Jan 30

Resources for Grief

Christian Life, Desperate Days (Job) 2012 No Comments »

On Sunday, January 22 as we continued in our Desperate Days series, we discussed “Good & Bad Counsel.” I hope and pray that it was helpful in giving you ideas on what to say and what not to say when a friend or family member is going through grief and suffering. Here are some resources that I’ve used over the years for understanding the experience and process of grief:

1. Experiencing Grief – H. Norman Wright. Written to encourage anybody who’s recently endured a loss, this brief, powerful book leads readers through five essential stages: shock, rage, despair, release, and finally peace.

2. Shattered Dreams – Larry Crabb. If God loves me, why is life so painful? Exploring the biblical account of Naomi, Crabb explains how God longs to awaken his children to the dream beneath the rubble of tragedy–changing lives for good and forever. Encounter your closest Friend in the midst of difficulty and learn to live beyond life’s deepest pain.

3. A Grace Disguised – Jerry Sittser. In one terrible instant, a drunk-driving accident claimed three generations of Sittser’s family—his mother, wife, and daughter—while he and his remaining children were left to survive together. In this powerfully moving testimony, he offers hope to fellow Christians who have suffered loss through illness, divorce, or death.

4. Disappointment with God – Philip Yancey. Yancey deals with some of life’s toughest questions in the midst of faith and suffering. Is God unfair? Is God silent? Is God hidden? If God desires our love, why does he sometimes put obstacles in the way? Why does he seem so distant? What can we expect from him after all? No part of the Bible goes unstudied in the authors search for God’s hidden nature in this compelling and profound book.

5. When the Darkness Will Not Lift – John Piper. Even the most faithful, focused Christians can encounter periods of depression and spiritual darkness when joy seems to stay just out of reach. It can happen because of sin, satanic assault, distressing circumstances, or hereditary and other physical causes. In When the Darkness Will Not Lift, John Piper aims to give some comfort and guidance to those experiencing spiritual darkness.

If you need some personal help with depression, grief, or suffering or would like to refer someone, please contact Lupe Maple, Director of Northshore’s LIGHT Ministry.

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Jan 18

Desperation & Depression

Desperate Days (Job) 2012 No Comments »

With Sunday’s snowstorm, I wanted to post the message manuscript and audio from the message “Desperation & Depression.” It was an important message for those who struggle with depression or for those who have friends or family who struggle with depression.

Here’s the AUDIO from the message.

1 Afterward Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth. 2And Job said,

3 “Let the day perish on which I was to be born,
And the night which said, ‘A boy is conceived.’
4 “May that day be darkness;
Let not God above care for it,
Nor light shine on it.
5 “Let darkness and black gloom claim it;
Let a cloud settle on it;
Let the blackness of the day terrify it.
6 “As for that night, let darkness seize it;
Let it not rejoice among the days of the year;
Let it not come into the number of the months.
7 “Behold, let that night be barren;
Let no joyful shout enter it.
8 “Let those curse it who curse the day,
Who are prepared to rouse Leviathan.
9 “Let the stars of its twilight be darkened;
Let it wait for light but have none,
And let it not see the breaking dawn;
10 Because it did not shut the opening of my mother’s womb,
Or hide trouble from my eyes.

11 “Why did I not die at birth,
Come forth from the womb and expire?
12 “Why did the knees receive me,
And why the breasts, that I should suck?
13 “For now I would have lain down and been quiet;
I would have slept then, I would have been at rest,
14 With kings and with counselors of the earth,
Who rebuilt ruins for themselves;
15 Or with princes who had gold,
Who were filling their houses with silver.
16 “Or like a miscarriage which is discarded, I would not be,
As infants that never saw light.
17 “There the wicked cease from raging,
And there the weary are at rest.
18 “The prisoners are at ease together;
They do not hear the voice of the taskmaster.
19 “The small and the great are there,
And the slave is free from his master.

20 “Why is light given to him who suffers,
And life to the bitter of soul,
21 Who long for death, but there is none,
And dig for it more than for hidden treasures,
22 Who rejoice greatly,
And exult when they find the grave?
23 “Why is light given to a man whose way is hidden,
And whom God has hedged in?
24 “For my groaning comes at the sight of my food,
And my cries pour out like water.
25 “For what I fear comes upon me,
And what I dread befalls me.
26 “I am not at ease, nor am I quiet,
And I am not at rest, but turmoil comes.”

How bad does life have to get where you feel something like that? Some of you have actually experienced this kind of desperation and depression… a kind of desperation and depression where you don’t even have the will to keep on living. Charles Spurgeon, the famous British 19th century pastor, often referred to as the “Prince of Preachers,” was prone to seasons of deep depression even amidst enormous success in ministry. He once said, “I am the subject of depression so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to.” Every one of us is susceptible to some level of depression. Every one of us has the possibility of experiencing those grey days where things don’t go right and it affects how we see life. On the other extreme some of us experience the pitch-black dark night of the soul, and we rue the day we were born. Most of us have experienced or will experience something in between. Or we have friends or family members who have experienced or are experiencing depression.

What do you do when your desperation turns into depression?

This is the question I want to wrestle through today. Last week, we began a 7-week series called Desperate Days. We’re exploring the ancient book of Job… pressing into some of the most intense questions in life about tragedy, suffering, depression… and where God is in the midst of it all. Last week we were introduced to the biblical character Job and talked about how we respond when tragedy strikes. Job experiences catastrophe after catastrophe. He loses everything. He loses his ten children as they’re killed in a freak storm. He loses his possession. He loses his health. Last week we left him covered in boils, sitting in the city dump, waiting to die, surrounded by his three friends who came to comfort him but could do nothing but sit and weep in silence for seven days and seven nights. And then finally… Job opens his mouth and speaks… and his desperation has turned into a deep depression.

Job’s Wishes

As we explore Job 3, we see that Job has three wishes as his desperation turns into deep depression.

1. Job wishes he’d never been conceived (vv. 1-10). Job is in such mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual pain that he curses the day he was conceived. Notice that Job never curses God. He’s beginning to question God. As we get further into the book, he’ll even challenge God. But he never renounces or curses God. But He does curse the day he was conceived. As the story shifts from narrative to poetry, the images Job paints in his pain are dark. Over and over, he talks about the day of his conception as a dark day… black gloom… dark clouds. He wishes the day didn’t even exist because then he would never had to endure what he’s going through in his life. A quick explanation of v. 8 – the “leviathan.” Job’s talking about a mythological, seven-headed sea monster that when awoken would swallow the sun and the moon. He doesn’t necessarily believe in this mythological creature, but he’s communicating in the language of his day to explain the darkness and turmoil he’s feeling right now.

