Even If i Walk Alone

Instructing and encouraging you to live your life as a disciple of Jesus

Awareness

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At some point, I hope someone will be able to explain to me the wisdom of going to the dentist on consecutive days to have work done on each side of my mouth. I figured I was being efficient in getting all the necessary work done quickly so that I could check it off my list. What I have discovered is that the only thing worse than one side of your mouth aching, is both sides of your mouth aching. Nothing really gnaws at you like a toothache; it’s not fun and there’s not a whole lot you can do about it. In the midst of this I opened my email to read of yet another attack on Christians in a foreign country. One of my daily prayer guides today contained a story of a young boy whose arm had been hacked by a machete when Muslim extremists attacked Christians during a church service. I then happened across a ministry that is doing great work in the area of human trafficking. Suddenly I felt very foolish for the petty thoughts of my toothache.

Everyday there are new stories coming out about the suffering of our fellow human beings. Some are our brothers and sisters in Christ; others are waiting to be told about Jesus. All are in desperate need of His love and encouragement. We are the vehicles of delivery for that love. We cannot share love with those in need if we are unaware of their situations. It is very important that we make an effort to read the stories of those who are suffering. It is very important to walk down our streets with open eyes so that we do not miss the obvious needs around us. And it is very important that we ask God for discerning hearts to seek out those He would have us to help. In short, we must be aware of the needs that surround us both in our own cities and around the world.

Many choose to not seek out the hurting because they know it will require some form of sacrifice from them, whether that be in terms of time, emotion or money. We are a people whose lives of luxury have led to a growing aversion to sacrifice. For true followers of Jesus, the term sacrifice is somewhat of a misnomer. Whenever we “sacrifice”, we gain Christ. We give up something in this world, and we receive more of the next world into our lives. We forfeit what is imperfect and gain what is perfect. Where then is our sacrifice? To lose all is to gain Christ. This is not sacrifice; this is reason to celebrate. When we let go of selfishness, greed and pride, we receive back selflessness, generosity and humility. In other words, when we let go of what this world tells us we need, we receive the character of Christ in return.

Our sufferings pale in comparison to what is experienced elsewhere in this world. Every day unspeakable acts of torture are manifested upon believers of Jesus. These are our brothers and sisters that accept this for the love of Jesus. They endure these atrocities while we sit comfortably on our couches in our air conditioned homes. Most of us will never have any idea what it means to truly suffer. We cannot ignore those in chains, those who are being tortured, sold into slavery and killed. This is not someone else’s problem to confront. This is a battle for the saints of Jesus Christ. We all have a responsibility to become aware of what is happening to Christians around the world, and to innocent people of all faiths and nations. Seek out stories each day and pray for those in need. Feed the poor, care for the orphans and widows, and seek justice for those who are persecuted. Think not of what this will cost you, but rather what you will gain. The person you will become as you live out these God-given commands will be worth far more than anything you might lose. Don’t turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to what is happening in the world today. Become aware of the needs of our world and work to bring to fruition the Kingdom of justice and love.

Forgiveness

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I don’t know about you, but I tend to severely beat myself up when I fall short of the standard of Jesus. While I intellectually realize I can never achieve the level of devotion to God that He did, emotionally I am somewhat distraught when my actions do not match the desires of my heart. I can truly say with Paul that the very things I hate I end up doing, while the things I want to do I leave undone. Sometimes my relationship with Jesus looks more like a train wreck than anything else. I passionately love Him and am in awe of His holiness and love for me. I study and structure my life in ways that I believe put me in a place where I can best follow Him. Still, I fail and I fall like everyone else. I literally amaze myself that despite all my planning and preparation, I can still be led astray and not walk in His light. These are the days that end in prayers of desperation and pleading for Him to not let me wander from the path I know He would have me to walk. I believe we all have our “thorns of the flesh”, triggers that knock us off course. I think at this point I’d just like some new triggers to replace the old ones instead of always being tripped up by the same character flaws!

