discernment – Page 24 – Broken Believers

Why Are You Still Outside?

wherequestions — http://www.glogster.com

There are so many that are outside our walls. Those who are blinded and confused by the Church and the gospel.

People are for the most part not this blatant or obvious in their pain. But it is what they are asking that tunes us in. “Where?”

Humans have been created with a special spot inside them. This place is designed by our Creator for his use only. Life just doesn’t make sense unless he is the center. Christians are just people who are trying to be fueled by God’s Spirit.

Answers abound to questions unasked. Confusion is rampant and it seems no one can get a unified direction for his companions. This is precisely why the Bible brings a piercing and clear call to the children of man. Its promises are not dated, they are not obsolete.

They are many who have gone before us, thousands of generations who have found light and solace for darkened and wounded hearts. They testify to us of the spiritual reality that can be found in God and in his Word. We are not called to perfection, but a real obedience of faith and love.

At this throbbing moment in history, Jesus is calling so many to “follow”.

He is populating eternity with beggars, the sick, the poor the addicted. He loves “sinners”. He loves the mentally ill. The Bible tells us, “that he ever lives to make intercession for them”.

You have a purpose, and life does have clear meaning. Don’t lose hope and don’t try to fill yourself with foolish and empty pursuits. Come to Jesus, ask for forgiveness. Find the people that will help solidify and confirm your decision. Feel free to contact me about your decision to follow Jesus.

“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”

John 14:6

For more info on becoming a believer please contact 1-888-NEED-HIM.

Change is Mandatory, [Transformation]

⁶“The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!”

Deuteronomy 30:6, NLT

^{8 “}So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.”

2 Corinthian 3:18, NLT

Geologists tell us that a lump of coal can be transformed into a diamond. It is not an easy process, and there is little economic value. But it can be done, but with much effort and time. This involves tremendous heat, and incredible pressure.

Something is happening to us and we are being transformed. This is part of God’s plan for us. This takes action on His part, it is a special work of His Holy Spirit. Slowly, but very surely, “we are becoming.”

Becoming is not an easy process. It is not a skill to be mastered but a new life to be lived. We are called to deny ourselves and bear our cross and follow Him every day. His Spirit comes along side and encourages us to believe God is changing us. We are slowly becoming like Jesus. We are growing “more and more like him.”

“And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.”

Philippians 1:6

We should conclude that God is surely working on us until Jesus returns, or we die. If you are a believer, you can have faith that His work is ongoing. It may seem delayed, or stalled but be assured that you’re His special project and He is not going to give up on you.

He is making ‘diamonds’ out of lumps of coal.

The Art of Begging

Jesus looked at his followers and said,
“You people who are poor are blessed,
because the kingdom of God belongs to you”.

Luke 6:20, NCV

It is an astonishing thing, to have Jesus look at you.

His steady, focused gaze is transformational, He sees me, and in this huge mass of people Jesus has picked me! It’s like He takes His ‘spiritual highlighter’ and sets me apart from everyone else. Amazing grace!

But this really isn’t arrogance, or even wishful thinking. We’ve been selected to be the special ones, not so much in an elite way, but in a way that glorifies only Him. Scripture emphasizes this by stating ‘the weak are chosen’. As I stood in this teeming crowd, I was surrounded by some very attractive and muscular people. They preened and postured, but that wasn’t what He was looking for. When He saw me, He stopped, and then He picked me out of the crowd.

Those who have been ‘chosen’ are definitely not superhero material. We are the weak, and blind, and very foolish. There is ‘zero attractiveness’. In the classroom, we are the nerdiest of nerds. (We are nerdisimos.) In the spirit, we have a ‘less than zero’ rating. In a sense, we’re not even remotely ‘the right stuff’, we are so pathetic.

Every once in a while, we find someone that seems to have figured out how to put it together. Then often we go ahead and put our ‘mark’ on that person and then become loyal followers. But if we extend ourselves to hear the Spirit (who by the way, is very easily heard) we find that our choice is a Saul, and not a David. In other words, he is very close but is disqualified.

We are Christians because Jesus chose us. We come into His presence because He left the doors open for us to squeeze in. We enter in because Jesus has been ‘bled out’ for us. Everything was drained when He died. He stepped into our ‘nightmare’ to allow us to escape into the light. Without His presence, we would decay into a dark and perpetual night.

And now He stands directly in front of us. He looks (it seems He is always looking) and says something to us that is strange. ‘Those who are poor will become those who are very, very ‘blessed’. Quite strange and bizarre. Like the guy sitting on mass transit right next to you, who is talking to himself! He simply doesn’t mesh with what is real. He has lost touch with reality.

The kingdom is up for grabs! Anyone can snatch it and bring home something substantial. Poor people, those who are at the level ‘of very little account’ have been moved ahead in the line, right up to the front. Suddenly, those in the back become envious. This envy becomes jealousy and then rebellion. But it changes nothing.

The ‘poor in spirit’ have just inherited the Kingdom of God. It has become theirs and it won’t be something that can be overturned. The ‘ultimate’ has become fully available to the ‘least’. Those out there who are starving, will be those who get the most.

Discernment and Your Ministry

“He begs God on behalf of a human
as a person begs for his friend.”

Job 16:21, NCV

I’ve been thinking about a class I had in Bible School. The instructor made a comment that has stuck in my thinking for over 30 years now. I have relied on it countless times in ministry since. It has helped me piece together certain issues of the heart.

When we “preach” to a person, we are actively accelerating the judgement of God in their life. When we pray for that same person, we delay this judgement and allow more room for the Holy Spirit to work.

Preaching

Now I know this is a generalization, and yet the basic premise of preaching and praying has a specific action. When you preach, you are calling that person to make a decision. They meet up with the truth and must decide for themselves. This is a very sensitive moment. If they consider your message at all– you must understand, one way or the other, that it will require a decision. Either they act on it, or they’ll decide to reject it.

Within the Bible we often see judgement coming to someone, and very often it comes right after a “declaration of the truth” by a witness or a sermon. Those who hear the word must choose to believe it, or spurn it. Even a neutral position is a position. A decision must be made on all light that comes their way.

Prayer

Perhaps this may be easier to see. The Word is full of men and women who interceded for others. If preaching accelerates God’s judgement on a person (or group,) than prayer decelerates it. In a sense, authentic intercession can give them more time. It delays things, without approving them.

A classic case is Abraham. He intercedes, and by doing so desires to save and deliver God’s own. He “stands in the gap” for the unaware. We see him “negotiating” with the Lord, trying to make a deal of sorts. He is bold and somewhat presumptuous. And actually, this is a regular occurrence with different circumstances. Many in scripture do seem to get intensely involved in the lives of the people they represent.

“I will surely not stop praying for you, because that would be sinning against the Lord. I will teach you what is good and right.”

1 Samuel 12:23

Conclusion

Should we preach or pray? We must consider, I think, the certain obligations of both. I believe at the end of a person’s life, they have had both dynamics working. Its like the tide– it ebbs and then advances, and perhaps that will help us to do the right thing at the right time. We understand the necessity of preaching, and just as important the work of prayer. We must do both, but grasp the issues behind each work. Both are necessary for one to come to faith in Jesus.

Seeing the effects of our actions brings us into a deeper understanding of the life in the Spirit. It motivates and will guide us. We start to understand the Lord’s ways and become aware of what is happening in the world that is around us. This new discernment can only sharpen our work.

Category: discernment