Tenacious Prayer

Luke 18:6 says, “And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off?  I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”

In this parable Jesus is teaching us to prayer tenaciously. The definition of tenacious is:

• 1.holding fast; characterized by keeping a firm hold (often fol. by of ): a tenacious grip on my arm; tenacious of old habits.
• 2.highly retentive: a tenacious memory.
• 3.pertinacious, persistent, stubborn, or obstinate.
• 4.adhesive or sticky; viscous or glutinous.
• 5.holding together; cohesive; not easily pulled asunder; tough.

His example is a women who is asking for a judgement and essentially bugs the judge until he is so tired of hearing her complaints he gives her what she is asking for. What is crazy is God is giving us the permission to wear him out in prayer.

What do you do that is tenacious? There are a lot of things that I get fixed on and I become tenacious about it, but prayer is not one. One of the definitions of tenacious is stubborn. I believe the God is saying, “I want you to wear me out on prayer until you get an answer (I’m not saying the answer is yes or no, I’m just saying there is an answer.”

I can’t imagine what could happen if we pray a tenacious prayer. But I think I want to begin today. Who wants to start praying tenaciously today?

Can you be perfect?

1 Peter 1:13 says, “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; ¹⁶ for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”

I remember the first time I read this verse. It was a bit overwhelming, as it should be. Peter is instructing us to be holy? Doesn’t that mean he is essentially telling us to be perfect? uhhh, no.

Holiness is impossible for man. There is only one person who ever lived a holy life…Jesus Christ. So it is important to understand this concept of dying with Christ and being reborn in him and through him. When we die to who we were, that person no longer exists. When we have a new life, our life is now the same as Christ. That’s why the word says, “Christ in you, the hope of Glory.” God no longer sees the old you, he sees his son (and in a weird way, himself) in you. So when peter says be holy, what he is essentially saying is let Christ be in you so God sees you as holy.

If you are a new Christian this should be one of the most liberating passages in the bible. If you read it out of context it would be overwhelming because you would think you can’t sin because you would fail at being holy. What you need to receive from this passage is that you can’t be holy apart from Christ, so let him in. When you realize this what should happen is a genuine thankfulness for what God has done by making you holy and then you actually want to work towards holy living. Remember, we bear fruit as Christians which means as you grow, more of God should show in you than your old self. But, you are made instantly holy at the point you receive Christ…it’s just time to start appropriating this holy living in your daily lifestyle.

Thank you Lord for your forgiveness and love in spite of me.

Living in the Burbs

Hebrews 13:12-1 says, “And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his own blood. Let us, then, go to him outside the camp, bearing the disgrace he bore.”

Paul paints this really cool picture of the fact that when the Law was given, one of the rules was to burn the body of the sacrificed animal outside the city walls because it was unclean and only clean things should be within the walls of the city. He says that Jesus was the final sacrifice and like the unclean animal he too was outside the city walls suffering. But what I really like is when it says, “let us go with him and bear the disgrace he bore.” Essentially what he is saying is that if Jesus was outside the city suffering we too should live a life that is counterculture, requiring us to give up the lavish lifestyle of living within the city walls. (this is not an argument on why you need to sell your positions, I’m talking about figurative concepts).

How does this translate to our personal life? The first thing i think of is how we all want to be in with the “it” crowd. We want to be part of the popular circles, we want to be on the “inside.” I’m not saying that this is a bad thing, but saying that when we associate with Jesus there will be times when we will be left outside to suffer and this is NOT a bad thing. To suffer in any way for the sake of Christ is an honor. We live in a country and a time when we are not suffering much for the sake of the gospel, which is a blessing in it self. But what i know is when those days come be prepared. Maybe you have to stand up for what is right at work you don’t get the promotion or raise. Maybe you loose a friend because you are not willing to compromise your convictions. There are so many modern-day forms of suffering and identifying with Christ. They don’t look like the days of Peter, James and John. These are new days that bring their own new sufferings.

I pray I never become ashamed to live outside the city gates with Jesus.