Thankfully, Jesus is patient beyond all our understanding. The One who told us to continually forgive those who sin against us, no matter how often they do so, forgives us in the same way. He sees our hearts and our devotion to Him. He loves us through our triumphs and our failures. The despondency I feel when I miss the mark is a great ploy of Satan. He wants nothing more than to convince us that we will never measure up so we may as well just stop trying. He attempts to sideline us by pointing to our failures and telling us that Christ can’t see past our sin to get to our hearts. Nothing could be further from the truth, and we must reject these lies in order to push past our failures and accept the forgiveness of Christ. We need to confess our sin and then let it go. We need to learn from our mistakes, but we need not dwell on them any longer than it takes to recognize them and repent. I have often found myself repeatedly confessing the same sin because I am so overwhelmed by my failure. Years ago I read an article in Keith Green’s Last Days magazine entitled “Dirty Linen in the Throne Room”. The gist was that Christ cleanses us, so that when we appear before Him we are washed clean. However, we refuse to recognize what He has done for us and instead see ourselves approaching Him in filthy rags. We have an identity crisis; we are listening to Satan’s lies about who we are rather than living in the reality of who we are in Christ.

I have often taken comfort over the years in the following lyrics from Margaret Becker’s amazing song, “Just Come In”:

You think you’ve crossed
Some sacred line
And now I will ignore you
If you look up
You will find
My heart is still toward you
Look at the sky
The east to the west
That’s where I threw this
When you first confessed
Let it go now

We need not beat ourselves up when we fail. Falling is a part of learning to walk. God loves us, skinned knees and all. We must never stop seeking Him and we must never cease our desire to live a life that looks like His. I will never understand why He loves us so much, despite our failures and our brokenness; but I will spend the rest of my days doing what I can to prove myself worthy of that love. I will get up again and again; I will not stay knocked down. My heart is toward Him and I will continue striving to live a life that is pleasing to Him and in a way that reflects His glory to everyone I meet. We are forgiven; we are empowered and we are clean. Walk in your true identity and reject the lies of Satan. We are cleansed and we are free. Live in His beauty.

Are You Ready To Die?

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This past week I have been praying for the country of Oman. This is a country where it is illegal to evangelize others for Christ, and it is illegal for Christians to hold meetings. Followers of Jesus are not allowed to come together to encourage each other, nor are they allowed to tell anyone else about Him. It breaks my heart as I ponder how these people will ever hear the message of the Gospel. How will they ever know how much God loves them, and where will they find their hope? This isn’t a country where we can just write a check to a ministry serving there; to my knowledge there are no ministries serving there other than small covert networks. Having read Shane Claiborne’s excellent book, “Becoming the Answer to Our Prayers” earlier this year, I began asking how I might be able to facilitate getting the Gospel into the hands of the Omani people. It was during this time of prayer that I again came face to face with the realization that following Jesus is a dangerous proposition.

As I have read through the book of Acts recently, I was reminded how much persecution the early church faced on a constant basis. This same persecution continues today outside the confines of our comfortable Western society. If you have not done so in a while, take a moment to praise and thank God that you live in a place that allows you the freedom to worship Him and to gather with other Christians whenever you wish. Then remember to pray for our brothers and sisters who live each day in fear of imprisonment and torture. Most of us cannot fathom living life as they do. Pray that they would be encouraged and that their love for Jesus would grow daily and shine brightly in this dark world.

Another book I read recently was “Radical”, by David Platt. In the book, the author talks about his visit to a Bible seminary in Indonesia where, in order to graduate, each student must plant a church with 30 new converts in a Muslim community. When Mr. Platt spoke at their commencement ceremony, all twenty five of the students had successfully planted these churches. Two had died in the process. I am inspired and awed by the faith and courage of these people.

If you’ve ever read the biography of Jim Elliot (“Shadow of the Almighty”), you know the story of a young man wholly committed to bringing the Gospel to some of the most hostile places on earth. Jim was determined to reach those who had never heard the Gospel. He felt compelled to be a missionary to a tribe that was notorious for killing any outsiders who came into their region. I encourage you to read the story for yourself, but Jim was killed very soon after arriving to share the love of Jesus to this people group. Despite the tragedy, because of Jim’s effort, most of the Waodani tribe came to know Christ.

The call to follow Jesus is not one to be accepted lightly. Jesus told the people of His day that if they would follow Him, they must be willing to die. This wasn’t simply a metaphor for dying to self; it was the reality of dying a physical death. The martyrs through the ages prove that Christians often die horrific deaths. Yet they faced their death with joy, knowing that they had obeyed what Christ told them to do and they would soon see Him face to face. The faith of those who have gone before us should serve as both an inspiration and an encouragement as we live out our faith each day.

