parables of Jesus as simple stories.  Light, innocent, informative stories that gave us insight into Jesus’ ministry.  The more I meditate on these brief stories, especially the one in Luke 14, the more I realize they are heavy, challenging and educational bombshells that show us what the kingdom of God should look like. 

Occasionally, we get into conversations with each other about the “”identifying marks of the church.”  Been in one of those recently?  The “marks”, as we call them, usually materialize into things like baptism, the assembly (how it’s done), certain doctrinal points, acapella singing and so on.  As best I can remember, I can’t recall a single conversation about our “marks” that eventually referred to the above text in Luke 14.   

In their book The Tangible Kingdom Hugh Halter and Matt Smay ask the following questions:  “Do people take us Christians seriously?  Do they respect us and our way of life?  Do the spiritually hungry look to the average evangelical church for help, or would they rather go buy a self-help book at Barnes & Noble?”

Later in the book they point out some stats from The Barna Group remarking that almost every statistical reference to the church indicates that we not only can’t draw people, but we can’t even keep the ones we have.  Between 2004 and 2007 they discovered the following statistics about the American population.

1. 1/3 of the adult population has not attended any type of church service or activity other than a special event such as a funeral or a wedding during the year.
2. One out of three adults is classified as “unchurched” meaning that they do not attend a church service of any kind.  When you project these statistics across the aggregate population, the numbers are staggering.  An estimated 73 million adults are presently unchurched.  When teens and children are added, the total swells to roughly 100 million Americans.
3. Roughly half of all churches in America did not add one new person through conversion growth last year.
4. In America it takes the combined effort of eighty-five Christians working over an entire year to produce one convert.

Walter and Smay conclude with this stirring comment:

“The inescapable conclusion is that we must throw out any notion that God is truly at the center of the church’s heart in North America.  The shift in society’s view of the church has resulted in the marginalization of the church and the secularization of society.  Christianity has lost its place at the center of American life.  Christians must learn how to live the gospel as a distinct people who not longer occupy the center of society.  We must learn to build relational bridges that win a hearing.” 

 

A handful of counseling conversations and spontaneous chats with people in the streets over the past three weeks have again awakened me to some realities:

1.  Luke 14 needs to be “a mark”.

2.  The way we do church right now in most places isn’t calibrated to fit Luke 14 into the system in a way that will allow it to do much more than stir our minds much less our imaginations.

3.  It is imperative that we put the blessing of people with the good news of the gospel over our traditionalism.  I think the Head of the church is paying attention to what we do with this one…big time!

4.  We need to examine our hearts and take a hard look at our capability and willingness to interface with people in genuine ways outside of our conventional gatherings.  Jesus said, “Go…” but what does going “look like…today?” 

5.  Whatever stands between us and serious conversation about this “simple episode” in Luke 14 needs to be kicked to the curb while we can still kick. 

Henry Nouwen in Gracias writes:

More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water and be known as someone who wants to live with them.  It is a privilege to have the time to practice this simply ministry of presence.  Still, it is not as simple as it seems.

My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up by meetings, conferences, study groups and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets.  It is difficult not to have plans, not to organize people around and urgent cause and not to feel that you are working directly for social progress.

But I wonder more and more if the first thing shouldn’t be to know people by name, to eat and drink with them, to listen to their stories and tell our own and to let them know with words, handshakes and hugs that you do not simply like them – but truly love them.

O Lord teach us to do just that.  Amen.

Randy Daugherty

Stephenville, Texas

Healing Our Hearts

I am a Registered Nurse and I work at a Wound Care Center. We take care of chronic wounds.  You might ask, what is a chronic wound?  It is a wound that has not shown the ability to heal over a two week period or longer. Some people come to us who have had a wound present for months, or even years. The longer the wound has been present the longer it takes to heal. Usually the body has accepted the wound as normal and the healing process has shut down. These wounds may not be very large, but they cause daily discomfort and disrupt the patient’s life.

The first thing the doctor will do to stimulate healing is to debride the wound, removing the dead tissue. The patient’s body realizes something has changed and that signals the release of an entire cascade of healing properties. Many people ask, “Can’t you just sew it up?” The answer is no. The tissues in a chronic wound will not “knit” together as they do when the wound is only hours old.  When a wound has been open for days, weeks or months it must heal from the inside out. The body will generate new tissue in the base and once that tissue has built up to skin level, the top layer of skin will grow across and close the wound. This process will only occur with adequate blood flow, absence of infection and the proper bandage.