2. Job wishes he’d never been born (vv. 11-19). In v. 11, the “why” questions begin. Job asks, “Why didn’t I die at birth? Why did the knees receive me?” He’s talking about sitting on his mother’s lap while he was feeding or possibly sitting on his father’s knee as he received his father’s blessing. If he would have died when he was born, he’d be experiencing “quiet and rest.” He’d be in the grave, like great kings who built these extravagant graves that have now become ruins. Job states that death is the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter if you’re great or small, king or slave, rich or poor. One aside from these verses… Job and the rest of the Old Testament don’t have a developed view of the afterlife. Death was simply death… an end to life. There are glimpses of the afterlife is some Old Testament writings, but we don’t get a fully developed view of heaven and hell until we get into the New Testament of the Bible. So from Job’s limited perspective, death is a release from the pain and suffering of life.

3. Job wishes he’d die now (vv. 20-26). Job’s last wish is that he could die right now. More “why” questions surface. In v. 20, “Why is light (i.e., life) given to him who suffers?” He’s asking why God sustains someone’s life if they’re going through this intense suffering. In great pain, people look for death or for a way out, but it doesn’t come. I’ll talk about this more in-depth in a moment, but notice that Job doesn’t consider suicide. He simply wishes he’d never been conceived or born… or that God would allow him to die right now. In v. 23, God feels like he’s lost his way… he feels like God has “hedged” him in. Back in Job 1:10, Satan accuses God of putting up a “hedge” of protection around Job. And now Job feels like God has boxed him in and backed him into a corner of extreme suffering… and he can’t escape. In v. 24, we see that he’s lost his appetite and when someone tries to bring him food, he wails loudly. His worst fears have come true. His nightmares have become a reality. He’s lost everything dear to him. He doesn’t feel at ease or safe and secure. He’s not experiencing that longed for rest. He’s in turmoil, an agitated state (lit., “a rumbling of thunder”) that comes from a complete lack of peace. And he wishes he’d die right now so he doesn’t have to endure it any more. His desperation has turned into a deep depression. He’s in a dark place right now, and doesn’t seem to be getting better anytime soon.

That’s what Job’s going through, as his desperation turned to depression. In your life, what do you do when depression turns into depression?

When You’re Depressed

If you’re struggling with depression, whether it’s simply the winter blues or the pitch-black, dark night of the soul, here are five things that you need to remember. And please hear me on this… they won’t necessarily alleviate the depression, but they will give you some moorings when it feels like your being tossed to and fro by the tempest of life.

1. Be honest and don’t try to fake it. Job let it out… he was honest about what he was feeling. So often in the Christian community, we walk around with these plastic little smiles, and when asked how we’re doing by our friends, we tell them that everything is fine. Inside we’re crumbling. Inside we’re absolutely falling apart. While I can appreciate trying to maintain as positive, optimistic, faith-filled outlook as possible, so we’re not viewed as a constant Eeyore or Puddleglum… when you’re going through depression, be honest and don’t try to fake it, especially with your friends and family. When you’re struggling with depression, you’re already low on emotional energy. It’s not worth expending what energy you do have on trying to look like you have it all together. Be honest and don’t try to fake it.

2. You may say and do things you regret later. I wonder what Job thought about everything he said in chapter 3 once the storm passed. I wonder if he thought, “Okay, I was in a lot of pain in that moment… the lowest I’ve ever felt in my life, but there are some things I said that I regret.” Pain often makes us forget the joys and blessings of the past… because the present is so overwhelming… and the future feels so hopeless. In chapters 1 and 2, even amidst the catastrophe and suffering, Job rightly says that God is to be blessed whether He gives or takes away, whether it’s a season of good or a season of adversity. But the depression hits, and in the pain, he seems to forget all of the good things God has done in his life. I think he says some things that he later regrets. If you’re going through depression right now, remember that. Once again, don’t try to fake it… but just be careful… be discerning about what you say. If one of your friends or family members is going through a season, don’t be surprised when they say something that sounds over-the-top. Be attentive to their feelings and what they’re saying, but realize that because of the pain they’re experiencing, they may say and do things that they might regret later.

3. Suicide is never an option. Even though Job wishes that he would have died right then, throughout his story, you never get a whiff that he’s considering taking his own life. He never picks up a broken piece of pottery and slices his wrist. He never asks his friends to do a mercy killing. Even in the desperation and depression, Job was a man of faith, and suicide was never an option. If you’re in the darkest place you’ve ever been, you need to take any thoughts of suicide out of the equation. And if you’re having those kinds of thoughts, you need to get some help immediately. After the message, I’ll give you a way to get in contact with our LIGHT ministry. We can get you some help. Regardless of how deep the pain… how overwhelming the suffering… how desperate the depression, suicide is never an option.

4. Live on promises not explanations. Did you hear all of the “why” questions flood out of Job’s mouth? As I frequently say (because I’ve read and studied the book of Job several times), “God rarely answers the ‘why’ questions.” If you’re wondering why you’re going through depression, please hear me on this… with all pastoral compassion… God doesn’t “owe” you or me an explanation as to “why.” If He chooses to reveal that to you, awesome. But I often find that He doesn’t answer the “why” of suffering. This past year, when I was struggling with depression, several people asked me “why” I thought I was going through it… what was God trying to teach me. And those questions were asked out of a genuine concern. And there were days (and months) when I asked God the same question, especially when I’d done everything I knew how to do and it still wasn’t helping. But quite honestly, I’m not sure “why” I was going through the depression. I know what I learned from that season… things that came to the surface… some during… but most afterwards. And in all of it, God didn’t owe me an explanation. But what God did give me before, during, and after were promises. So even in the dark days, I chose to live on those promises… that one day (and who knew how long that would take), light would again shine through the clouds… that I could take all the pain and confusion to God and that He’d hear me. And here’s the most important promise that you need to live on if you’re going through depression…

5. God is there. In Philip Yancey’s book Disappointment with God, he tells the story of Christian Reger, a German Christian who survived the World War II concentration camp Dachau. Here’s what Yancey writes:

During the final winter, when coal supplies ran low, the ovens were finally shut off. Prisoners no longer had to put up with the constant stench of burning comrades. Many died of exposure, however, and the bodies were stacked naked in the snow like cordwood, a number stenciled on each with blue marker. Reger will tell such horror stories if you ask. But he never stops there. He goes on to share his faith, and how even at Dachau he was visited by a God of love. Reger said, “Nietzsche said a man can undergo torture if he knows the Why of life. But here at Dachau, I learned something far greater. I learned to know the Who of my life. He was enough to sustain me then, and is enough to sustain me still.”

