Will Davis Jr.'s Blog, page 57

Is Christianity Too Narrow for Culture?

This weekend at ACF we’ll continue our Explore God series with a look at the question Is Christianity Too Narrow for Culture. This is a hot one, as many people argue that Christianity is by nature too exclusive and that it automatically condemns certain people to Hell. Is that true? And if it isn’t true, do you know how to explain it to your unbelieving friends? You’ll learn the answers at this weekend’s event. Bring your small group, your neighbors and your spiritually inquisitive friends.

Calling All ACF Writers

I know that many of you of aspiring writers. You blog, you write devotionals and Bible studies, and some of you have even written books! Well, for all you aspiring ACF writers, I have a great opportunity.

 

My agent and friend, Esther Fedorkevich, is hosting the Second Annual Re:Write Conference October 18-20 here in Austin. And she’s offering a discount for all my readers and ACFers. Click Here to go to the Re:Write web site. If you want to register, use the promo code WILLDAVISJR2013. 

 

May I Suggest Two Great Books

 

 

 

Extended Worship

We’re a few weeks into our extended worship times and we’ve already seen significant movement of God’s Spirit at all our communities. God is honoring our efforts to seek him and to give his Spirit time to speak to us and work in us. Here are some things you can do to make our extended times more meaningful for you:

1. Pray. Use the time to seek God in prayer. Go to the front and kneel, stand or kneel where you are, or huddle up with some friends around you. But pray! It’s your time to seek God.

2. Take Communion. You guys seem to love this option. Every week people flock to the Communion stations at each community. So keep it up! God will meet you over the Communion table.

3. Move around. These times are meant to be unscripted, so get out of your chair and see where God leads you. Go give a few hugs to folks who need them. Stop and pray for someone you know is hurting. Take time to encourage a youth or child who is in the service. But walk the room! Our response times are not spectator sports!

4. Don’t leave. These response times aren’t really optional. They’re a direct step of obedience to God from our church. Basically, our services last between 80 and 90 minutes now, so you need to plan accordingly. But please don’t get in the habit of walking out early. You’re missing what God may want to do and honestly, your distracting others. Come and plan to stay the entire time.

Suggested Memory Verse: He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30 (NIV)

Not Something You See Every Day

I recently had the privilege of officiating at my son’s wedding. It was a holy, beautiful and joyous experience. It was also completely unique, in that my son did something I’ve never seen another groom do. Before Amy came down the aisle with her father, Will addressed the congregation. He and Amy wanted everyone at their wedding to know the real reason for their great love, and to have the opportunity to experience it for themselves.

Many people have asked my for a copy of what Will shared. And with his permission, I am happy to share it now:

Good evening. Thank you all for being here tonight. You’re presence and participation in this evening with us is a blessing to Amy and me and our families.

Amy and I believe that what we are about to do (enter into a covenant with each other before God) paints a beautiful picture of what we as followers of Christ have waiting for us when we our reunited with our Heavenly Father. We believe a wedding ceremony is meant to be a glimpse of when you get to stand face to face with Jesus Christ for the first time.

The Bible tells us when man was created he walked with God and lived in perfect union with Him. When man sinned that union was lost. Sin separated us from our Father and creator and that perfect communion was gone. The Bible is the story of God’ s love for us and how He redeems us.  Jesus Christ became the mediator between God and mankind and paid for the sins of the world sacrificially once and for all. The result gave us, the church, a way to restored union with God through Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul describes marriage as a metaphor for the relationship between Christ and the church. In Ephesians 5, Paul tells us “ …as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” And also: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.”

As a husband and wife are given in marriage on earth and united to become one flesh, so we will be united with our Father in heaven through Jesus Christ.

So we want to invite you to watch this ceremony unfold with the understanding and expectation that a similar but much greater wedding ceremony awaits you as a Christ follower in Heaven.

In a moment, Amy, escorted by her father, is going walk down the aisle in a white dress. This is appropriate for as the prophet Isaiah said, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.” Paul wrote that the church will be presented “as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” Because of Jesus Christ, you will be presented “as white as snow” and “holy and blameless” before God.

