Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Meditation on Psalm 88
I Cry Out Day and Night Before You
A Song. A Psalm of the Sons of Korah. To the choirmaster: according to Mahalath Leannoth. A Maskil of Heman the Ezrahite.
88:1 O Lord, God of my salvation;
I cry out day and night before you.
2 Let my prayer come before you;
incline your ear to my cry!
3 For my soul is full of troubles,
and my life draws near to Sheol.
4 I am counted among those who go down to the pit;
I am a man who has no strength,
5 like one set loose among the dead,
like the slain that lies in the grave,
like those whom you remember no more,
for they are cut off from your hand.
6 You have put me in the depths of the pit,
in the regions dark and deep.
7 Your wrath lies heavy upon me,
and you overwhelm me with all your waves. Selah
8 You have caused my companions to shun me;
you have made me a horror to them.
I am shut in so that I cannot escape;
9 my eye grows dim through sorrow.
Every day I call upon you, O Lord;
I spread out my hands to you.
-------------------------------------------------------------
LORD, Messiah, my salvation.
I cry out to you day and night. Even in my dreams I cry out to you.
Hear my cry.
My soul is overcome with struggles and troubles.
Failures and losses are all around me. The weight of my falling short is so great.
I have no strength left in me. I see the darkness growing around me. The losses are increasing on every side. My regrets grow greater with each revelation. Each day adds to my failures.
I fear to hope least my expectations be crushed. I fear not to hope least the sorrow of despair swallows me.
Those I most love I have lost. They have shunned my teaching. They have chosen lies. I cannot save them. I am powerless.
Lord, of power, now come. Save those I cannot save. Lift up my head from my grief. Bring me comfort in the midst of my wailing.
I regret my not doing more when there was an opportunity. The loss of so much potential. Paying now for past mistakes. If only I could have seen the cost of falling short.
Lord, help me now and restore what has been lost. Raise from the dead the old potentials. Help me regain what I have failed to earn. Lord, now act in ways beyond my dreams or my faith.
Lord, have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy. Amen
Monday, January 02, 2012
The view of Christ’s death presented here has frequently been called the theory of “penal substitution.” Christ’s death was “penal” in that he bore a penalty when he died. His death was also a “substitution” in that the was a substitute for us when he died. This has been the orthodox understanding of the atonement held by evangelical theologians, in contrast to other views that attempt to explain the atonement part from the idea of the wrath of God or payment of the penalty for sin. This view of the atonement is sometimes called the theory of vicarious atonement. A “vicar” is someone who stands in the place of another or who represents another. Christ’s death was therefore “vicarious” because he stood in our place and represented us. As our representative, he took the penalty that we deserve.
Wayne Grudem from Systematic Theology
Sunday, January 01, 2012
Today is a good time to carefully and prayerfully plan for 2012. God is for us carefully and prayerfully planning.
Proverbs 6:6–7, "Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her food in summer, and gathers her sustenance in harvest."
This points out that saving for future times of need is prudent and godly. One way we fail is by not carefully and prayerfully planning for the future.
Proverbs 14:15, "The simple believes everything, but the prudent looks where he is going."
We should look where our current pattern of life is taking us and make the corrections we need to keep ourselves safe from temptation and unnecessary loss. Those who fail to think about the future impact of their actions lack maturity.
Proverbs 15:22, "Without counsel plans go wrong, but with many advisers they succeed."
It is not a bad idea to share our plans with wise and trusted friends. We need to get their feedback. They may see things we have missed. Part of our humility is learning and listening from others.
Proverbs 16:3, "Commit your work to the Lord and your plans will be established." Our efforts must be for God's glory. If they truly are then the real goal of our efforts will be reached. We should commit every plan we have to God in prayer.
Proverbs 24:27, "Prepare your work outside, get everything ready for you in the field; and after that build your house."
Focusing on that which produces profit is more important than focusing on that which produces comfort. There is a place for both. But priority has to be given to what helps us survive and thrive.
Proverbs 31:15–16, "She rises while it is yet night and provides food for her household and tasks for her maidens. She considers a field and buys it; with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard."
Here is an example of a godly women and part of her spirituality is that she lives an organized life, set priorities, and is thinking ahead.
God assumes that we will plan. It is not a wise thing to go on a trip without a map or a destination. He is against planning that is filled with pride that assumes that setting plans and goals gives us control over the future. This is insanity. We never have control of tomorrow.
But prayerful and careful plans made in a true attitude of "if the Lord wills" are a delight when their aim is to be good managers of God's physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual gifts. Having priorities is a good thing. Knowing what is more important to do and what is less important to do is a key to being a good manager of God's gifts to us.
Now all of our plans should have as their aim to "seek first the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness." Since we are to glorify God in even the simple things of eating and drinking then every aspect of our lives need to be organized to maximize their benefit for Christ and HIS kingdom. We are to be kingdom centered planners.