Even in the most difficult, desperate, depressing times, God is there. The Apostle Paul reinforces this in Philippians 4:5b-7.

“The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (emphasis added)

Many of us know vv. 6-7 (“be anxious about nothing… don’t worry… the peace of God which surpasses all understanding… guarding our hearts in Christ Jesus”). But we separate it from what comes immediately before, “The Lord is near.” God is there, even in the midst of the desperation and depression. There will be times when it feels like He’s not there… but please hear me… let your “theology” (your thoughts on God)… the reality and conviction that He is there… let that interpret your experience, even in desperation and depression. God is there.

The desperate days often produce depression… sometimes it’s a low-grade depression where it feels like the gray skies won’t let the sunshine through… and sometimes it feels like the darkest black night with no seeming hope of a sunrise on the horizon. Job went there… and there are times we will as well. There are times when a friend or family member experiences deep depression. In all of this, we need to be prepared as possible… especially when the desperate days turn into desperate weeks, desperate months, and even desperate years. In those seasons, we need to remember Job’s story. Be honest and don’t try to fake it. You may say and do things you regret later. Suicide is never an option. Live on promises not explanations. And the most important thing… God is there!

At the beginning of the message, I mentioned the wretched depression that Charles Spurgeon experienced. Here’s the rest of what Spurgeon had to say:

I am the subject of depression so fearful that I hope none of you ever get to such extremes of wretchedness as I go to. But I always get back again by this—I know that I trust Christ. I have no reliance but in Him, and if He falls, I shall fall with Him. But if He does not, I shall not. Because He lives, I shall live also, and I spring to my legs again and fight with my depressions of spirit and get the victory through it. And so may you do, and so you must, for there is no other way of escaping from it.

If you need help with depression, please contact Northshore’s LIGHT & Community Support Ministry.

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Jan 05

New Series: Desperate Days

Bible, Christian Life, Desperate Days (Job) 2012, Northshore Baptist Church, Theological Musings 3 Comments »

What happens when tragedy strikes? What happens when the dark clouds won’t go away? What happens when life doesn’t seem to go as we had planned or hoped? What happens when God seems silent? These are the desperate days… the dark night of the soul. When the desperate days are upon us, one of the best places to go in the Bible is the story of Job. Desperate days and human suffering are a reality. The question for us is, “How will we journey to faith in the midst of the desperate days?” Even if and when God seems silent, He is up to something greater… something transformational… and yes, even in the desperate days.

Join us January 8 – February 19 as we explore some important themes on suffering and faith in the book of Job. This is a great series to invite your friends and family who don’t know Jesus and who might be going through some desperate days of their own. Here are the themes we’ll talk about:

January 8 – When Tragedy Strikes (Job 1-2)

January 15 – Desperation and Depression (Job 3)

January 22 – Good and Bad Counsel (Job 4-28)

January 29 – Glimmers of Truth (Job 32-37)

February 5 – The Silence of God (Selected Passages)

February 12 – The Storm of Sovereignty (Job 38-41)

February 19 – The Journey to Faith (Job 42)

If you’d like to explore the book of Job and the themes of suffering, faith, and the gospel more in-depth, here are some recommended resources:

Job: A Man of Heroic Endurance (Charles Swindoll)

Be Patient: Waiting on God in Difficult Times (Warren Wiersbe)

Disappointment with God (Philip Yancey)

The Gospel According to Job (Mike Mason)

“How Can a Good God Allow Suffering?” (Message from the YouAskedForIt series)

“Suffering: If God is good, why is there so much evil in the world?” (Message by Pastor Tim Keller)

Additional Resources for Grief

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Nov 02

Spiritual Warfare: THE WEAPONS

This is War 2011 No Comments »

This is the sermon manuscript from message #4 of the THIS IS WAR series. Click HERE for the audio and questions for discussion & devotion.

In the 6th century BC, Sun Tzu, the famous Chinese military strategist, said this in The Art of War: “Every battle is won or lost before it is fought.” Before the battle, you have to know the terrain that you’re fighting on. You have to know your enemy. And you have to know the capabilities of your weapons.

It’s no different in the spiritual war. We have to know the terrain. We have to know where the battle is being fought. Is it being fought in our own hearts? Is it being fought in a relationship, in our marriage, or with our children? Is it being fought in our church? Is it being fought at work? Is it being fought in our community or the world at large? We also have to know the enemy. We’ve talked about our enemies—the flesh, the world, and Satan. We have to know when our flesh, that internal predisposition to rebel and sin, rears its ugly head. We have to understand when the world’s value system covertly creeps in or overtly bombards us. And we have to know when Satan is trying to deceive, destroy, or accuse us. But we also have to know our weapons… because if we don’t understand the weapons at our disposal, we won’t know how to fight. So here’s the key question:

In the spiritual war, what are our weapons and how do we use them?

Take a look at Ephesians 6:10-20. It’s the quintessential passage on the armor of God and the weapons we have available for spiritual warfare.

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. 14 Stand firm therefore, HAVING GIRDED YOUR LOINS WITH TRUTH, and HAVING PUT ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 15 and having shod YOUR FEET WITH THE PREPARATION OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE; 16 in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17And take THE HELMET OF SALVATION, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, 19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, 20 for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

#1 Before the battle, know your weapons (vv. 10-17)

In the Army we had a motto: “The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war.” So we trained. We went to weapon ranges to increase our proficiency. We did training exercise so that our tactics and battle drills became second nature and automatic responses. Before the battle, we knew our weapons, their capabilities and how to use them. This is what Paul is saying in vv. 10-12. If you’re going to stand firm in the spiritual war, before the battle begins you need to know your weapons. Paul uses the metaphor of a Roman soldier’s armor and weapons to describe the protection and weapons we have at our disposal in the spiritual war.

1. Belt of Truth. This was a belt that gathered up the tunic (the undergarment). It insured that a soldier was unimpeded as he ran into battle. It gave him hidden strength and confidence. The belt of truth is the truth about who God is… about His character… His promises and most importantly about Jesus Christ, who He is and what He’s done for us. And remember, one of the primary ways Satan tries to deceive us is by distorting the truth. He propagates false doctrines about Jesus or he whispers that it’s just too good to be true. So the “belt of truth” girds us with confidence that everything God has said about who He is and what He’s done, is doing, and will do causes us to stand firm with confidence.