Today, I will get to experience the joy of watching the woman who stole my heart, the woman I love deeply, the woman who the Lord has called me to marry, the woman I would go to any length to protect, walk towards me with the desire for us to step into a covenant relationship together. It will be a moment unlike anything I have experienced before and one I will never forget. When she comes to the altar, I will be overjoyed to take her as my wife to be.

When we meet our maker in Heaven, I believe Christ will welcome us with all the warmth and love of an excited groom-to-be. He will claim us as His own before the Father, and the Father will see us as holy and blameless in Christ, clothed radiantly in white. In that moment, our perfect union with God will be restored.  

After today Amy’s last name will change from Barnes to Davis. This is because she will take my name and be identified as my wife. Everything I have will be hers, and everything she has will be mine. We will share this life together and no longer be two but one.

In the same way, you as a Christ follower are identified by Christ and by nothing from your previous life. In Revelation, Christ promises his name to be written on those who are His. I believe, in Heaven, our Lord will give us a new name.

In our ceremony today, we will worship God and after we are married, we will celebrate. We can only imagine what the worship and celebration will be like in Heaven when we finally get to see our savior face to face.

At this time we are going to begin with a song. The lyrics are printed on the back of your program. As we listen to this song, I encourage you to reflect on how much God great love for you and what He was willing to do to give us hope and to restore union and fellowship with Him.

Good Debt

I am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians. Romans 1:14

We hear a lot of discussion these days about good versus bad debt. For instance, a mortgage is good debt because you’re building equity. But credit card debt? That’s bad debt.

I’m not one for incurring a bunch of debt–good or bad–and I wouldn’t encourage anyone else to either. But I feel safe here making a grand exception.

In this beautiful verse, the Apostle Paul tells us that there is a form of personal debt that is good, even godly. It’s debt to our fellow man. It’s not financial debt, but relational, evangelistic debt. We owe our neighbors the Word of God. We owe them the Gospel. That’s good debt.

Paul had been a devout Jew. He was raised knowing and keeping the finer points of not just the Law of Moses, but also of the Jewish teachers’ interpretation of the Law. He was educated and well trained, a leader of the Hebrews, and he certainly owed nothing to anyone outside of his own family.

Until he met Jesus. When Paul became a Christ-follower he lost all rights to himself. He became so much of an others-centered thinker that he described himself as being permanently indebted to all men, regardless of ethnicity or social status. The pull of Jesus on his life made him suddenly blind: blind to class, culture, education, wealth, etc. It should for us as well.

We need to gladly accept this good debt. The call of Jesus Christ on each of us bids us to look way beyond our normal spheres of reference when serving others. We do not get to be selective with whom we love or care for. We are not given the opportunity to predetermine our audience. We are not allowed to pass by those who do not meet our social or cultural criteria. We have not been given permission to minister to only those with whom we agree politically. All men were enemies of God because of sin, and yet his Son died for them all. Paul was no Greek son, and yet he gladly became a slave to them. We are called to the same level of spiritual indebtedness. Our lives are not our own; we are debtors to all.

Who is in your world today that qualifies as Greek or Barbarian? Who might you be willing to serve if they were just a little more like you? Such barriers are unbiblical and ungodly. You are a spiritual debtor, a debtor to all. Start paying your debt of love today.

Are you a Writer? Do You Want to Be? Here’s a Some Great Help!

Every writer has to start somewhere, and here’s a great place for you to get started. Attend the Second Annual Re:Write Conference in Austin. The dates are October 18-20.

My friend and agent Esther Fedorkevich is the brains behind the conference, and I can promise you that it will be well worth your time and effort. My wife Susie attended last year and plans to attend again this year. She said that the access she got to such well-known writers and bloggers was what really made the conference for her. What she took away was invaluable. Speakers this year include Mark Batterson, Ted Dekker, Lisa TerKeurst, George Barna, Mary DeMuth and David Kinnaman.

I still have the file of the over 50 rejection letters I got when I was trying to break into writing. It can be really lonely and frustrating. I wish I’d had a conference like this to go to. Save yourself some heartache and a ton of postage! Attend Re:Write and get answers to questions like:

How do I reach and build my audience?
How do I decide whether to publish traditionally or self-publish?
What are creative, new ideas that I can start practicing as a writer?
What role does branding play in my success as an author?
What are innovative ways to market my book, blog, or writing?
How important is networking to making it in the publishing industry?