Now most New Year resolutions don't occur. The reasons for this are many. But one of them is that we did not connect the resolution to a committed plan of action which was "S.M.A.R.T". To be "SMART" a plan must be:
Specific - What exactly are we wanting to accomplish. Be as concrete as you can in defining the change you what to see occur.
Measurable - How will you know when you have reached this goal? What is the difference between success and failure?
Action Focused - Thinking about things does not change our lives most of the time. We have to "do" something different. What exactly will we "do" different to attain this change in our lives? What needs to be done? How can we do it?
Realistic - We have to do a careful and prayerful process of first determining if God wants us to do this new thing and second can we do it? Can the large goal be broken up into smaller goals that we could do? How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Sometimes our vision of what we want to do is bigger than our ability to do it. Our goals should be challenging but not totally beyond us.
Time defined - Only what we put into our calendars ever gets done. What we will not commit time to we are not committed to do.
So what does the Lord Jesus the Messiah want you to plan to do in 2012? How would HE like this new year to be different than 2011? These are questions worth praying about and defining. Today is the day to begin a new year with a new kingdom direction. Amen
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/a-new-years-plea-plan
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Disciple Yourself
Matthew 28:18-20 Then Jesus came up and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore, as you go, recruit new followers from all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you each and every day until the end of the age."
The Messiah Jesus here gives us what is called the “Great Commission” or “Grand Charge”. Like a general commanding HIS army the Messiah Jesus now tells HIS followers that they are to go out and convert the world. Every nation, every tongue, and every people are to be challenged to become HIS followers, enroll in HIS school of thought, and align their lifestyles with HIS teaching. The claims of Jesus’ Messiahship are to go global as they are acted on locally.
What is a commission? It is a job or task given to a person or a group, especially an order to produce a particular product or piece of work. In this case it is also the authority granted to a person or organization to act as an agent for another. The CHURCH is here given authority by Messiah Jesus to act as HIS agent in the world for recruiting new followers and training them in HIS way of life. This is to create a “community of the KING” that reflects the kingdom of God into a broken world. The church acts as an embassy of peace from the kingdom of heaven offering reconciliation to all who will come and submit to the KING and learn HIS ways.
This is very hard to do in practice. First, most disciples are at best partially discipled. Most believers in Messiah Jesus have not been “trained in everything that the Messiah taught” in a way that leads to practical life change in every aspect of life. They became Christians and did not enroll themselves into any clear and disciplined school of instruction and life training. So the first person that we must make a “disciple” is ourselves.
What would this mean? It could mean many things but here are a few that I think would worth considering if we are to make ourselves disciples aimed at learning how to consistently live for Messiah Jesus.
1. Attending church every Sunday ready to fully participate in worship by arriving early and having a bible and a notebook ready to take notes on the sermon. If you were taking a college course and arrived at the course without a notebook or text book what would that normally mean about your focus and dedication to the class. The “key lecture” of the week takes place on Sunday and this lecture is to form the “key application” for the next seven days. How alert should you be to make sure you understand the message and use it in your life?
2. Get involved in every learning activity you can at your church. How many hours do you watch television? Compare this to how many hours you spend learning the ways of Messiah Jesus. If the church’s purpose is to train followers of Messiah Jesus to live for Messiah Jesus this can only be done when the followers show up to the training classes. Are you showing up to get trained? How could you train others to get trained if you have never become trained yourself?
3. Prayerfully decide on what abilities and passions you have. What can you do? What do you want to do? Now look at the various ministries of your church and choose one or two that could use someone with your abilities and passions. A ministry would be a broad area of service in the church such as “Outreach” or “Education”. If you are not sure then talk to your pastor and get his guidance. Once you have chosen a ministry then look at all the activities that have to happen to make this ministry function and then commit yourself to doing these activities. This will put feet on your faith. The best way for us to learn to be a disciple is by learning on the job in some particular ministry where we can apply what we are being taught.
4. Take your faith to the rest of your life. After each sermon ask yourself these key questions.
How does what I have learned today ask me to make personal changes in my own life? How can I use this in my private worship and spiritual growth process?
How does what I have learned today ask me to make changes in how I treat those in my family?
How does what I have learned today apply to how I treat those at work or in my neighborhood?
How does what I have learned today impact how I act a member of my community, city, state, and nation?
Sometimes our faith does not seem very real to us. One of the reasons for this is that we have compartmentalized our faith into a very small space in our lives. Church is one hour a week on the weeks we make it. There just is not a whole lot of “space” in our schedules or lifestyle for faith. We have already committed this “space” to other concerns, desires, and interest.
If we are to grow in our faith we must give it more “space” in our lives. If our faith is to become real we must have a reasonable plan to make it the ultimate concern of our lives. So how discipled are you in your life? Where could you improve your own discipleship? This will be the first step in making other disciples. We must first learn to disciple ourselves.
The Messiah Jesus here gives us what is called the “Great Commission” or “Grand Charge”. Like a general commanding HIS army the Messiah Jesus now tells HIS followers that they are to go out and convert the world. Every nation, every tongue, and every people are to be challenged to become HIS followers, enroll in HIS school of thought, and align their lifestyles with HIS teaching. The claims of Jesus’ Messiahship are to go global as they are acted on locally.
