PREPARING FOR THE HARVEST

David Wilkerson wrote about the coming harvest in his newsletter this week. Here is some of what he said: He says the 1980s were called the Decade of Harvest as culturally-relevant churches repackaged the Gospel and grew to become megachurches numbering thousands in attendance. It looked as if the great harvest was underway, but it proved to be building on the wrong foundation.

When the decade was over, there was no overall growth among evangelical churches; instead, the net result was that megachurches had catered to Baby Boomers, who had left their traditional churches and gone to join the big ones. In fact, fewer among the boomer age group attend church than before the decade of harvest began. Apparently, it was not a harvest time of biblical proportions.

Then Wilkerson writes, "There is one statistic that startles me more than any other. That is, only a minute number of Christians has ever won a soul to Christ. . . . Pastors ask me how to build a strong, growing church. As I look around their city, I see poor neighborhoods, teeming with downtrodden people bound by sin. . . . You can build a great church with those poor and weak who are being set free from Satan's bondage."

"As laborers, we are the harvest instruments in the Lord's hand. . . . God is forging laborers. He isn't just pounding away at sin. And this forging process explains why the laborers are few. The majority of churchgoers are like the thousands who volunteereed to go with Gideon in the Old Testament. God saw fear in many of them, knowing they wouldn't endure the fire, the pounding, the hard times. And out of the thousands who followed Gideon, only three hundred were chosen."

"Where did the disciples start their ministry? . . . Jesus sent them to the distressed, the poor, those who were bowed down with sin, bondages and life-controlling habits." Sound like our neighbors in Price Hill?

"Dear saint, Jesus knew what we were going to face in these last days: a generation steeped in sin far more than any other . . . stress and loneliness such as has never been experienced by man . . . financial disasters, rampant divorce, militant homosexuality, immorality that would bring a blush to even the worst sinners just thirty years ago. This is why Christ seeks laborers who have submitted to the fires and forgings. He wants a people who'll stand before the world and proclaim: 'God is with me! Satan can't stop me. Just look at my life. I've been through fire after fire, pounded agin and again. But I've come through it all more than a conqueror through Christ, who lives in me. What I have preached has worked for me. I am living proof Jesus is all-sufficient!'"

Amen.

THE SABBATICAL "CRISIS"

I am on sabbatical until the first of January! On one level, I am very excited to have the time to do those projects that I have been putting off for a decade of life. But on another level, this sabbatical is raising surprising questions to me about how I am spending my earthly days. And so I have found myself intrigued that a certain depression has crept over me as my official sabbatical date of June 1 arrives.

The big questions of how to spend my temporal moments can be put off indefinitely by the immediate demands of a job and the endless string of chores in a family. Yes, before I die I want to get around to this or that, but not today; my to-do list today is already dictated to me.

So almost a panic arises from seemingly nowhere. I'm like a kid in a candy shop; I want me one of them, and a bunch of that, and gimme some of everything. And if I'm going to get to it all, then I have to offload those responsibilities that are still around my neck. I still have administrative things to take care of at the school, still have relationships with alumni, still have concerts and programs to organize, still have course plans to write and teaching staff to hire and invitations to teach courses and lead retreats, and suddenly I realize that I could be busy for these seven months and still never get around to what I want to do.

Which leads me to a deeper crisis. I know what I want to do, what I long to do, what God has even called me to do, but I have a hard time finding balance in life. I question, deep down, whether I am worthy of being able to pursue my little quests. Do I somehow "owe" everyone something, such that I cannot have a day each week, or seven months twice in a lifetime, to do my "own" projects? I work from a very deeply-seated shame base, and it seems to shape my self-image and my priorities.

On one level, my shame base keeps me in line. It keeps me from running after selfish ambition and wordly pursuits. But on another level, it cripples me from discerning God's call from the "oughts" and "shoulds" of my life, and leaves me wound so tight that eventually my main spring breaks.

"LORD, deliver me from selfishness, from false guilt, and from shame. Let me walk in the freedom of Your Spirit, hearing Your voice, discerning between the good and the best, and learning the art of living with myself in Your world. Let me count my days, so that I can please You, one God without beginning or end. Amen."
-ker

WHO CAN STAND BEFORE JEALOUSY?

Anger is cruel, and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy? Prov. 27:4

And I saw that all labor and all achievement spring from man's envy of his neighbor. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind. Eccl. 4:4

It is at least a little astonishing that the same man wrote both of these truisms.

