The Door

"They began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they spent a long time with the disciples." Acts 14:27-28

The early preachers spent their time bragging on God, and encouraging people to walk through doors He alone opened for them. They spent a great time with the people they were leading to faith in Christ. This was their recipe for creating a depth of understanding, in what the people were hearing preached, and a depth in personal relationships the people were having with the preachers. These two things are always a great combination.

Today the mega church pastor or TV preacher is held up as the glorified spiritual guru. There is no interaction, no accountability, but a great deal of hero worship. Question: Who comes to visit you when you are in the hospital, when you have lost your job, or there is a death in your family? That person is your preacher.

There is a misconception that the longer you spend time getting to know one another, the more you will love one another. Not necessarily. Sometimes the more you get to know someone, the more you find out about them, and each discovery of fresh knowledge makes you hate the very person you once loved.

One out of two marriages end in divorce in this country. The average length of service for a youth minister in a local church is one year. The average length of stay of a pastor is two years. Apparently it doesn't take contemporary church people long to get to know one another, or to get enough of one another.

The sermon topic of the early preachers was, "Look at God." When the sermon topic of the contemporary preacher becomes "Look at Me" find another church. When your preacher is always the hero of all of his own stories, and there is little air left in his lungs to praise God, take a deep breath and run for the exit.

There is nothing wrong with preaching that tells "all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith." The problem begins when a preacher forgets his place in God's order of importance. God is the hand, the preacher is the glove. God inserts his hand, and the glove moves with power. God removes His hand, and the glove is lifeless. Jesus said, "Apart from Me, you can do nothing." He meant it. Preachers! Never forget it.

God opens doors. People walk through doors. Anytime people stop walking through the doors of your church, check the message and the messenger. Praising oneself, for personal accomplishments is first cousin to taking credit for what God has done. Don't do it unless you have the strength to sustain what God has initiated. If you can't finish, what God starts then don't hint that you had anything to do with it.

Note to self: He did it. You didn't. You can't. Don't start.

"He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles." This is a phrase that reminds me of how close I came to missing out on what God had in store for me. The Jews were the chosen people. They were meant to be a light to the Gentiles. They forgot their place. They forgot to shine, but basked in the glory of being chosen. Thankfully, through Jesus, God widened the arc of The Light to include Gentiles, and that eventually included me.

I do not share the honor or the distinction of having Jewish blood flow through Me. All I am and ever hope to be is the result of having the blood of Jesus flow over me. His blood purchased my pardon, and folded me into the family of God.

When God opened the door for me, in February 1957, with childlike faith in Jesus, I walked through it. I became a son of Abraham, by faith, not by birth or by works. I was not born into the family of God, and I did not work my way into it. Through faith in Christ, I was reborn into it. Thank God.

The first step a person takes toward Jesus is counted as a step of faith. The early preachers were willing to take a long walk with people they invited to step through the door God opened for them. We should too.

In this long walk, praying and sustaining go hand in hand. Praying for people who are on a long journey sustains their strength and courage for it. It also keep a preacher from being annoyed by the very people he is leading. Never underestimate the power of a praying preacher to turn annoying people into anointed ones.

Praying releases the sustaining power of God's Spirit, and under-girds and strengthens preachers and people, no matter how heavy the load or how long the road. You never really know someone until you travel with them. The journey begins when people walk through the door, it won't last long without praying with them and for them.

Prayer turns an annoyed preacher into a an anointed one, and an interruption into a divine appointment. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

"Discernment is given for intercession, never fault-finding." Oswald Chambers

The Quote

"After they preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, 'Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.' When they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed." Acts 14:21-24

Wedged in between the itinerary and organization of the early church is a quote that is never found on a church brochure or Hobby Lobby throw pillow. Did you see it?

"THROUGH MANY TRIBULATIONS WE MUST ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD."

Now that is not surprising to anyone except American Christians. Somehow, the popularity of The Rapture has convinced the contemporary American Christian that the Highway to Heaven is paved with gold and lined with thornless rose bushes. The rest stops are clean and plentiful, the drive thru windows are efficient and cheap, and as soon as you say a prayer of salvation, the coast is clear and Tribulation free. Read your Bible.

Note to self: THROUGH MANY TRIBULATIONS WE MUST ENTER THE KINGDOM OF GOD.

WOW! Who knew? How in the world did the early church preachers gather a crowd of seekers with that on their brochure, and with a welcome mat that said, "Martyrs Welcome" They didn't even serve Starbucks coffee.

What was the difference? They focused on the good news of the gospel, "strengthening the souls of disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith." They shared a letter or two, but didn't hire a publicist to recommend to their followers their latest book. Instead hey "commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed."

Their word of counsel to their followers was not filled with platitudes or panaceas. In essence they told them, "This is going to hurt, and it is going to take a while." The remarkable result? The church exploded in growth.

When people are desperate for relief, the truth is liberating. Truth is all that matters to people who have been lied to all their lives. When in doubt, tell the truth. There is more than one tribulation. Just ask the Christians in China, Pakistan, Rwanda, Cambodia, and Cuba. The list is actually much longer. But I digress.

The Roman world was bankrupt morally and spiritually, and on the brink of financial collapse. The Romans had paraded their pantheon of gods before their own people, but no one really believed in them any more. They forced their governmental system on conquered nations, and devoured the people and their own citizens with bone-crushing taxation. People were forced to support mobs of unemployed people, and were helpless to stop the system that poured their hard earned resources into the moral sewer called Rome.

Sound familiar? History repeats itself, if the lessons it teaches are ignored. Get ready for history class. America is going to have to stay after school for sleeping through the last 50 years.

God's provision for a sleeping church is a Great Awakening. This kind of Spiritual Awakening is only provided in response to a desperate praying person, who sets the bar for praying people, who then turn their purpose for gathering together into praying churches.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist or a seasoned word-smith to see the correlation between tribulation and trouble. The simple truth is this. The American form of Christianity is in trouble. My own brand of expression of Christianity, Southern Baptists, have bragged for decades that they are the largest non-Catholic denomination in America.

Note to self: With bragging rights comes a target on your back. Duck Dynasty indeed. Word for the day! DUCK!

For the past few years, courageous leaders of our convention have tried to sound a warning that all is not well. Convention presidents, pastors and statisticians have pointed out the decline in baptisms and loss of enthusiasm for the gospel in established churches. Their answer? Start new churches. Why? It is easier to give birth than to raise the dead. Good to know.

Still. Is there no hope for an Awakening, a raising of the dead? Jesus said, "I AM THE RESURRECTION." He did not say, "I WAS." The call to discipleship includes a mandate to face tribulation with a heart filled with encouragement and strength that comes from being filled with the Holy Spirit. It has always been so. It should not be a surprise now.

Pray for the next Great Awakening to revive, instill new life, in the existing church. Pray for the Spirit of God to breathe new life into people who have grown weary in well-doing, or have lost hope in their Savior, while serving a system. Pray for the movement of God's Spirit to energize an empty people who have come to the end of themselves, and are desperate for His Way, His Truth, and His Life. JESUS!

You may feel alone. You are not. A Great Awakening is great because it is greater than the sum of the parts. I was having lunch with my Father, Don Miller this week. At 91 years of age his memory is fading, but he said, "I draw comfort from the words of man who spoke them into me years ago. I don't recall who it was who said them, but they comfort me nonetheless. He said, 'God and I make a majority.' " Thanks Dad. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Healing

"We are also men of the same nature as you, and preach the gospel to you that you should turn from these vain things to a living God..." Acts 14:15

When Paul and Barnabas preached, the favor of God was upon them. Paul had the ability to see spiritual hunger in a person, with his eyes of faith, and speak physical healing into the limbs of the same lame man. The argument will never end, over whether this kind of power has ended or continues to be manifested among God's people. The one thing that should never be in doubt is Paul's response to being used as an instrument of God's grace. He turned the focus on the living God, and away from himself.

I was raised to believe that the wise preacher will always give God's Spirit all the elbow room He wants, and not try to fit Him in a box. When the Holy Spirit is treated as a lap dog, on a short leash, His power does not diminish, but the usefulness of the preacher does.

The preacher's ability is limited only by His availability to be of use to The Spirit of God. The preacher who is full of himself will never be filled with the Spirit, no matter how much ability, education, eloquence, or experience he may have.

When any usefulness of a preacher is immediately hijacked as the means for self-adulation, or self-promotion, the Holy Spirit lifts God's hand of favor from the self-appointed expert. The Holy Spirit feels no obligation to inflate a preacher's delusion of grandeur. He moves God's hand upon any available preacher who is not in a self-deluded daze. This always results from preachers breathing their own ether.

Paul and Barnabas were relatively new at the missionary game, but in their earliest days of usefulness, they learned to GIVE GOD THE GLORY. They "preached the gospel." This meant that they called people to turn to the living God. Too many preachers believe God is alive, but preach as if He is dead. They talk about God in the past tense. Paul and Barnabas were convinced God was I AM, not I was. Preach it!

The gospel is good news to people who hunger and thirst to have a God shaped vacuum filled in their hearts. The lame man's terminal disease was not physical, but spiritual. Jesus knew this. When He healed people, Jesus often marveled at their unbelief. He still does.

"Faith healers" often forget that people who are healed without the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, may not limp into hell, but they go there anyway. The Gospel was the focus of Paul and Barnabas, and it turned people to a living God.

Note to self: This kind of preaching also turned people to the rock pile. They threw stones at Paul, for preaching the saving grace of the gospel. Put on your helmet of salvation. You are going to need it.

"...with difficulty they restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them...but they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city." V. 18-19

Fame can be fleeting. Every preacher who experiences some portion of it, should memorize this statement. "THIS TOO WILL PASS!" The same crowd that sought to worship Paul was able to be whipped into a mob that tried to kill him. People can be fickle. Preachers who seek their sense of self-worth from a crowd of people will never find the peace that comes from being grounded in the favor of God.

Sometimes being grounded in peace comes from being face down in the dirt. "Supposing him to be dead...while the disciples stood around him, he (Paul) got up and entered the city." v. 20

Healing is an act of God. Make sure if God does it through you that you give all the glory to Him. Praying for healing is honorable. Trusting God for it is faithful. It may make a name for you on earth, but preaching the gospel will make difference in Heaven. Prayer and preaching bring Heaven and earth together at the junction of God's unction and man's dysfunction.

Spiritual healing trumps physical healing...EVERY TIME. Just ask Jesus.

"And He could do no miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He wondered at their unbelief." Mark 6: 5-6

Praying and preaching are the twin towers of The Gospel. Healing people physically and spiritually comes from God pouring out His favor on people who do both. Pray for your preacher. Preachers need it, and their people need the practice. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Division

"Therefore they spent a long time there speaking boldly with reliance upon the Lord, who was testifying to the word of His grace, granting that signs and wonders be done by their hands; but the people of the city were divided; and some sided with the Jews, and some wit the apostles." Acts 14:3

The Book of Acts reveals how The Truth creates a division between believers and disbelievers.

Note to self: Don't change The Truth to make disbelievers more comfortable with their poor choice. You are called to comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable. Speak boldly.

There is a fantasy that floats through the minds of those who conjure up thoughts of the next Great Awakening. They envision a time and a place when the people will embrace The Truth in such great numbers that all will be well, and the conflict with evil will end, in their life-time. It doesn't hurt to pray for a dream to come true, but the wise are prepared if it doesn't.

Word to the wise. Be prepared. Scripture reveals that The Truth creates believers and generates opposition. Disbelievers are not content to disagree, they have to destroy. Why? The Truth is not up for debate. Satan knows that. The true secularist is the contemporary pagan. As such there is no room for a source of truth that is greater than themselves. Ego-centrists breathe their own ether, until they feel equipped to do their own brain surgery. They become so open-minded their brains fall out.

Note to self: #2 When Jesus came into your heart, your brains didn't fall out. Know your history. Read The Scriptures. History of Great Awakenings teach us that the opposition takes it up a notch, when The Truth is believed.

Disbelief may go underground or be overwhelmed for a time, but It doesn't go away. It lurks around, searching for a weak link in the armor of Army of Awakening. The battle for a soul of a person or a nation involves an ancient strategy, and a lasting hatred for The Truth.

One of the first signs of weakness that the enemy looks for is a weak voice. Paul and Barnabas "spoke boldly." Their boldness came from their "reliance on the Lord." When eloquence of speech becomes a substitute for reliance on the Lord, a lion in the pulpit may roar, but he strikes no fear in the enemy.

The enemy knows when a preacher has freedom in the pulpit, and when when he is chained to it. This is one of the main reasons terminal secularists want to limit Religious Liberty to the confines of the pulpit and the church auditorium. Opposition to The Truth at its very earliest stages is willing to let the lion stay alive as long as it is kept on a short leash. It can't be left free to roam the streets, or roar in the public square. The self-muzzling of preachers and their public neutering has been going on for quite some time. It began in earnest when "Land Slide"

Lyndon Baines Johnson, as Senate leader sought to intimidate preachers with legislative fiat, in the 1950's. Since then Hollywood's version of a preacher, chaplain or pastor has usually lined up with the pervert, the charlatan or the pathetic. Remember the poor Irish Catholic priest who served the M.A.S.H. unit in the popular sitcom of the 1980's? The man of God was daffy, dizzy, and disrespected, but Hawkeye was cool. See the difference? It is a pattern often repeated. It is designed to diminish the office, by belittling the man. At best, the lion is scripted as a cuddly mascot, but never a bold leader. The Scripture reveals a different kind of preacher. Preachers are to be bold, but never self-reliant.

How does a preacher rely on the Lord? Glad you asked. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Contrast

"I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth." Acts 13:47

When I was a small boy, there were times that I woke up in the middle of the night, at the end of a night mare, filled with fear, and afraid of the dark. I would cry out in the night, and my Dad would rush in and turn on the light. What a relief. On other winter mornings, comfortable in my warm bed, and under the covers, I didn't want to wake up. My Dad would turn on the lights, and I would scream at the intrusion. It felt like an icepick in my eyes. It was the same light, and I was in the same room, but I was in two very different places.

Preachers know what this feels like when they preach the same word to people and get a similar contrast in their reactions to it. The light of The Word either guides people to Truth, or it blinds them to their own sinful condition. It depends on where they are, not what The Word says. The Contrast is always revealing.

Paul and Barnabas followed a certain protocol when they entered a city. They went to the synagogue and shared The Gospel, and if it was received they returned. If it was rejected they turned to the Gentiles. It was in Pisidian Antioch that their ministry to the Gentile community became prioritized. The reception of the people of the city was enormous. It was large enough to inspire the jealousy of the Jewish leaders.

"Nearly the whole city assembled to hear the word of the Lord, but when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began contradicting the things spoken by Paul, and were blaspheming." Acts 13:45

The opposition did not intimidate Paul and Barnabas. They "spoke boldly and said, 'It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles." V. 46

The Contrast between The Jews and The Gentiles could not have been greater. "When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed." V. 48

While the word of the Lord was being spread, "The Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district."v. 50

The only protest the two missionaries made was the shaking off of the dust of their feet at the city limits. They moved on and were "continually filled with the joy and with the Holy Spirit." Acts 13:52

I recall reading an Anglican Bishop's remarks, comparing his life of ministry to that of Paul's. He said, "When I arrive in town they serve tea. When Paul arrived a riot broke out." He seemed sadly embarrassed at the comparison. Perhaps we should all feel the same way.

The Gospel is Light. Light has a way of pointing the way for those who are seeking direction, and blinding the eyes of those who do not want to be awakened. It is the same Light. The contrast couldn't be greater.

People who are comfortable in their sin do not want to have it exposed. People who are ashamed of their sin want to know the way to have it removed. Preach the same Word to both, but don't expect the same reaction.

This is the dilemma any preacher faces when speaking The Word, and framing Jesus as The Way, The Truth and The Life. Anything said about Jesus that is absolutely true will still have people absolutely opposed to it. Preach Jesus anyway. Those appointed to eternal life will believe. Those who are not ready to receive eternal life will continue in disbelief. Keep spreading the word. Just because some will reject it, doesn't mean it isn't true.

Note to self: Don't kid yourself. You are not anointed to know who are the appointed. Preach The Truth. Leave the results up to God.

Praying is the greatest preparation a preacher can make before shedding light on those who will hear The Word. Prayer cleanses the preacher's motives, fills him with the Spirit. Prayer softens people's hearts, improves their hearing, and opens their eyes to receive The Word of God. Delivering The Word is more than just spreading the truth around. It requires preparing the ground to receive it. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Grace

"Paul and Barnabas, who speaking to them, were urging them to continue in the grace of God." Acts 13:43

That must have been quite a scene. People hearing the Gospel for the first time, and then begging for more. It is the picture of every preacher's dream coming true, a listening audience hungering for more.

The response of Paul and Barnabas to their willing listeners should be in every preacher's playbook, and shared with his audience before he finishes his message: URGE THEM TO CONTINUE IN THE GRACE OF GOD.

I have a deacon friend who helped me focus my preaching, after he lost his business. He encouraged me, "Give people hope." Thanks J.C.

His point was well-taken. People need hope. When people attend church, it is rarely a sign that they have it all together. The opposite is often true. Their lives are falling apart, and they are in need of a fresh perspective on how to pull it all together.

H.O.P.E. in my understanding of the word is HAVING OUR PERSPECTIVE ELEVATED. The people who heard Paul and Barnabas are no different than those hearing the Gospel for the first time today. They need H.O.P.E. They are burdened down by fear, real and imagined, and in need of grace, free and undeserved.

Grace in its most basic definition is the gift of God. It is His unmerited favor poured out on those who need to be forgiven, but are in no position to ask God for favors. It is closely related to mercy, and the opposite of judgment.

In the determination between the saved and the unsaved, grace is the key component. It is impossible to be saved without grace, and it is equally impossible to earn it. It is a gift. It is free, but it cost God His Son to make grace available to those who receive it. Free does not mean cheap.

In the arena of grace, the way you come on is the way you go on. Paul and Barnabas exhorted, encouraged, or urged their listeners to "continue in the grace of God." This is a great reminder.

Those who are recipients of God's grace have a tendency to begin to believe they deserved it, after they receive it. Grace was not meant to separate the pious and the pagan with the former exercising a sense of superiority or lording it over the latter. Unfortunately, the longer people live under grace, the more they develop a wicked streak that tries to keep people under the law.

Judging people who do not possess the grace of God, is like expecting and inspecting fruit from dead trees. It is a fool's errand. Living in the first phase of grace, and being unwilling to continue to grow in grace produces stunted trees with bitter fruit. Both miss the mark.

"Discernment is given for intercession, never fault-finding." Oswald Chambers

If God gives you discernment about the lack of grace in one person's life, or a crop failure of it in the life of another, pray for both. You get no favor from God for delivering judgment, but by growing in grace.

Note to self: Don't be so quick to take credit for something God did in your life that you did not deserve. Show some grace.

Praying for people who are not growing in grace is a full time job. There will be no lack of material from which to build your prayer life. Praying for people to live under grace will make you a bigger person. Stop praying and you stop growing in grace.

Talking about people leads to running them down, but it never builds you up. Judging their lack of grace makes you small in the eyes of God, and in the eyes those who hear you do it. Stop trying to build your own reputation by tearing other people down. Show some grace. Pray for them.

Paul and Barnabas urged people who were in the first stage of grace, to continue in it. This is the New Testament message. There is so much more that God wants to release, of the character of Christ in the lives of those who follow His Son. He didn't just offer them grace to be saved, but to be conformed to the image of His Son.

Being conformed to Jesus eventually transforms a person in the eye of those who know them best, and hate them the most. God's favor saves, but it also invests the character of Jesus into the lives of those who stay connected to Him. Prayer is that point of connection, where the fruit of the character of Jesus is released through the branches of His family tree.

Continuing in grace takes place by continuing in prayer. Is their any resemblance between your prayer life and the prayer life of Jesus? He prayed early and often for those He came to seek and to save. His fruit never falls far from His tree. Show some grace. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Point

"...you who fear God, listen..." Acts 13:16

Paul's exhortation to the people focused on God's redemptive plan of action. He connected the dots for them, giving an overview of how the hand of God had been on the people of Israel to reveal His love for them, through Jesus Christ.

He reminded them...
God chose our fathers and made the people great...
God led them...
God put up with them...
God destroyed seven nations...
God distributed their land...
God gave them judges...
God gave them a king...
God removed the king...
God raised up David...
God testified...
God brought a Savior...
God raised Him from the dead...
God fulfilled His promise...
God forgives sin through Jesus...
God gives grace to continue...
(see Acts 13:17-43)

Last night I watched a Will Smith and son movie. One of the more thought provoking statements made by the character portrayed by the elder Smith was... "Fear is not real. Danger is real." The point being that fear is generated by a person's insecurities about the future. When one's mind runs wild, imagining things that may never happen, it will require a person to periodically "take a knee."

Fear must be controlled if the danger is going to be faced. Good advice. Paul's advice was "FEAR GOD AND LISTEN." When prayer deteriorates into giving God advice, rather than take His advice, it is no longer prayer. Pious Whiners posing as Prayer Warriors rarely engage the enemy. If they do, they are defeated.

The point of prayer is to fear God, and to listen to His voice, not give Him a piece of one's mind. Venting is not praying. It is whining. Praying people and praying preachers build praying churches, filled with those who seek God's direction, protection and correction. Note to self: Whining your way through your next crisis is no way to take your prayer life to the next level. Take a knee. To fear God means to respect Him, and to expect the consequences.

The Blue Letter Bible identifies fear with the same word that is commonly used for phobia. It defines it, when applied to God, as the willingness to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience. There are consequences to obedience, and there are consequences to disobedience. God is not some permissive parent seeking to be a pal to His children. He intends for His children to exhibit His character and bring honor and glory to Him, if they bear His name. God Almighty has a redemptive plan and His children not only receive the benefits of it, but engage in the battle for it. The danger is real. Too many of God's children fear the enemy, more than they fear God. They hide in the tall grass when they should be standing in the battle line. Fearing God begins with listening to Him. Hearing His Word leads to reading His Word. Reading His Word leads to studying His Word.

Studying leads to memorizing His Word. Memorizing leads to meditating on His Word. Meditating leads to living His Word. You may be the only Bible someone ever reads. Don't be a misprint. Fearing God establishes Him as Your final proof-reader and ultimate Auto-correct. The point of prayer is to lead a person to fear God. Prayer has the capacity to create a bond, and an intimacy between man and God. It is this intimacy that draws a person to an ever deepening conversation with God, and an ever-widening sphere of influence on others.

"Prayer is the intimate communication between the Heavenly Father and His child." Don Miller

When we were little ones in Sunday School we sang, "DEEP and WIDE." I'm not sure what that was all about, but I find myself humming it today, as I dwell on the thought of intensifying, and deepening my fear of God, and widening my influence on those who seek Him. Sing it loud. Sing it proud. Listen. Some preachers use this word to recall a congregation's attention to the point of the message. Parents use it make sure a rebellious child is not ignoring their counsel. TV commentators and pundits lead with the word to add gravitas to what they are about to say in their meaningless, meandering monologue. Listen is a good word, used 400 times in the New Testament.

Again, The Blue Letter Bible provides a wide definition of this Greek word used to form the word acoustics. It means to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf...to hear...to attend to, consider what is or has been said...to understand, perceive the sense of what is said...to hear something...to perceive by the ear what is announced in one's presence...to get by hearing learn...a thing comes to one's ears, to find out, learn...to give ear to a teaching or a teacher...to comprehend, to understand. Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice." Listen, indeed.

The Point of the Christian life, is to be on point. Prayer is the tip of the spear, and the world class weapon in the battle against evil. The enemy fears a praying preacher and a praying church. Give him both. To fear God, and listen, take a knee. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

"The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray." Samuel Chadwick - English revivalist preacher (1860-1932)

The Junction

"So being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went...they began to proclaim the word of God in the synagogues...and they had John as their helper...But Elymas was opposing them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, who was also known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, fixed his gaze on him, and said, 'You are full of deceit and fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord? Now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you will be blind and not see the sun for a time.' Then the proconsul believed when he saw what had happened, being amazed at the teaching of the Lord." Acts 13:4-13

For the preacher of good news, The Junction of unction and dysfunction is found at the corner of But and Then. "But Saul...filled with the Holy Spirit" faced the opposition, and called for God's hand to fall on the person who was being used as the devil's own personal hand puppet. "Then the proconsul believed." Praying preachers and praying churches meet God at The Junction. They don't focus on the dysfunction. They call out to God for unction.

Prayer bridges the span of time between BUT and THEN. The false prophet was blind long before Paul called for a physical blindness to fall upon Him, by the hand of God. The proconsul had been led away from the faith, by this man who could not see what God was doing. This is what false prophets always do. They speak authoritatively, but lead blindly. Listening to them, and following them never ends well. So much is going on in Acts 13. Paul is emerging as the leader of the missionary team. Barnabas and Saul is transitioning into Paul and Barnabas.

The issue of John Mark returning to Jerusalem, may have been a result of homesickness, sea sickness or battle fatigue. Whatever the reason, he left Paul and his companions and went home. John Mark's departure would eventually end a great ministry relationship between these two powerful road warriors, but the mission would continue. The opposition of the false prophet was real. Not much has changed. The sons and daughters of Elymas are still with us. Opposition to the preaching and teaching of the Lord is rooted in hell, and people who take part in it, give evidence of bearing fruit that fell from the devil's family tree. False prophets are those who oppose clear Christian doctrine. The opposition is sightless and relentless. They do "not cease to make crooked the straight ways of the Lord." v. 10

To make something crooked is to distort its original intent, to pervert its primary purpose, to detour it or someone from their correct course of action or something's proper function.

Crooked is a deviation from, The Blue Letter Bible's understanding of the word... "to turn, turn around to turn one's self (i.e. to turn the back to one of one who no longer cares for another) metaph. to turn one's self from one's course of conduct, i.e. to change one's mind" Crooked people are not interested in people being converted into straight people. Anyone who is not straight is crooked. They have been robbed of their true sense of direction, lost God's hand of protection and invited His hand of correction. Pray for God to move and get out of the way.

This may explain why people who are opposed to the truth of God's word on any subject, are in desperate need of an adjustment. They are out of alignment, and if left uncorrected their temporary condition becomes permanently set. They are terminally handicapped by their rebellion to the straight way. Crooked people who refuse to realign their lives with "the teaching of the Lord" will be broken beyond repair. Paul declared on behalf of a righteous God, that the opposition fall under the hand of God. When God moved His hand, towards the opposition, it resulted in the opposition being exposed as a fraud, and a blind guide. Praying against opposition is not a matter of name-calling, but a matter of calling out to God, in the name of Jesus, under the influence of The Spirit.

The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right name. The most intolerant people are always calling for tolerance. The most elite are always calling for diversity. Why? They are crooked people. They are bent. They are deceived. They are blind. They are guided by the sound of their inner voice, but cannot recognize that they have become a dummy sitting in the lap of an evil ventriloquist, putting words in their mouth, and a hand in their back, leading them in the wrong direction. When he is done with them, they are put in a dark box. Don't listen to them. Paul declared war on the opposition, and asked a righteous God to declare Himself in agreement with His mission, to move people in the right direction. Elymas may not have felt the hand of God, as much as he felt God's thumb on him. Either way, it resulted in the proconsul being set free from his own blindness.

Pray for God's hand to move, in the name of Jesus and give the Holy Spirit some elbow room. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

Note to self: The proconsul was amazed at the teaching of the Lord. Make sure you don't miss the Grand Canyon of God's Word, by stopping short of His grandeur for a quick photo op at the sign. The sign always points to the Creator, not the paint brush. Preach and teach the Word.

The Joy

"And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit." Acts 13:52

My first experience with the word "joy" came at the birth of my little sister. My parents gave her the name, Joy Dawn. After two sons, a daughter brought them joy, indeed. She still does.

The word is difficult to define, but the absence of joy in a person's life leaves a hole in the soul that can only be filled by Jesus. The world thirsts for joy, but has substituted entertainment as the source for it. Drinking from the well of entertainment is like swallowing salt water. It creates more thirst, and never satisfies the deepest craving of the soul with joy.

Joy is the God-given, Spirit-filled, blood bought capacity of a believer in Jesus Christ to rise above the intimidation of the immediate. Joy places confidence in the promises of God, "I will never leave you, nor forsake you." It is not based on happenstance, or the need for good things to happen in order to be HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY. Apologies to the dudes of Duck Dynasty. I mean no disrespect.

Joy is a Spirit-driven response, from within the heart of a person who has had a heart transplant. At their conversion, they exchanged their fearful heart for a joyful heart. They put their trust in God, in the name of His Son, Jesus, and they received the Person of the Holy Spirit. From that moment on, the character of Jesus flows through them developing in them an awareness of the Father's love, and His capacity to care for His children...come what may.

Joy is the child-like quality that rests in The Father's ability to care for His own. It is based on His sterling reputation as a promise keeper. Praying to the Father, in the name of Jesus, keeps the intimacy of the relationship between Father and child clearly in mind. When crisis comes, rather than losing heart, or giving God a piece of their mind, The Spirit releases joy in their heart, and a genuine peace of mind.

"Prayer is the intimate communication between the Heavenly Father and His child." Don Miller, Father of Joy

Joy is the over-riding sense of well-being in the face of overwhelming circumstances or irritating people. Happiness is based on having things go "My Way." Joy is content to have things go "His Way." The joy is in the journey, and the journey is with Jesus. Joy looks into the eyes of Jesus to see if He is disturbed by what is happening around Him, and follows His lead.

Note to self: When Jesus panics. Feel free to panic. Until then, enjoy your walk with Him. What else have you got to do?

The disciples were filled with joy and the Holy Spirit. Note the combination. This is no coincidence. The lack of joy reflects emptiness. The presence of joy reflects fulness. Be filled with the Spirit is not a suggestion. It is a command. Joy comes in the morning, but why wait. Joy is as close as your next act of obedience. Be filled.

The disciples were filled with joy, in spite of the things that happened to them, not because of the things that happened to them. Look at the laundry list of grievances that the early disciples could have brought before God. They didn't turn the record of wrongs into a "Whine List." They turned it into a prayer list. Big difference.

Moaning and groaning through a list of wrongs rarely leads to joy. This is not praying. It is a form of complaining. The Spirit knows the difference. He is charged with interpreting your prayers to The Father. He is not running a "Complaint Department." Stop complaining. Start praying.

Praying leads to joy, when it reminds you that the company you keep is more important than the people who have rejected you. The early disciples were beaten, imprisoned, murdered, harassed, slandered, run out of town, and "filled with The Spirit." The result? JOY.

Joy is not a because of kind of emotion. It is an in spite of kind of perspective. Joy turns, "I can't believe they are doing this to ME", into "Jesus, I can't believe WE are going through this together." Joy doesn't pretend something doesn't hurt, or someone isn't offensive. On the contrary, it takes the hurt and the offense to Jesus, and walks with Him through the pain and the rejection, until confidence is restored in the face of the crisis.