What is a commission? It is a job or task given to a person or a group, especially an order to produce a particular product or piece of work. In this case it is also the authority granted to a person or organization to act as an agent for another. The CHURCH is here given authority by Messiah Jesus to act as HIS agent in the world for recruiting new followers and training them in HIS way of life. This is to create a “community of the KING” that reflects the kingdom of God into a broken world. The church acts as an embassy of peace from the kingdom of heaven offering reconciliation to all who will come and submit to the KING and learn HIS ways.
This is very hard to do in practice. First, most disciples are at best partially discipled. Most believers in Messiah Jesus have not been “trained in everything that the Messiah taught” in a way that leads to practical life change in every aspect of life. They became Christians and did not enroll themselves into any clear and disciplined school of instruction and life training. So the first person that we must make a “disciple” is ourselves.
What would this mean? It could mean many things but here are a few that I think would worth considering if we are to make ourselves disciples aimed at learning how to consistently live for Messiah Jesus.
1. Attending church every Sunday ready to fully participate in worship by arriving early and having a bible and a notebook ready to take notes on the sermon. If you were taking a college course and arrived at the course without a notebook or text book what would that normally mean about your focus and dedication to the class. The “key lecture” of the week takes place on Sunday and this lecture is to form the “key application” for the next seven days. How alert should you be to make sure you understand the message and use it in your life?
2. Get involved in every learning activity you can at your church. How many hours do you watch television? Compare this to how many hours you spend learning the ways of Messiah Jesus. If the church’s purpose is to train followers of Messiah Jesus to live for Messiah Jesus this can only be done when the followers show up to the training classes. Are you showing up to get trained? How could you train others to get trained if you have never become trained yourself?
3. Prayerfully decide on what abilities and passions you have. What can you do? What do you want to do? Now look at the various ministries of your church and choose one or two that could use someone with your abilities and passions. A ministry would be a broad area of service in the church such as “Outreach” or “Education”. If you are not sure then talk to your pastor and get his guidance. Once you have chosen a ministry then look at all the activities that have to happen to make this ministry function and then commit yourself to doing these activities. This will put feet on your faith. The best way for us to learn to be a disciple is by learning on the job in some particular ministry where we can apply what we are being taught.
4. Take your faith to the rest of your life. After each sermon ask yourself these key questions.
How does what I have learned today ask me to make personal changes in my own life? How can I use this in my private worship and spiritual growth process?
How does what I have learned today ask me to make changes in how I treat those in my family?
How does what I have learned today apply to how I treat those at work or in my neighborhood?
How does what I have learned today impact how I act a member of my community, city, state, and nation?
Sometimes our faith does not seem very real to us. One of the reasons for this is that we have compartmentalized our faith into a very small space in our lives. Church is one hour a week on the weeks we make it. There just is not a whole lot of “space” in our schedules or lifestyle for faith. We have already committed this “space” to other concerns, desires, and interest.
If we are to grow in our faith we must give it more “space” in our lives. If our faith is to become real we must have a reasonable plan to make it the ultimate concern of our lives. So how discipled are you in your life? Where could you improve your own discipleship? This will be the first step in making other disciples. We must first learn to disciple ourselves.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Am I drifting from God?
Jeremiah 2:4-13
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord: What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves? 6 They did not say, "Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that no one passes through, where no one lives?" 7 I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. 8 The priests did not say, "Where is the Lord?" Those who handle the law did not know me; the rulers transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after things that do not profit.
9 Therefore once more I accuse you, says the Lord, and I accuse your children's children. 10 Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing. 11 Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit.
12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the Lord, 13 for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water
God asks us hard questions here. What do you find in the LORD that caused you to desert HIM? What was wrong with God’s character and competence that the LORD was not worth making your ultimate concern?
Now God is talking to HIS people at a time of backsliding and unbelief. The LORD is speaking to us on one of those days when we have been living out our unbelief much more than our faith. Perhaps it has become more than a day. Maybe, it has become a month, a quarter, or even a year. Normally we slip step by step backward and suddenly find ourselves in a spiritual place that is a land of drought and deep darkness.
Maybe today you find it hard to relate to this passage because today you have been living mainly by faith. You find it hard to imagine because the last month, quarter, or year has been one in which you have seen your faith grow. It is difficult for you today to even imagine backsliding into a dark spiritual place. Yet, be aware that only by guarding ourselves against falling into such insanity can we avoid it. The history of God’s people is that we a prone to eventually drift away. So this passage is a good reminder to be careful to maintain your faith and not take it for granted.
God spends most of his time talking to the people of the nation. He sees that the loss of faith is ultimately one that takes place on the level of the individual heart. While political rulers, priests, and prophets all hold great responsibility for encouraging idol worship, neglecting a call to prayer, and failure to proclaim God’s word, this does not excuse the people themselves for their deserting their Divine Savior who redeemed them. We can never blame leaders for our failures of faith. They are responsible for their sins and we are responsible for our sins.
