Glossa Water: January 2015

Friday, January 30, 2015

Back To The "Draw"-ing Board.

“So seek the face of God, despite what may be happening around us; and engage Him in prayer, because that is what brings breakthrough.” –Rev. Martha Fajardo

Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call on me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me. (Psalm 50:14-15)

On Sunday, Pastor Martha noted two aspects of the process of prayer:

Seek the face of God. When we seek the face of God, we are acting in obedience to the word of God. It is God who has placed within us the desire to seek Him out. Psalm 27:8 says, “My heart says of you, ‘Seek his face!’ Your face, LORD, I will seek.”

Engage Him in prayer. When we pray, our prayers move beyond supplying God with a list of the things we think we need. Our prayers are not monologues, but dialogues. The God we seek is the God who speaks. We have to privilege to petition Him, and we have the privilege of waiting patiently for His response. “I will listen to what God the LORD says.” (Psalm 85:8a)

In the midst of crisis, people are often tempted to withdraw from God and from the community of faith. However, those crisis moments are when we need to draw even nearer to our Lord. Let’s make our relationship with Him our utmost priority.

Have you sought after Him today?

Have you talked with Him today?

Have you listened to Him today?

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Right... From The Start.

In this past Sunday's sermon, Pastor Martha shared in her introduction something we can reflect on today:

2015 is a year in which:

~ we will see God return everything to its rightful place;
~ we will experience the harvest of what we have faithfully sown in years past;
~ we will receive back all that the devil had stolen from us.

If we were to discuss our current challenges, there would be several areas where we would hear of longings for God's intervention: health concerns, family dynamics, employment needs, housing challenges, and the list goes on. For some, the challenges are not external but internal, like having the simple faith to follow God regardless of how we feel or what we see. For all of us, our pastor's word stands as a prophetic encouragement: 2015 is a new season. We have moved from the season of waiting to the season of receiving.

Are we ready to receive?

I have a colleague who carries a negative narrative of God. This person once said the following to me: "God doesn't know what I'm going through. He's forgotten about me." It broke my heart, because this individual is doing well enough financially to even assist another family; has excellent health and the freedom to travel; and is well-respected in the community. This individual believes that God has "forgotten" one prayer that remains unanswered to date, and that one thing has been the focus rather than the many blessings.

Maybe you have one prayer that God hasn't yet answered, and maybe that's keeping you from seeing His incredible love and provision. Today, know that He loves you, and know that He's aware of the years you've been waiting. Trust Him. As our pastor shared on Sunday, we can praise Him now, because we know that He has already heard and responded to the prayers we've prayed. My prayer is that we will move through 2015 positioned to receive. How do we receive? Not by complaining about what we haven't seen God do, but by rejoicing in all that He is.

We love You, Lord God.
You are perfect in all Your ways.
We walk through 2015 praising You for all that You are.
We thank You again for all that You have done.
We are fully assured that You have heard our prayers.
We believe You will allow us to see and know Your response to our requests.
We expect to experience recompense and restitution and return.
We walk through 2015 in light of that expectation.
Yes, Lord, may it be on earth as You have already decreed in heaven.
We ask this in the name of Jesus.
Amen.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Anxiety Has No Place In Me.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)

In this past Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam shared a comment that I’d like us to reflect on today. He noted that in looking back at his own life experiences, and recalling the many ways in which God has helped him, it would be a shame if he were to approach any future life situations in a spirit of anxiety.

During Sunday’s sermon we were reminded of Daniel chapter 3, in which we have the testimony of three young men. Exiled from their homeland along with other Jews, they had lost all that was familiar to them—that is, everything except their faith. Though their circumstances had a high potential for producing anxiety, these three remained calm. Here is their response to the threat of being burned alive, a situation the world would perceive as one that would produce extreme anxiety:

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)

I wonder if any of us today are being threatened with a modern-day “furnace” situation. In the face of losing our jobs, our homes, or our lives because of our faith in God, what will we do? My prayer is that we will trust in God, and that we will be sustained by His presence, His power, and His peace. My prayer is that anxiety will never find a resting place in me, nor in you.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3)

Monday, January 19, 2015

Forecast: Peace.

Yesterday was an unusually difficult weather day; streets and sidewalks became skating rinks. Here in New York City we had hundreds of car and pedestrian accidents, and at least five confirmed deaths directly related to the rain that froze on contact with the ground.