Praying can deteriorate into whining, if it fails to lead to listening to the voice of Jesus. Praying improves your hearing. Listen when you pray, "WHAT IN THE WORLD IS HAPPENING?", and you will hear Jesus say, "I have overcome the world." Calm down. Kneel down. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!

The Mission

"And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had fulfilled their mission, taking along with them John, who was also called Mark." Acts 12:25

One of my favorite coffee cups has a cartoon of Moses returning from the mountain, carrying two tablets of stone. The caption, over one Hebrew standing next to his neighbor in the crowd states, "Oh, great. Another mission statement." I think that is hilarious. Spot on. Sad, but true.

The proliferation of and fixation on mission statements have done very little to fulfill the original mission statement of The Founder of the church. Jesus said, "Make Disciples!" It just doesn't get any clearer than that. Barnabas and Saul stayed on mission, and took John Mark with them to learn how it is done.

Jesus followed the Hebrew form of discipleship. It was built on relationship, and the development of character. The Greek form of discipleship was based on education and the accumulation of knowledge. Guess which path proves the most effective in the development of leaders?

Scriptural truth casts a dubious eye on the pursuit of education, as the sole source of enlightenment. Paul warned Timothy of posers who were..."Always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth." 2 Tim. 3:7

I have always been challenged by The Mission statement, "To Know Him, and To Make Him Known." My failure to carry it out is always rooted in my disconnection from Jesus, by pursuing information about Him. Seeking facts about Jesus is not the same thing as spending time with Him. Anyone who has ever logged a few intense semesters in seminary can serve as my expert witness on the veracity of that statement.

The Mission remains the same. MAKE DISCIPLES! The people who carry it out change, from generation to generation, but the mission statement is not up for review. The Mission is like a baton passed from one runner to the next. It doesn't have the capacity to change, but it does have the capacity to be dropped. Pass it. Don't change it. Never drop it.

Potential disciples will disappoint you. Some just don't make the cut. Others take more time than others to bear fruit. Barnabas and Saul would disagree, when they inspected John Mark's fruit. Their disagreement led to the dissolving of their partnership. Paul joined Silas and stayed on mission. Barnabas took John Mark under his wing, and developed a disciple. Years later Paul would write to Timothy, his younger disciple...

"Make every effort to come to me soon...Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service." 2 Timothy 4:9,11

The result? The team changed, but The Mission was not dropped. It was passed on. Jesus was made known, and disciples were made. This is the end game.

The Mission is not so much about collecting a crowd of listeners, as much as the developing the character of disciples. Many churches base their strength and health, solely on the average number of people who attend their services on Sunday. Could be true. But....

Note to self: Stop it! If you think this is a sign of excellence, you deserve to be operated on by a surgeon who showed up for class, but never did his homework. Stop it!

The Mission is MAKE DISCIPLES. Disciples have the character of Jesus. This takes time, and it is developed in the climate of prayer. Churches or Christians that grow over night into sensational expressions of a movement of God should be inspected carefully. Look at The Root and The Fruit. Anyone who is rooted in Jesus will bear His fruit.

Note to self #2: Anything that grows over night in your yard is usually a weed.

The Mission is about character, not crowds. The Holy Spirit is on a mission to knock YOU out of YOU, so YOU can be filled with JESUS. This is why discipleship begins in YOU, but it ends in the death of YOU. To get over yourself, YOU must die to self, and be filled with The Spirit.

The Holy Spirit releases the character of Jesus in disciples, and convicts them of any sin that keeps them from staying on their personal mission of being conformed to the character of Christ. Abiding in Him, leads to being like Him, not just knowing about Him.

A disciple looks and acts like Jesus. Squeeze a disciple and Jesus comes out. Squeeze next to a person in a pew, or sit in their favorite spot, and you will find out what a church member does when they are put under pressure. Big difference.

Telling someone about this process is easier than living it out in front of them. Discipleship can get pretty messy. Developing character is not done in the classroom. It requires homework, and there is a lot of lab work, with few failed experiments and explosions along the way.

My life verse is my guiding light in my own, on-going mission of being conformed to the image of Christ, and leading others to be His disciples. It will take a life-time.

"For I am confident of this very thing. That He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus." Philippians 1:6

The Mission was birthed in intercession. Jesus prayed for His will to be conformed to The Father's will. The Mission is sustained and maintained through intercession. Paul prayed for his disciples, "always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all." Philippians 1:4

The Mission requires that we should do no less, than Jesus, and no more than Paul. Make Disciples. TALK LESS! PRAY MORE!