Now the United States is not Israel. That is important to remember since we have had times when we see ourselves in that role. The Church is spiritual Israel. No national state is now the chosen people but rather the chosen people are of called from all nations to form God’s nation, the kingdom of God.
But, with this reminder it would be good to take note that the United States as a culture is moving from being a society dedicated to a Christian vision of God based on the Bible to a generic god of our own creation, an idol that justifies all our actions. The reason our moral and ethics are changing is because our faith is changing.
What evidence is there that this is the case? Here are just a few signs of the times.
Gallup reports that from 1948 to 2009 the percentage of people who identify themselves as Christian has dropped from 91% to 77%. In 1948 on 2% of Americans would say that they were not religious at all and that number is now at 12%. This is the fastest growing social group in the nation. The percentage of Americans identifying as Protestant or another non-Catholic Christian religion has been declining since the mid-1960s. When Gallup began tracking religious identification, the percentage of U.S. adults identifying with some non-Catholic Christian religion was routinely in the high 60%-low 70% range. The percentage fell below 60% for the first time in 1979, and since 2000 has been between 55% and 57%. This means that a faith that represents strong biblical principles founded on the reformation is declining. Faith in the Bible being the inspired word of God in which every word can be trusted to be inspired has declined from 38% (average in 1976-1984) to about 31% today (average from 1997 to 2007). All of these surveys indicate that we are moving away from God’s truth and not towards it as a society.
Now faith within the visible church is also struggling. George Barna reports the following information about how many people follow a Christian world view in America. Here is what Barna says:
“Defining Terms
For the purposes of the survey, a “biblical worldview” was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.
National Results
Overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview. Among the sixty subgroups of respondents that the survey explored was one defined by those who said they have made a personal to commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and that they are certain that they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior. Labeled “born again Christians,” the study discovered that they were twice as likely as the average adult to possess a biblical worldview. However, that meant that even among born again Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.
The same questions were asked of respondents in national surveys by Barna in 1995, 2000 and 2005. The results indicate that the percentage of adults with a biblical worldview, as defined above, has remained unchanged for more than a decade. The numbers show that 7% had such a worldview in 1995, compared to 10% in 2000, 11% in 2005, and 9% now. Even among born again adults, the statistics have remained flat: 18% in 1995, 22% in 2000, 21% in 2005, and 19% today.”
On one hand we are not seeing a decline in those who hold a biblical world view over the last 10 years but the total number of Americans holding this world view is about nineteen million out of a population of roughly 217 million adults. We can be a significant influence. But we are only a minority and we are not growing.
We need to have reformation in the Church, which is a return to a biblical world view.
We need to have renewal in the Church, which is a return to a living and passionate spirituality.
We need to have revival in the society, which is an experience of God’s saving grace in the gospel of Messiah Jesus.
To do this we must check our own spiritual direction today. Are we moving in the direction of having more faith or are we moving in the direction of having less faith.
Are we neglecting spiritual disciplines such as fasting, prayer, biblical meditation, giving to the poor, study of scripture, witnessing, and praise?
How consistently do we seek the LORD?
What do we seek when we need to find encouragement for our souls? Is it something outside of the Christian faith? Is this an idol in our life?
Whatever becomes the ultimate concern of our lives has become our God.
What is the ultimate concern of my life at this moment?
Have you been back sliding? Is your faith less than it was a year ago? What has weakened your faith? How could this be overcome? What could you do to grow in faith again? What most nurtures your faith? Do you need to take a weekend with be with God and talk out your frustrations and fears with the LORD? Why is it hard to say no to temptation? How could your strength to overcome your temptations be increased?
Is your faith greater than it was a year ago? How could it become even greater? What spiritual challenge do you need to accept from God? What steps should you take to prevent back sliding? What can you do to build up your local church? How could you be a blessing to your congregation? How could your faith impact your friends, neighbors, family, and associates in a greater way? How do you plan to seek as the ultimate concern of your life the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness?
God is faithful. The LORD knows that we drift away. The Lord brings reformation, renewal, and revival. The Messiah Jesus will build HIS church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. If God is for us then who can be against us? With hopeful faith we must pray for reformation, renewal, and revival. Seize the day for Christ Jesus!
(The nearly daily devotional is a ministry of First Church West. More information about this fellowship can be found at firstchurchwest.net. If you do not regularly receive this e-mail devotional then you can be put on the list by e-mailing terry_wise@bellsouth.net and asking receive the devotional.)
4 Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob, and all the families of the house of Israel. 5 Thus says the Lord: What wrong did your ancestors find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthless things, and became worthless themselves? 6 They did not say, "Where is the Lord who brought us up from the land of Egypt, who led us in the wilderness, in a land of deserts and pits, in a land of drought and deep darkness, in a land that no one passes through, where no one lives?" 7 I brought you into a plentiful land to eat its fruits and its good things. But when you entered you defiled my land, and made my heritage an abomination. 8 The priests did not say, "Where is the Lord?" Those who handle the law did not know me; the rulers transgressed against me; the prophets prophesied by Baal, and went after things that do not profit.
9 Therefore once more I accuse you, says the Lord, and I accuse your children's children. 10 Cross to the coasts of Cyprus and look, send to Kedar and examine with care; see if there has ever been such a thing. 11 Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for something that does not profit.
12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the Lord, 13 for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and dug out cisterns for themselves, cracked cisterns that can hold no water
God asks us hard questions here. What do you find in the LORD that caused you to desert HIM? What was wrong with God’s character and competence that the LORD was not worth making your ultimate concern?
Now God is talking to HIS people at a time of backsliding and unbelief. The LORD is speaking to us on one of those days when we have been living out our unbelief much more than our faith. Perhaps it has become more than a day. Maybe, it has become a month, a quarter, or even a year. Normally we slip step by step backward and suddenly find ourselves in a spiritual place that is a land of drought and deep darkness.
Maybe today you find it hard to relate to this passage because today you have been living mainly by faith. You find it hard to imagine because the last month, quarter, or year has been one in which you have seen your faith grow. It is difficult for you today to even imagine backsliding into a dark spiritual place. Yet, be aware that only by guarding ourselves against falling into such insanity can we avoid it. The history of God’s people is that we a prone to eventually drift away. So this passage is a good reminder to be careful to maintain your faith and not take it for granted.
God spends most of his time talking to the people of the nation. He sees that the loss of faith is ultimately one that takes place on the level of the individual heart. While political rulers, priests, and prophets all hold great responsibility for encouraging idol worship, neglecting a call to prayer, and failure to proclaim God’s word, this does not excuse the people themselves for their deserting their Divine Savior who redeemed them. We can never blame leaders for our failures of faith. They are responsible for their sins and we are responsible for our sins.
Now the United States is not Israel. That is important to remember since we have had times when we see ourselves in that role. The Church is spiritual Israel. No national state is now the chosen people but rather the chosen people are of called from all nations to form God’s nation, the kingdom of God.
But, with this reminder it would be good to take note that the United States as a culture is moving from being a society dedicated to a Christian vision of God based on the Bible to a generic god of our own creation, an idol that justifies all our actions. The reason our moral and ethics are changing is because our faith is changing.
What evidence is there that this is the case? Here are just a few signs of the times.
Gallup reports that from 1948 to 2009 the percentage of people who identify themselves as Christian has dropped from 91% to 77%. In 1948 on 2% of Americans would say that they were not religious at all and that number is now at 12%. This is the fastest growing social group in the nation. The percentage of Americans identifying as Protestant or another non-Catholic Christian religion has been declining since the mid-1960s. When Gallup began tracking religious identification, the percentage of U.S. adults identifying with some non-Catholic Christian religion was routinely in the high 60%-low 70% range. The percentage fell below 60% for the first time in 1979, and since 2000 has been between 55% and 57%. This means that a faith that represents strong biblical principles founded on the reformation is declining. Faith in the Bible being the inspired word of God in which every word can be trusted to be inspired has declined from 38% (average in 1976-1984) to about 31% today (average from 1997 to 2007). All of these surveys indicate that we are moving away from God’s truth and not towards it as a society.
Now faith within the visible church is also struggling. George Barna reports the following information about how many people follow a Christian world view in America. Here is what Barna says:
“Defining Terms
For the purposes of the survey, a “biblical worldview” was defined as believing that absolute moral truth exists; the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches; Satan is considered to be a real being or force, not merely symbolic; a person cannot earn their way into Heaven by trying to be good or do good works; Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; and God is the all-knowing, all-powerful creator of the world who still rules the universe today. In the research, anyone who held all of those beliefs was said to have a biblical worldview.
National Results
Overall, the current research revealed that only 9% of all American adults have a biblical worldview. Among the sixty subgroups of respondents that the survey explored was one defined by those who said they have made a personal to commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today and that they are certain that they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior. Labeled “born again Christians,” the study discovered that they were twice as likely as the average adult to possess a biblical worldview. However, that meant that even among born again Christians, less than one out of every five (19%) had such an outlook on life.
The same questions were asked of respondents in national surveys by Barna in 1995, 2000 and 2005. The results indicate that the percentage of adults with a biblical worldview, as defined above, has remained unchanged for more than a decade. The numbers show that 7% had such a worldview in 1995, compared to 10% in 2000, 11% in 2005, and 9% now. Even among born again adults, the statistics have remained flat: 18% in 1995, 22% in 2000, 21% in 2005, and 19% today.”
On one hand we are not seeing a decline in those who hold a biblical world view over the last 10 years but the total number of Americans holding this world view is about nineteen million out of a population of roughly 217 million adults. We can be a significant influence. But we are only a minority and we are not growing.
We need to have reformation in the Church, which is a return to a biblical world view.
We need to have renewal in the Church, which is a return to a living and passionate spirituality.
We need to have revival in the society, which is an experience of God’s saving grace in the gospel of Messiah Jesus.
To do this we must check our own spiritual direction today. Are we moving in the direction of having more faith or are we moving in the direction of having less faith.
Are we neglecting spiritual disciplines such as fasting, prayer, biblical meditation, giving to the poor, study of scripture, witnessing, and praise?
How consistently do we seek the LORD?
What do we seek when we need to find encouragement for our souls? Is it something outside of the Christian faith? Is this an idol in our life?
Whatever becomes the ultimate concern of our lives has become our God.
What is the ultimate concern of my life at this moment?
Have you been back sliding? Is your faith less than it was a year ago? What has weakened your faith? How could this be overcome? What could you do to grow in faith again? What most nurtures your faith? Do you need to take a weekend with be with God and talk out your frustrations and fears with the LORD? Why is it hard to say no to temptation? How could your strength to overcome your temptations be increased?
Is your faith greater than it was a year ago? How could it become even greater? What spiritual challenge do you need to accept from God? What steps should you take to prevent back sliding? What can you do to build up your local church? How could you be a blessing to your congregation? How could your faith impact your friends, neighbors, family, and associates in a greater way? How do you plan to seek as the ultimate concern of your life the kingdom of God and HIS righteousness?
God is faithful. The LORD knows that we drift away. The Lord brings reformation, renewal, and revival. The Messiah Jesus will build HIS church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. If God is for us then who can be against us? With hopeful faith we must pray for reformation, renewal, and revival. Seize the day for Christ Jesus!
(The nearly daily devotional is a ministry of First Church West. More information about this fellowship can be found at firstchurchwest.net. If you do not regularly receive this e-mail devotional then you can be put on the list by e-mailing terry_wise@bellsouth.net and asking receive the devotional.)
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Road to Renewal and Revival
Isaiah 58:9b-14
If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
"If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
The main focus of Isaiah 58 is to teach us how to fast. It points out that we have to combine prayer and fasting with social concern and love or it is not something that pleases God. Like 1 Corinthians 13 it reminds us that without love then everything we do is empty and useless.
Lord, fill our hearts with love and concern for those in need.
One of the reasons we fast and pray is that we are looking for revival and renewal. We don’t fast when all is well. We fast when we are suffering losses and are in fear of defeat. Fasting is an emergency measure in which we are seeking to intensify the passion and purpose of our prayers because we see great need. We all want revival and renewal but fasting should reflect a deeper commitment to seeking God’s pouring out HIS blessing upon us and giving to us spiritual prosperity.
The Lord in this passage outlines what HIS people need to seek to do if they desire to see revival and renewal.
The first is they must free people from the chains of contempt ("pointing fingers") and slander ("speaking of evil"). God demands that the society of believers not be one filled with negativity, gossip, murmuring, complaining, sarcasm, and self righteous judgment of each other. The Holy Spirit is never inspiring negative talk.
(Exodus 16:7 ESV) and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against the LORD. For what are we, that you grumble against us?"
(Exodus 16:8 ESV) And Moses said, "When the LORD gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him--what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD."
(Numbers 14:27 ESV) "How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.
(Numbers 14:36 ESV) And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land--
(Numbers 16:11 ESV) Therefore it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?"
(Numbers 17:5 ESV) And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you."
(John 6:43 ESV) Jesus answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves.
(1 Corinthians 10:10 ESV) nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.
(James 5:9 ESV) Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door..
God does not want congregations to be filled with complaining, griping, and murmuring. Ultimately, this shows a lack of contentment and joy. Revival and renewal will not come to a church that is filled with such abusive words.
Where should be our focus? We should be pouring out our souls to help those in need. That is what the Hebrew literally says here. We are to empty ourselves and our passions in caring for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of hurting people. This is what God want HIS people to give themselves to without restraint. We are to love one another.
If we do this then God will send revival and renewal. Our spiritual desert will become paradise. Our darkest moments will become like the brightest noon.
In addition to this the people of God must also become more passionate about corporate worship and Sabbath rest. We must give time, focus, passion, and intentionality to our praise and prayer. We must make our spiritual life a priority that simply does not get lost in the midst of our busy lives. The spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer, meditation on God’s word, praise, fasting, and study of scripture must be held in honor in our lives and in our schedules. Revival and renewal come when we believe meeting with God is vital and a delight.
Now God must give us such attitude. The LORD must move us towards these ends. But the map is clear. If we want revival and renewal then this is the path we must take.
What can you do to end negative talk in your life? The best way to stop negative talk in the body of Christ is to refuse to listen to it. When a conversation turns negative then just says “this is negative” and end the conversation.
What can you do to pour out your life to those in need? How can you serve those who are most weak?
What could you do to improve your worship on this Sunday? How could you become more serious in seeking God? Could you arrive five minutes early to pray? Could you sit in the front row to improve concentration? Could you prepare on Saturday night for Sunday morning? How can we take pleasure in our worship and glorify God?