From the Re:Write web site:

The Re:Write Conference takes a realistic and holistic approach to answering these questions by utilizing the experiences and wisdom of authors and speakers that have “been there.” These individuals break down all the walls of pretense and pride, sit down with their fellow writers, and share about how they made it to where they are and the lessons they learned along the way. Unlike other writers conferences, the Re:Write Conference limits registrations so it can provide the most intimate, accessible environment for writers to learn, network, and grow. With time carved out to interact with the highly successful yet humble roster of speakers, attendees find value that can be directly applied to improve every aspect of their writing careers.

Esther Fedorkevich, founder of The Fedd Agency

SPECIAL OFFER: Esther has agreed to give a $100 discount to my blog readers. When you register, just put WILLDAVISJR2013 in the promo code box.

Don’t sit on your dream of being a published writer and don’t be intimidated by the publishing industry. Re:Write can help! To learn more or register, CLICK HERE.

Worthless Religion

If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless. James 1:26

I did it as recently as last night–I said something that I shouldn’t have. I was tired and in a hurry and I needed to be somewhere else, so I snapped at the guy who was talking to me and asked him rather directly to get to the point. It was crass and insensitive. And now it’s out there. His last impression of me was a rather abrupt one.

And so, as I meditate on these words from James, it’s hard for me to control the “ouch” factor. Because according to James, at that particular moment last night, my religion was worthless.

What is worthless religion? It’s a religion that doesn’t have the power to control something as small and simple as the tongue. To restate what James says, “If your faith isn’t significant enough to keep you from saying rude and stupid things, it isn’t worth much.”

I’m going to really pray and think about that today. I’m going to try to catch errant words while they’re still in my brain and before they come flowing off my tongue. Because every time that I gossip, slander, criticize or snap at someone, every time I use an inappropriate word or tell an off-color story or laugh at the pain or misfortune of someone else, and every time I make a promise and don’t keep it, I prove that my religion has no real authority in my life.

So I’m going to watch my words today. I’m going to use them to build up rather than tear down. I’m going to use them to bless and not curse. Will you join me?

If God is Loving, Why does he Allow Evil and Suffering?

In preparation for the Explore God initiative, I’ve spent a lot of time on atheists’ web sites. I’m very interested in the reasons they offer for rejecting God. One site gave a top ten list, and the author listed the same reason for both #10 and #1–terminally ill children.

His point? No loving God would ever allow children to die from some horrendous disease. If God was ever good for anything, then certainly he could stop this needless suffering. No true god would ever allow such suffering, so no true god exists.

I need to point out here that atheists aren’t the only ones asking this question. Many believers wrestle with it too. If God is sovereign, if he really is all powerful and if he is loving, then why allow all the junk in the world? Especially when that junk effects the innocent.

As we approach this question, we need to acknowledge upfront that there are no easy answers. There are answers, but they aren’t easy. As you struggle with the question of evil and suffering, here are some things to consider.

To begin with, we need to not force our view of what we think God should be onto God. The atheist’s complaint about suffering children indicates that his view of God requires God to eliminate all suffering, or at least that of children. But the God of the Bible is not so easily defined. His ways are higher than ours and we are not always going to understand why he acts the way he does (see Isaiah 55:8-9). The reality of evil and suffering in the world is not inconsistent with the loving and all-powerful portrayal of God in the Bible. And just because we don’t like that about God doesn’t mean that he isn’t real. It just means that we wish he would act otherwise. But God is not prone to redefine his nature to fit our whims or expectations.

God doesn’t promise a life free from suffering. There are no verses in the Bible that obligate God to give us a pain-free existence. The Bible is filled with accounts of the sufferings of the nation of Israel, the Church and especially his Son. God uses suffering to accomplish his purposes. He also uses it to grow us.

God didn’t create any of the problems that we deal with every day–we did. The doctrine of sin in the Bible places the responsibility of sin, suffering and even death squarely on the shoulders of humans. The rebellion of man before God ushered in a reality that was never God’s intention. He allowed it, but he didn’t prefer it. When sin entered the world everything that God designed was broken. Illness, birth defects, predispositions to sin and addictive behaviors, famine, plaques, earthquakes, murder, incest–and everything else we hate about our world came as the result of our rebellion from God. We can’t blame him for it. It’s out fault.

If we want God to give us free will, then the option of evil has to exist. God could have prevented such atrocities from ever being an option, but then he’d have to take away our ability to chose. If we want the freedom to live our own lives, then we have to accept the responsibility that comes with it. For choice and free will to be meaningful, they have to include the possibility of bad choices and our exercise of free will hurting others.

Jesus provided the ultimate solution to suffering when he dealt with it on the cross. When people ask, “Why doesn’t God do something?”, we need to answer, “He has.” Jesus “was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain,” Isaiah 53:3a. On the cross Jesus felt all the pain associated with all the sin and suffering in the world. He suffered for our sins so that we wouldn’t have to. Jesus isn’t immune to pain–he’s better acquainted with it than we are. And his death on the cross dealt with the ultimate sources of evil and suffering–Satan and our sin.

God created a suffering free environment and he invites us all to join him there. God created a place where suffering will not be allowed to exist. Revelation says: And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away,” Revelation 21:3-4. That beautiful, pain-free place is open to all people. We all have the opportunity through Jesus to live eternally without the tyranny of pain and death.

Don’t let suffering drive you from God. Let it drive you to him. He will meet you in your pain. And one day soon, he take it away entirely.

To watch or listen to my message on this topic at ACF, CLICK HERE.

 

 

Not a Few

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 2 Kings 4:3

I’m in the habit of way-underestimating God. Even though Jesus taught us not to, when I ask for bread from God and I tend to still expect a snake in return. I haven’t settled into the reality that God is in the business of doing more than we can ask or think in response to our prayers.

That’s why this story (and the others like it in the Old Testament) is so good for me. The prophet Elisha is confronted by a widow who is unable to pay her late husband’s bills. The creditors are threatening to take her two sons away from her as payment. When Elisha asks what kind of resources she has on hand, she replies “a little oil.” That’s not much, but it’s more than enough for God.

The prophet tells her to start collecting empty jars. He tells her to get as many as she can–not a few, but several. He then instructs her to start pouring the oil into the new jars. That she did, and the oil just kept coming and coming. It didn’t stop flowing until she had filled the last jar. The widow was able to sell much of the oil and pay off her debts. But even after selling it she still had plenty left over.

That pattern–God takes the little we have, multiplies it, and meets a need with more left over than when we started–is repeated dozens of times in the Bible. It’s the modus operandi of God when it comes to provision. And it’s stories like these that compel us to start collecting jars, because God is going to come through in a big way.

George Muller taught from Psalm 81:10–however wide you’re willing to open your mouth, that’s how much God will fill it.
I like to say, if you’re building a runway for God to land on, make it big enough for a 747.
And in the language of 2 Kings 4, don’t ask for just a few jars.

What are you asking God to do? Have you made the appropriate arrangements? Have you shown God you believe he is going to come through by preparing for him to do just that? Are you preparing for a God-sized answer?

God doesn’t give bad gifts to his children. He comes through as only he can. So pray again and then get ready. Better start collecting some jars. You’re going to need them.

Are You Part of the Problem or the Solution?

May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me, O Lord God of hosts; may those who seek You not be dishonored through me, O God of Israel, Psalms 69:6.

I have prayed this verse for myself probably thousands of times. I don’t know a better summary of what I need to seek from God for my life than what King David prayed here. As you start your day today, maybe you should pray it for yourself as well.

May those who wait for You not be ashamed through me.

Let me not embarrass you or your Church by my behaviors
Please keep me off the front page of the paper
Please don’t let my lifestyle cause young believers to lose faith
May none of my brothers or sisters in Jesus have to apologize for anything I say or do

  May those who seek You not be dishonored through me.

Today I will not talk about people behind their backs
I will not gossip
I will not slander
I will not criticize
I will not attack

I often like to turn these two statements into positive prayers. Pray this:

May those who wait for You be encouraged through me, O Lord God of hosts; may those who seek You be honored through me, O God of Israel.

 What you do and say today will have a great impact on the people of God around you. Live today to honor and encourage others.