“O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me.” – Psalm 30:2

“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” – Psalm 147:3

Spiritually, many of us walk around with chronic wounds. We have hurts and disappointments that plague us daily.  Although well intentioned, our “home remedies” can’t provide the desired healing.  For example, we may decide to ignore the wound and assume it will go away.  The spiritual wound becomes deeper and disrupts our daily walk with God and others.

Obedience to the scripture, “Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry” (Ephesians 4:26), is much like going to the ER and getting stitches right away for quick healing.  When we don’t obey the scriptures, we allow our hearts to become infected with bitterness, envy, anger or jealousy.  Our hearts become similar to a chronic wound.  The only way we will heal is to ask for God’s help. We must allow God to cut away all the bitterness and resentment that has become attached to our heart. God will heal us from the inside out.  Just as a wound must have good blood flow to have a chance to heal, we must give ourselves to prayer to overcome sin’s deceitfulness. We do not expect a chronic wound to heal when it is simply left open to air. Likewise, we can’t expect our heart to heal if we leave it unprotected and open to Satan’s attacks. God’s holy word is the best protective bandage to be applied to our heart.

Is it time to heal a chronic wound in your heart? Make an appointment with the “Great Physician”.

Dear Father, come into our hearts and heal our brokenness.  We surrender ourselves to you and we place our hearts before you to cut away all those things that do not reflect your Spirit. We want to experience being alive in Christ and know the fullness of your love.  In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Terry Smith

Stephenville, Texas

I Want to be a Parent...I Think.

Our spiritual formation group meets every Sunday evening.  We are currently working through Philip Yancey’s book Reaching for the Invisible God.  It is a terrific read and has stimulated our thinking about what it means to be a person of faith.  

Last Sunday we discussed the idea of spiritual maturity as something akin to what life is like when we become parents.  We tossed around the differences between living like children and what life is like when we become parents.  The following comment made it to the floor more than once:  being “good parents” demands that we think ultimately in terms of what love really means and, mature love will often put us in situations in which we have to place the needs of others before our own needs.  

On pp. 245-46 Yancey writes: 

Christians best influence the world by sacrificial love, the most effective way truly to change a world.  Parents express love by staying up all night with sick children, working two jobs to pay school expenses, sacrificing their own desires for the sake of their children’s.  And every person who follows Jesus learns a similar pattern.  God’s kingdom gives itself away, in love, for that is precisely what God did for us. 

Some college students strike out for the wilderness or take up meditation in order to “discover themselves.”  Jesus suggests that we discover that self not by staring inward but by gazing outward, not through introspection but through acts of love.  No one can grasp how to be a parent by reading books before the birth of a child.  You learn the role by doing a thousand mundane acts; calling the doctor during illness, preparing for the first day of school, playing catch in the backyard, consoling hurts and defusing tantrums.  A spiritual parent goes through the same process.  In the end, Jesus’ prediction –“Whoever loses his life will preserve it” – proves true for downward surrender leads upward.   

Parenting has its share of joys.  But, it has its challenges, too.  Someone remarked, ”Some adults never become good parents because they can’t leave the “childhood” (selfish!) stage.”  Their point was simply that there is still too much selfishness in them to turn loose and focus on the needs of other people – even their own children.  What is true of biological families and parenting in particular can be true of believers with respect to our “stuckness” in faith growth.  

Diana West in her book The Death of the Grown-up:  How America's Arrested Development is Bringing Down Western Civilization (p. 2) says: 

“One third of the fifty-six million Americans sitting down to watch Sponge Bob Square Pants on Nickelodeon each month in 2002 were between the ages of eighteen and forty-nine.  (Nickelodeon's core demographic group is between the ages of six and eleven!)  These are grown-ups who haven't left childhood. Then again, why should they?  As movie producer and former Universal marketing executive Kathy Jones put it, "There isn't any clear demarcation of what's for parents and what's for kids.  We like the same music, we dress similarly."

Our comments strike at the heart of not only what is happening in our culture but the traffic circle of childish thinking that so many men and women are lost in.  Our culture provides every kind of stimulation for keeping us away from “parent-stage” spirituality.  

We concluded our discussion time by reflecting on Mark 10:32-45 and Matthew 5:1-16.  Jesus’ discussion with the disciples and his opening remarks in the Sermon on the Mount reminded us again that kingdom living is about leaving childhood and moving into parent-stage spirituality.   Jesus said this is what “greatness” looks like in the kingdom of God and it is what keeps salt salty and light shining.  

Father, help us grow up in the Spirit.  May we marry good intentions to actions that will take us away from childishness in its many forms and into a “grown-up” faith that looks more like you, our spiritual parent.  We are your offspring and we know that you rejoice to see us grow up in your likeness.  Amen.

Randy Daugherty

Stephenville, Texas