 

I am the worst

1 Timothy 1:15-17 says, “Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶ But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life. ¹⁷ Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

This passage does not require much explanation. I think what I love most about this short passage is how Paul ends it. First, he realizes his position in the Lord…he is a sinner saved by grace. Then he is overwhelmed and praises God by saying “Now to the King…”

How easy to I forget what God has done for me? Do I praise God daily for being set free from slavery to sin? Forgive me Lord! You are good, you are holy, you are worthy, you are kind, you are generous, you are compassionate, you are a friend to sinners, you are perfect, you are my provider, you are enough, you are more than enough, you have beaten death, you have bought me, you have saved me, you have forgiven me, you love me, you care for me, you are…

 

The Social Network

2 Corinthians 14 says, “¹⁴ Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God.”

Paul is speaking to the church at Corinth. By reading the first letter with the second letter we begin to see that he was having to give much instruction about righteous living. It seems that they were doing just about everything possible to abuse grace and freedom, and were mixing their old ways of sin with their new lives in christ (which by the way is not new to us today). In this passage he was explaining what we might call the social network. People who were claiming to call themselves Christians were being pulled away by social relationships from their walk with Christ.

In this passage the first important concept is when he says “do not be yoked together with unbelievers.” It’s very important to understand this concept. A yoke was used to connect to ox or cattle together to become one in their work. When two beasts of burden were equally yoked it was like a finely tuned mustang. It was powerful and effective. But when the two animals were unequally yoked, the weaker animal would pull down the stronger animal and both would become less effective.

The yoke concept was also used in the old testament to describe the law passed down from Moses, like a burden that was difficult to keep. But in the context of 1 Corinthians I believe that the exact usage of this word is only used once in this context (Stong’s number 2086).

The first thought that comes to mind is that we are not to be friends with non-christians…does this make sense? Not at all! Of course we are to love everyone and encourage those around us with love and the word. We are to minister to others. Paul himself says earlier in the letter: ⁹ I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— ¹⁰ not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters. In that case you would have to leave this world.”

The concept of the yoke is what puts us in context. It is telling us that when the time comes to do the good work, we can’t be socially networked with the world that it would pull us away from Christ. Facebook seems to be the ultimate network, however, I think it times it is the perfect example of being yoked with the wrong people. We can become consumed with looking into other people’s lives that it is a bit voyeuristic. But that is another conversation.

I pray God bring me into the right relationships at the right time with the right people!

Stumbling over meat

1 Corinthians 8: ¹³Therefore, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause my brother to stumble.

This is one of those passages which is easy to take out of context. Here we read Paul instructing the church at Corinth to not abuse their new-found liberty in the new covenant with God. The old covenant was black and white, not much gray area when it came to what was lawful and unlawful. However, the old covenant made it easy to have a bad heart but with your actions and keeping the law, seemingly being a righteous person. The new covenant was more about the heart and less about the “rules.” Paul is explaining to his people who while they have grace and liberty to eat meat that may be “unholy” according to the jewish traditions, that if they do so, do it in a manner that would not offend or cause one to sin.

So how is this passage taken out of context today? Here’s my example: alcohol is not a sin to drink. But if I am with a friend who struggles with alcoholism (the abuse of alcohol) and I offer him a drink, he partakes, gets drunk, beats his wife…what have I done? I have caused him to stumble.

Now the flip side: People can abuse this passage by dictating to others what they think is sinful and not sinful. I could see a friend from church at a bar drinking, and me not being an alcoholic, says to myself, “Self, if they can drink I guess so can I.” So I get drunk, get in a wreck and kill someone. I go to church and say, “It’s not my fault, I saw a deacon at a bar drinking so I figured I could also, but it was their fault because they should have never been drinking.” So what I’ve done is placed blame on someone else when it was my responsibility.

But here is the ultimate point: It’s all about the heart. If I have liberty but there is even a small chance of hurting someone else from it, I should want to NOT use my liberty because I love God and love others as my self.

Funny how it always comes down to the heart.

 

What do people call you? What do you call yourself?

Do you ever have one of those hot summer Florida days where you just feel sticky and dirty? Maybe you were outside working in the lawn and you feel like you just rolled in mud?!

Do you ever have one of those spiritually hot summer Florida days where you just feel sticky and dirty? Maybe you got into a big fight with your spouse or you fell back into some addictions?