The Red Carpet Treatment

Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus . . . Hebrews 10:19

 Many of us still live with a complex when it comes to how we view our relationship with God. We believe that God reluctantly allows us into his presence, and only because he has to. We think that God is ashamed of us, constantly disappointed in us and only a half-step away from casting us into outer darkness. Said another way, the shame and guilt of sin in our lives dupes us into believing that God is our reluctant Father.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

The reality is that God has moved heaven and earth to make it possible for you to be with Him. As the writer of Hebrews stated above, He’s even rolled out the red carpet for you. And that red carpet is literally made out of the blood of his Son.

Consider the verse:

We have confidence–read boldness. You’ve been given an all-access, VIP pass.
Into the Holy Place. This is an image from the days of the Jewish Temple. The Holy Place was off-limits to all but the priests. No common person was ever allowed there, as it was the dwelling place of God.
By the blood of Jesus. Jesus’ death on the cross forever obliterated the walls that existed between God and men. His blood paved the way for us into his Father’s presence.

We have no reason to be timid or fearful as we approach God. Even in our weakest, most sin-stained moments we have the all-access pass into God’s holy presence that Jesus provided. So today, right now. Lift your head. Take the praise-filled walk down the red carpet into the loving presence of your Father.

Is Your Relationship with Your Dad Impacting How You See God?

It’s one of the most important and revealing questions I can ask someone: Can you tell me about your relationship with your dad? And when I know about his relationship with his earthly father, I can usually discern much about his relationship with his Heavenly Father.

I received an email from a young friend recently. She is trying to deal with this very issue. Here’s a bit of what she said:

I have been attempting to come to terms with my lack of relationship with my father and the effect this has had on my life. My dad left my and my family for another woman. This has created numerous complications in my life, but I think one of the bigger problems it has resulted in is a lack of understanding of God as a Father.

I view a father as someone who looks down upon you, who you will never be good enough for, and is only interested in fulfilling their own selfish desires.

With such negative associations with the word father, using the term “Father” to describe God has left my heart in turmoil. I do not want to picture God as a man that I will never be good enough for, no matter how hard I try.

It is very difficult to sort through the lies that have become embedded in my mind of what a father should be and what a true father is.

Doubt creeps into my heart.

Feelings of never being good enough for a physical or spiritual father overwhelm me.

I am afraid to embrace God’s love because I don’t understand it and am in awe of its limitless. I am afraid to take a leap of faith to trust in something more and chance being hurt again. I don’t know if I could bear it to be let down by another Father.

Can you relate to this young woman’s feelings? Many of us can.

The fact is there is a close connection between how you view your earthly dad and how you view God. None of us has a full picture of God because there is no such thing as a perfect dad. But you don’t have to be stuck in the rut of always being afraid of God or of fearing that you will always be a big letdown to him. You can push past it. You can come to see who God really is and be safe in your relationship with him.

Here are some things you can do to lose your dad baggage and develop a fuller view of God:

Forgive your earthly dad . If you’re carrying anger or resentment toward him, let it go. It doesn’t mean that you condone what he did or didn’t do. It simple means that you acknowledge that he is incapable of restoring what he broke and of repaying what he took. You simply determine not to let his actions or inactions define you any further. Forgiveness is the critical first step in moving past your dad’s influence and hold over your life. 
Develop a biblical view of God . Read and study the Bible and begin to develop a scriptural picture of who God really is and not who your baggage expects him to be. Keep a journal and write down the pictures of God in the Bible that help you recalibrate your understanding of his true nature. Retrain your brain to see God as he is and not as your experience says he should be.
Pray . Talking to God is a great way to get to know him. If you have fears about talking to God or you’re not sure you know how, go ahead and just acknowledge those to God. Ask him to meet you where you are, to be patient with you and to help you see him as the loving Heavenly Father that he is. God answers prayer and you can be sure that he will answer that one.
Worship .  Worship may be the sweetest and most direct way of recalibrating your God image. Worship–both private and corporate–takes you into the holy presence of God. God’s presence gives life and brings healing. I’ve seen healing that might have taken months or even years of counseling come through just one hour of Spirit-led worship. Worship is the bold and faith-based acknowledgement that God is good, loving and in control even when your circumstances might suggest otherwise. God will meet you in worship, and he will heal you there.

Don’t settle for living with a warped view of God. Don’t let your father’s failings impact or control you any longer. Have the courage shown here by my young friend. Confront and rebuke your demons. Get to know the real Heavenly Father. And trust that he will guide you every step of the way.