Christian Me
Today's ODB was very encouraging. Recently ODB has really helped me fix my eyes on God. I have included it at the very end. It talks about how God never sleeps. Because God never sleeps we can be at peace and we know He is in control. My life in this season does not appear to feel like God is in control. My health is not that great and I have yet to be anywhere near healthy. My parents have been worrying a lot about finances and I have not yet had a successful interview.
Today began as any ordinary day. I had a bit more sleep than usual. It could have been a solid eight hours had I not woken up three times in between but I went to bed after 10:00 A.M. and woke up shortly after 6:00 A.M. I long for the day when I can get at least six solid hours of sleep. I would have five hours until the wedding. So I continued reading about the Primal Diet and pondered whether it can work with me. I got a little too much into the book and soon needed to get ready to go. It had been a long time since I had worn a suit. I never knew how difficult it was to dress. It took many times longer to get dressed and felt pain while dressing. Shoes were even hard to put on as I have not been wearing shoes for three months. Already, I was not even in the card yet, and I felt discouraged with my health condition. The enemy uses these moments to distract and to defeat. I was not in the mood to go to a wedding. What is more is that we ran into much traffic. It took over an hour to travel what should have taken fifteen minutes. Many people coming from my direction were also late. I was nearly half an hour late to the wedding. I got there just in time for the end of the sermon. I was very happy the three hours I was there. I saw and talked to brothers and sisters I have not seen i n two years. They were very kind and compassionate and were concerned about my health condition. The Lord has really blessed me with good friends.
Much of this day I had been thinking of God's supernatural power. I realize most if not all my friends come from a conservative Theological stance. Even the couple today were introduced as people who enjoy the discussion of Theological doctrine. The longer I am a Christian, the more I desire to have more. Theological conservatism makes a deep spiritual emptiness in me. I hunger for more of God. I want to experience His power and presence in my life. That leads me to (Johnson, 2003). I dream of what can happen when heaven invades earth. The first chapter begins with this passage.
"It is abnormal for a Christian not to have an appetite for the impossible. It has been written into our spiritual DNA to hunger for the impossibilities around us to bow at the name of Jesus."
I think for far too long I have spent my time with abnormal Christians. This is not meant in any way to criticize the Christians I know. I think we as a church are conditioned to accept things as they are. We do not believe God for the impossible. We see poverty, illness, and crimes, but we don't think God can do anything to change it. We don't see God do little miracles around us so we certainly cannot believe Him for the bigger miracles. I love my conservative brothers and sisters. They are kind and compassionate men and women who value the Word of God and reflect the love of God. We, myself included have somehow become abnormal Christians. It is written into our spiritual DNA to believe God for the impossible. I never thought too much about this until I ran into four areas of my life that need divine intervention namely my health, my employment, my ministry, and my singleness. All four areas are impossible right now and I am needing to trust God for these things.
Today's chapter, and today's journey begins with a wedding. The wedding I went to was a blessing to those who went. The food, the laughs, the encouragement, the fellowship, all of that was a blessing to us. The wedding of this chapter is also a blessing to those who attend.
"On a cold and rainv Saturday, church buses were sent to the neediest parts of our city Redding, to find the homeless and the poor. The bride and groom eagerlv anticipated their return and prepared a meal in their honor. The needy were to be the distinguished guests of their wedding.
Ralph and Colleen met while working in our ministry to the poor. They shared a passion tor God and a love for the needy. Although it is common for the bride and groom to register for gifts at fine department stores, Ralph and Colleen did so at Target; and all they put on their visit list were coats, hats, gloves, and sleeping bags. ..to be given to their guests. This was not going to be a typical wedding."
This is not a traditional wedding. The needy were the guests. The gifts were not given to the bride and groom but rather the clothing that was purchased went to the needy who attend the wedding. This was not your typical wedding and I believe that supernatural living consists of unusual Godly acts of supernatural giving. As we heard today in the sermon, the highest form of love was demonstrated by Christ. Jesus gave His life so that we didn't have to. Likewise the couple here gave sacrificially to bless the needy. I also notice the contrast between the cold and rainy weather of Redding and the hot and sunny weather of Davis. I am not complaining about Davis weather, but I think we take our weather for granted. We get a lot of warmth and sunshine and I think sometimes it makes us a little too insensitive to neediness. I believe that we think everyone is ok because it appears that we are ok.
