R.Mark Driskill's Blog, page 2

Is your church making you lonely?

Are the people you go to church with your friends or do you have to go somewhere else for that?

I was reading this morning about friendship. Actually I was reading about church. Okay both. I was reading in the book of Acts about how Peter and John were put on trial for preaching the gospel. After the authorities threatened and released them I read something that surprised and challenged me. Read this:

“When they were released, they went to their friends and reported what the chief priests and the elders had said to them.” (Acts 4:43 e.s.v.)

What struck me was that the text didn’t say, “they went to their church” but “they went to their friends.” Now of course it was their church, but Luke, the writer used the word, “Friends” to describe the church. Peter and John were the Apostles, the leaders, but when they found themselves in trouble they saw the church as their friends. I was told in seminary, “You can’t be friends with your congregation.” Tell that to the Apostles. In the early days of this fledgling church, they saw themselves as friends. Perhaps I read to much into one verse. But the point is still valid. If any place ought to be considered a haven for friendship, it’s the church. But is it?

 

Who are your friends? As a pastor my calling is to help initiate friendships between God and people and to help people live in true friendship with each other. I know. I know. If I was truly spiritual I would use words like fellowship and community. But sometimes you just have to kick off your theological shoes, sit back and get real. I think we church folk use words like the aforementioned, as a covering. We want a sanctified way to meet a basic need that all human beings have and that is the need for friendship. We think we have to use religious jargon or it’s not of God. Funny creatures we are. The fact is God made us for friendship. The first thing God ever said was “not good” was for humans to be alone. News flash, he didn’t create eve, just so Adam could have sex and populate the earth. He made her for friendship. Abraham’s faith resulted in him being called “the friend of God.” Jesus himself said to his disciples, “I have called you friends.” Whew! Now that I’ve given a Biblical precedent, we sanctimonious folk can give it a rest and talk about being friends without feeling unspiritual. That’s important these days because in our society we have traded in friendship for a screen. We actually think a friend is something you add to a Facebook. It’s more of a status symbol than a relationship. Some of the loneliest people in the world have over 1000 friends in social media. Is a friend really someone you stuff away in a data base ? Is a friend just a name and a photo that you can unfriend the moment they become inconvenient. Despite our addiction to social media we are becoming the loneliest culture in history. Don’t believe me? Just go on your Facebook and count the number of people who have posted something like this: “I know no one reads my page so here’s a test…..” In other words, “I’m lonely! Somebody please validate me.”

 

You would think that in the church, where we love to say, “Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship.” That we would be all about friendship. But sometimes we’re not. As I said earlier, we use safe words, like “Fellowship” and “Community” which once meant deep connection and friendship, but now just mean a church activity to help us get more people. The only problem is that when we get them in we quickly push them into their own corner of the church and go looking for another one. Our goal is to fill an empty building, but what good is a full building with empty occupants?  Is the church meant to be a group of strangers who have no real connection to each other beyond a common set of beliefs? I’ve been a pastor for about 25 years or so and after extensive personal research I have concluded that one of the loneliest places in America is the local church. In our desire to become relevant we have become shallow. In our desire to become progressive we have become apathetic. We know how to be tolerant, but we don’t have a clue about how to love our neighbor. In our desire to affirm individuality we have forgotten how to stand together. We corral a group of people into one place, teach them to repeat a well crafted prayer, and recite a cool mission statement, then send them home alone, hoping they come back next week for another round of fellowship. The fact is we’re all afraid to be true friends. Why? Because unlike shallow fellowships and surface tolerance, true friendship hurts. It struggles. It sometimes bleeds on the floor making a mess of the church carpet. We’ve forgotten that our Lord showed us the kind of friendship he called us to when he said to his disciples, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” Let me ask you again: Who are your friends? I don’t want to know who you added to Facebook last week. I want to know who has your back? Who calls you late a night to make sure you arrived home safe from along drive? Who sits beside you in the emergency room? Who do you hang out with because you just want to ? Who loves you even when you act like a complete jerk and do something really stupid. Are those people in your church or do you have to go somewhere else to find that?

