Make Space. Embrace.

Today, let’s consider another thought Pastor Richard shared in this past Sunday’s sermon (paraphrased here): We are called to keep our focus not on the principles, but on the Paraclete. Our Christian journey is not about us doing our best, but rather about our making space for God to manifest His perfect work in and through us.

As I’ve reflected on this, I’ve been asking myself: “Who, or what, am I focused on?” And I’ve been thinking of Simon Peter, who once asked Jesus to command him to walk on the water. I’ve contemplated the water-walking miracle before, but today I’d like us to contemplate Simon Peter’s moment of amazing insight before he got out of the boat.

Peter said to him, “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28, New English Translation)

“Lord...” – Peter made his address not to Jesus’s position as his Teacher, but to Jesus’s authority as Lord.

“…order me to come to you on the water.” – Peter understood that he had an opportunity to engage an act of obedience that would produce something miraculous.

Now, we might not need to walk on water in a literal sense, but Pastor Richard noted that there are other things we might need today (that are equally miraculous). We might need God’s help to reject old habits and deep-seated character traits that run counter to the will of God. We might need to courageously step into the purpose for which God created us.

Here’s my own take-away: I need to take the leap of faith necessary to move from the “default setting” of knowing Jesus as my teacher, and instead learn to see Him first and foremost as my Lord. If my focus is there, then I will not have a problem when He commands me to do things that are seemingly impossible. I know that if the Lord is present, then He will make sure I don’t “drown” in my attempts to obey His commands.

Some years ago there was a song I learned. It began with the line, “The Spirit of the Lord is great and mighty.”** Yes. Jesus has made His Spirit available to us, and has given us the promise that we too can engage greater works (see John14:12). How I pray that we in the church, who embrace the work of His Spirit, will go the next step and embrace the work of His Spirit in and through us. It’s not just a call for the pastors and leaders: it’s for everyone who has chosen to walk this Christian journey.

A quotation and a question for today:

“Many people have not even stepped into their purpose yet, and they are on the way out.” (Rev. Richard Griffiths)

In considering this quote from our pastor, can you say with confidence that you are exactly where the Lord wants you to be, and that you are doing exactly what His Spirit has commanded you to do?

**From "The Spirit of the Lord" by Billy Funk. Copyright (c) 1992, Integrity's Hosanna! Music.

Copy That.

Let’s reflect on this thought paraphrased from Sunday’s sermon: Some look at Scripture and try to imitate what they have seen. Over time, though, people find that it is difficult (and even impossible) to do what Jesus has done. We can only do His works by the help of His Spirit.

Pastor Richard noted that we sometimes make the mistake of “benchmarking” ourselves against the people we see around us, instead of looking to Jesus as the example and model for Spirit-filled living. But the Bible gives us a benchmark for living a godly life: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.” (Ephesians 5:1-2, New American Standard Bible)

How did Jesus love? Ephesians uses the analogies of an offering and a sacrifice. If we follow the lead of our Lord, then there are things we will give, and things we will do, that may prove costly. Jesus demonstrated His love by going to the cross on our behalf. In our faith tradition, we have the opportunity to show sacrificial love as we "take up our cross" every day (see Luke 9:23).

How did Jesus walk? His walk was determined by the word of His Father and by the prompting of the Holy Spirit. If we walk like Jesus walked, then we will be people immersed in the word of God and led by the Spirit of God.

It's important to remember that this level of love and obedience cannot be demonstrated without the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. When we surrender ourselves to His leading, then the Spirit of the Lord will move us from the life of selfishness into the life of self-sacrificing love.

Imitate God today.

Walk in love today.

By Your Word

On this past Sunday, Pastor Richard offered a prayer in which he shared various truths about the word of God. Our pastor said to God, and of God:

“It is by Your word that things come into being;

It is by Your word that transformation and creation happen;

It is by Your word that You said “Let there be light.”;

It is by Your word that You said “Sea, you go here.” and “Land, you stop here.”

We serve the living God, who is creative and authoritative. There is no one like Him! The Bible is filled with accounts of the greatness of God and the power of His word. As we consider what Pastor Richard prayed, we can be assured that God takes care with each of us just as He takes care with creation. If we are hearing the word of the Lord, then we will be instructed on where to go and where not to go; what to do and what not to do; who to be and who not to be.

It's a blessing to know God; it is wisdom to trust and obey Him. The God who formed lands and seas and their boundaries is the God who formed you. He has a word for you. My prayer is that you are hearing Him.

Oh God, creative God, authoritative God, please, form us. Inform us. Transform us. Amen.

Hand In Hand

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” (John 10:27-30, NASB)

Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message to no one but Jews. But there were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene among them who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks too, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. (Acts 11:19-21, NET)

When Pastor Sam referred to these verses during his sermon, I felt such a reassurance from God. The references touched my heart because we live in a time where the overt, systemic persecution of Christians is no longer only “over there” in the Eastern Hemisphere, but is also firmly ensconced here in the Western world. But, anyone who reads Scripture carefully will assert that persecution of Christians is nothing new. After all, it was the reality of religious intolerance that caused believers in the first-century church to be scattered from Jerusalem into other regions of the earth.