The least-confessed sin is to break the tenth commandment: you shall not covet. But it may be the most-often broken and unrecognized sin of all.

Add the comments of James to the mix, and we have a further insight into the destructive nature of jealousy:

"What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? 2You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. 3When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
"You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. 5Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?"

Since reflecting on enemies, I have come to realize that jealousy is a major cause of broken fellowship between Christians. Once I feel that someone has been unfairly blessed by God, I make the same mistake that the wicked, lazy servant made who was given "only" one talent (about 75 pounds!) of silver. He saw his master as unfair, for he took what wasn't his and gave to those who had not worked hard. How many times I have secretly thought the same thing about a good friend.

And then when I have let my thoughts come out of my mouth, I doubly curse myself. What dainty morsels gossip can be! It feels so good to dishonor my friend (and therefore my God) behind his back. I bring him down just a notch or two by saying, "You know, he's not really all that worthy of respect. I know this about him. Let's pray for him." And when I bring him down a notch or two, I feel like I have brought myself up a notch or two. Of course, just the opposite happens for me in the spiritual realm.

I admit it: I cannot stand before jealousy. It eats me up. I remember being nine years old and so competitive that I would cheat and lie to win, whatever the competition. My competitive zeal has been somewhat masked as an adult, but it doesn't take much for it to surface again. Maybe competitiveness is healthy in a ballplayer or a soldier, and maybe it is inborn in males, especially. But so is rebellion. And self-will. And sin. So, in my flesh I cannot beat my envious side. But thanks be to God through Christ Jesus our Lord! He has already won the victory over jealousy, envy, covetousness and every other sin in my life! And when I join Him in His death, He provides me with a new heart--free from every sin! Praise the Lord!
-ken

This summer will be quite different than any in the past eight years for my family and myself. Through much LISTENING to the Lord, i have made the decision to stay behind during the annual MP trip to Ukraine. i was supposed to lead a team of 6 people into the area of Belagorsk, our first trip there with a team. Initially, i was excited....new place, new people, new evangelistic opportunities. i was excited about the larger Muslim population there and the opportunity to witness to them. But, as time went on, my excitement waned. i kept 'working it up', but something was wrong. And it was then that the Lord spoke.

By the time He was finished, i had learned a few things. First, that my excitement was not so much for the purpose of the trip as much as it was for the NEW location we would be going to. And evangelism is about Jesus....not placement. Second, that this year was more about TRADITION than the work at hand. It HAS been a tradition for me to go to Ukraine every summer with the team. And it has been a good tradition, and the work got done. But this year was about my perception. It was more like....well....i go because...well...that's what i DO each summer! i GO to Ukraine. And third, i have not been home for our anniversary since 1996, since i have been on every trip since we started the team trips in 1997. And the dates always included June 25th. Wow...that's one i hadn't even given that much concern to. After all....i was 'working for the Lord'! So, it will be nice to spend time with Pam for a change on the 25th instead of with people she doesn't even know.

Well, that's the long and short of it. I am going to be home and be a pray-er for those who ARE going, and will look forward to hearing the stories about what the Lord has done with the people of Belagorsk, and with the team members. WHEW!!...NOW i'm excited about the trip!!! mark

Is injustice inherent in reinterpreting the constitution?

the last post was strangely well-timed. i just finished writing a paper for old testament prophecy about the issue of social justice in the Bible, and i was shocked at the thousands of references to helping and protecting the widow, orphan, and poor. in fact, the book of amos says that because the poor were being taken advantage of, because the marketplace was corrupt, and because the leadership ignored the cries of the helpless, God told the people, "I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. but let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!" (5:21-24) our 'worship' means nothing if not accompanied with justice.
~brad

WORSHIPING WITH OUR HANDS

Worship has many aspects. Worship is song. Worship is dance. Worship is offering. Worship is obedience. Worship is prayer. Worship is work. Worship is life. Life is worship.

Sometimes I think that we become guilty of singing our worship, thinking that we are done with worship when we finish. We sing about being dancers who dance upon injustice, and then we sit idly by while teens shoot each other just outside our building, or while judges reinterpret the Constitution, or while Christians are persecuted in China and people starve in North Korea. We sing about being one in the Spirit, but we do not, in fact, walk hand in hand or work side by side. We sing about standing and lifting our hands, or about falling down in worship, while we sit and sing, or listen while others sing. I think if I sing it, I have done it.

But singing is not doing. And playing in a worship band is not the same as doing a good deed. And planning or leading a worship set or assembly is not the same as demonstrating my faith by what I do. After all, a worship service isn't really worship until there is service.

Paul said that we put our religion into practice by taking care of our extended family. The word "religion" is usually translated "worship" in other places. James said that looking after widows and orphans in their distress is true faith. He said that even the demons believe in God, and shudder. So to sing about what I believe while doing nothing is, at best, incomplete, and at worst, hypocrisy. Michael Wilson calls picking up trash in the neighborhood "praying with our hands."

I don't want to sing about praying as a substitute for prayer. I don't want to be guilty of using words in my songs to substitute for the real thing. If the real thing is dancing upon injustice, then I want to join in the dance!
-ker

JESUS SAVES. FROM WHAT? TO WHAT?

What does it mean for a person to be saved? Jesus used the expression, but what our Lord meant was probably different than the meaning that I grew up thinking it meant. I saw a one-dimensional salvation when I was growing up: We talked about saving a soul from hell. Salvation was what a follower of Christ received in the afterlife.

When Jesus spoke of being saved, He referred to a kind of holistic kingdom thing. "Your faith has saved you" is equally translated "Your faith has healed you." We can be saved from disease, or from self-centered absorption. We can be saved from temporal mindset, or from sinful addictions. We can be saved into a life of love, or into being a person in covenant with God.

If I speak to my neighbor of release from the flames of hell, but I don't address either his current felt need for purpose in life or a sense of belonging, then I have missed the point. If I tell my neighbor that his doctrine is wrong and he must repent to a new set of beliefs, but I have not shown him unconditional love and demonstrated to him mercy, then I have offered a drowning man a drink of water.

Jesus saves. From hell. From self. From sin. From Satan. From error. To love. To community. To health. To wholeness. To life. I have been saved. I am being saved. I will one day be saved. Praise the Lord for such a great salvation.
-ker

MY DEAR SON, DANIEL

On this occasion of your commencement as you graduate from high school, I want to take a few moments to charge you with some thoughts to take away with you. I just have three things for you, in small enough chunks that you can memorize and keep them for life. Before God and these witnesses, I charge you to pursue three things with all that is in you as you run the course of your life.

Pursue wisdom. Wisdom is supreme; therefore, get wisdom. Though it costs all that you have, get understanding. There is nothing more important than wisdom, though many things will tempt you. You will be tempted to sell out to money, but remember that a good name is far more important than any amount of income. You will be tempted to sell out to fame, but remember that it is better to be wise and be a nobody than to compromise your integrity for a mere reputation. And you will be tempted to sell out to a strange woman, but remember that the flattering words and enticing appearance are nothing compared to a life of wisdom. Remember how to recognize her, and keep your pathway far from her house. As you run your race, never lose sight of the pursuit of wisdom as your highest goal.

Pursue self-control. The greatest hurdle for a young man is self-control. Without self-control, you are like a city without walls. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, and little children are controlled by selfish passions. So learning to say no to yourself is the primary hurdle to move from being a boy to being a young man. May you run with strength this race of life, and may you successfully navigate the hurdle of a young man, self-control.

Pursue love. The mark of maturity is love. When you love, you move from being self-centered to being others-centered. Love is your ultimate goal. Serving others, putting others before yourself, learning the art of listening, giving respect to everyone, sacrificing for others, treating all as your neighbor, this is the secret fruit of love. As you run to win the prize, know what that prize is: it is love. When you have learned how to love, I will know that you are fully a man, and I can retire in peace.

Pursue wisdom. Pursue self-control. Pursue love. Remember to pursue these three things.

But of course, there is really just one thing to pursue, which will yield these three fruits: Pursue God. If you do that with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, then you will achieve the rest. After all, the Bible says that the fear of the Lord is beginning of wisdom. And when I talk about self-control, what I am really describing is letting the Holy Spirit control your inner and outer man. And Jesus embodies love in every way. So when you pursue God with your life, you will find wisdom, self-control and love to be natural outcomes.

I love you so much, and I am so proud of you. And I trust that you are already well down this road of life. I look forward to watching you as you embark on the next leg of your journey, and I will be cheering you on as you run.