Will Davis Jr.'s Blog, page 79

The Real Heroes

In follow-up to yesterday’s blog, I thought I’d share this entry from C.S Lewis’ The Great Divorce. It describes well how those who are famous on earth are rarely significant in heaven, and how the least on earth are often the true Kingdom heroes:

First came bright Spirits, not the Spirits of men, who danced and scattered flowers. Then, on the left and right, at each side of the forest avenue, came youthful shapes, boys upon one hand, and girls upon the other. If I could remember their singing and write down the notes, no man who read that score would ever grow sick or old. Between them went musicians: and after these a lady in whose honour all this was being done.

I cannot now remember whether she was naked or clothed. If she were naked, then it must have been the almost visible penumbra of her courtesy and joy which produces in my memory the illusion of a great and shining train that followed her across the happy grass. If she were clothed, then the illusion of nakedness is doubtless due to the clarity with which her inmost spirit shone through the clothes. For clothes in that country are not a disguise: the spiritual body lives along each thread and turns them into living organs. A robe or a crown is there as much one of the wearer’s features as a lip or an eye.

But I have forgotten. And only partly do I remember the unbearable beauty of her face.

“Is it?…is it?” I whispered to my guide.

“Not at all,” said he. “It’s someone ye’ll never have heard of. Her name on earth was Sarah Smith and she lived at Golders Green.”

“She seems to be…well, a person of particular importance?”

“Aye. She is one of the great ones. Ye have heard that fame in this country and fame on Earth are two quite different things.”

“And who are these gigantic people…look! They’re like emeralds…who are dancing and throwing flowers before here?”

“Haven’t ye read your Milton? A thousand liveried angels lackey her.”

“And who are all these young men and women on each side?”

“They are her sons and daughters.”

“She must have had a very large family, Sir.”

“Every young man or boy that met her became her son – even if it was only the boy that brought the meat to her back door. Every girl that met her was her daughter.”

“Isn’t that a bit hard on their own parents?”

“No. There are those that steal other people’s children. But her motherhood was of a different kind. Those on whom it fell went back to their natural parents loving them more. Few men looked on her without becoming, in a certain fashion, her lovers. But it was the kind of love that made them not less true, but truer, to their own wives.”

“And how…but hullo! What are all these animals? A cat-two cats-dozens of cats. And all those dogs…why, I can’t count them. And the birds. And the horses.”

“They are her beasts.”

“Did she keep a sort of zoo? I mean, this is a bit too much.”

“Every beast and bird that came near her had its place in her love. In her they became themselves. And now the abundance of life she has in Christ from the Father flows over into them.”

I looked at my Teacher in amazement.

“Yes,” he said. “It is like when you throw a stone into a pool, and the concentric waves spread out further and further. Who knows where it will end? Redeemed humanity is still young, it has hardly come to its full strength. But already there is joy enough int the little finger of a great saint such as yonder lady to waken all the dead things of the universe into life.

And the Winner of the Photo Caption Contest Is . . . .

. . . . Sherwood MacRae, of Cookeville, TN. His caption made me laugh out loud: I gave up when I discovered there was no “On” switch.

Runners-Up are Tami Lane with “Enough has really been on my heart lately!” and Jackie Kincaid of Waterloo360 who almost charmed me into giving her first prize this morning.

Thanks to all of you who contributed. Sherwood, we’ll drop 5 copies of Enough in the mail to you.

Fastest Growing Churches, 50 Christians to Watch, and Other Really Bad Ideas

Recently our church was informed that we were going to be featured in a popular magazine for pastors and church leaders. The magazine does annual lists of the largest, fastest growing, most innovative, etc., churches in the US. Somehow our church had made its way onto on of their lists. We politely asked them to remove us from the list and not include us in the publication.

Another popular Christian periodical is about to publish a list of 50 believers who are influencing the church and culture. It’s a huge honor to be named to such a list and I’m sure that each of the people listed are indeed having real impact in our culture. But I must tell you that such lists and recognitions are a really, really bad idea.