Fortunately, there is an overarching reality that Jesus has told us: “No one has the power to snatch you out of My hand.” That is the reality in which, and by which, we Christians must function. It is the reality that supersedes sufferings and death, because we who believe in Christ have been granted eternal life in Him. It is the reality that causes us to continue preaching and teaching even in the face of persecution.

The hand of the Lord was with the early church.

The hand of the Lord is with His people today.

Rejoice in the reality. Rest in the security.

“Lord, I pray for all who witness for you in this world:

ministers, priests, and bishops,

men and women who have dedicated their lives to you,

and all those who try to bring the light of the Gospel

into the darkness of this age.

Give them courage, strength, perseverance, and hope;

fill their hearts and minds

with the knowledge of your presence,

and let them experience your name

as their refuge from all dangers.

Most of all, give them the joy of your Spirit,

so that wherever they go and whomever they meet

they will remove the veil

of depression, fatalism, and defeatism

and will bring new life to the many

who live in constant fear of death.

Lord, be with all who bring the Good News.

Amen.” (a prayer of Henri J.M. Nouwen)

I'm Walking On The Desert Road.

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a desert road.) (Acts 8:26, New English Translation)

During Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Sam shared with us that we should be prepared to accomplish God’s will in non-traditional ways, being directed by God’s voice, and doing what has never been done before. We see an example of this in the life of Philip the Evangelist.

After the martyrdom of Stephen, Philip went into Samaria and preached the gospel. During his ministry there, Philip heard a directive from the Lord to head towards the south. And we read the amazing response of Philip: “So he got up and went.” (Acts 8:27a)

That’s it. No debate. No discussion. In the middle of a thriving evangelism ministry, with the Spirit of God confirming the word of God with signs and miracles, Philip walked away from it all. Philip didn’t even know what he was walking into. But, he obeyed the directive he received from heaven.

Well, that is radical... and that is mission. The heart of mission goes way beyond our post-modern, safe, regimented “mission trips” to build random houses or put a choir’s show on the road for a week or two. Now, before some of you get offended or send me caustic email, let me say that there is certainly a place for such things in the work of the kingdom. We do all things in the hope that something will turn a person's heart to God. But I’m just wondering if there’s anybody out there that is ready to obey God in the way that Philip did. Are we willing, like Philip, to walk away from a spiritual activity that is authentic and thriving, and instead take a walk with God into the unknown, unregimented future?

It's a new season. You are called to a new mission. God is asking you to do something nontraditional. How will you respond?

Lord God, You spoke to us on Sunday and You gave the call for us to embrace the new thing. You have called us to do things we have never done before. Please make us ready to leave the thing that is thriving, trusting You to keep it, and to give us Your joy and peace as we walk on our mission road “towards the south”. We love You; we hear You; we are obeying You. Let it be. Amen.

Representing...

As Bronx Bethany Church of the Nazarene continues in its fifty-first year of ministry, we who worship here are called to be a representation of God’s holiness in the city.

In Sunday’s sermon we were reminded that there are many churches in our city. As our pastor noted, there are some areas in the Bronx where you can pass by three churches on the same block! In spite of these many churches in the Bronx, though, we still can walk through our neighborhoods and see that there is a dearth of people that concern themselves with living a life of holiness.

Sadly, some of the people who eschew holiness claim to be Christians. And perhaps the greatest indictment of Christendom is that we have kept a tradition of service while failing to heed the word of the Lord. In fact, it is the indictment that Jesus Himself will address. We see it explained by our Lord in Matthew chapter 7:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’ Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. (Matthew 7:21-29, New American Standard Bible)

If the litmus test of kingdom fitness is not signs and wonders, but rather obedience to God (“he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven”), then let us pray for the will of God to be made manifest in us. This is God, our King, who has instructed us to care for widows, orphans, the poor, and the strangers within our gates. This is God, who has instructed us to be holy because He is holy. This is God, who has instructed us to love one another, to bless those who curse us, and to pray for those who despitefully use us (see Matthew 5:44). This is the only true God, whose words will never pass away.

So, a question for today: are you an authentic representative of the kingdom of God?

“God is our foundation; the Word of God is our standing. We are here to glorify God.” (Smith Wigglesworth)

Welcome To Your New Season.

Last year Bronx Bethany, with much fanfare and celebration, celebrated its fiftieth year of ministry. But, what about our fifty-first year? On Sunday, Pastor Sam shared with us that year fifty-one is a time to begin again, to start anew, and to do something new.  

In this fifty-first year of ministry, we are believing that people will make the shift from being consumers to being participants in the plan and program of God. However, our belief is not based on having done a survey to measure the interests and abilities of those who call Bronx Bethany their church home. Rather, it is a belief that is initiated, supported, and carried by our prayers.

What are we praying to see in this new season?

• Competence (the skills that God was pleased to give to us); and
• Character (the thoughts and actions we demonstrate that are pleasing to God)

Doing a new thing will involve us moving, as Pastor Sam exhorted us, “from the back to the front” in terms of our ministry roles. There will be a shift in which the men and women who have labored for years will find partnership and assistance from those men and women who heretofore have known what to do, and who have solid Christian character, but who had previously been content to watch from the sidelines. But, the past is past: it’s year fifty-one, and the season of “sideline” consumerism is over. It's the season for new ministries, new strategies, new visions, and new people to join in the battle for souls.

I will be doing some new things this season. How about you?

"So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields." (Matthew 9:38, New Living Translation)