2. Breastplate of Righteousness. Satan will do anything and everything to take out your heart. He will do anything and everything to continually condemn you and accuse you. He will continually whisper lies and accusations that there is no way that God could love someone like you… no way that God would die on a cross to save someone like you. So the breastplate, the armor that covers the torso, reminds us of our righteousness… our “right standing” (the only way we can stand before a perfect God) because of what Jesus Christ has done for us. Because of His death and resurrection, the penalty for our sin has been removed. And Jesus won a cosmic victory where Satan is ultimately defeated, and therefore we don’t fight for victory but from victory. And the breastplate of righteousness protects our hearts from Satan’s accusations.

3. Shoes of the Gospel. Roman soldiers shoes had nails on their soles so that they’d be surefooted in battle. And as we’re confident and surefooted in understanding the fullness of our restored relationship and peace with God, then we are more fully prepared and empowered to go and take that message of the gospel of peace with God into our world. That’s the shoes of the gospel.

4. Shield of Faith. For the Roman infantry soldier, the shield was a critical piece of equipment. It was a long, oblong, door-like shield (4’ x 2.5’) made of wood, leather, and metal. It protected a soldier from flying projectiles, especially flaming arrows that were shot to weaken the battle lines. But here’s an interesting thing about the Roman shield. It was most effective when used side by side with other soldiers in formation.

It’s the power of living out our faith with each other… standing firm in the battle together… having each other’s backs as we fight together. Confidence comes in community when we’re living out our faith together in our friendships, in our homes, in our small groups… as people are doing battle alongside us and even for us at times.

5. Helmet of Salvation. The helmet of salvation reminds us that God and His grace is our only hope against the enemy. It protects our vision of God and His kingdom and reminds us why we’re fighting.

6. Sword of the Spirit. In this last image, Paul shifts from the armor to our primary “weapon” in the spiritual war. The sword in mind here is a short dagger-like sword that was used for close, hand-to-hand combat. And our sword for the spiritual war is God’s Word, the Bible. God has shared His heart with us. He’s revealed His story and master plan. He’s told us who ultimately wins the victory. And we fight the enemy’s deceptions, distortions, and accusations with God’s Word. As we study and memorize it, the Spirit takes the very strength of God and infuses it into us so that we’re strong and steadfast in the battle.

#2 During the battle, use your weapons (vv. 18-20)

The armor and weapons of God are primarily wielded in and through prayer. Paul wants us to know our weapons, but he tells us that we use our weapons in prayer. And he tells us to use our weapons by praying for three things:

1. Pray for alertness (v. 18a). When we pray for alertness, we pray, “God give me spiritual eyes to see where and how the battle is being fought.” Is the battle right now a personal sin struggle? Is the battle right now a relationship issue with a friend, with my spouse, or with my kids? Is the battle a justice or truth issue in our world? We have to pray for spiritual eyes to see our lives, our relationships, and our world the way God does. So we pray for alertness.

2. Pray for perseverance (v. 18b). When we pray for perseverance, we pray, “God, give me Your sustaining grace.” Spiritual battles often wear us out and wear us down. So we pray for God’s perseverance to stand strong. And as we talked about the shield of faith, this is where meaningful, authentic relationships come in (“petition for all the saints”). There are times when we are so tired and discouraged that we can’t seem to go on. And then a friend, a spouse, someone in your small group, or a pastor prays for you, and it’s like a shot of strength. If you’re simply worn out and tired, use the weapons of prayer and pray for God’s sustaining grace to persevere you in the midst of the battle.

3. Pray for boldness (vv. 19-20). When we pray for boldness, we pray, “God, give me the courage to share the good news.” Remember, the battle is not only for your personal survival, the battle is for the gospel to move further and further into this broken world. And God uses us… but we’ve got to remember that our boldness comes from Jesus’ victory. Listen to what Jesus says in Matthew 16:18 – “…and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.” The good news of Jesus and the kingdom of God is offensive in nature, not defensive. “The gates of Hell will not overpower it.” Satan is on defense as His kingdom is losing ground to Jesus’ kingdom as we storm the gates of Hell to set the captives free. And to do so, we pray for boldness and courage… boldness and courage to take the risk of sharing Jesus with the people in our lives who don’t yet know Him.

Throughout the month of October, I challenged you to participate in Northshore’s Prayer Walk. I challenged you to walk a ½ mile radius around your home, your small group host home, or your workplace and simply pray for God’s kingdom to come. Those of you who did it put a red dot on the map of our local community. I love seeing all the red dots… all the places you prayed… all the people you prayed for… for individuals, for families, for schools and hospitals, for local governments, for churches. God is up to something in our church. He’s giving us a greater compassion for people who don’t know Jesus yet. And it’s going to be a battle, so we have to continually pray for boldness.

#3 After the battle, evaluate your weapons

After you’ve come through a tough season of struggle… a season when the battle intensified, take some time to reflect upon it. After the battle, do an “after-action-review.” And here are some questions to ask after the battle:

1. What went well? In the battle, where did I experience God’s presence?  Where are the places where I stayed dependent upon God’s strength? Where did I experience victory? Take some time and celebrate God for His presence and grace.

2. What went wrong? What happened when life didn’t go as expected? Did I get frustrated? Why did I struggle with believing that God really was and is good in this season? Why did I struggle with faith so much in this season? Don’t ask these questions to beat yourself up or create guilt or shame. But look at what seemed to have gone wrong, and if possible begin to figure out what contributed to that.

3. What did I learn? You’ve heard me say this often. God rarely answers the “why” questions. I think God is much more concerned about what we learned about Him, about ourselves, and about our relationships during seasons of struggle. When you’ve come through a season of struggle and battle, take some time to write it down and share what you learned through it.

4. What must change? This is the follow-up question to “What did I learn?” What needs to change so this doesn’t happen again or what needs to change so that I’m better prepared for the battle next time it comes? All of this is going to take some time for introspection… time for prayer… and time with a trusted friend to help you process through all of this.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve been going through this evaluation process myself. This past year I struggled with low-grade depression. I could get up out of bed in the morning. I could function. And because of my energy level, most people couldn’t tell that something was amiss. So this summer as I took some time off, the clouds began to clear a bit. And even though I have a difficult time slowing down and sitting still, I took the time to conduct my own after-action-review. What went well this last year? Even in some of the darkest moments, I knew that God was present and I knew that He was bringing about some kind of change in me. I knew transformation was happening, I just didn’t know what it was. When went wrong? Even though God was constant, there were times that I just didn’t or wouldn’t muster the strength to get in the Word on a personal, daily basis. As a pastor, I’m always in the Word prepping for a sermon, for a devotional or for a small group. But at times, I struggled with simply getting in the Word to feed my own soul. And as I looked back over the past year, I felt the vacuum of God’s Word truly feeding me. What did I learn? I learned a lot of things, but one thing I learned (or better yet, “re-learned”)… being in the Word regularly is absolutely critical for my spiritual and emotional health. My prayer life is linked with my time in the Word… that kind of prayer where you simply slow down and listen. What must change? I’ve got to be disciplined about prayer and time in the Word… I have to keep a consistent pattern even when my schedule gets hectic or on those mornings when I simply don’t feel like it. I’m not being a legalistic and “religious” about it, but if I’m going to stay in shape spiritually and prepared for whatever happens in life, I’ve got to be committed to a regular time of prayer and study in God’s Word. And I’ve got to have accountability around this with a friend.