The fastest growing church list, the most baptisms list, the Christian best-seller list, the top ten people to watch list–and others like them–only help feed the myth of the celebrity or superstar Christian. Naming a building after a guy who can write a big check or having a so-called Who’s Who in American Christianity list exalts people over the Savior who died for them. It honors the funnel of the gift (the guy who wrote the check) over the true giver (God). It spotlights the gifts and skills of people instead of recognizing the Spirit as the source of the work and gifts they’re celebrating.

It creates pride, people worship, Christian celebrities and what I call the OOOOHH-AAHHHHH Club, which is a certain class of Christian that the rest of us sit around and ooohh and aaahhhh over. It’s sickening and highly unbiblical.

Now, I am not saying that such churches and believers aren’t having true Kingdom impact, as they may well be. Only God knows for sure. But I am saying that when we elevate other believers to celebrity status because they sing, write or preach well, or because they lead a big church, we miss the point entirely. Jesus rebuked his disciples for trying to figure out who among them was the greatest and he taught in John that his Holy Spirit would only glorify him, not others.

So why would we ever put time and energy into honoring those who happen to be graced by God when it’s God who is doing the gracing?

If we are to feature anyone, why not feature that Chinese pastor who is languishing in a prison cell for preaching the Gospel? Why not feature the woman who has served quietly in an orphanage in Haiti for over 40 years and who has saved the lives of countless children? Why not feature the man who started a Bible study on death row for his father’s murderer and his fellow inmates? Why not spotlight the couple who lives among the homeless in a major city and provides them with basic medical care, food and clothing, and teaches them God’s Word. We should spotlight them, not so we can ooohhh and aahhh over them, but so we can intercede for them and help them in their work.

Friends, let’s grow up and repent of worshiping and comparing people, pastors, churches, worship leaders, worship bands, and Christian writers. It sets them up to fail and sets us up for disappointment. Instead, let’s lift our hands to and bow our knees before the one with nail-prints in his hands. He’s the real hero, and he became a slave for us.

 

Photo Caption Contest

This is my friend Cecil Campbell. Cecil leads Nicaraguan Resource Network and is one of the people I dedicated Enough to. As you can see, he was overwhelmed by it. So, let’s have a little fun. Give me a great caption for the photo. The winner gets 5 copies of Enough to give to his/her friends with insomnia.

I’ll announce the winner on Wednesday.

Time out

I’m fasting from all social media until Monday. See you then.

Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest . . . .

When It’s Good to be a Pest

Normally when we call someone a pest we don’t mean it as a compliment.  A troublesome child is a pest. A nagging spouse is a pest. A neighbor’s incessantly barking dog is a pest. Telemarketers are pests. Flies that buzz around your picnic dinner are pests. Pests are bad things.

I want to be a pest. I want to be the same kind of pest described here: For we have found this man a real pest and a fellow who stirs up dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. Acts 24:5

When I hear Paul described as a pest in this verse, I want to stand up and cheer. What a compliment! May we all be as pesky as Paul.

The man talking about Paul was an attorney for the Jewish leaders. He was arguing before the Jewish ruling governor. The Jews wanted Paul silenced, jailed, shipped off to Siberia, sentenced to hard labor–anything that would remove him from their religious landscape. He had proven to be a pest indeed.

Everywhere Paul went he taught about a crucified Jew who had been raised from the dead and was God’s promised Messiah. Everywhere he went he saw huge numbers respond to and embrace his message; and he saw huge crowds violently oppose it. Find a mob in intense debate, and the Jewish leaders could be sure that Paul was right in the middle of it. To those forces that were trying to silence the message of Jesus, Paul was more than a pest–he was public enemy number one.

And so should we be. There are spiritual forces in this world that strongly oppose Jesus. They usually show up in the form of hostile people, but those people are not the real enemies. The demons that have duped them are. The devil and his spiritual henchmen have a well-organized and powerful system of opposition to anything having to do with Jesus. To them, we need to be real pests. More than that, we need to be real threats.