Most of us will never have to die for our faith as long as we maintain the status quo. America and most Western countries provide safety for the body of Christ. Yet for those living in other countries, death is an everyday reality. Some of us will venture into those places to help bring the light of Christ to others. All of us must pray for our brothers and sisters and for one another. All of us must realize that the call to die is not for a select few, but for every follower of Jesus. Do not pray for your safety, but rather pray for the effectiveness of your witness. Do not pray for comfort, but beg for boldness to speak the name of Jesus. As long as we have breath, we must be willing to lose it for the name of Jesus Christ. All we do should be done in honor of, and to glorify, God. If we love Him, we must do so with such intensity that we are indeed willing to die for Him. There may come a time when you must choose between your life and your love for Jesus. If that day should come, would you be willing to lose it all for the sake of Christ? Would you be willing to die for Him as He was for you? Live a life that reflects Jesus in every way; diligently follow Him wherever He might lead. We cannot know what situations may face us down the road. Stand fast in Jesus, take up your cross each day, and be ready to die.

Achieving the Goal

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Many wise men have said, in one form or the other, that a goal not written down is merely a fantasy. I have proved this out in my own life. As followers of Jesus, our ultimate goal is to live a life that looks like His. We know this to be true at our core, and we express this fact to others. Have you ever taken the time to write down this goal? As long as it is just something we want to do or achieve, and as long as it remains only in our mind, the chances of obtaining the goal are almost zero. When we don’t write our goals down, they become elusive and our attempts at accomplishment are haphazard and scattered. Once we commit our goals to paper, they become more tangible and we can begin to develop plans to bring them to fruition.

The achievement of any goal essentially boils down to what we are willing to begin doing, what we are willing to stop doing, and how much self-discipline we are willing to bring to bear to achieve the desired outcome. Desiring to live a life that looks like Jesus has one distinct advantage over any other goal you may set out to achieve. That advantage is Jesus Himself. He loves you beyond measure and desires you to know Him more deeply than you already do. He excitedly waits to help you discover more of Him and to live in a manner that reflects His glory. Instead of disciplining ourselves out of duty, we discipline ourselves out of love. This makes working towards this goal far more pleasant than most others. Every step closer to Jesus improves the rest of our life exponentially. We may not gain financially as a result of our pursuit, but we will gain incredible joy and peace. Achieving the goal is rewarding, but the person you must become to achieve it is far more rewarding still.

Once you have determined to go all in and pursue Jesus at any cost – and you’ve written it down – you must then write out your “why”. Why is it that you want to live a life that looks like Jesus? Why is it that you want to give up everything to follow Him? What is your motivation? Following Jesus is hard, and you will face many times of discouragement. These are the times when many will turn back and make the tragic decision that it simply isn’t worth it. When you face trials, refer back to your “why” to discover again the reasons you have to push through the storm and emerge strengthened on the other side. Having clearly defined reasons for wanting to follow Jesus will help you keep everything in proper perspective and enable you to stand fast against the attacks of the enemy.

You have established your goal and determined your reasons; now it is time to plan. Write down what a true follower of Jesus looks like. How do they act? What sort of things do they say? Where do they hang out? With whom do they associate? Develop a clear mental image of what a true follower of Jesus looks like, and write it down. Be as detailed as possible. How do they spend their days? How do they interact with their family? Now take a look at your own life; how do you measure up? By looking at the description of the person you want to become, you should be able to see several areas where your own life needs to change. Work on one area at a time. Determine to change your life in that one area so that your own life begins to align with your description of the true follower of Jesus. What actions can you take today to start looking like that ideal picture? How will your life change over the next week and month to look more like that of a true follower of Jesus? Once you have established one area of your life to be more consistent with Christ, move on to the next. Always write down what needs to change and how you will accomplish this. Review these mini-goals daily, before going to sleep at night and when you awaken each morning.

