Some of the quotes -

“The Danger now is that when we gather in our church buildings to sing and lift up our hands in worship, we may not actually be worshiping the Jesus of the bible, Instead we may be worshiping our selves.”

“The price is certainly high for people who don’t know Christ and who live in a world where Christians shrink back from self-denying faith and settle into self-indulging faith. While Christians choose to spend their lives fulfilling the American dream instead of giving their lives proclaiming the Kingdom of God, literally billions in need of the gospel remain in the dark.”

Somehow we believe we can still serve God and mammon.

“We are afraid that if we stop and really look at God in his Word, we might discover that he evokes greater awe and demands deeper worship than we are ready to give him…. So the challenge for us is to live in such a way that we are radically dependent on and desperate for the power that only God can provide.”

I am only in Chapter three of the book, I have many pages left, but I am already stirred to re-examine my life. I pray God grant me more grace.

I find myself now settled in the city, and after reading part of this book to be re-examining my own dependence upon Christ.  Once we set back in our creature comforts inside our homes, the suburbs and the city don’t look a lot different inside the house, it’s only on the outside things are different. On the inside our dependence upon our schedules, upon our material things, dependence upon our own ideas settle in and our dependence upon God is weakened. We begin again our self-indulgence vs. our self-denial, and we attach to this world as we consume and consume and consume.

Here’s what the sick part as I read the book, we use Jesus to indulge ourselves in Christainity vs. as a motivating factor of denying ourselves. There is a time to study the word, and much time needed, there is a time for retreats, there is a time for conferences, there is a time for music, and preaching, there is time for these things. Yet if these things don’t motivate us to LIVE the self denying life are we denying ourselves picking up our cross and following Jesus? If we are consumers of God’s word only and are not doing what it says what brings us to a different place that some other self-indulgence that we have.   The scary thing is we heap condemnation upon ourselves because we are accountable for what has been made known to us.  We know so much.

However, of we are not taking risk for His Kingdom, His Glory, His purposes, then are we walking out the faith we are consuming Him for ourselves?

Has it gone beyond the mind, has it moved to the heart? If it has in any degree someone’s going to think “You’re Crazy.” What’s wrong with them, they have all of this opportunity for “STUFF” for “SELF-ASSURANCE” for “MONEY”, “SECURITY” yet they deny themselves, what’s wrong with them?   

The world, and even most of the American church will think you’re out of your mind if you live this way.

Two bystanders hurt in gas station crash

Question:

Why would you move somewhere unsafe?  Why would you move to the city?

Answer: Jesus

His name was William.  I didn’t get a last name, but he was a Veteran who served in Vietnam.  He said his family has disowned him, his life isn’t of much value, but spent much of his conversation with me attempting to tell me of his value.  I could see him attempting to grasp at his worth or value, his need to be recognized as loved by someone, but without recognizing Jesus.  He then proceeded to admire our Lab and then as we were sitting there, I asked him what he thought this life has after here.  He said he wasn’t sure, he grew up Baptist, but didn’t know that his parents were baptist until later.  ( In other words,  William had grown-up in a third generation baptist home. ) (More on multi-generational faithfulness later)

William was somewhat intoxicated and as the conversation progressed, his level of inebriation progressed, because of the bottle in hand.  We started off with much clarity however.  I asked him if he knew the gospel, and like so many men he knew the mechanics of the gospel word, and had heard the gospel given, preached, spoken.  I asked him if he knew why Jesus died?  And he said yes, because God required a perfect sacrifice for his wrath to be satisfied.

I was really in shock for some time at his coherent answer when it came to not just articulating that Christ died for sin, but that God requires a perfect sacrifice.  He obviously didn’t learn his theology from a Jehovah’s Witness, but from someone who seemed to have somewhat sound Christian theology.

William then proceeded to tell me that he had lived with a minister for 8 months during his life.  And he had learned and understood much  “Christianity stuff…..” but  what he couldn’t seem to understand was the fact that while he lived in the basement of the minister’s home, the minister treated his wife like dirt.  He spoke down to her all the time, he held himself up to be special and self-righteous, he never came down to the level of anyone else.  There was nothing his wife could do right, and the way that he spoke to her was horrible.