Does Satan know your name? He knew Paul’s. If we live the kind of lives that God calls us to, then we’ll be equally known to the enemy. Trouble will no doubt come, but so will the satisfaction of knowing that we have created enough chaos in the realms of darkness to warrant Satan’s attention.

So, here’s to be being pests today!

A Great Resource for Couples and Families

Susie and I spent most of last weekend leading a marriage retreat at Wind River Ranch, in Estes Park, Colorado. We were with couples from Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Texas and the Carolinas. It was an amazing week.

I’ve written about Wind River before. It’s a Christin Dude ranch located less than 2 hours from the Denver airport, is led by an amazing staff and wranglers, has great food and extremely comfortable accommodations, and is a great place for couples and families to reconnect.

Susie and I had the privilege of speaking there twice this year, and we’re already booked for three dates in 2013. We don’t get paid for these events, but we believe that much in what Wind River is doing. And, it gives us the opportunity to spend time with great people in the gorgeous Rockies.

Are you looking for a place to reconnect with your family? Does a vacation that includes horseback-riding, fly-fishing, hiking, golf, and worship and Bible study with other great families in a breathtaking setting sound good to you? Then you might want to give Wind River a good look. Here’s a link to their 2013 dates. Or just call Becky at 800-523-4212 and tell her I sent you!

Maybe Susie and I will get to see you next summer at Wind River.

The Grand Illusion

A wealthy young leader approached Jesus. I mean, the guy had “success” written all over hm. But he was wise enough to know that money and success don’t necessarily bring happiness. So, he was also exploring the spiritual.

Sometimes people of means do that. They discern that all they have may not be all they need. That’s a good thing.

So he went to Jesus and basically asked him what he was missing:

Man: What must I do to inherit eternal life?

Jesus: Keep the Commandments.

Why did Jesus say that? You can’t be saved by keeping the Commandments. In fact, the whole point of the Sermon on the Mount is that it’s impossible to keep the Law. That’s why Jesus came–to show we need grace.

So why did Jesus say that? Because the rich leader wasn’t broken. He honestly thought he could go do whatever Jesus said and then be saved. That’s bad.

Jesus: Don’t kill, steal, lie or fornicate. Honor your parents and love your neighbor like you love yourself.

Man: I’ve done all that. What else?

Seriously? No one has done–or not done–all that. The man still didn’t get it. He honestly thought that he was right before God. He wasn’t desperate yet.

So Jesus went for the jugular: Sell everything you have, give the money to the poor and follow me.

Why did Jesus say that? You don’t have to sell everything to be a Christian. Jesus wanted the man to see that needing God had to be first in his life. We have to be DESPERATE for God. He can’t be a hobby or a fixture or a part of the pie or a thing we turn to when we’re in real trouble. He has to be the air we breathe.

He has to be more important to us than money.

Jesus’ words hit their mark and made their point. Unfortunately, they were planted in rocky soil.

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth, Matthew 19:22

The 70′s rock band Styx used to sing about the Grand Illusion. They were talking about material things and money. It is a grand illusion indeed.

If you’re living today with more than enough, you’re in serious danger of being more dependent on your stuff than on God, and of actually loving money more than him.

Walk away. Sell it all if you have to. It’s an illusion, and it will eventually steal the very thing you need most.

Want to know more about living with enough? Click Here.

Oz

When I think of the impact of having more than enough on the lives of men and women who are sincerely trying to follow God, I often think of Dorothy and her friends in the poppy fields outside of the Emerald City. While they desperately needed to get to the safety of the city gates, something in the fields was lulling them to sleep. They were overwhelmed by the fragrant aroma of the poppies that surrounded them and they drifted off to sleep, well short of their goal and the safe confines of the city. They did so at their own peril.