I was told in Seminary, “You can’t be friends with your church members.” Then I was told as a parent, “You can’t be friends with your children.” Then I was told as a teacher, “You can’t be friends with your students.” I understand the rationale behind these statements, though I don’t completely agree with them. But sometimes, as a pastor, teacher, and parent I want to scream out,”who the heck can I be friends with?” I need more than names on a screen. I need connection. I need to know there is someone out there, in addition to God, who sees me for who I am and loves me anyway. I need to know there is someone out there who lays down their life for me, and allows me to do the same for them. I need somebody who can pray with me, cry with me, laugh at me, and even confront me when necessary. I don’t need polite, hyper spiritual platitudes from plastic saints. I need someone who can fail, and who can see me fail and help me get it back together. I need friends in church and outside the church, real ones who wont unfriend me when I become inconvenient.

I think the church in America will experience true renewal when we stop being hyper-tolerant social zombies hiding in our cell phones and start being real live human beings who lay down our lives daily for each other the way Jesus showed us when he walked this earth. I have an assignment for you today. Make a list of your true friends, only do it this way, don’t ask yourself who is a friend to you, i.e. who is laying down their life for you, but who’s friend are you? Make a list of people you are giving yourself to help and encourage, especially in your church. Who are you a friend to ?

Help my students perform a miracle!

I have challenged my High school Bible class to put their faith into action by attempting to raise $1000.00 to help support a worthy cause. The cause is a ministry trip being taken by three of our staff people and one student this coming May.

They are going to Uganda to work in a children’s prison…yes you heard it, a children’s prison. These children are all but thrown away in a facility without so much as a bed to sleep on and healthy food to eat. Our team will be going there to minister through a mission organization called, “Sixty feet” who ministers to many places like these. You can check out the organization on the web.

My students want to help out, although they are not able to go. They want to do what they can to raise part of the funding for the mission.

They have three weeks to raise the money.

This is a photo of the sleeping area of the prison. Thirty eight children sleep here on the floor. No blankets or pillows. But the work of sixty feet and of our staff who are going to help, this can change.

 

Now for some practical information:

1. Where do you teach? The school is called Oakdale Christian Academy. It is a small Free Methodist Boarding school, located in the mountains of Eastern Ky. I’ve been ministering in this area for about 25 years. I’m a pastor, teacher, and Youth Camp Pastor. You can look up Oakdale on the web (Oakdale Christian Academy.org)

2. How do we donate? Send checks to : Erin Cook c/co Oakdale Christian Academy 5801 Beattyville rd. Jackson, Ky, 41339 Please write on the memo line “Bible Class Project” (Erin is the leader of the team. She and Kathy have served there in Uganda before, for several months. They are quite experienced in this ministry.)

3. When is the deadline? All funds need to be in by April 24th.

If you have any other questions leave a comment or email me at mdriskill48@gmail.com

Thanks for your help. Pastor Mark

The enemy within?

I have to write something today that’s a bit difficult to write. It’s  a hard message to all of us who profess the name of Jesus Christ, particularly those in the community in which I live. In the twenty five years my family and I have ministered here we’ve prayed and worked together with the churches of Breathitt County for the cause of the Gospel. (No we’re not leaving) Many in our county have worked and prayed for years to see a move of God that would transform our community. Our county has some of the greatest people I’ve ever known. I count it an honor to serve beside Pastors who truly love the word of God and preach it faithfully. They love the church and the gospel. Within those churches I see some of the greatest saints of God, of all ages seeking to serve him daily. With such a great community of faith you would think the churches would be bursting at the seams. But they’re not. Despite all the revivals, concerts, youth events and food giveaways we just don’t seem to be able to achieve the breakthrough that so many of us have longed for. We pray for revival. Hope for revival. But where is it? It can’t be that God is no longer interested in saving souls. Because He never grows weary. His love for the lost is boundless. Inexhaustible. We can’t blame the people outside the church. They aren’t more lost than other generations. The problem is we have an enemy that undercuts the gospel whenever it starts to go forward in our community. We all know that Satan is the great enemy of the gospel. No surprise there. But friends, here’s the hard part. We have an even more formidable opponent than the devil himself. As the old saying goes, “We have seen the enemy, and he is us.” I fear that the greatest enemy of the gospel in Breathitt County is not outside the walls of the church, but inside. I say this with sadness because I love Breathitt County and the church, and because I know that I have often been an enemy of the gospel without even knowing it. So I write this to myself as well. Let me be more specific.