Topics changed at some point for a moment, William said he had a decision to make this evening, he was thinking about going to a VA home where he could rest for the remainder of his life, because he said he didn’t have long in this world.  I spoke a little of Matthew 7, about fruit, but spoke to him about trust in Christ.  Not trusting in his drink or the things of this world.  When we were done I prayed with him, and there were some tears, but I wasn’t sure if they were from the alcohol or from God softening his heart.  I pray the latter, yet I do not know.

Williams “Life Philosophy” however, he didn’t get from the bible, but he got from the apathy of life, the depression of being unwanted, when he feels as if there is little to live for, and all that was worth living for now, is gone.  He took his favorite saying which he lives by from a Doris Day movie, “Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be).”  This is William who lets life happen to him now, he’s understood the gospel, he says he believes, and yet, he doesn’t believe.

And though he knew the mechanics of the bible for whatever reason God hasn’t seen fit to show William that he’s in need of a savior, he understands that in a sense “Whatever will be will be” yet at the same time he takes little responsibility for his own life or the things happening to him, ascribing his lack of true faith in Christ to those whom claimed the name of Christ but did not live it out eg. the minister whom he lived with while he lived in Oklahoma.

Last night’s encounter brought conviction to me, and to my life.  It had me examine how others view my life, with those possibly watching.  Not only with my spouse, my children, but with strangers and neighbors, with co-workers and friends.  When I speak the name of Christ, of the Gospel, of discipleship and the like, how does my life demonstrate my belief? or does it repulse, what about being self-righteous, proud, dogmatic, insincere ?

It’s only the Holy Spirit in us which provides us with the “Care” for others souls in eternity, and it’s only “Him” who moves us to action, to speak to them about Jesus, I can claim no part in it.   I pray God grant us belief, strength, and will power to overcome the flesh, the apathy, the pride.  We are so prone to apathy, to not care about anyone but ourselves here in the U.S…., may God grant us intentionality, and purpose as we seek not to live Christianity out of a programmed legalistic life, but to bring the gospel to bare on everyday life because of Christ.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.  For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. -2 Corinthians 5:16-21

When we went down to the Avenue the other night to do some evangelism and as I recounted the story I could think of only a few things the next day in regards to the world.

” Where are the Christians ? “

So many things that night were crying out evil, so many things, crack, false religion, prostitution, alcoholic, all of these things crying out and grabbing hold of the people of this world.  I thought but we sit tucked away, in our safe places.  In our homes.  Where there are no lost people. 

I am guilty. I think of how long I have lived here and how silent I am.  How my fear of men overcomes my love for God.  How I am weak, when it comes to sharing my faith.  Oh that I could see every moment the lostness of those I am in contact with, oh that I would fear God more then men.  I pray that God would open our eyes, our hearts and fill us with his Holy Spirit that we may speak, proclaim, declare before men the name that is above every name….

It is not even our motivation to love the lost that should motivate us but it is Christ, and when will we understand?  May God grant us more Grace … When will I wake up and realize today is but a blink, a vapor, like the  wind, and yet so many are not hearing.   Where is our heart for prayer, in praying for men to hear?

They are being evangelized by the world, and the world system, and this same world evangelism has affected our sense.  We are dull to the beating drum of the enemy in our midst.  We are entranced in  a world of novelty we try to forget what it says that our Lord was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. Not that we stay here, but the Joy we have in Christ brings us to the realization that there are those around us who do not know, not only do they not know but they are deceived, blind in believing that they can attain heaven any other way! This is a work of God first and foremost but we who are born again have every reason in the world to go after lost people now that we know, now that we believe, now that God has granted us repentance!

So my question again this morning is….

” Where are the Christians ? “
And then it reminded me of a poem by Amy Carmichael a Missionary to India, called Daisy Chains.

We will not wake until our comfort is gone, until we are without all that we’ve known to keep us clinging to this world.

The tom-toms thumped straight on all night, and the darkness shuddered around me like a living, feeling thing. I could not go to sleep, so I lay awake and looked; and I saw, as it seemed, this:

That I stood on a grassy sward, and at my feet a precipice broke sheer down into infinite space. I looked, but saw no bottom; only clouded shapes, black and furiously coiled, and great shadow-shrouded hollows, and unfathomable depths. Back I drew, dizzy at the depth.

