Pray-Tell.

And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him (Luke 9:18a)

Some eight days after these sayings, He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. Now Peter and his companions had been overcome with sleep; (Luke 9:28 and 9:32a)

Some of us are incredibly privileged regarding our access to ministry resources. We can hear Christian broadcasts, or we can read books written by Christian authors. Some of us attend seminars from time to time; some of us are studying in seminaries. Some of us get to hang out with amazing ministry leaders, learning from their years of experience. But there is no greater connection than when we, led by the Spirit of God, are able to participate in the process and mystery that is prayer.

Like the disciples in Luke 9, we may find that challenges show up when we seek to engage the ministry of prayer. There is the risk of merely being a spectator, watching and listening to others’ Spirit-led prayers without adding our voice of agreement (Luke 9:18). There is the risk of falling asleep (Luke 9:32). There is the risk of entering into worship and service paradigms that are out of line with God’s desire (Luke 9:33-35).

There are these risks, and yet we are drawn to be with our Lord daily in the place of prayer. Let’s embrace the opportunities we’ll have today to pray. It is our privilege.

Lord, help us to pray.

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.

A Witness To Deliverance

When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. “Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”

“You unbelieving and perverse generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment.

Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:14-20)

“Just stay a little longer in the presence of God. He’s taking it away right now. I know some of you can’t see it. But I can see it. And He’s releasing some things right now, and He’s delivering some people right now.” – Rev. Richard Griffiths

In Sunday’s sermon Pastor Richard noted that, sometimes, hard times come after having had a high experience. We who serve the Lord Jesus have experienced the “high” of Lent, Holy Week, and the first Sunday of Easter. But by the second Sunday in the Easter season, Christian individuals and organizations often experience a “low” on several fronts: decreased attendance, a reduction in giving, fatigue from having done the extra services common to Holy Week, increased spiritual attacks from those opposed to God’s agenda, and so forth.

Our pastor referenced the experience of the three disciples who had been with Jesus as witnesses of His transfiguration. After the “high” of seeing Jesus in dialogue with Moses and Elijah, these disciples descended the mountain and immediately encountered a “low”: a demon-possessed child, a distressed father, a crowd of spectators, and the confusion of fellow disciples who couldn’t understand why their attempts at deliverance were unsuccessful. (see Matthew 17:1-20; Mark9:2-29; Luke 9:28-43)

This past Sunday, we experienced what it means to minister and overcome in the face of the “low”. In our second service we heard specific testimonies of how some of God’s people had suffered. But, in the face of discouragement, they emerged victorious. God released them from their burdens! And just as Jesus was present to exact deliverance for the child who was under oppression, His Spirit is present to exact deliverance for us today. We, as His disciples, have been given the authority to speak words of healing in the name of Jesus. We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit who has given us grace-gifts. When we are united in faith and love and purpose, our gifts serve to glorify God; and, as happened on Sunday, we can partner with God in lifting the burdens of the oppressed.

I have been doing church life for a long time, and I confess that over the years I had fallen into the trap of expecting the second Sunday of Easter to be a “low”… but this past Sunday changed all of that. I am happy to report that this time around, for me, it was as dynamic and inspiring as the first Sunday of Easter. I have experienced a resurrection of faith and expectation. I’ll never be the same again.

Let's follow our pastor's lead: Stay in the presence of God. Wait on Him as He works in us. Look with eyes of faith and see deliverance, even if the spectators and naysayers only can see discouragement. Praise our King who does all things well.

By faith, I see the deliverance... and I am rejoicing. How about you?

All Scripture references are from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

The Grand Illusion, Remixed.

Jesus said to another, "Follow Me." But he replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father." But Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:59-60)

Pastor Shane made a profound statement concerning Luke 9:59: The man who asked to first go and bury his father was himself dead: not physically, but spiritually.

In considering the importance of having Jesus as our first love, we must also keep in mind the danger of holding to the illusion of religious duty as an expression of love. Our pastor noted that, although we might be in church, our presence is no indicator of our depth of love for the Lord. He gave an example from his days as a gang member, during which he faithfully served as an usher in the church while keeping his gang flag hanging visibly from his pocket. The message represented by the gang flag was this: He's here in church, but he's not sold out to Jesus: it's the gang culture that has captured his heart.

There came a day when the Spirit of the Lord caught Shane's attention, and the ensuing years have been a joyful testimony of the power of God to change a man from the inside out. And just as God transformed Shane from a gang member to a pastor, God longs to transform all of us into people who reflect His character and His love. Our pastor has implored us to transcend the concept of mere church attendance, and to embrace the concept of loving God: a love that makes all other loves pale in comparison.