Many of us are being lulled to sleep by the false comfort and security of having more than enough. Without even knowing it, we’re falling well short of the goal of trusting God instead of ourselves and our stuff. And like Dorothy and her friends outside of Oz, we’re in more danger than we could ever realize.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE

Are You Choking in the Smog?

Oscar’s church is located in a rough-and-tumble section of Managua. Nicaragua is a country known around the world for the terrible earthquake that rocked Managua in 1972, for the Sandinistas’ subsequent rise to power, and for the scandalous Iran-Contra affair that marked the Reagan administration in the mid-1980s. What is often overlooked about Nicaragua is its terrible poverty. Oscar’s church is located in one of the most desperate and impoverished sections of Managua. Oscar felt led to serve the people in that difficult part of town, and so he planted a church right in the middle of it.

Trash and filth line the streets. Groups of men—young and old—loiter on corners and pass the time by drinking and harassing the young girls and women who live nearby. It’s not uncommon to find 8-12 people—usually women and children—living in makeshift shelters no larger than the average American kitchen. They make easy prey for the men hanging around just outside. It’s a terrible area.

And there in the middle of all the despair is Oscar’s church—Rey Solomon (King Solomon). Actually, Oscar’s church also houses a Christian school and center for special needs education. Oscar, his family and staff all live among the people they serve. They share their poverty. But for nearly twenty years Oscar’s ministry has brought hope to countless souls in their area.

A few years ago, I had the privilege of worshipping in Oscar’s church. It was a Tuesday night and the little room was packed with well over a hundred eager worshippers. You need to see this in your mind to appreciate it—a one-room church building with a small, raised wood platform in front. There was an ancient sound system that didn’t work very well, but did work best when cranked up to full volume. A battered wood floor was covered with cheap plastic chairs. The room had no air conditioning and poor lighting.

But the church that met there was very much alive. For the better part of three hours we sang, danced, chanted, jumped, cheered, clapped, celebrated and screamed at the top of our voices to the God who was the hope of those desperate people. Rarely have I been in such a joy-filled worship setting.

Please keep in mind that this little church was something most of us would be ashamed to enter if it was in our town. It wouldn’t meet our comfort standards. We certainly wouldn’t leave our kids there. And we’d never invite our friends. We demolish church buildings like Oscar’s. But the people of Rey Solomon will not let themselves be defined by their material standing. Their suffering and desperation were expressed in their passionate and heartfelt encounter with the living God. It was the kind of worship encounter, I should add, that I have rarely experienced in my cozy church confines back home.

During the three-hour worship and preaching event, I had a vision. That I had any type of spiritual encounter at all is nothing less than a miracle. The church service was held entirely in Spanish, which means that I was able to pick up about every 10,000th word. Beyond that, there was some serious speaking in tongues going on around me. I’m not one who has any specific type of tongue-speaking or interpreting ability, but I recognize that many of my Christian brothers and sisters do. I’ve prayed in enough denominationally-mixed Christian settings to feel very comfortable when those around me are praying in tongues. Actually, I think it’s kind of cool. My point is that between the Spanish and tongue-speaking, I wasn’t really set up to have a profound spiritual experience. But I had one, nonetheless. During the worship, I saw a vision, a picture, in my mind. I’ll never get over it.

I saw my homeland from a great distance, as if I was actually looking at it from Nicaragua. I saw our cities, our beautiful landscapes, our homes, and I saw our churches. Covering the whole scene, shrouding everything in our great nation, was a thick blanket of smog. It clung to our cities, our families and our churches like the death angel in Exodus. There was no place that wasn’t being poisoned by it. It was a very distressing sight. It was as if this dense cloud of smog was choking the very life out of my country.

What was this smog? What did I see that was choking the life out of our great land? Materialism. The shroud that I saw that was killing the life in our families, cities and churches was in fact the financial and material prosperity that so many of us enjoy. We’re dying from it, drowning in it, and we don’t even see it.

Want to read more? CLICK HERE