First I want to say that the problem on the inside is not so much doctrinal. Our churches are pretty solid in the basics of the faith, even with all the minor differences and nuances. The problem isn’t economic. It doesn’t take more more money or better stuff to bring revival. So what is it that keeps the church in Breathitt County from revival? Simply put the problem is power and control. I’ve noticed, over the years, a pattern. Whenever a church begins to start reaching the lost, it grows and begins to bear fruit, but suddenly it all stops and the church is torn apart. Why? Is it opposition from the outside? No. What consistently happens is an implosion from the inside. This implosion usually occurs for one simple reason. Power and control.

A handful of people in the church, who are used to being in control of things, rise up against whoever is bringing in the lost, whether it be a pastor, a Sunday School teacher, or just a member who loves people. They criticize, accuse and complain until the person who was making a difference leaves and the church is fragmented…again. Your church has either been through this or is going through it now. I’ve seen how ugly this can be first hand. I’ve also seen how ugly I can be when I’m the one so full of his own ambition that I’ve hurt the gospel when I thought I was helping it. You see that’s the thing isn’t it? We can get into a situation where we become so sure of our own ideas, and so committed to holding our own position that we actually think we’re helping the gospel, when all we’re really doing is protecting our turf. This kills churches and it dishonors Christ, who gave himself up for us all.

In my 25 years here, I’ve seen this stronghold of power and control in my own ministry and in the ministries of others in our community. We have to understand that as the churches of a community we are responsible for more than our own congregations, and certainly for more than our own self interests. Too many people in our community have simply given up on church because they came looking for God and found only people fighting for power. How many good pastors have been beaten up because all those new saved people were getting more attention than the two or three who used to be in the spotlight? How many new Christians have limped away from church because someone resented them for getting too involved? How many churches have been torn apart because a pastor wanted to be a celebrity instead of a servant? This desire for power and control can happen to all of us can’t it? It’s happened to me and it’s happened to you. Even now I know of churches where those who are doing the work of the gospel are being crucified by those who want to protect their own interests. The church is being assaulted from the inside by the stronghold of power and control. Paul warned those who destroy the work of God:

“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy and you are that temple.” (I Cor. 3:16-27)

In this passage Paul is saying that the church is God’s temple and you are part of it, if you destroy God’s temple you are assaulting something Holy, and God will deal with you severely. He was warning those who threatened to tear apart the Corinthian church over self interest. If we are to have revival we must tear down the stronghold of power and control, which has put a choke hold on the church for way too long. If your church has changed several pastors in just a few years, you may be under the stronghold. If you have one family or group that makes all the decisions for the church, you may have a stronghold  of power and control. If you have a long list of people who left the church without telling you why, you may have a stronghold of power and control. If you are afraid to be involved in your church because someone’s toes are in the way, you may have a stronghold of power and control. If you are really mad at me right now, you may have a stronghold of power and control. Finally, if you’re thinking, “I wish so and so would read this.” yep, you guessed it. It may be them…or it may be you.

So how do you overcome the stronghold of power and control? By practicing humility and self sacrifice. You overcome this by serving one another, not leaving one another. Leaving the church is not the answer. That’s the coward’s way out. It’s easier to run away than stay and pray. I should know, I have been the coward at times. We must stand together for the soul of the church and the cause of Christ. We have to fight against the stronghold of power and control by getting our eyes on Christ and giving up our own selfish ambitions. We also need to deal with those who are strangling our churches. You know who they are. They only see the church for what they can get personally out of it. In love and boldness you need to stand up against them. Stop handing the church over to those who just want to use it. If you pastor is doing the work of the gospel stand beside your shepherd, pray for them, encourage them and yes defend them. Finally, make sure that you are acting as a servant to your church, and not a ruler. Even as a leader you are called to serve others.

Church, let us work and pray for revival by putting away our need to protect our interests, and make it our chief interest to preach the gospel. Then the world will know that we meant it last Sunday when we sang, “He lives.”

(disclaimer: No, I’m not having trouble in my church. This isn’t a reaction to anything like that. I have a great relationship with my family of faith. I have a heart for revival in this county and I write this purely out of that desire.)

Beautifully Broken…Celebrating the Risen One.

How was your Easter, or Resurrection Day, Yesterday? Mine was beautiful, although not much went according to plan. I started the morning off with a community Sunrise service..in which I forgot that it was my job to arrange the service and get people to handle various parts of the service. Nothing like staring out at a sea of expectant faces looking at you, then suddenly realizing you have no order of worship, or songs etc. But thankfully Pastor Tom handled the music, and Bob Schaeffer, our speaker did a great job. Then on to my service, where we traditionally have a brunch combined with worship, which includes a blossoming of the cross. Brunch went well, and it was a nice service. We had some funny moments with the music as Jeremy and Meg tried to negotiate chords and notes between guitar and piano. They always do a great job, but there was a bit of laughter with a couple of songs. They both are great worship leaders, but this was the first time they had led together. But even with the minor chord confusion the song service was joyful and beautiful. Then came the blossoming of the cross. Usually we cover the cross in flowers from our gardens, but due to recent flooding and morning frost the cross was sparsely covered. A couple of folks were able to bring in flowers and my resourceful wife went outside before the service and got some wild flowers from the church yard. Oh and I forgot to mention that my daughter had trouble with her brakes on the way to church, so I was dealing with that early on. Then she got sick and Mary, my wife, had to take her home before the service. So any visions of a high powered super duper, cutting edge, crowd drawing Easter services quickly vanished. They won’t be writing about this in church growth magazines.

But it was one of the more beautiful days of celebrating the risen Lord I have ever experienced. We may not have wowed the crowds and mystified the seekers. I may not have preached an unforgettable message. But Jesus showed up in a beautiful way. Our service was pretty regular. Pretty unspectacular. And pretty awesome. I’ve been to a lot of Easter services, but only a few really got me in touch with the resurrection of our Lord in such a profound way. Why was it profound?

First, it was profound in it’s simplicity. For example, a simple wooden cross sparsely decorated with the flowers of the field, showed a depth of love from the people that you just can’t manufacture. I loved watching the children hang little wildflowers and Tulips on the cross. I’ll take that over a cool video any day.

Second, it was profound in it’s joy. Everything from singing a birthday song to Lauren, to clapping together when Theresa announce that her ailing grandfather, for whom we had been praying, was now getting better, to hearing the congregation sincerely repeat, “He is risen indeed!” as the service began. The joy was not pumped with hype and pretense. It was simple, pure and real. We have a church that truly loves Jesus and believes he is alive forever.

Third, it was profound in it’s impact. No, we didn’t baptize anybody. There was no flooding of the altar. Doggone it we didn’t even get a truckload of guest names to follow up on next week. But God’s people were inspired to live as those who have been risen with Christ. My Twelve year old friend Mike, who I’m training to preach, came up to me, after the service, and said two things that almost bring tears. First, he said, “I’m excited about being a preacher some day.” Second he said, “Can we start visiting the nursing home? I feel bad for those people who have nobody to visit them.” Mike wants to live the risen life. He wants to bring life to those who need it. Did I mention that Mike is twelve years old? He wants to bring the gospel to people who are too often forgotten.

Finally, it was profound in it’s brokenness. Like I said the services I attended were both a little imperfect, but still very powerful. Isn’t it just like our risen Lord to come to us in our brokenness and bless us. That’s what the story of the resurrection is all about. The risen one showing up in our midst, and blessing us just as we are. It makes me think of his first appearance to his disciples. They were hiding in an upper room, broken, afraid and in need of his presence. Then he walked through the wall and said, “Peace be with you.” May we allow the risen one to walk through our walls and bless us in our beautiful brokenness.

One persons trash is the Lord’s treasure.

When the woman broke the jar of perfume and poured it out on Jesus, her act of love was called “a waste” by his disciples, but Jesus called it a “beautiful thing she has done for me”. He said, in fact, that the world would not be allowed to forget it. Remember this today, the love you pour out for your savior may not be appreciated by anyone but him. Even fellow disciples may call your acts “A waste” because they don’t understand your heart. But know this, Jesus sees it differently. He knows your heart and he calls your outpouring “A beautiful thing that will never be forgotten.” So move past the critics and pour it out on the king who is worthy. He sees what no one else sees. And He will never forget it.

Seek His Presence

” Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually.” (Psalm 105:4)

You and I were created to live in real union with the very presence of God. The primary result of Adam and Eve’s rebellion was that they lost the gift of God’s constant presence. What a tragedy! Yet we avoid his presence, the very thing we were created for. “No one seeks after God.” (Romans 3:10) is the primary charge against a sinful humanity. This has always been true, but now we live in a day, in America, and much of the world, where efforts are being made to eradicate any sense of the presence of God in our culture. With evangelistic zeal today’s Atheist burns with a desire to convert everyone to the religion of despair and nothingness. Even churches are running away from the presence of God. They set up doctrines designed to prevent anything that seems supernatural or beyond us from taking place in worship. It’s as if we’ve said to God, “Thanks for getting us into heaven, but we’ll take it from here.”

Prayer meetings, once considered the lifeline of the church are now considered a waste of time. Do our children even know how to seek the Lord? Yes, we’ve taught them how to say prayers, but have we taught them how to take hold of God in prayer? Do they know what repentance is? Do they know anything of life in the Spirit? Or have we turned them into religious zombies stumbling along in the dark tripping over dead doctrines and flaky Sunday morning entertainment? Do they know what it means to feel the actual presence of God without music playing in the background? When was the last time you experienced God’s presence?

Did you know that God desires for you to know his presence on a daily basis? “Seek his presence continually.” Paul put it this way, “Pray without ceasing.” and “Walk in step with the Spirit.” Jesus said , “Abide in me…for without me you can do nothing.” We are called to seek to literally live in the presence of God. Many of us are so anemic about the God who we claim to believe in that we can’t stand a sermon that lasts 21 minutes, much less a day lived in His very presence. How will you survive in heaven where his presence is a constant reality? At the same time, we long for God’s presence.

There is a place deep in every human being that longs for God. It’s part of the design. God desires more for you than a religion or good behavior. God desires to dwell with you and impart his divine presence into every corner of your being. You were created to be a habitation of pure love and holiness. Your life was meant to radiate with the glory of God himself so that every thought, every word and every action flows out of the heart of God imparting life to everyone around you.

Imagine a home flooded with the presence of God. Imagine places of business where the atmosphere of heaven reigns and people are changed just by being there. Imagine a church so caught up in divine glory that life flows out into communities and transforms them into real life illustrations of the kingdom of God. This is not fantasy. this is potentially what can happen when God’s people push beyond religious duty and seek whole heartedly the constant presence of God. Many today are praying for revival, and it sill shortly come. But do we not realize what revival is? It is a rediscovery of the presence of God on earth. Would you be revived? Then commit yourself to seeking out the presence of God in your daily life.

You will never be fully alive without the divine presence. He is the sunlight of your soul, presently eclipsed by sin. When we turn to him and seek his presence the garden comes to life again beneath the warming rays of his healing love. Let us take the word’s of the Psalmist to heart and “Seek his presence continually.” Pray with me:

“Lord I’m tired of religion. I want you. I thank you that you desire to impart your very life to me so that I live in your presence. No more weekend visits for me. Sunday morning isn’t good enough. I want to live in your constant presence and power. Take hold of me and fill me with your life. Take anything from me that blocks the flow of your spirit into my life. I would rather have one drop of your presence than a ocean of temporary pleasure. Lord I want all of you to have all of me. Dwell in me. Change me. Replace me. In Jesus name, Amen.”

What happened to Chislev?

What were you praying about in December 2014? How about November? October? This was my reflection this morning. I was reading in Nehemiah chapter 2 and was mildly stunned. I realized that He had prayed for an opportunity to approach the King of Persia and ask for permission to go back to Jerusalem and begin a massive restoration project. That was in Chapter 1. That prayer took place in the Hebrew month of Chislev (November/ December). Then on reading Chapter 2, I see that the conversation he had prayed about having with the king din’t even occur until about four or five months later, in the month of Nisan (March/April).

So Nehemiah began praying for an open door to the king in about November, and although he was in the kings presence every day, the actual conversation never took place until about four months later. Even then, the conversation was initiated, not by Nehemiah, but by the King himself. I could spend a great deal of time writing about such things as providence, God’s timing, etc. but I’m thinking in a slightly different direction today.

As I reflected on the four month span between the two events I was prompted to look back into my poorly organized prayer journal to try to see what I was praying about four months ago and what’s going on right now. In some cases I was encouraged to see what God had done over the last quarter in my life, but I was also a bit embarrassed by the prayers I had prayed, ideas I had written down, and plans I had made, many of which I have forgotten about. So much was lost between Chislev and Nisan. Whew! I’ll take another slice of that humble pie, with a scoop of ice cream please. To keep this brief let me just throw out some conclusions.

1. Journaling is a great idea if for no other reason than it helps me remember things.

2. Nehemiah didn’t have a list of ideas. He had one burning desire. Hard to forget something that grips your heart. Pray, not for ideas, but for passions, burdens, deep desires.

3. I need to clean out the closet of my million ideas and see which ones are truly from God, and toss out the ones that aren’t.

4. Just because you forget, doesn’t mean God does. Some of those forgotten prayers were answered anyway. Others are still before the throne. Keep praying.

So I’ve gone over the last few months and begun to ask the Lord to help me do some spring cleaning in my heart, mind and calendar. Time to seek the Lord for a fresh vision for these warmer days, and to dust off forgotten plans and just see what doors will open in Nisan.

Walking in God’s Favor.

“And the King granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.” (Nehemiah 2:8)

Nehemiah was a bit too old to attempt a back flip, but today he almost tried one! He could not believe what just happened. He had spent the whole night before pleading with God for favor from the Persian King. Through trembling lips he nervously requested leave to go to Jerusalem and attempt a rebuilding project for his people. Not only did the King grant his request, he also granted supplies and protection for the whole project! How long the old man stood there with his mouth hanging open is unknown to us, but I would have loved to have seen it. Retiring to his room, Nehemiah sat on the edge of his bed in sheer awe. Then He looked up to heaven, with tears of golden joy dancing across his face and tried to find words to give to his God. But how do you adequately say thanks when your future, once thought lost forever, has just been handed to you on a silver tray of divine favor? In such rare moments all you can do is rest in the unexplainable goodness of God. Nehemiah experienced the favor of God. Can you and I walk in such favor? Or is this just the stuff of ancient stories? To me the Bible is more than a collection of ancient accounts. It is the playbook for those who would know God and experience him today and into eternity. When we read Nehemiah’s explanation of things in chapter 2, verse 8 we see how his assessment of things shaped his destiny. You see many of us miss the favor of God in our lives simply because of the way we choose to look at life. When he wrote of his experience with the King, he gave the reason for how things worked out. Let’s be honest, many of us, if we had been through such an experience, we would have said something like this: “And the King granted me what I asked because…

1. I caught him when he was in a good mood.

2. I know how to work people and get what I want.

3. He probably has ulterior motives, but at least we have a win – win situation.

4. I was the just lucky I guess.

Strangely enough, if it hadn’t worked out we would be tempted to bring God into it at that point…

1. God must be mad at me.

2. God doesn’t care.

3. God doesn’t exist.

Funny how we work that isn’t it? God only gets the credit for our disappointments. Or worse, his existence is determined by whether or not we get what we want. Then we wonder why this whole faith thing, “didn’t work for me”. It didn’t work, because you really haven’t tried it yet. What you tried was superstition, not faith. God doesn’t bless superstition. He blesses faith. Nehemiah shows us what walking in faith, and consequently divine favor, looks like. Nehemiah 2:8 shows us the mindset that we need.

“And the King granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.” (2:8 E.S.V.)

 1. “The good hand…” – Nehemiah assumed the goodness of God. Even though his home town was in ruins, and the future looked uncertain, he understood that God’s nature is not determined by our present circumstances. For many, God is only good if I am happy at the moment. But all the saints of Biblical history affirmed, even in their worst moments that God himself is good. I have to accept, that as James put it, “God cannot be tempted with evil, and He himself tempts no one.” and that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” (James 1:13,17) I must come to God with the assumption that God is good even when my situation isn’t.

2. “of my God…” – Nehemiah had a personal relationship with God based on faith. I cannot walk in God’s favor from a distance. From Genesis to revelation people who would experience God are called to a personal faith relationship with God. This came in Nehemiah’s time through obedience to the law, but now it comes through the one who fulfilled the law in himself, Jesus Christ. Friend you will never walk in God’s favor by simply believing there’s a God out there somewhere, and by trying to live by your own understanding of goodness. Jesus said, repeatedly, that we must come to God by personal faith and obedience to Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. Then I must daily walk in faith and growing obedience to him. Many claim to believe in Jesus, but have not yet begun a personal relationship with him. Read John 15 for description of how we are to live in a daily relationship with him.

3. “was upon me.” – Nehemiah trusted in the presence and power of God that was upon him. Whenever the Bible talks about the hand of God being upon someone, it refers to his power and presence. Nehemiah understood that the Persian King didn’t respond to Nehemiah’s clever words, but to the unseen power of God that was upon the servant of God. It reminds me of Jesus words at the beginning of his ministry, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me…” (Luke 4:18) Jesus walked in divine power. This same power he promised to all who follow him, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you and you will be my witnesses….” (Acts 1:8…) Paul demonstrated this same confidence in the power of God in his letter to the Corinthians,

“And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5 E.S.V.)

So we see that we walk in divine favor, when we start with a shift in our perspective. We begin to experience God at work in us and through us when we assume:

1. That God is good, despite how things look at the moment.

2. That God desires a personal relationship with me.

3. That God wants me to walk in his power, not my own.

Finally, I have to say that Nehemiah wasn’t asking for favor so he could simply live a good life and do as he pleased. Nehemiah walked in God’s favor because he was committed to God’s kingdom and cause. The underlying theme to all this is that we must live for God’s glory and kingdom if we are to truly find the fulfillment and purpose and favor we were created to experience. Jesus said it this way, “Seek first (in priority) the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33)

Getting Physical

“I appeal to you therefore brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Romans 12:1)

How do you offer your body as a living sacrifice to God? I find it interesting that Paul didn’t say, “offer your spirit”. Offering your spirit would be too abstract, too theoretical. Anyone can give themselves to God in an abstract way. But he said, offer your bodies to God. That’s tangible, active, sensory. This is much more demanding than simply closing your eyes and giving God sentimental feelings. Giving your body as a living sacrifice is physical. Too much so called religious devotion never makes it outside the mind and heart. Our spiritual decisions and intentions bounce around in the subconscious until the feeling goes away, but nothing actually happens out in the world where it’s needed the most. Faith isn’t faith until you get your body involved. Abraham didn’t just ponder a vision for the land of Canaan. He started packing and got walking. The Spirit is not calling you to a feeling, but to a step of faith. Don’t just sit there pining away about your love for God. Do something! –that is your spiritual act of worship.

Burned Gates and broken hearts: Listening to Hanani.