"In our pre-wedding meeting the bride and groom encouraged me to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in case He wanted to heal people during the wedding. If I received a word of knowledge tor healing, I was to stop the ceremony and pray for the sick. As a pastor I was excited to see what might happen. They had created far too great a miracle opportunity for God not to do something extraordinary."
This is a key piece of the wedding. The bride and groom did not have a structured program. This is not to criticize structured programs. I think our worship services are more pastor-run than Spirit-run. We have three songs, then a message that lasts about forty minutes.. We have a response song. It is predictable. I am convinced the Spirit of God does not work like that and is not predictable. The church today lacks power because it is not Spirit-driven but is man-driven. We need an out-pouring of the Holy Spirit in our church today. I imagine if the pastor today was a "charismatic" pastor, the ceremony would stop as my dad pushed my wheelchair into the sanctuary, and the pastor would lay his hands on my knees and pray for God's healing. I would be asked to get up from my wheelchair and walk and all would be astonished and begin to praise God for the miracle they just witnessed. There was no miracle today, and no healing. No one today believed God for the impossible. A couple today were talking to me about medical issues and we too have been conditioned to trust western medicine to solve our medical problems. We do not believe God can step into our situation.
"There is somebody here who only has 2 1/2 to ; years to live! "We had crossed a milestone. Miracles of healing had become nioij common.. .to the point that a life-threatening disease seemed more like a poten. tial miracle than it did something to fear. That in itself is a dream come true fot me—people in North America expecting something supernatural from God!
His name was Luke. Like most of the folks from the streets he and his wift Jennifer had come to the wedding because food would be served. Luke walkec with difficulty, needing the help of a cane. He wore braces on each arm, and; large brace around his neck.
Following the meal my brother Bob and I brought them into the church kitchen, asking him about the braces on each arm. He told us his problem wa; carpal tunnel syndrome. I asked him if he would take the braces off and let ui pray. He said yes. (Whenever it's possible I like to remove whatever that persor might trust in other than God.) He did so, and we laid our hands on his wrists commanding the tunnel to open and all numbness and pain to be gone. He thei; moved his hands freely, experiencing the healing he had just received.
When we asked him about his cane and the obvious problem with his leg he described how he had suffered a horrible accident. As a result he had an artificial shin and hip and had even lost half a lung. His walk was labored am painful. When the surgeons put him back together, his leg was an inch tot short. I had him sit down and encouraged both him and his wife to watch wha God was about to do. I held his legs in such a way that they could see the prob lem and would be able to recognize any change. We commanded the leg t< grow. It did. When he stood, he shifted his weight from side to side, almost .1 though he were trying on a new pair of shoes, saying,"Yeah, that's about right. The response of the unchurched is very matter of fact...and very refreshing, asked him to walk across the room, which he did gladly, without a limp am without pain. God was at work. He replaced one inch of missing bone am removed all the pain caused by Luke's accident.
rt we asked about Luke's neck. He told me he had cancer and was given ]P nf wears to live. He went on to explain that the brace was necessary
* nfrhc loss of the muscles in his neck. The brace held his head in place, because or u'>this
time a group had gathered, not to watch, but to participate. At my lest he removed the brace while another man m our church, a medical docfely held his head. As we began to pray I heard the doctor command new- muscles to grow. He called them by their Latin names. I was impressed. When we were finished, Luke turned his head from side to side. All was restored. He then placed his hand on the side of his neck and exclaimed, "The lumps are gone!"
His doctor gave him a clean bill of health, and the miracles continued long past the physical healing. Luke and Jennifer began to serve Jesus as their Lord and Savior. Within weeks Luke got a job, the first time he had worked in 17 years. Jesus heals the whole person."