In the Luke passage, Jesus had a message for the man: "Follow Me." It was a message with an undercurrent of urgency. Jesus was, and is, seeking people to become citizens of the kingdom of God. And there is a time limit on the offer. The world has painted the illusion that humanity has all the time in the world to make decisions that involve the state of our souls. But we are finite beings. As Pastor Shane said, now is the time for us to 'get with the program.' We are not promised tomorrow, nor even the next hour.

Is your love of Jesus a present reality? Or are you living an illusion?

Price Tag

As they were walking along the road, someone said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus said to him,  "Foxes have dens and birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head." (Luke 9:57-58)

This past Sunday, Pastor Shane shared a prophetic inquiry from the heart of Christ: Are you ready? Do you understand the implications of what it means to follow Me?

Christians are tasked with reflecting the goodness of God in a sick and wicked world. But as we endeavor to do so, we may encounter hardships and circumstances that are designed to discourage our hearts or distract us from honoring God with our lives. The Luke 9 passage reminds us that, because God's kingdom is not of this world, there are some things that are not guaranteed to us in this world. Pastor Shane exhorted us to realize that material security, financial stability, and perfect relationships are not always found in our lives. As members of God's kingdom, though, we are assured that our God will supply all our needs as He sees fit: not according to our timetable, but according to God's timetable.

Our challenge, and our calling, is to be a consistent example of the love and grace of God without being derailed by our circumstances. Sometimes our most powerful testimony is not our recounting of spiritual victories, but our joy and our worship of God in the midst of severe struggles. Are you experiencing hardship today? Remember that our Lord sees, He knows, and at His appointed time He will act. Rejoice in the Lord; rest in Him; trust Him to do what is right and good.

May we always be willing to follow Him.

What God ordains is always good: He is my Friend and Father.
He suffers naught to do me harm, though many storms may gather.
Now I may know both joy and woe:
Someday I shall see clearly that He hath loved me dearly.
-Samuel Rodigast

F.M.

And Jesus said to another man, "Follow Me." But the man replied, "Lord, please let me go and bury my father first." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead; but you, you go and proclaim the kingdom of God wherever you go." (Luke 9:59-60, paraphrase mine)

As I walked through downtown Brooklyn yesterday, I met a woman who had come to New York City from Illinois. She came to New York to pray.

She was not alone. Hundreds of Christians, who are not from our city, are currently in our city as part of a parachurch prayer effort. Spread Truth is committed to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. They are serving, they are teaching, and they are praying.

I had the honor and privilege of engaging in conversation with this sister in the Lord, and her prayer for me was filled with grace and faith. As we said goodbye and I continued on my way, I was reminded of Pastor Shane's sermon this past Sunday. In the middle of the sermon Pastor Shane addressed the concern of many a Christian: What is my purpose? What is God's desire for my life? The answer is found in a succinct directive from our Lord: Follow Me. The expectation of Christ is that His people will follow Him. Our pastor pointed out that if we are following Jesus, then it is He who will instruct us regarding where we go, what we do, what we say, and how we pray.

Follow Him from the Bronx to Brooklyn.
Follow Him from Illinois to New York.
Jesus is the Leader. Will you follow?

Today, Lord, give us grace and a deep desire to follow You: not because of what we will get in return, but simply because we love You.

Err Space.

Yesterday we had the privilege of hearing a powerful , timely message from Pastor Shane. Our youth pastor shared from the book of Luke:

As they were walking along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens and the birds in the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” Jesus said to another, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say goodbye to my family.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:57-62)

This week, we will consider some of the points that our pastor shared in the sermon. Let’s begin with reflection on our own spiritual state. During the sermon, Pastor Shane noted that some people have been claiming to be Christians for a very long time, while others consider themselves to be new in the faith. For all of us, today's question is the same: Do we really love Jesus?

The Luke passage shows us that, in addition to Jesus, there are other loves we may hold in our hearts. We love the security of having a place to live. We love the honor and accolades that come with bearing responsibility for handling the final arrangements of our loved ones. We love the prestige and sympathy that arises when people realize how much we have given up for the sake of our faith-walk. But our pastor’s sermon carried a strong warning: Jesus is not in a competition. This Christian walk is an all-or-nothing deal. If Jesus has to wait for you to handle some other issues before you turn your attention to His call, or if Jesus has to wait for the applause of men to settle down before you're able to hear Him speak, then there’s a problem.

Does the Lord have your full attention today?