Listen to the Word of the Lord: “What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.” (Acts 10:15b)

The context of this passage was for Peter to realize that ALL of God’s people have access to the Kingdom of God. Jew or Greek, black and white, male or female, tall or short, fat or skinny. Everyone is given access, and better yet when you have asked God to make you clean through Jesus Christ, you are forever clean!

So how does this change our day? How does this apply? When you have one of those days where you feel like you are going backwards instead of forward don’t just give into who the world says you are. The world may say your are a good for nothing sinner, but God says you are my child, you are clean and good and holy because I am clean and good and holy. And it’s my son who is in there, no longer you and the person you use to be. So now start walking in your new life!!

God, I pray that there is not another day that I give into what others may say about me, but that I remember what you say about me!

Pink Floyd and The Bible

Today after today’s reading I thought of a Pink Floyd song called “Money.” It says this:

Money, get away
Get a good job with more pay
And your O.K.

Money, it’s a gas
Grab that cash with both hands
And make a stash

New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I’ll buy me a football team

Money get back
I’m all right Jack
Keep your hands off my stack

Malachi 3 says ¹⁰“^(V)Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not ^(W)open for you the windows of heaven and ^(X)pour out for you a blessing until ^[c](Y)it overflows.

We also read from Acts 5

³But Peter said, “Ananias, why has ^(C)Satan filled your heart to lie ^(D)to the Holy Spirit and to ^(E)keep back some of the price of the land?

⁴“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but ^(F)to God.”

⁵And as he heard these words, Ananias ^(G)fell down and breathed his last; and ^(H)great fear came over all who heard of it.

Money is a funny thing. We give it more credit that is due. I honestly think God never cared about money, but our heart and what money can do to our heart. Pink Floyd sings the song of this world. Malachi and Peter show us the purpose and consequence of the heart. I pray money never takes my life, but I give my life, and money, as God sees fit!

 

What do you do with what you hear?

Acts 2 ³⁷Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, ^(AX)what shall we do?”

Peter is delivering a message of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. As he was preaching those who heard this message essentially had two choices in how they would react to what they heard that day: 1. Hear it and forget it; 2. Hear it and do something with it. It says in vs 37 that those who heard it were pierced to the heart, meaning it had an effect on them, and asked how to change their ways.

If you ever attend church you may hear a preacher get up every week and explain to you many of the same concepts that Peter was explaining on that amazing day. When you hear the words what do you do with it? Does it get down to the heart, or does it stay on the surface and wash away by the time you get home or to The Cracker Barrel? When we hear and do nothing, we become calloused to what we hear. The more this happens its like scar tissue begins to build up on the heart and becomes increasingly difficult to let it get down in there. But when you hear and do something with it, the heart softens. The more this happens the more and more soft it gets.

I pray for a soft heart to hear and do.

Opportunities to lead comes from your character

Nehemiah 7 says, “I put in charge of Jerusalem my brother Hanani, along with ^[a] Hananiah the commander of the citadel, because he was a man of integrity and feared God more than most men do. ³ I said to them, “The gates of Jerusalem are not to be opened until the sun is hot. While the gatekeepers are still on duty, have them shut the doors and bar them. Also appoint residents of Jerusalem as guards, some at their posts and some near their own houses.”

I have always had a deep desire to lead. I think that God plants those desires in us. Nehemiah is probably one of the perfect Old Testament examples of effective leadership on the part of Nehemiah. He is tasked to rebuild the wall. Once this is completed he picks additional men to assist him in preparations for the celebration. Hananiah is chosen because of his godly character. His integrity and the fact that he feared God more than most mend do!

Many of us want to lead, myself included. But here we see a man who was willing to serve and because of something important he was chosen: He put God first and the rest was added to him.

Pastor Greg just spoke on humility and I see that this man was humble. How? Because it says he had integrity and feared God. Humility is based upon these principles. Once again I am reminded that fear of God is the beginning of wisdom and that integrity brings about opportunity. When we lack integrity the opportunities are taken away. Pastor Greg said ”

“Your giftedness will make a way for you. But your heart will make or break you.”

God, make in me greater integrity and let people say that I was a man who feared you more than most!