Then I saw forms of people moving single file along the grass. They were making for the edge. There was a woman with a baby in her arms and another little child holding on to her dress. She was on the very verge. Then I saw that she was blind. She lifted her foot for the next step… it trod air. She was over, and the children over with her. Oh, the cry as they went over!

Then I saw more streams of people following from all quarters. All were blind, stone blind; all made straight for the precipice edge. There were shrieks as they suddenly knew themselves falling, and tossing up of helpless arms, catching, clutching at empty air. But some went over quietly, and fell without a sound.

Then I wondered, with a wonder that was simply agony, why no one stopped them at the edge. I could not. I was glued to the ground, and I could not call; though I strained and tried, only a whisper would come.

Then I saw along the edge that there were sentries set at intervals. But intervals were too great; there were wide, unguarded gaps between. And over these gaps the people fell in their blindness, quite unwarned; and the green grass seemed blood-red to me, and the gulf yawned like the mouth of hell.

Then I saw, like a picture of peace, a group of people under some trees with their backs turned towards the gulf. They were making daisy chains. Sometimes when a piercing shriek cut the quiet air and reached them, it disturbed them and they thought it a rather vulgar noise.

And if one of their number started up and wanted to go and do something to help, then all the others would pull that one down. “Why should you get so excited about it? You must wait for a definite call to go! You haven’t finished your daisy chain yet. It would be really selfish,” they said, “to leave us here to finish all the work alone.”

There was another group. It was made up of people whose great desire was to get more sentries out; but they found that very few wanted to go, and sometimes there were no sentries set for miles and miles of the edge.

Once a girl stood alone in her place, waving the people back; but her mother and other relations called, and reminded her that her furlough was due; she must not break the rules. And being tired and needing a change, she had to go and rest for a while; but no one was sent to guard her gap, and over and over the people fell, like a waterfall of souls.

Once a child caught at a tuft of grass that grew at the very brink of the gulf; it clung convulsively, and it called — but nobody seemed to hear. Then the roots of the grass gave way, and with a cry the child went over, its two little hands still holding tight to the torn-off bunch of grass.

And the girl who longed to be back in her gap thought she heard the little one cry, and she sprang up and wanted to go; at which they reproved her, reminding her that no one is necessary anywhere; the gap would be well taken care of, they knew. And then they sang a hymn.

Then through the hymn came another sound like the sound of a million broken hearts wrung out in one full drop, one sob. And a horror of great darkness was upon me, for I knew what it was — the Cry of the Blood.

Then thundered a voice, the voice of the Lord. And He said, “What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.”

The tom-toms still beat heavily, the darkness still shuddered and shivered about me; I heard the yell of the devil-dancers and weird, wild shriek of the devil-possessed just outside the gate. What does it matter, after all? It has gone on for years; it will go on for years. Why make such a fuss about it?

God forgive us! God arouse us! Shame us out of our callousness! Shame us out of our sin!

“Things As They Are” by Amy Carmichael

One of the points that Tim made last evening was the fact that somehow we don’t seem to long for Heaven like others do in countries that don’t have it the way we do. We have all of our comforts and we tend to picture as if we’re strumming harps in the clouds but the truth of the matter is, we are too easily satisfied. We are satisfied with this foretaste of Heaven here that we have on earth and that in this easy satisfaction some of the only ways God moves us toward beginning to feel a longing for Heaven is both in our Spiritual maturity, and in the aging process. He also mentioned in suffering. He also took away the notion that we are bored with God in heaven quoting from Randy Alcorn’s book and a section of C.S. Lewis’s Chronicle’s of Narnia, making the analogy that Heaven looks a lot like here. When there is a new heaven and new earth, this is where the Earth meets heaven and all things are made “right.” Heaven and perfection is something we taste in the handiwork of God on earth but we only taste it briefly. We have no idea what sustained comfort, Joy, painless existence without sin looks like, we are satisfied with the fallen world here in America because we live in the land of plenty. The things we think about, such as our unbelieving skepticism of really desiring to go to heaven.

I personally appreciated the message, and it helped me grasp what putting my mind on things “above” really means. It’s helped me conceptually consider, and meditate this morning on God’s best and looking for the foretaste along the way. I even consider “rest” and “resting in Christ” here, a foretaste of heaven and I have begun to long for it, now I have a better picture of what it will be like.

It will be like “here” only so much better!