The chances are good that if you are reading this blog you have a strong desire to follow Jesus with a reckless abandonment. It’s exciting and invigorating to know there are others out there who share the same passion. The difference between those who obtain this life and those who just wish they could, is simply a matter of focused discipline. Writing down what you want to achieve has a mysterious power to help you accomplish your goals; this mysterious power is called focus. Once you are focused you can move forward. Without focus, you will wander aimlessly, forever taking two steps forward and one step back. It’s time to move past wishful thinking and fantasy. It’s time to devote ourselves to the One who gave everything for us. Jesus was intentional and focused as He lived His life for us; now it’s our turn. Write down what you want to do; describe who you must become to do it. Then persist without exception, relying on God’s power to accomplish in you all He intends to do.

How (Not) To Grow a Church

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My Dad was a pastor so I grew up very aware of the inner workings of churches in America. I was privy to the strategies and techniques used to grow a church and the plans to attract more people each Sunday. It is both interesting and sad that church growth has traditionally been about the number of bodies in the pews rather than the actual development of the individual; but I digress. As an avid reader I have consumed many books on the subject of the Western church, megachurches, emerging churches, evangelism, church growth, etc. With that in mind, I believe I have discovered the one sure fire way to impede church growth (as defined by adding members): preach the Gospel. Most Christians I have talked to in my life attend their particular church because they preach the Gospel, or they leave a church because it does not. It makes me wonder exactly what Gospel they are talking about. Let’s take a quick look at a few teachings of Jesus to determine whether or not your church is actually preaching the Gospel.

In Luke 18:18-23, Jesus told the young man that if he wanted to follow Him, he would have to sell all of his possessions and give the money to the poor. When was the last time your preacher told the congregation they needed to start liquidating their material possessions and donate that money to care for the less fortunate in their town and around the world? How well do you think that sermon might go over? This isn’t some vague notion or the opinion of a learned scholar, these words came directly from the mouth of Jesus. How convenient that we have chosen to either ignore or explain away this teaching. This is part of the Gospel of Jesus. The good news is that He has come to bring life and justice, and sometimes justice means selling what we have in order to give to those who are hungry or homeless.

In the book of Matthew (chapter 8, verses 21 and 22), a man says he will follow Jesus, but first needs to go bury his father. Jesus rebuked him and told the man that if he wanted to be His follower, he would need to forget about his family. In fact, Jesus went so far as to say we must hate our mother, father, brothers and sisters if we would follow Him (Luke 14:25-27). I have heard more sermons preached on taking care of one’s own family than I have on hating them. The point is we must be so consumed with Jesus that everything we do in life is with Him in mind. All other obligations and responsibilities must be set aside when it competes with following Jesus. If a scheduling conflict forces you to choose between a kid’s soccer game and feeding the hungry at a soup kitchen, it has to be the soup kitchen every time. This is not going to be a popular message on Sunday morning, and I can only imagine the email the pastor would receive after preaching it. But this too is the Gospel. Our mission is to tell the world about Christ, to make disciples of all people. Everything we do must revolve around this purpose.

Finally, Jesus told another man who wished to follow Him that He had no home (Matthew 8:19-20). The implication is that if we would follow Christ, we too will be homeless; so much for the American dream. In the era of the “prosperity gospel”, this is not a popular topic. Western Christianity has come to be taught as some sort of slick panacea, a comfortable existence lived with a dose of compassion. The modern church has planted itself in the suburbs and consumed itself with programs to entertain and cocoon its members. Many churches have become nothing more than large social clubs where one must maintain a certain look and lifestyle in order to gain admittance; the homeless are often not welcome. Yet, the Gospel of Jesus, the true Gospel, states that if we would follow Him, we will have no place to lay our head at night.

Do you really want to attend a church that preaches the Gospel? The Gospel is amazing news indeed; it is the story of God’s love for His creation. It is the story of His redemption of our fallen and wicked world. It is the story of Jesus giving up His own life so that we might gain eternal life. There is more than this, however. The Gospel is also about our responsibility to spread the message to all nations. We are called to give up everything we own or hold dear for the purpose of furthering the Kingdom of God. We are called to sell our possessions, to renounce our earthly relationships and to live a life of utter dependence on Jesus. Not all will be faced with these trials, but all must be willing. If God chooses to bless us with even more than we give up, then it is for His glory. If He chooses to not return abundance to us in this life, it is also for His glory and we will be lavishly rewarded in the life to come. Are you willing to live your life in total surrender to Jesus? Are you willing to live out the whole Gospel, not just the comfortable parts? Your answers to these questions will determine whether or not you are a true follower of Jesus. Don’t get left behind.