(This is an example of the “Almost Daily Devotional”. If you would like to receive it then e-mail normwise@bellsouth.net and request to be put on the list to receive it on a regular basis. )
If you take away the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, if you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
And the LORD will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.
"If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the LORD honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken."
The main focus of Isaiah 58 is to teach us how to fast. It points out that we have to combine prayer and fasting with social concern and love or it is not something that pleases God. Like 1 Corinthians 13 it reminds us that without love then everything we do is empty and useless.
Lord, fill our hearts with love and concern for those in need.
One of the reasons we fast and pray is that we are looking for revival and renewal. We don’t fast when all is well. We fast when we are suffering losses and are in fear of defeat. Fasting is an emergency measure in which we are seeking to intensify the passion and purpose of our prayers because we see great need. We all want revival and renewal but fasting should reflect a deeper commitment to seeking God’s pouring out HIS blessing upon us and giving to us spiritual prosperity.
The Lord in this passage outlines what HIS people need to seek to do if they desire to see revival and renewal.
The first is they must free people from the chains of contempt ("pointing fingers") and slander ("speaking of evil"). God demands that the society of believers not be one filled with negativity, gossip, murmuring, complaining, sarcasm, and self righteous judgment of each other. The Holy Spirit is never inspiring negative talk.
(Exodus 16:7 ESV) and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against the LORD. For what are we, that you grumble against us?"
(Exodus 16:8 ESV) And Moses said, "When the LORD gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him--what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD."
(Numbers 14:27 ESV) "How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me.
(Numbers 14:36 ESV) And the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land, who returned and made all the congregation grumble against him by bringing up a bad report about the land--
(Numbers 16:11 ESV) Therefore it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him?"
(Numbers 17:5 ESV) And the staff of the man whom I choose shall sprout. Thus I will make to cease from me the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against you."
(John 6:43 ESV) Jesus answered them, "Do not grumble among yourselves.
(1 Corinthians 10:10 ESV) nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer.
(James 5:9 ESV) Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door..
God does not want congregations to be filled with complaining, griping, and murmuring. Ultimately, this shows a lack of contentment and joy. Revival and renewal will not come to a church that is filled with such abusive words.
Where should be our focus? We should be pouring out our souls to help those in need. That is what the Hebrew literally says here. We are to empty ourselves and our passions in caring for the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of hurting people. This is what God want HIS people to give themselves to without restraint. We are to love one another.
If we do this then God will send revival and renewal. Our spiritual desert will become paradise. Our darkest moments will become like the brightest noon.
In addition to this the people of God must also become more passionate about corporate worship and Sabbath rest. We must give time, focus, passion, and intentionality to our praise and prayer. We must make our spiritual life a priority that simply does not get lost in the midst of our busy lives. The spiritual disciplines of worship, prayer, meditation on God’s word, praise, fasting, and study of scripture must be held in honor in our lives and in our schedules. Revival and renewal come when we believe meeting with God is vital and a delight.
Now God must give us such attitude. The LORD must move us towards these ends. But the map is clear. If we want revival and renewal then this is the path we must take.
What can you do to end negative talk in your life? The best way to stop negative talk in the body of Christ is to refuse to listen to it. When a conversation turns negative then just says “this is negative” and end the conversation.
What can you do to pour out your life to those in need? How can you serve those who are most weak?
What could you do to improve your worship on this Sunday? How could you become more serious in seeking God? Could you arrive five minutes early to pray? Could you sit in the front row to improve concentration? Could you prepare on Saturday night for Sunday morning? How can we take pleasure in our worship and glorify God?
(This is an example of the “Almost Daily Devotional”. If you would like to receive it then e-mail normwise@bellsouth.net and request to be put on the list to receive it on a regular basis. )
Friday, August 06, 2010
Help us believe!
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore." 13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them
Everyone human being has to function by faith. Even the hard core materialist has to have faith in their senses and the scientific method. The scientific method cannot prove the scientific method. It has to be accepted by faith. Everyone has convictions about reality. These convictions are our faith. One of the marks of our humanity is that we are by nature “believers” in something.
Now the Bible sees true faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as “faith” and everything else as unbelief. Unbelief is to believe wrongly. It is faith directed at the wrong object and distorted. It is to have a false hope and perspective upon life.
Our faith is foundational. It helps us look at the world as a creation by God. It is by trust in God’s Word that we gain approval. Faith is the bridge that reconciles us to God when it is rightly directed towards His promises. The better our faith the better we know God.
Now the promise that must be believed is that the Messiah will come. The promise to Abraham was that the one who would crush the head of the devil would come through him (Genesis 3:15). The earth would be “filled” with believers who would be the “children of Abraham.” (Romans 4). The humble would inherit the earth. The Messiah would restore paradise to the planet and the people of God would know perfect peace or “Shalom”
This restored paradise or “kingdom of God” is the better city that has been prepared for those who trust in God keeping HIS promises in Messiah Jesus. We will see the planet and human society healed. There will be a fellowship of respect and love which will endure for all eternity. Not only will humanity dwell in peace with God but they will just as amazingly be at peace with one another.
The power to do God’s purpose in our lives will come as we believe. Abraham believed and gained the power to have a child. The disciples believed and the Holy Spirit fell upon them at Pentecost. Only as we believe do we have the love needed to act. Faith is foundational to having the energy needed to accomplish our God given tasks and use our gifts.
There is another story of faith that has always struck me. A father had come to have his son healed. But the disciples could not heal his son. Jesus the Messiah now comes to heal the son. The father asks HIM to help “if he can”. Messiah Jesus confronts the unbelief in the man’s heart.
And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24 ESV)
I think each of us is like the father of the child that day. We do believe. If the man did not believe he would not have his son seeing the apostles or even be asking Messiah Jesus for help. Total lack of faith would have kept the man home.
Yet, at the same time lots of bad things have happened. Things do not seem to be getting better and the people we hoped would help us seem powerless to assist us. It is hard to believe when we are tired and worn out. Circumstances do not seem to justify our faith. So our heart becomes divided. We believe but we don’t fully believe.
The man here does a very sane thing. He admits his unbelief. He confesses his lack of faith. Confession is always the first step in restoring our sanity. He then prays for his the Lord’s help in overcome his unbelief. Prayer is key to growing in faith. True faith is the gift of God. Only God can overcome the wrong belief that guides our hearts.
So can you confess today that there still remains in your heart unbelief? Can you define that unbelief as really faith in the wrong things? How well do you understand your own doubt? Can you pray today for God to help you to believe more?
Remember, faith come from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Sitting at the feet of Messiah Jesus is always a good place to find faith. Spend some time with HIM today just listening to HIS promises and love.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42 ESV)
1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 Indeed, by faith our ancestors received approval. 3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was made from things that are not visible.
8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, "as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore." 13 All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, 14 for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 15 If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them
Everyone human being has to function by faith. Even the hard core materialist has to have faith in their senses and the scientific method. The scientific method cannot prove the scientific method. It has to be accepted by faith. Everyone has convictions about reality. These convictions are our faith. One of the marks of our humanity is that we are by nature “believers” in something.
Now the Bible sees true faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as “faith” and everything else as unbelief. Unbelief is to believe wrongly. It is faith directed at the wrong object and distorted. It is to have a false hope and perspective upon life.
Our faith is foundational. It helps us look at the world as a creation by God. It is by trust in God’s Word that we gain approval. Faith is the bridge that reconciles us to God when it is rightly directed towards His promises. The better our faith the better we know God.
Now the promise that must be believed is that the Messiah will come. The promise to Abraham was that the one who would crush the head of the devil would come through him (Genesis 3:15). The earth would be “filled” with believers who would be the “children of Abraham.” (Romans 4). The humble would inherit the earth. The Messiah would restore paradise to the planet and the people of God would know perfect peace or “Shalom”
This restored paradise or “kingdom of God” is the better city that has been prepared for those who trust in God keeping HIS promises in Messiah Jesus. We will see the planet and human society healed. There will be a fellowship of respect and love which will endure for all eternity. Not only will humanity dwell in peace with God but they will just as amazingly be at peace with one another.
The power to do God’s purpose in our lives will come as we believe. Abraham believed and gained the power to have a child. The disciples believed and the Holy Spirit fell upon them at Pentecost. Only as we believe do we have the love needed to act. Faith is foundational to having the energy needed to accomplish our God given tasks and use our gifts.
There is another story of faith that has always struck me. A father had come to have his son healed. But the disciples could not heal his son. Jesus the Messiah now comes to heal the son. The father asks HIM to help “if he can”. Messiah Jesus confronts the unbelief in the man’s heart.
And Jesus said to him, "'If you can'! All things are possible for one who believes." Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, "I believe; help my unbelief!" (Mark 9:23-24 ESV)
I think each of us is like the father of the child that day. We do believe. If the man did not believe he would not have his son seeing the apostles or even be asking Messiah Jesus for help. Total lack of faith would have kept the man home.
Yet, at the same time lots of bad things have happened. Things do not seem to be getting better and the people we hoped would help us seem powerless to assist us. It is hard to believe when we are tired and worn out. Circumstances do not seem to justify our faith. So our heart becomes divided. We believe but we don’t fully believe.
The man here does a very sane thing. He admits his unbelief. He confesses his lack of faith. Confession is always the first step in restoring our sanity. He then prays for his the Lord’s help in overcome his unbelief. Prayer is key to growing in faith. True faith is the gift of God. Only God can overcome the wrong belief that guides our hearts.
So can you confess today that there still remains in your heart unbelief? Can you define that unbelief as really faith in the wrong things? How well do you understand your own doubt? Can you pray today for God to help you to believe more?
Remember, faith come from hearing and hearing from the word of Christ (Romans 10:17). Sitting at the feet of Messiah Jesus is always a good place to find faith. Spend some time with HIM today just listening to HIS promises and love.
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:38-42 ESV)
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