Pastors Mark Driscoll and James MacDonald recently visited Haiti to encourage and support the Church there. I would encourage you to watch this and see what is happening there and to encourage people to generously give to support the work of God in Haiti.
In today’s churches, where there is a surge in the calls for music ministers and worship leaders and a number of pastors and churches dealing with questions of what worship is and what it should look like, Dr. Vernon Whaley’s Called to Worship: The Biblical Foundations of Our Response to God’s Call may come as an answer to prayer for some. Literally deriving principles for worship from the books of Scripture, Whaley attempts to provide a “full-Scripture” framework for understanding worship. Does he succeed?
Dr. Whaley’s desire is commendable. His concept of how it should be done is also good. My sense, is, however, that this book is more influenced by his Baptist roots than an informed exegesis and understanding of Hebrew or Greek (there are a number of “errors” in the language references). This is not to say that his principles for worship are wrong, but they are wrongly derived. It would be my hope that some would benefit from this book and others, seeing its weaknesses, would write a more sound, exegetically-responsible biblical theology of worship. If you’re looking for valuable reading on worship, Worship Matters by Bob Kauflin would be my recommendation.
I’d be willing to walk a far distance for A Million Miles in a Thousand Years: What I Learned While Editing My Life. In a stroke of writing genius, Donald Miller has given people a challenge far more imperative than The Purpose Driven Life and other similar books. While reflecting on the process of adapting one of his previously published books for the silver screen, Don discovered something about life: it’s really a story and it really needs to be a good one, and if we don’t have a good story in our lives, we’re profoundly (and rightly) dissatisfied. So, Don wants his readers to get a better story.
I enjoyed A Million Miles from the first page until the last page of the acknowledgments. The challenge is provocative and vital. The approach is transparent and humorous. The satisfaction from reading is high. A prayerful reader will benefit greatly from pondering and reflecting about the story that they are telling with their lives. Are you living a good story? Are you the character that God has called you to be? Don won’t answer those questions for you, but he does give you the chance to find out for yourself.
Perry Noble, pastor of NewSpring Church in South Carolina, has posted a list of “what ifs” about the early church. Answering these questions and realizing the importance of how we invest ourselves in these days is important for every disciple of Jesus to consider. If we are doing what Jesus said, there will be good fruit from it. My challenge would be for you to read this and pray that God would show you where you can better redeem the time and invest in the Kingdom of God.
How can I deal with sin that just sticks with me? How can I survive the tough times that come my direction? Why should I worry about my friend’s Christian walk? What’s the point of reading my Bible and praying regularly? Although these questions seem only loosely related, Mark Hall’s Your Own Jesus does a tremendous job of presenting the truth that everyone needs to be in a saving, enduring relationship with the God of the universe.
“God has no grandchildren” as the saying goes and Mark shows convincingly the need for believers to not depend on their parents, churches, friends, or books and music to be their source of experiencing Jesus. Believers need to be in their own intimate walk with the Savior Who bought them with His own blood and will bring good, lasting fruit into their lives. For anyone who considers themselves a disciple of Jesus, this book is highly recommended as a helpful resource as you pursue Christ and get to know the One and Only Jesus Christ.
“I know what I call you in Bemba” Vincent said, “Umuntu! It means you’re like me!” Those were words that were told me on a recent trip I made to Ndola, Zambia to assist in the building of a school. In writing The Hole in Our Gospel, Stearns notes that the Gospel we preach has often left out the command to seek justice for the poor and oppressed, to love our neighbor. Stearns is right that we, who have received the mercy of God in infinite abundance, have so often failed to show and share that mercy with our fellow men around the world, who lay dying. So Stearns issues a prophetic, God-honoring call to action…but misses a beat.
His vision is somewhat dampened, I think, by the sense that it is Christians who will put all wrong to right in the world. We are the agents of redemption, but this redemption will be realized and consummated by Christ. I would heartily recommend reading The Hole in Our Gospel to anyone, only exhorting them to trust in the sovereign work of God and not depend upon their own actions, but the Holy Spirit’s effective power.
I have been reflecting a bit on this flight back to the States – mostly sleeping, but some reflecting. One of the things that struck me about being in Zambia was how at-home I felt almost every moment. It didn’t matter that I only knew a few words in Bemba and our co-workers weren’t the best English-speakers….I was comfortable. Some would say that I felt this way because that was clearly where God wanted me, but I think that puts too much credit to my account. Rather, I am coming to believe that I felt this way because I was living in the open door of ministry that God had provided.
Contentment in ministry will never be found in a paycheck, in relationships, or even in the quantitative success of your work…it can only come from entering and living in the open door God provides. For Paul, those doors were sometimes behind bars (Philippians)…and sometimes it was years in a city (Acts 28 in Rome). But in the pursuit of Christ, the training of His Lord forced him to embrace these doors. I hope, as much as anything else God has taught me on this trip, that He will allow me to see the doors He provides.
PS: Not much conversation on the flight back…didn’t get seats by English-speakers until we were flying from D.C. to Pittsburgh. Really made me wish I knew Bemba or Swahili!
Note: This concludes the Zambia journal for E-Team 2009. Hope you were blessed by it! -DK
As many of you may know…or may not know, I will be going to Ndola, Zambia (in Africa) with an E-Team being sent out by Providence Church and Covenant Mercies. The team includes 21 people from Providence, along with two from our sister church near Philadelphia. The team is a mixture of genders, age groups, skill sets, experiences, and giftings, but all have a passion and calling to serve our Zambian brothers and sisters for the glory of God and the spread of the Gospel.
At 6:17 AM, Monday morning, our flight with United Air will depart Pittsburgh International Airport to carry us to Dulles International in Washington, D.C. At Dulles, we will board a flight with Ethiopian Air which will proceed to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (stopping in Rome to refuel) and, thence, to Lusaka, Zambia, arriving around 2 PM, Zambia time. Then we will take ground transportation to Ndola, where we will do some shopping and check in to our hotel. The next day (Wednesday), construction on Lighthouse Christian School’s new building will begin and the men on the team will attend to that while the ladies do some ministry with the children and some other great stuff. This will continue, with a break in routine on Sunday (where we will attend the Baptist church twice) until the following Tuesday, when we will work our last day. On Wednesday (the 15th), we will depart from Ndola and return to Lusaka, to rest up and prepare for our trip home the next day. At 11 AM, Zambia time, on Thursday July 16, we will depart Zambia and return by the same route to the US, arriving back in Pittsburgh around 2 PM on Friday July 17.
As you can see, this will be an incredibly busy week full of grace and God’s power demonstrating itself. He has already demonstrated that powerfully in the fundraising. On the whole, considering everyone’s costs and fundraising efforts, a sum totaling over $70,000 was raised…and this in just over the last two months (!) to make this happen. God has been so generous and good to us as we’ve answered His call to go forward. But now it’s time to go. In the meantime and throughout this trip, I’d like you all to pray for us. We are in need of prayer support and very aware of our need for God’s grace on us. Some things that you can be praying for are:
I will be attempting to keep a journal during the trip and will post the entries as I am able to upon returning to the States. Thanks in advance for your prayers and I am looking forward to sharing with all of you the goodness of God towards us on this trip!
Blogs are ablaze with cries of freedom. Status messages on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and half a million other networking sites ring with liberty. Everyone’s celebrating and commemorating this day…and why not, right? From the perspective of most Americans, it’s well-nigh sinful not to. After all, millions of men and women have sacrificed their lives, have they not?
Drip. Drip. Drip.
You hear that? That is the sound of the Savior’s blood that was shed for you. Almost two thousand years ago, one Man suffered injustice, wrong, and wrath – and not for anything He had done. No, it was entirely because of what we had done. Our sin and the wrath of God against our sin was borne entirely by Jesus Christ. He purchased us as a people for God’s own possession.
So the Scriptures tell us clearly. We are not free. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20a tells us “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” To be a temple means you are holy and set apart for no other purpose than to the service of God. That is why Paul follows by saying pointedly “You are not your own.” You are not free. There was a cost paid for your whole being and you are not permitted to do what you will with yourself.
If you are a Christian, you will recall that before God saved you, you were a slave to your sins, a slave to the power of the Enemy. Then Jesus came into your life and liberated you from that mastery. But it wasn’t simple redemption. No, in fact, Colossians 1:13-14 tells us that “He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” You were freed from one master, to be enslaved to Another.
Too often have we Christians valued personal “liberty” and “right” in the last four hundred years. You will not find any statement of inalienable rights in the Word of God. I tried to find one, once upon a time. And to my patriotic, American heart, it was quite a disappointment. God began to teach me, though, that I had sinned. I tried to have two loyalties to two different kingdoms…I had fallen for the myth that we can be sworn in service to “God and country.” As we know from Exodus, the God of redemption is a jealous God and He doesn’t take well to partners.
Americans speak a lot about the persecution of global Christians…and so often with regret and sadness in their voices. Why? Acts 5:41 tells us that the apostles were “rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name.” Many of our brothers and sisters worldwide – in parts of Africa, China, Pakistan, India, the Pacific islands, and other places rejoice in their sufferings, because it validates, confirms and strengthens their faith and reliance on God. Not only this, but they pray that we would share in their sufferings. I’ve heard from a number of missionaries that these global Christians pray that persecution and suffering would come to us…and these are prayers that come out of their love for us and care for our souls. They want our souls to shine purely and brightly for the sake of the name of Jesus, and have no other names exalted in our lives.
I challenge you, brothers and sisters, to consider the sufferings of Christ. Love them. Love Jesus. Love His Church. But do not love the kingdoms of this world. They are given for a time, and are not the Kingdom of God. But are warned sternly from heaven by the Son: “Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” In the history of kingdoms, no king has taken refuge in the Son…and no man, taking refuge in the Son, will long maintain his rulership. To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17)
Our exploration of seeking discernment so far has had very little to do with what we are discerning and, yet, apart from them we will be unable to discern anything. Until we shut up and bow down, there will be no discernment. God is not honored by vain words or complaint or anxiety. Neither does he acknowledge our pride and arrogance. So, to hear God speak means we ought to pursue silence and humility before the Lord.
The first thing to realize, though, is that God does speak today, presently and powerfully. Let us be cautious here. I am not claiming that you will hear an audible voice from God when you are seeking to discern His will. You might. I wouldn’t expect it, but God is completely free to do as He pleases. However, God communicates to us in a diverse selection of ways: circumstances, what other people say to us, the reading of the Word, prayer, impressions, prophecy, counsel, etc. It’s important to note, however, that as great as these are, ALL of them fall under the grace-driven authority of the Word of God.
The second thing to realize is that God speaks purposely. In Isaiah 55:11 (ESV), God tells us ” so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.” The most immediate application of this text is to the Scripture, so we know that the Scripture is effective in what God has given it to say. It is not beyond reason, however, to say that this Scripture is true of God’s other means of communicating to us. God’s speaking is effective and has purpose for your life. So pay attention.
The third thing to realize is that God speaks personally. There are things that God is going to speak to you that are going to radically transform how you live. It may not be the same thing that He has communicated to others in your life. This is an important thing to get down in our lives because if we put burdens and yokes on men because of what God has put it in our hearts to do, we are burdening servants who are not ours. They are God’s servants and their Master will assign to them their tasks. Clearly, this does not apply strictly to Scripture. Scripture’s authority is universal and absolute and we have no exception for it in any respect.
So, God speaks. Hear. Receive. Submit.
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