Have you taken time after a tough season to go through these four questions? If not, take some time. Pray through it. Journal through it. Discuss what you find with a friend and ask for feedback. And as you spend time processing through all the questions, make sure that you answer question #4 “What must change?” After the battle, evaluate your weapons and how you used them.

Friends, we are in the midst of a spiritual battle. Even though you can’t see it, the battle is very real. There is a very real enemy who wants nothing more than to destroy you, every one you love, and everything you hold dear. But Jesus Christ has come and won the victory. As He gave His life to pay the penalty for all of sin and rebellion against God, Satan’s claim over us was erased. As Jesus walked out of that tomb and into the resurrection of a new life, sin and death were ultimately defeated. So let me remind you: We do not fight FOR victory, we fight FROM victory. And every moment of the day, in the midst of any battle you find yourself in, God has give you armor for protection in the spiritual war. He’s given you the weapon of His truth and His Word. Before the battle, know your weapons. In the battle, use your weapons… wield them in prayer and in community with one another. And in those brief respites after the battle, evaluate your weapons and learn how to use them even better. In your life, in your relationships, in your marriage, in your home, in your neighborhood, in your workplace, and in your world, stand strong. Stand firm. And Fight the good fight with great confidence by the great grace and because of the great victory of Jesus Christ our King!

 

 

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Oct 17

Spiritual Warfare: THE ENEMY

Christian Life, This is War 2011 1 Comment »

This is the sermon manuscript from message #2 of the THIS IS WAR series.

When I served in the Army as an infantry platoon leader, I had the opportunity to train for three weeks at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk, LA. During one of the training exercise, two of the platoons in my company built a system of fighting positions to protect an area. The task of my platoon was to serve as a forward observation post around the defensive position to alert of any enemy on the way to attack. One night, our company was getting decimated with artillery rounds (not real rounds… simulated ones). So my company commander calls me on the radio and tells me that I’ve got to find where the enemy was observing our position and calling in artillery fire. So I’ve got my 40 soldiers broken into smaller teams combing the area, and we can’t find the enemy. All night my company got destroyed. The next morning when the training exercise was over, we did an evaluation with both sides in the battle. And to my chagrin, I discovered that an enemy sniper had slowly low crawled the length of a couple of football fields to make his way in through our defensive perimeter. He was highly camouflaged, and when our guys would get close, he’d lie perfectly still and blend into the terrain. We never spotted him because we didn’t know what to look for. I promised myself I’d never let that happen again. Because now I knew what to look for.

In this spiritual war we’re in, we need to know “the Enemy.” We need to know who we’re up against and how he fights. Last Sunday we began a 4-week series called “This is War” about the reality of spiritual warfare. There is an invisible world just as real as the visible world. And the war is fought on the fronts of the flesh, the world, and Satan, the devil. This week, I want to focus in on our great enemy Satan.

And to do so, we’re going to talk about his story, his strategies, and his strongholds. And then we’ll talk about our Savior and the hope of victory.

 

#1 THE STORY

In the Bible, seven books in the OT specifically refer to Satan, and in the NT, every book refers to him and his demons. There’s no one passage in the Bible that tells the complete story of who Satan is, so we look at a mosaic of passages and we “synthesize” them. And when we do so, here’s what we discover: Satan is a powerful angelic being who challenges God & incites rebellion in heaven and on earth. So let’s look at some of the scriptures.

Genesis 3:1-4. The first mention of Satan is found in the 3rd chapter of the Bible. In Genesis 1-2, God has created a perfect world. Then Satan shows up to destroy what God has done by tempting Adam and Eve to rebel against God and doubt His goodness. But before Satan incites rebellion on earth, there’s a backstory to his rebellion in heaven.

Isaiah 14:12-14. This passage is specifically addressed to the king of ancient Babylon. But in the passage there are allusions to a much greater power… a much greater arrogance. In v. 12 the phrase “son of the morning, son of the dawn” means “light-bearer.” This is where we get the name “Lucifer” (derived from the Latin translation of this verse). Ultimately, I believe that this passage is directed to the “power behind the power” of the king of Babylon… to Satan himself, an angelic being in heaven who was given power and position. But in his pride, he attempted to usurp God’s role as the Lord of the universe.

Ezekiel 28:12-17. Much like Isaiah 14, this passage is specifically addressed to the king of Tyre. But once again, there is a power behind the power addressed as well. “You were in the Garden of Eden, the garden of God.” This takes us back not only to Satan’s original privileged position as a central angelic being, but also back to Genesis 3 when he tempted and deceived the first humans. And once again, because of his pride, he turned against God and incited rebellion in heaven and on earth.

Revelation 12:3-4, 7-9. John’s has a vision of who Satan is and what he’s done and what he continues to do. He’s the “great red dragon” (the serpent) who incited a third of the angels of heaven (“the stars of heaven”) to rebel against God. And the angels who joined Satan are cast from heaven and become his demonic horde that serve him to wreak havoc on earth.

This is a snapshot of some passages that tell the story on Satan. And they show us that Satan is a powerful angelic being who challenges God & incites rebellion in heaven and on earth.

 

#2 THE STRATEGIES

We have a very real enemy. And if we’re going to be effective in the battle against Satan, we need to know his strategies.

Deceiver. He’s first and foremost a deceiver. In Genesis 3, Satan deceives Adam and Eve by casting doubt on the goodness and provision of God. He tells them that there’s something good out there that God is not allowing them to have… that He’s holding out on them. Here’s another verse that talks about Satan’s deception: 2 Corinthians 4:4. “The god of this world (that’s Satan) has blinded the minds of the unbelieving.” He does this by creating other worldviews and world religions. He does this by twisting and distorting teaching about who Jesus really is and what He has really done for us. As the deceiver, Satan targets your mind. He wants you to believe false things about God, about the world, and about yourself. He is a deceiver.

Destroyer. Satan is also a destroyer. In 1 Peter 5:8-9, Peter is writing to Christians who are undergoing intense persecution under the Roman Emperor Nero in the mid-60s AD. Tacitus, a Roman senator and historian who lived during this time, wrote about the torture and execution of Christians during Nero’s reign: “In their deaths they were made the subjects of sport; for they were wrapped in the hides of wild beasts and torn to pieces by dogs, or nailed to crosses, or set on fire. When day declined, they were burned to serve for nocturnal lights.” Don’t think that Satan wasn’t involved in the power behind Nero. As Satan seeks to destroy you, he targets your body. Throughout the four Gospels, we see physical, bodily afflictions that are a result of demonic attack. Satan seeks to destroy your body and ultimately seeks your death.

Ruler. See 1 John 5:19. Satan has power in this world. In Ephesians 2, he’s called the “prince of the power of the air.” In 2 Corinthians 4:4 (which we just looked at), he’s called “the god of this world.” As the “ruler,” Satan targets your will. The three fronts of war—the flesh, the world, and Satan—work in concert with each other. Satan influences the value system of our world. And our flesh, the indwelling power of sin within us, responds and bends our will towards selfishness… towards choosing the things of the world vs. choosing the things of God. Satan seeks to rule by controlling your will.

Accuser. One of Satan’s chief strategies against people, and especially believers is to accuse and bring condemnation against them (Revelation 12:10). Here’s what Satan does. He knows God’s word. He knows God’s expectations and standards. And when we don’t meet them, he reminds us of it… because his target is your heart. When God convicts you of sin, His goal is to bring you back into relationship and fellowship with Him because He loves you. When Satan accuses you, he uses your sins in a hateful way, and he wants you to feel helpless and hopeless. Because he is the accuser.

 

#3 THE STRONGHOLDS

When we talk about Satan’s strongholds, let’s talk about what influence he can and cannot have in a Christian’s life.

Christians cannot be owned by Satan. This is a fundamental principle. Because here’s the question everyone wants to know: “Can a Christian be possessed by a demon?” The problem with this question is the word “possessed.” It’s not a term we find in the Bible. The word that is used, especially in the NT, is “demonization” or “attacked by a demon.” Possession means ownership. And if you ask me whether a Christian can be owned by Satan, the answer is “no.” Because God owns you. See Colossians 1:13-14. When you gave your life to Jesus, you were transferred from Satan’s kingdom to God’s kingdom. Your allegiance is to another King now. God owns you, not Satan.

Christians can experience several things in spiritual warfare:

Opposition. Satan and his demonic forces are against God and against us. So he opposes us. He threatens us. He persecutes us. He seeks to destroy us. As followers of Jesus in a spiritual war, expect opposition from Satan, especially as you’re engaged in mission, locally and globally.

Temptation. Satan influences and even controls the world’s value system.  And then, once again, our flesh (that internal predisposition towards rebelling against God) is enticed by the worldly values that are opposed to God. Even as followers of Jesus, we’re tempted to indulge our flesh, to satiate our desires, to think about and take care of ourselves first and foremost. That’s temptation.

Oppression. When we take the bait of temptation and willingly choose things contrary to God, His heart, and His values, the attack turns into oppression. I want to be careful going beyond what the Scriptures say. What we want to know is this: “If I’m a Christian, can demonic attack happen within inside of me?” Once again, you cannot be owned by Satan. But I think that Satan can powerfully entice your flesh. This is apparent when we obsess and long for something contrary to God’s word and heart for us. This happens when sin becomes addiction and we can’t control our cravings. The Scriptures are not clear about whether it’s the power of our flesh or demonic attack. But they are clear that Satan bombards you with so many enticing temptations that your flesh struggles with saying “no,” especially as you increasingly say “yes” to sin. And his attacks become an oppression.

Don’t allow strongholds. Listen to what Paul says about strongholds: “and do not give the devil an opportunity” (Ephesians 4:27). Here’s the reality. When you say, “yes” to sin, you’re saying “yes” to Satan. And then you lose ground in the spiritual battle. Take sin seriously. Here are some strongholds that open to door to greater opposition, temptation, and oppression: anger and bitterness, an unforgiving spirit, lying, gossip, and slander, and sexual sin. When we give the enemy an opportunity in these areas, he takes us further and faster that we’d ever thought we’d go. When we have a proud, religious spirit that looks down on other people who don’t seem to have it all together and we think we do… we give Satan an opportunity to exploit our pride and take us further from the heart of God. When we explore New Age or occult practices and beliefs, we open the door for demonic oppression. Take sin seriously. Don’t allow strongholds in your life.

 

#4 THE SAVIOR

Throughout the series, I’ll come back to this central theme every week: “You do not fight FOR victory but FROM victory!” As we talk about Satan’s story, strategies, and strongholds, we could easily get discouraged and disheartened. Remember, Jesus has already won the victory. And He gives us the power and resources to overcome Satan’s strategies by Resisting. “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). Here are some practical ways to resist Satan:

1. Accept Christ as Lord & Savior. This is where it all begins. Your only hope of victory over the power of Satan is found in Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone. He died for you and your sin. He was raised from the dead and He conquered sin and death. He’s your only hope of victory. Surrender control of your life to Him.

2. Repent of known sin. Be honest and confess the ways that you’re willingly rebelling against God. Choose to repent and turn away from that sin.

3. Recognize the enemies. As we discussed last week, Satan is not the only enemy. Your flesh and the world combine forces with Satan to take you down. And when you realize the combination of the three, you won’t underestimate Satan’s power. But you won’t overestimate his power either and play the blame game when it’s quite possibly you who are actually buying into the world’s values or simply not saying “no” to sin because you want it.

4. Choose obedience & accountability. At the end of the day, Satan has no power if you say “no” to sin by choosing obedience. When you choose obedience, you take away his power. And accountability is crucial because you need other people to pray for you and challenge you to choose obedience. Sometimes this can take place within an accountability relationship and even a small group. But sometimes, when the attack goes to the level of oppression where obsessive thoughts and addiction are taking place, we need help from a recovery ministry (like Northshore’s LIGHT ministry) or from a trained counselor.

5. Celebrate growth & victory. When you do resist Satan… when you say “yes” to God more than you say “yes” to your flesh, the world, and Satan, take a moment and celebrate that. When you pray, thank God for giving you the power to resist and choose obedience. In your friendships and small group, share how Jesus is helping you overcome struggles. Celebrate those places of growth and victory. They’ll encourage you to resist all the more. We do not fight for victory but from victory!