When I read this healing at this wedding, my response is, "wow!" I say wow for so many reasons. First, for the obvious reason for the healing of this man with the health condition. The full and complete healing. It was done not just by the pastor but by a church member. But also wow for the faith of this church. The bride and groom believed God for healing, the people who directed Luke to see Pastor Johnson and the doctor who prayed over Luke. People had faith that God can and does heal. See also from the text that the news of this man who has this condition was something people were not scared about. It was like people knew another healing would take place. This is not like the church today in my context. We cannot and do not believe God for His miracles.
Although that kind of wedding remains unusual, our church's deliberate pursuit of the poor and the miracles are common. This story is true, and it is closer to the normal Christian life than what the Church normally experiences. The lack of miracles isn't because it is not in God's will for us. The problem exists between our ears. As a result, a transformation—a relieving of the mind— is needed, and it's only possible through a work of the Holy Spirit that typically comes upon desperate people.
The aforementioned bride and groom, although noble, are ordinarv people who serve an extravagant Father. There wasn't a great person involved, except lor Jesus. All the rest of us simply made room for God, believing Him to be good 100 percent of the time. The risk., that the bride and groom took were more than God could pass up. In the midst of this marriage celebration God invaded a home marked by hellish disease and established a testimony for His glory.
Stories of this nature are becoming the norm, and the company of people who have joined this quest for an authentic gospel—the gospel of the Kinodom— is increasing. Loving God and His people is an honor.We will no longer make tip excuses tor powerlcssness because powerlessness is inexcusable. Our mandate is simple: raise up a generation that can openly display the raw power of God".
Prayer:
Father, I thank You for men and women of great faith and testimonies like this one. I thank You that You are in control and that you do not sleep. You are an extraordinary God and I long to see Your extraordinary power and love. Raise up a generation who openly displays Your raw power to help and to heal and to bring hope to our nation. I thank You for the wedding that I went to today. The bride and groom are good friends. I love them dearly and the brothers and sisters I met today. They display Your love in tangible ways. We however are living an abnormal Christian life. We don't believe You for the impossible. I long to go to a church gathering and people be expecting that You do something extraordinary. Our meetings are predictable and man-driven. I don't mean to say they are not encouraging, but our meetings lack the power of Your Spirit. I want to know You to be a supernatural God and an extravagant Father. I desire for my wedding ceremony to be a blessing to others not just by the food or music or sharing, but that You would show up in such an amazing way that healings and life transformation would happen. Father, I hunger for more of You and more of Your power and presence. I believe You can and will heal me. I believe that You can and will provide employment for me. I believe that You can and will provide a wife for me and I thank You in advance for providing. I want to believe You are good 100 percent of the time. I make room for Your miracles and pray Father that perhaps tomorrow is the day of my healing and resurrection.
Sleepless In Heaven August 25, 2012
Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn
READ: Psalm 121
He who keeps you will not slumber. —Psalm 121:3
One of the most dangerous aspects of flying is the landing. As the aircraft gets closer to land, the air traffic is more congested, the weather on the ground may be far worse than the weather at 30,000 feet, and the runways may not be clear of other planes. So pilots rely on the air-traffic controller to coordinate all the details so that every plane can arrive without incident. Without the air-traffic controller, chaos would be certain.
Imagine, then, the panic when the pilot of an airliner full of passengers radioed the tower and got no answer. It was eventually discovered that the air-traffic controller was in fact there but sound asleep, putting pilot, passengers, and plane in great jeopardy. The good news is that the plane landed safely.
Even better news is that God, the ultimate traffic controller, neither slumbers nor sleeps. From His heavenly vantage point, He knows all that is going on in and around your life. As the psalmist notes, “My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to be moved; He who keeps you will not slumber” (121:2-3).
You can count on it—God knows the impending dangers and will tirelessly direct the traffic of your life for your good and His glory (Rom. 8:28). —Joe Stowell
When trouble stalks the path we tread,
We need assurance, Lord, to know
That all our steps are being led—
That You, our God, are in control. —D. De Haan
Because God never sleeps, we can be at peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment