Don’t milk it for all it’s worth..

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest.  And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.” - Leviticus 19:9-10

I love this.

I love this so much.

In this, we see a command not to take every penny for ourselves. Here is the message: some of our wealth was given to us to be given away. The LORD who controls the harvest and how fruitful it is says to you, “Look! Your harvest is bountiful  this month. You have all the riches you need. So give what I have portioned to be given away! Every last cent that you own has been given to you out of My love for you. Use it as I wish, and I wish to bless others with it.”

Isn’t He amazing?

Genesis 18: Intercession

So the men turned from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the Lord. Then Abraham drew near and said, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city. Will you then sweep away the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous who are in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” And the Lord said, “If I find at Sodom fifty righteous in the city, I will spare the whole place for their sake.”

Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.Suppose five of the fifty righteous are lacking. Will you destroy the whole city for lack of five?” And he said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” Again he spoke to him and said, “Suppose forty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of forty I will not do it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak. Suppose thirty are found there.” He answered, “I will not do it, if I find thirty there.” He said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord. Suppose twenty are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of twenty I will not destroy it.” Then he said, “Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.” He answered, “For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.” And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.

- Genesis 18:22-33

Absolutely. Insane. Passage.

Abraham speaks to God and actually takes the courage to make requests, of the God who created him and holds the whole universe in His hands. And God actually listens to his requests.

Bizarre. Crazy. 

I wonder if sometimes we forget who we speak to when we pray. I think sometimes we take it for granted and forget to take off our spiritual shoes since we stand on holy ground when before Him. 

Intercessory prayer is bold, it’s exhausting, and the Scriptures are full of examples of men and women, seeking after the lost and fearing God in reverence, interceding.

Here’s a few points to take away and remember about intercession:

• Appeal to God’s nature, as He will be true to Himself. Notice that Abraham presents his requests to God not by asking God to please him, but by praising God for who He is. “Far be it from you to do such a thing, to put the righteous to death with the wicked, so that the righteous fare as the wicked! Far be that from you! Shall not the  Judge of all the earth do what is just?”  When you are in intercessory prayer, remember that it’s not about trying to convince God that He should answer your prayers because you are great or deserving, but that intercession is about appealing to His own nature and glory. It’s about reminding God of His steadfast love, of His mercy. When I pray in intercession, I praise God for His mercy and blessing extended to me, when I was so undeserving. As His people, we know that He is good. It’s not about manipulating or convincing God, it’s simply reminding ourselves and praising Him for who He is. I often pray this prayer for others, as I do for myself: “What profit is there in my death, if I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it tell of your faithfulness?” (Psalm 30:9). Remember that we intercede for others for His glory, and that is the purpose, that He would be glorified through our prayers and though the answers He so generously gives. 
• Recognise who you are before God in humility.  Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who am but dust and ashes.  Every moment you speak to the Mighty LORD is an incredible privilege. Intercession is not about demanding a list of requests. It’s about coming before the LORD, praising Him for the joy of prayer, that we can approach Him and make our desire for others to experience His blessing known to Him. Remind yourself of that, for there is no other way to speak to the Lord of Lords.
• Be BOLD. Abraham makes bold request after bold request. Each made in humility, recognising that he is in no way more powerful than God. We see in this snapshot of their conversation that God does respond and listen to what Abraham is asking of Him. Recognise that while God is great, and mighty, He loves you, His child, greatly, and He will always be true to His character. Make your requests bold, and specific, and trust that God is listening.
• Be patient. Be still, and be focused.  …but Abraham still stood before the Lord. This is a really painful one. Intercessory prayer takes time. It’s exhausting. Other things are all too distracting. But know this. Intercessory prayer is about praying until you are certain that the request has been heard, that the answer has been given. And until then, you commit yourself to praying and praying and praying. You need to be focused. If you find yourself getting distracted, quietly bring your mind back, ask the Spirit to help you fix your eyes on Christ, and continue back in prayer. You cannot get on your knees in intercession when you are watching TV. Intercession in this case is not just a quick arrow prayer. It will take energy, but it will be worth it. He is glorified when we commit to prayer to honour Him with all our hearts.

It’s not easy, but I do feel that we are losing sight of how great a mission we’ve been given, and how much help we are granted through prayer. May we remember always the words of Christ:

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” - John 14:12-14

Psalm 34: Taste and see that the LORD is good!

 ¹ I will bless the LORD at all times; 
   his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 
² My soul makes its boast in the LORD; 
   let the humble hear and be glad. 
³ Oh, magnify the LORD with me, 
   and let us exalt his name together!

 ⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me 
   and delivered me from all my fears. 
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant, 
   and their faces shall never be ashamed. 
⁶ This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him 
   and saved him out of all his troubles. 
⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps 
   around those who fear him, and delivers them.

 ⁸ Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! 
   Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! 
⁹ Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, 
   for those who fear him have no lack! 
¹⁰ The young lions suffer want and hunger; 
   but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

 ¹¹ Come, O children, listen to me; 
   I will teach you the fear of the LORD. 
¹² What man is there who desires life 
   and loves many days, that he may see good? 
¹³ Keep your tongue from evil 
   and your lips from speaking deceit. 
¹⁴ Turn away from evil and do good; 
   seek peace and pursue it.

 ¹⁵ The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous 
   and his ears toward their cry. 
¹⁶ The face of the LORD is against those who do evil, 
   to cut off the memory of them from the earth. 
¹⁷ When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears 
   and delivers them out of all their troubles. 
¹⁸ The LORD is near to the brokenhearted 
   and saves the crushed in spirit.

 ¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous, 
   but the LORD delivers him out of them all. 
²⁰ He keeps all his bones; 
   not one of them is broken. 
²¹ Affliction will slay the wicked, 
   and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. 
²² The LORD redeems the life of his servants; 
   none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Genesis 14

I love reading Genesis. All these stories that you’ve forgotten. 

Seriously, this one is worth reading. Pick up your Bible right now! Or click this link, and read with me!

In chapter 14, Lot’s been abducted by a bunch of kings, and so Abram, with his 318 trained men, go in the night and defeat the kings and bring back Lot and all the others who were abducted, as well as all the possessions that were stolen.

What.

Whenever I think of Abram in the Bible, all I really remember is the old man Abraham, great in his faith. It’s wonderful to read more about how God works in his life.

What’s even more amazing, though, is what happens in verses 17-24. The king of Sodom, and Melchizedek (the King of Salem but also the high priest) come to greet Abram, especially since Abram’s just defeated his enemies. Melchizedek blesses Abram, and attributes his victory to the Lord. Abram gives him a tenth of all his belongings, affirming the truthfulness of these words. Then the king of Sodom is a pretty ungrateful man who demands to have all the people back, saying that he’ll let Abram keep all the material possessions.

And then Abram says no.

I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth, that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’

Abram was promised by God that he was going to be made into a great nation and that his name would be great. Abram had relied on his own plans before rather than trusting God before, and he knew that when his own plans backfired, it was God who rescued him. So this time he says no. He says no to the plans of man. He seems no to what seems logical, seems comfortable. He says no to relying on the gifts of earthly kings and yes to relying on God, so that should people even try to attribute his future greatness to man, they would not have adequate evidence to do so. He says no, because he trusts that when God makes a promise, He has the power to carry it through. I pray that you and I would do the same! 

bible reading plans

I’m thinking about using a Bible reading plan to read through the Bible in one year. I know the cons of using such a plan; I know the danger of it becoming legalistic - but I feel challenged. I’m 22 and I’ve still never read through the whole of the Bible. I want to know more about the Word of God, and I want to dig deep into the Scriptures.

What Bible plan are you planning to use in 2012? What plans have you used in the past? Did you like them? Why or why not?

The Stoning of Stephen

Now when they heard these things they were enraged, and they ground their teeth at him. But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. And he said, “Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” But they cried out with a loud voice and sotpped their ears and rushed together at him. Then they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. And as they were stoning Stephen, he called out, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” And falling to his knees he cried out wiht a loud voice, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

- Acts 7:54-60

What a man of great courage in a moment of great terror.

This passage always moves my heart. Stephen saw Jesus rightly as the King that He is. His love for the LORD caused him to gaze into heaven, fixing his eyes on God and not the opposition before Him. And as he saw the glory of God, he was strengthened to reflect Christ radically as he forgave freely.

Seeing the LORD Jesus for who He is will only naturally lead to such courage. When our eyes are opened to see that He is great and He is for us, our hearts are filled with strength and boldness. May we be so filled with the Spirit that we fix our eyes on the things of heaven. May our eyes and hearts be opened to see and know the living King, so that we may be His witnesses to all the ends of the earth.

The lame begger healed.

What a story.

I’ve known it since I was young and did all the actions to that song. But the LORD gave me new eyes to read this passage (Acts 3:1-10) today.

¹Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. ²And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. ³Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. ⁴And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” ⁵And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. ⁶But Peter said, ”I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” ⁷And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. ⁸And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. ⁹And all the people saw him walking and praising God, ¹⁰and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

Here is a man who, because of an infirmity, was expected to do nothing more than to beg. He was cut off from the rest of the society, and had no hope for life except for the coins people would throw to him occasionally. Can you imagine that? Can you imagine having nothing to do all day except to lie at the feet of strangers and ask for their money and pity?

Then Peter and John come. They come, and they can’t meet this man’s material needs. But that’s not what they’re here for. Rather than throwing him a coin and going about his day,  Peter and John look directly into this man’s eyes. The look at his heart. They hear his request for alms but they see a greater need. They see why the man is kept at that gate every day. They have little to give when it comes to cash, but much to give when it comes to freedom. So Peter tells him, in the name of Christ, to stand up and walk; to walk away from the chains that held him to that darkness every day. Peter took his right hand and helped him up - and the LORD did it all. He made the man’s feet and ankles strong. The Spirit empowered him to go walking and leaping and praising God.

Many of you will know that the vision that the LORD has given me for my life is for ministry with the homeless, the poor and the mentally ill. I have a friend who sits out on a street corner, bound by his situation, every single day. He’s been there for over eight years. He asks for money, but I know he’s needing more than that.

I don’t want to put much more out there about this situation on my tumblr, but I am needing a group of prayer warriors to join with me in prayer. I will be sending out regular updates on how the LORD is answering them. The LORD is our strength, and we need the walls built around this man’s heart to be broken down. Like the walls of Jericho crumpled, I trust that the LORD will knock down the barriers to this man knowing life. If you’re interested in joining with me to pray and to see God do marvellous things in this man’s life, please write to me in my ask and let me know. When God’s people offer up their times and lives to His kingdom, great things happen.

Church: His body, His bride

What a glorious collection of unglorious people! 

I’ve been very indecisive about what I want this post to be about, and have decided not to overwhelm you with thoughts, particularly as I’ve come across great resources summarising what I’d want to say anyway. So I’m going to be focusing this post on what it means to be the member of a local church (since this is what a lot of people have been posting or asking me about anyway) rather than the church as God’s universal body. You might like to check out what the Bible says about the local and the universal church (both here and here). I also recommend our brother Hans’ post “5 questions to ask when you are bored with your church”. At times, it is appropriate to leave your local church to find another one, and Hans also offers some helpful thoughts. My pastor Mike Paget’s sermon “Church: Life together” is also immensely helpful (sorry for the sound quality). 

Okay. Now for my own, far less eloquent thoughts (they took a long time coming I know!). In the past few years I’ve been really challenged by my current congregation to grow in my willingness to love and to serve the members of my church. My pastor once put it as being committed to saying, “this is my church, and I will bleed for her.” For me, it was revolutionary. We’re not called to attend church just for what it offers us, but to serve and encourage others. 

Being a member of a church is not easy. You’ll never get along with every single one of your brothers and sisters. Sometimes you’ll be at completely different stages of life, with different responsibilities. Sometimes you’ll enjoy different hobbies. Sometimes you’ll feel tempted to yell at each other in disagreement. Sometimes there’s a really awkward person who stands too close to you and only responds to your attempts to make conversation with yes/no answers. Why is the church so uncomfortable?

Because unlike social clubs or other community groups, a local church is often united only by Christ.

And because of that, it’s important to remind ourselves of what the value and purpose of attending and actually serving in a local church is.

I absolutely love the description of the early church in Acts 2:

 ⁴²And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴And all who believed were together and had all things in common. ⁴⁵And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶And  day by day,attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

I’m fairly certain every Christian I’ve talked about this passage with agrees that this is a beautiful image. This is what church under the Lordship of Christ should be like. And if this is what a local fellowship can look like, then most of us (I hope!) want in. It’s also interesting to note that this kind of fellowship isn’t just about going to a service once a week. These brothers and sisters are devoted to serving Christ together, to doing life together, to caring for each other. It takes a great deal of energy and commitment to do this. But they do it with such joy - they are glad, they are generous, and they overflow with praise to God. It’s a wonderful image of people meeting together to worship the Lord and grow in spiritual maturity, seeing many added to their family each day.

Church is also a context in which we serve one another with the gifts that we’ve been given. Each of you are blessed with spiritual gifts that are valuable for encouraging and edifying others. These spiritual gifts are given for the common good (1 Corinthians 12:7). Ephesians 4:

¹¹And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherdsand teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, ¹⁴so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. ¹⁵Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

I know we all know that the internet is an incredible opportunity to serve each other with our gifts. There are people I’ve met through tumblr who are a great encouragement to me, who share their words and teaching and prophecy and prayer. But there is something precious about fellowship done in person. There is something wonderful about eating meals together, in packing up a church hall together, in laying hands on one another, to worship together side-by-side. You have gifts that will build and edify His body much better in person than over a blog. It is much more personal, and at times it takes much more patience as well. But let us be reminded of Romans 12:3-8, and not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but instead to focus on using our gifts to serve one another, whatever they may be. Brothers and sisters, let’s not waste our gifts.

I’ve also been reminded recently of the fact that for Christian who meet together, the fellowship they share is a witness to those who don’t yet know Jesus. Church is also a context in which non Christians can see that we are His disciples and witness Christ’s love manifested in His people. Jesus said in John 14:34:

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. 

While no-one has ever seen God, when we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete (1 John 4:12) I have many brothers and sisters who came to know Jesus because they were encouraged by how they saw church members love one another. Seeing God’s people love each other radically made themsearch for the reason behind this love, and find Jesus’ love for them. If you’re a Christian and not a part of a local church, will you be the only witness to those you know who don’t know Christ? Are they experiencing the love of only one person who in their mind, just happens to be a Christian? Or are they being challenged by how different the love shared between brothers and sisters is to the world’s idea of friendship?

And finally, we need each other. 1 Corinthians 12:

It is tempting at times to think that you’ll be fine  without brothers and sisters to encourage you and keep you accountable in this race, but the Bible tells us that’s not how it is. We are made to be in fellowship with other believers. What you offer the Christians around you is so valuable for their growth in spiritual maturity, and what they offer you is so valuable for your growth. We all know that it’s really hard to be a Christian in this world. Being a Christian on your own is even harder. 

My dear brothers and sisters, we are called to hang in there. Hebrews 10:24-25:

Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

I pray that we will respond in obedience. I pray that His Spirit will guide us all individually to see how we can stir up others to love and to good works. I pray that His Spirit will strengthen us in times of temptation, that we will not neglect meeting together, but that we will persevere with encouraging one another. I pray that we will remember how important this is as Jesus’ return draws nearer and nearer, and I pray most of all that God will be glorified by His people.