 

Let me finish today by sharing a story with you (adapted from Carolyn Arends “Satan’s a Goner” in Christianity Today)

A missionary couple was stationed in a remote jungle area. And one day, an enormous snake—much longer than a man—slithered its way through their front door and into their kitchen. They ran outside terrified and frantically searched for a local who would know what to do. A neighbor came to the rescue with a machete, calmly marched into the kitchen, and decapitated the snake with one clean chop.

He came out of the house and told them that while the snake had been defeated, it was going to take a while for the snake to realize it was dead. And here’s why: a snake’s neurology and blood flow can take considerable time for it to stop moving even after it’s head has been chopped off. The couple was forced to wait outside while the headless snake thrashed about their home, smashing furniture, flailing against wall and window, and wreaking havoc until it’s body finally understood that it no longer had a head.

Sweating in the heat, they were frustrated and sickened. But they were also grateful that the snake’s rampage wouldn’t last forever. And then they had an epiphany. Satan is a lot like that snake. He’s already been defeated. He just doesn’t know it yet. In the meantime, he’s going to do some damage. But never forget that he’s a goner. We’re in that thrashing time, a season characterized by our pervasive capacity to do violence to each other and ourselves. And the temptation is to despair. But remember… it won’t last forever. Jesus has already crushed the serpent’s head. He’s a goner.

So we don’t fight for victory… we fight from victory!

For further exploration and study of spiritual warfare, here are some good resources:

The Invisible War by Chip Ingram
The Strategy of Satan by Warren Wiersbe

 

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Oct 06

Be Ready for God to Use You

Missional Living, Northshore Baptist Church, Stories No Comments »

This is a guest blog post by Tim Burke, Northshore’s Pastor of Outreach & Local Mission

A few months ago I started praying differently. I felt like God was challenging me to open my eyes and heart to the unbelievers who I brush shoulders with every day. On my way home from work one night, I stopped by Subway and the TCBY to pick up a frozen yogurt.  As I was standing in line to pay for my dessert, I noticed a man next to me who was in a parallel line waiting to pay for his sandwich. As I watched him reach into his pocket for his wallet it was apparent he had not brought it with him. Just at that moment I looked at the cashier and said, “Put his sandwich on my card”. The man was speechless. The first words that came out of his mouth were, “Who are you?” That was a perfect open door for me to introduce myself and tell him about my new job as a Pastor at Northshore. The man thanked me and disappeared quickly. A moment later, he returned from his car with a business card. Written on the card was “one free home improvement” from his business. In turn, I gave him my card and invited him to join me sometime for church. He smiled and said he’d like that.

I share this story to encourage you. I also want to help you remember that when we open our hearts to reaching those who don’t know God in our community, He creates wonderful opportunities for us to love them. I don’t think there’s any big secret to loving those closest to us or inviting them to church. However, I have been praying in my devotional time this specific prayer from Colossians 4:3-4, “And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.”

I want to encourage you to pray this way with me. Here’s how you can structure your prayers from Colossians 4:3-4.

God please:

Open a door: provide a natural opportunity for me to share the gospel today.

Open their heart: prepare the hearts of those who don’t know you to be receptive to Jesus.

Open my mouth: give me the words to say and confidence to speak to the lost.

I’d love to hear some of your stories about how God is using you to love those in our community who are far from Him. Send me an email at timb@nsb.org

 

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Sep 07

VERTICAL: New 4-Week Series on Prayer

Northshore Baptist Church, Sermons, Vertical (Prayer) 7 Comments »

“Prayer is God’s invitation to enter His throne room so He can lay His agenda over our hearts.” ~ Henry Blackaby

When I read Blackaby’s quote, here are some questions I ask. Why don’t we accept God’s invitation to enter His “throne room” more? If we do accept His invitation, what do we do when we get there? And what is His agenda that He lays over our hearts? These are some of the questions we’ll attempt answer in our new 4-week series of prayer called “Vertical: Aligning our Hearts with God’s.”

In prayer, our hearts are the most connected to God, the most transformed by God, and the most motivated for the mission of God. As we talk about prayer, our prayer practices must be grounded, shaped, and informed by a biblical perspective on prayer. And the best pattern and model for what our prayer should look like is the prayer Jesus gave us – “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13). Jesus’ prayer reveals the ultimate purpose and “how to” of prayer. We pray for relationship, for petition (our needs), and for impact. And in the experience, conversation, and process of prayer, our hearts are aligned with God’s. This is what prayer is all about.

Join us Sundays, September 11 – October 2 as we learn how to align our heart with God’s through prayer. Here are the four messages in the series:

September 11 – The Purpose of Prayer

September 18 – The Prayer of Relationship

September 25 – The Prayer of Petition

October 2 – The Prayer of Impact

I look forward to seeing you at Northshore during this important series. And I am expectant about what God will do in and through our lives as our hearts are aligned with His!

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Jun 14

A Father’s Vision

Christian Life, Theological Musings No Comments »

1 My son, do not forget my teaching,
But let your heart keep my commandments;
2 For length of days and years of life
And peace they will add to you.
3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you;
Bind them around your neck,
Write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 So you will find favor and good repute
In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

~ Proverbs 3:1-7

Being a father is tough work.  Being a father is a constant challenge.  But being a father is a wonderful adventure.  As a father, I am continually helping to shape the life of my son Jacob.  To be honest, it’s often overwhelming, and I need all the help I can get.  To father well, we need a father’s vision—a vision for wisdom and for our children to live out the heart of that wisdom.  Solomon, the wisest man in the world, even had troubles raising his own kids, but he left some great resources behind for us fathers.  His “fathering advice” always centered on pursuing wisdom from above.  And that wisdom shaped a vision for the lives of his children.

A Vision of our Children’s Character

Solomon, the wise father, started here—character.  How do we want our children to live, to think, to act?  These are questions of character.  Solomon wanted his kids to listen to the heart of God, to be faithful and reliable, and to be known as people who lived out the teaching of their God.  He knew that if we had a vision for this type of character in our children, they would experience the blessing and the wholeness that comes from God.  Even in Solomon’s day, there was a multiplicity of enticements beckoning for his children’s hearts.  Nothing has changed.  Our children are bombarded every day with opportunities to sacrifice their character.  The Psalmist who penned Psalm 119 knew of the temptations regarding purity in the heart of a “young man” (Psalm 119:9-16), and his antidote was the same as Solomon’s—treasure God’s instruction in your heart.  As fathers, we must model God’s instruction and His heart, and we must constantly teach them who He is.  And in doing so, we help them shape a vision of who He is calling them to be.

A Vision of our Children’s Future

It has been said that character determines destiny.  How we live determines how we navigate the path ahead of us.  Solomon, like any good father, wanted his children to experientially know the security of their Heavenly Father.  He wanted his children to know God.  “Trust in the Lord with all your heart” is much more than the intellectual assent of knowing about the Father.  The Hebrew concept of trust always centers upon the feeling of being secure in the arms of the Father.  If Solomon’s kids knew God in a deep, experiential way, their future, their path, and their journey would be straight.  “Straight” in Proverbs 3:6 means “free from obstacles.”  Any experienced father knows that our children’s path will never be totally free of obstacles and things that desire to snag their hearts. But when we teach our children to pursue a deep relationship with their Heavenly Father, those obstacles will not ensnare them.  They won’t be held back in their journey to be like Jesus.  What do you want your children’s future to look like?  In five, ten, fifteen years, where do you want to see your children (I know “out of the house” will be a common refrain, but think a bit more deeply)?  As fathers, we must help our children shape a vision of where God longs to take them.

A Vision of Jesus Christ

The greatest introduction we can ever make for our children is to introduce them to their Savior Jesus Christ.  Solomon continually tells his children to pursue the wisdom of God, the wisdom from above.  The Apostle Paul, through the lens of the New Testament, tells us that the wisdom of God is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:24).  If our children pursue and seek Jesus, they will be filled with all of those character qualities that Solomon desires for his children in Proverbs 3.  They will be filled with faithfulness, love, and mercy.  They will seek to know and honor God with their lives—present and future.  They will be people who navigate the rugged journey of life with grace because they are walking with their Lord.  They will follow Him.  They will be His disciples.  There can be no greater heart, vision, and joy for a father than to know that His children call themselves followers of the Risen Christ. And as fathers, we must help our children shape a vision of their ever-present and ever-faithful Savior Jesus Christ.

“Heavenly Father, through the power of Your Holy Spirit, give us earthly fathers a deep passion to teach our children how to pursue and seek the Savior Jesus Christ for a lifetime. Amen.”

 

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Jun 07

The School of Jesus

Bible, Christian Life, Spiritual Disciplines, Theological Musings 2 Comments »

Yesterday on my monthly day of prayer and solitude, I spent time reading and meditating upon Ephesians 1:3-23. Take a moment and read it. It’s well worth your time.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5 He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight 9 He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His kind intention which He purposed in Him 10 with a view to an administration suitable to the fullness of the times, that is, the summing up of all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him 11 also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will, 12 to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. 13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

15 For this reason I too, having heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus which exists among you and your love for all the saints, 16 do not cease giving thanks for you, while making mention of you in my prayers; 17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. 18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might 20 which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. 22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

As followers of Jesus, those who have enrolled in The School of Jesus, we see the “cosmic” view of what God is up to through the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is so powerful yet so personal. Jesus’ work is out-of-this-world yet for this world. Here are some lessons I learned yesterday in the school of Jesus.

  • Redemption (v. 7) means that I am forgiven. I no longer have to struggle with guilt and shame. The old has passed away, and the new has come.
  • Adoption (v. 5) means that I am loved. I am a son of God. And sons and daughters are loved extravagantly so.
  • Sanctification(v. 14) means that I am growing. Jesus is changing me. He is healing me. He is fixing the broken places in my life through the grace of His Holy Spirit.
  • Resurrection (vv. 20-23) means that I am empowered. There is a power that is outside of me that works inside of me. This fills me with hope because many a day, I feel so powerless

What is Jesus teaching you as a student in His school?

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May 17

Generosity of TREASURE (a Tithing Story)

Christian Life, Generosity 2011, Stories No Comments »

Todd Fredrickson, one of Northshore’s Overseers, sent me this story about the generosity value of TREASURE and his personal experience with tithing. Thanks Todd!

I started tithing while I was in graduate school, which was an interesting time to start because I have never been closer to the poverty line.  My tuition was paid for, but my stipend for books and living expenses was only $600 a quarter. And more than $200 of that went to rent. So, after my tithe and my rent, I was trying to stretch about $300 out across an entire quarter.

I ran out of money with three or four weeks left in the quarter.  It wasn’t life-threatening, because I knew that if I really had to I could ask my dad for money and he would gladly send me some.

But I also knew that that probably wasn’t what I was supposed to learn from my new commitment to tithing. So, one night after looking into cupboards and a refrigerator that were all but empty, I got down on my knees and prayed, “God, for the first time in my life I am trying to be obedient with my finances. But right now I don’t know what to do, and if you could encourage me somehow I’d be grateful.”

The very next day, when I picked up my mail, there was a check for some work I had done several months earlier while I was on a break. I had long since forgotten about it because at the time I did the work it seemed like a trivial amount. The check was for $23 and change, and $23 never felt like so much money. It covered my next trip to the grocery store.

Two weeks later, same thing. No money. Food almost gone. Similar prayer. “God, here I am again. I am ashamed to have to ask you for some encouragement again so soon, but I could really use some.”

The next day, I was walking across campus, past the office of a man I knew from my previous school who worked in the athletic department. I thought, “You know, I should drop in and say ‘hi’ to Steve. It’s been a while.”  I popped into his office, and we had a great chat, catching up on a couple years’ worth of changes in each other’s lives.

As I was getting up to leave, he said, “Oh, by the way, CBS is broadcasting our basketball game tomorrow, and they asked me to round up some help.  If you’re available, I could use you. I think they’re paying $50.”

Fifty dollars! That would easily get me through the end of the quarter, with plenty to spare. It could just as well have been a million dollars for how happy and relieved I was.

Now, I know the skeptics will attribute all of this to coincidence. After all, that check for $23 was something I had coming to me. It’s not like God made it fall out of the sky so I could find it on the sidewalk. But it was all about God’s timing. I had completely forgotten about it, and God used it at just the right moment to encourage me.

And I had walked past Steve’s office 100 times without ever once thinking that I should go in. Why did I get that prompting at the perfect time? That’s not a coincidence. It was the Spirit setting a divine appointment to encourage a young believer who was, for the first time, trying to be obedient with his money.

I’m not suggesting that because I was tithing, God owed it to me to provide money every time I felt squeezed.  Nor am I saying that He has always done so or will do so in the future.  No way is that what I’m saying.  But I do know that God is faithful and loving as well as sovereign, and since that time I have never had any trouble tithing.

What stories can you share about God’s providence as you responded generously with your treasure?

For a great book on Generosity and Treasure, see Randy Alcorn’s The Treasure Principle.

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