“The words of Nehemiah the son of Hacaliah. Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the citadel, that Hanani, one of my brothers, came with certain men from Judah. And I asked them concerning the Jews who escaped, who had survived the exile, and concerning Jerusalem. And they said to me, “The remnant there in the province who had survived the exile is in great trouble and shame. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire.” (Nehemiah 1:1-3)

A broken man fell back against a marble column and felt himself slide to the floor. His heavy heart dragged him down beneath a tide of grief, drowning him in despair. He was the cup bearer for the Persian king, under whose rule the exiles of Israel languished. They head been in exile for so long that Jerusalem was in danger of fading from their collective memory. Nehemiah’s job was to taste the wine before the king, to ensure it wasn’t poisoned. But today the old man was wishing it was. He felt like dying today. That’s what you get for asking hard questions of honest friends.

 He had asked his friends how things were going in old Jerusalem. “How are things in the old city?” he queried, hoping for a report of good things. But what he heard broke his heart. The people, a once proud race with a destiny as old as time itself, now are scraping and scratching just to survive. His friends describe the refugees as full of trouble and shame. This was a people once ruled by mighty kings, like David and Solomon, known all over the world for their law and their God. Now they are hiding in the rubble of a shattered kingdom like dogs in a junk yard. “The walls are destroyed and the gates are burned with fire.” Psalms have been written about the majestic walls and busy gates of Jerusalem. There was a time when other nations were waiting in line to trade with Israel. They were in awe of the kingdom of Israels God. But now the smoke of their destruction bears witness to the unheeded warnings of the prophets who died calling the rebellious nation back to God. A people shamed and broken, defenses crumbling, and gates destroyed. This was a hard reality to face, but if there was to be any hope of restoration the need for it had to be looked square in the eye. The exiled people were blessed to have a servant of God like Nehemiah and his friends, who were willing to take a hard look at what had become of God’s people and allow themselves to be broken over it. Nehemiah was moved to weep, to pray and to act on behalf of his beloved Israel. Because of his courage and faith History was changed.

We need a visit from Hanani and Nehemiah today. If they were to walk the streets and attend the churches in our country today would they not find reason to weep? Would they not be moved to Pray? Would they not call God’s present day people to act? The story of Nehemiah should not be relegated to ancient history, for it is our story as well. Hanani, the messenger, had the courage to describe the condition of Jerusalem honestly. How Nehemiah would have preferred a 21st century spin on things. He would have been spared much grief if Hanani had been a little less brutal in his assessment. If only Hanani had learned from our generation he could have made things sound so much better. Perhaps he would have said something a little more palatable;

 “Well Brother, Ole’ J-town is plugging along just fine. They have a few challenges with construction issues and such, but overall projections are looking pretty standard for the demographic we’re working with. We’re keeping things very positive and trusting God to give us the victory. Amen. God is good, all the time, Brother.” 

But he grew up in a time where problems were called problems. Good was called good. Evil was called evil. The best way to deal with life was head on, not head in sand. We need a visit from Hanani and Nehemiah today. If they visited today would they not see a once faith-filled people now scraping around like refugees? Would they not see a people who have virtually forgotten their destiny amid the rush to just get by? Churches once known for a vibrant life of mission and worship, are now ghostly museums of a forgotten faith. A church that was born in a prayer meeting on Pentecost and who turned the world upside down with an apostolic boldness that proved stronger than the Roman Empire, now prayerless and consequently powerless. We’ve traded prayer for politics, evangelism for entertainment and discipleship for donuts and coffee. We’re oblivious or powerless to address the broken walls of holiness and burned up gates of compassion.

No our condition is not unique to this generation. If you read the works of Tozer, Ravenhill, E.M. Bounds and others you see that every generation comes to a place in which revival is needed. Every generation finds its walls crumbling and gates burning. Every generation reaches a point in which God’s people have forgotten who they are. The question is what will this generation do about it. The good news is there are those who, like Hanani and Nehemiah don’t buy the “keep everything positive” hype and are willing to take an honest look at our people, our walls and our gates.  God always gives us those people if we are willing to listen to them. Some generations fail to listen, which is why Israel went into exile. They ignored, even killed their prophets. Others listened, which is why history is blessed with accounts of revival and renewal. I think we’re in a time in which the voice of Hanani is calling out to us, “Look at your walls! Look at your gates!” Will we listen then, like Nehemiah, weep, pray and act? Or will we keep telling ourselves we’re okay until there are no more walls to inspect?