The Chorale, too, was having a rough day. Our choir arrived at church well before the rain began to fall, but within its ranks were individuals and families struggling with storms of illness and hospitalizations.

But through the challenges, God spoke to our congregation. One choir member shared a testimony on God's faithfulness in the face of trials, and another shared a prophetic word on the importance of praising God even while in the midst of physical pain. Though we did not realize it at the time, God used these words as a "preview" of the word that was to come.

God graciously allowed Pastor Sam to arrive at church safely, and his message was from Philippians 4:4-7-- a reminder for some, a new word for others-- and we were encouraged to appropriate the grace of God that brings us the peace of God.

Before we begin our reflections this week, let's spend today reading the Scripture passage. [Pastor Sam has encouraged us to memorize these verses, as they are useful for us to have planted in us for those moments when we are in the midst of trials.]

Lord God, thank You for Your gift of peace in the midst of storms!

Philippians 4:4-7

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Thursday, January 15, 2015

New Narrative. New Name.

Abram fell facedown, and God said to him, “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.” (Genesis 17:3-5)

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Richard made a point that I’d like us to reflect on today. He noted that, in changing the name Abram to Abraham, God indicated that this man of faith was to be a father of many nations. However, the name change occurred before Sarah bore a child.

Our pastor shared with us that this name change was an expression of God’s view, God’s reality, concerning who Abraham was. In the eyes of the world, Abraham and Sarah remained a childless couple struggling with the dynamic of Hagar and Ishmael in their household. But in the eyes of God, Abraham was a man who had a legacy of generations numbered through his yet-unborn son and grandson, Isaac and Jacob.

What is God’s reality concerning us today?

What is His name for us?

What do we say about ourselves in light of what God has said about us?

People, even Christian people, will have plenty to say concerning what is seen. They can see whether a person is young or old. They can sometimes perceive whether a person has had basic education or advanced studies. They can perhaps notice a particular family dynamic or personal crisis that an individual is dealing with. And they can speak based on what they’ve perceived.

But is our perception a reflection of heaven's perspective? Sometimes we fall into the trap of speaking based on what we’ve seen instead of speaking in line with what God has declared. It’s a dangerous trap, because our desire as Christians is to live as authentic representatives of God’s kingdom, declaring God’s agenda.

So let’s endeavor, today and every day, to wait on God’s declaration concerning ourselves, our households, and the legacy we will leave. It’s not about what we see; it’s about what He says.

Lord God, we want to walk through each day with an awareness of Your agenda. Help us to seek Your face and to wait for Your voice, so that we might know Your desire for our lives. Help us to block out the other voices that can only speak from a worldly perspective. Help us to overcome the Hagars and Ishmaels who stand ready to remind us of our past errors. Please help us to hear the name You have given to us: the authentic expression of who You have called us to be, even as we go through the process of becoming who You say we are. Thank You for speaking to our hearts today.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Walking And Waiting

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers.” (Genesis 17:1-2)

So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. (Galatians 3:9)

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Richard pointed out that in Genesis 17, God instructed Abraham in how to live before informing Abraham of the covenant God would establish. We, though, live in a time where it is normal to hear people, even people of God, bargaining for covenant: God, if you do such-and-such for me, then I will love you more/serve you more/give to your kingdom more. But that isn’t God’s way. The agenda of God is launched with a mandate: God wants us to believe His word, and God wants us to walk in His truth. The mandate is a call to faithfulness long before we receive the specifics concerning God’s covenant with us.

This is what we see in Abraham. Years passed between the moment of God’s initial revelation to Abraham and the moment of Abraham seeing his son Isaac, and through those years Abraham believed while waiting to see. Abraham was not a perfect man, but he nonetheless held a particular commendation that has remained unblemished through the ages: Abraham believed God.

We are not perfect. For some of us, many years have passed and we still await some tangible evidence of what God has promised. We've made some mistakes while in this waiting phase. But as we wait, we live as Abraham did: faithful to our Lord. It is this faithfulness to God that opens the door to knowing and living God’s agenda. My prayer for us today is that we, like Abraham, will believe and do what God has said.

Lord God, thank You for speaking to us! We believe Your word. We are grateful to embark, every morning, with Your agenda ruling our lives. We have faith. We speak in faith. We live by faith. Give us the grace to always walk faithfully before You.

Monday, January 12, 2015

I "Kid" You Not.

I recall that when I was in my early twenties, one of my neighbors (who was in her late nineties) would never refer to me by my name. She would always say, "Little girl...", which I found interesting. Of course, with an age gap of seventy-plus years, she was free to call me whatever she liked. But as quaint as the moniker was, it wasn't true. I was dealing with bills and illness and the harsh consequences of poor decisions. The stereotypical "little girl" concerns of toys and games and dolls and dreams had long left my personal narrative.

On Sunday Pastor Richard Griffiths preached. It's not the first time he's preached. And, it's not the first time God has had him to depart from convention and follow the Holy Spirit's lead. But our expressions of surprise and astonishment at what God did through him seem to betray what's in the depth of our corporate heart: we are still expecting to see the Richie of twenty years ago, or even of ten years ago.

One of the drawbacks of serving in the same church one attended in youth is that others often retain the "old" narrative of who a person used to be, and they fail to notice when a shift in narrative has occurred... that is, they fail to perceive who the person has become. And the funny thing is that we know narratives shift, because our own narratives have shifted as well, but we're still blown away when we see what God has done in our pastor.

I'm not in a position to proclaim a corporate apology, and even if I were, that's not really what this blog is for. But I do think it makes sense to start this week's posts with a personal apology before I begin any discussion of Sunday's sermon. So, Pastor Richard, and I am feeling like I ought call you Richard and not Richie, I apologize for every time I've been surprised at how God uses you. I apologize for every time I've forgotten that you're an ordained Elder in the Church of the Nazarene. I apologize for ignoring that your ordination activated a particular impartation that is no longer unusual, but is now the norm-- a thing I've known in my head for some time, but until yesterday failed to embrace with my heart. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me for hanging on to a Richie that no longer exists.

To the rest of my readers, particularly those who are connected to Bronx Bethany, let's remember that God's been doing a "new thing" for the past few years, and we need to get on board. As we go through this week we'll reflect on a few of the things Pastor Richard shared concerning God's Agenda. My prayer is that all of us will release ourselves from all of our old narratives, so that we can clearly hear and know what God is saying in this new season.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Are You Trapped In The Gap?

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. (Romans 2:7-8)

These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. (Second Peter 2:17-21)

“The observation of convention is not necessarily an indicator of depth of relationship, nor of understanding.” –Dr. Genise Aria Reid

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam noted an extremely important aspect of grace as a process. I’ll call this aspect the convention-commitment gap. Below is our list from earlier this week, with the gap added:

Ø Sensitizing Grace

Ø Saving Grace

~The convention-commitment gap~

Ø Sanctifying Grace

Ø Serving Grace

Ø “Setting-Free” Grace

As our pastor shared, this gap occurs when a person has responded to the grace of God for the experience of salvation, but then rejects the grace of God that moves one along the path of spiritual growth and development. These are they who regularly attend church for years, or even decades, but show zero evidence of spiritual growth. Their words, and their lives, reveal nothing of the Spirit of God who desires to work in them (see Galatians 5:13-26)-- though they are in church, and though they are reconciled to Christ through salvation, they are not demonstrating Christ-likeness. And as we see in the Second Peter passage above, persons who fall into this gap are a serious danger to themselves, as well as a serious detriment to the body of Christ.

How is it that Christian ministries can endorse all sorts of wickedness, without remorse? They’re trapped in the gap. How is it that Christian individuals can share worship experiences with a fellow believer, then pay a practitioner of dark arts to attempt to curse him? They’re trapped in the gap. And we dare not gloat at those who have stopped (or stunted, or reversed) their Christian growth by remaining in this gap; rather, we grieve.

Those of us who have bridged the gap between saving grace and sanctifying grace must show love and compassionate care to these, our siblings in the faith, who have set themselves up for a most severe judgement from God by rejecting the call to bridge the gap. Our Lord Jesus declared the consequences of a life lived in the gap:

“The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” (Luke 12:47-48)

We have been given much. We are recipients of the grace of God. We know the Master's will! He has caused us to recognize our need for Him, and He has empowered us to find our way to Him. Our great God always has our best interests at heart, because He loves us. Out of love, He calls us to draw ever nearer to Him, growing in our relationship with Him, so that we can become more like Him. If you, dear reader, have been resisting the call to sanctification, I pray you will cease resisting.

The LORD of all glory, the Lord who loves us, has made provision for us to grow in our relationship with Him. Thank You, Lord, for Your grace.

Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Return Ticket.

“Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence. Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” (Hosea 6:1-3)

For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. (Romans 1:21)

In Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam shared with us about sensitizing grace (prevenient grace). He reminded us that God created man to be in fellowship with Him as Creator: instead, man chose to be selfish, placing his own desires above the relationship with God. Our pastor noted (paraphrased here) that as a result, the world we live in suffers the agony of being ‘out of sync’ with the God who made it.

God, though, remains gracious. Though we do not have the capacity to recognize our need for Him, we nonetheless have the benefit of His prevenient grace. God has stepped in to do what we cannot do for ourselves. Pastor Sam gave a succinct explanation that waxes creedal, that we can perhaps even memorize: God gives us the realization that what we are doing is not what we should be doing. That is the essence of sensitizing grace: it is a kick-starter, a first pass at rescue, for persons who have no idea that they are in danger.

As with most creedal thought, though, there is an undercurrent of warning in this ocean of love from God. If we continue to ignore God after having been made aware of our need for God’s love and God’s leading and God’s law, then His grace will be withdrawn. I would encourage us to take time today to re-read Romans chapter 1, which we reflected on during the sermon. As we read, let us pray that those who have been made aware of God’s sensitizing grace will not resist it, but will respond in obedience to His word.

The LORD of all glory, the Lord who loves us even though we wandered far from Him, has made provision for us to return to Him. Thank You, Lord, for Your sensitizing grace.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

The Process Of Grace

At Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene, we ended the last Sunday of 2014 with a sermon on giant-killing grace... and we began the first Sunday of 2015 with a sermon on four other aspects of grace:

Ø Sensitizing grace (prevenient grace);

Ø Saving grace;

Ø Sanctifying grace;

Ø Serving grace.

Though we spent last week reflecting on the way in which God empowers us to bring deliverance to our homes and communities, this past Sunday's sermon made clear that we cannot operate in giant-killing grace (which, for the purpose of maintaining alliteration with Sunday’s message, I’ll temporarily re-name “setting-free” grace) until we have experienced the other aspects of grace.

Later in the week I'll try to share in more detail, if I can—I’m still thinking about the things that Pastor Sam said-- but here is a draft overview of what I’m still trying to comprehend. Our first step in the process is to experience God as the One who makes us aware of our need for Him; the second step is to experience salvation through God in Christ Jesus; the third step is to grow in Christ-likeness as the Holy Spirit works on us and in us; the fourth step is to lovingly serve others with the desire to see them come into a knowledge of Christ as their Lord and Savior; and the fifth is to minister deliverance so that those we serve will grow in faith, being transformed from clients of the faith to colleagues in the faith.

For today, let's pray for ourselves, our loved ones, and even those who do not love us: Where are we in the process? How can we pray effectively so that we, and others, progress from spiritual infancy in God to spiritual maturity in God?

Friday, January 2, 2015

The Little One Is The Strong One.

The LORD is my light and my salvation-- whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life-- of whom shall I be afraid? When the wicked advance against me to devour me, it is my enemies and my foes who will stumble and fall. (Psalm 27:1-2)

During the New Year's Eve sermon at Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene, Pastor Sam quoted from Psalm 27. It is a powerful psalm. Many of us have memorized portions of it, and some of us have memorized all of it. But, as Pastor Sam noted on New Year's Eve, we may be challenged with a disconnect between our knowledge of what is true and our complete devotion to the Word of truth, who is Jesus our Lord.

If we serve the One who is our light and our salvation, then we need not fear.

David had no disconnect. He knew what God could do for him personally. As we reflect on the narrative from last Sunday, First Samuel chapter 17, we recognize that the David who wrote Psalm 27 is the same David who lived Psalm 27. David went into battle fearlessly, fully expecting that the Lord was with him.

The Israelite army endured forty days of talk from Goliath, but then a boy named David showed up and did some talking of his own. What a contrast it must have been to see David, a young man who didn't even own proper fighting attire, running to fight Goliath-- while the army of Israel, in full battle array, stood back in fear.

I think this post today is directed towards those of us who know about Psalm 27 and First Samuel 17, and who have tons of head knowledge about the presence and power of God, but who find ourselves in 2015 scared. We're decked out in full battle array, and yet we're afraid to take on the Goliaths in our lives. I would like to encourage us today with the conversation between David and Goliath (printed below). If we know who our God is and what He can do, then we have no need to fear.

Don't run away scared. Run to the frontlines... and fight.

First Samuel 17:41-51

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword. When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran.