An Open Door - Part Four

In the taking the gospel to the nations or across the street to our neighbors, the Holy Spirit is absolutely indispensable. To this statement, most Christians would agree. Yet the sad reality is that for many believers the Holy Spirit plays no active role it their conscious experience. This was not true in the early church. The early church knew the power of prayer and their desperate need for the Holy Spirit to empower and direct their efforts.

Take Acts 13:1-4 for example. The believers in Antioch was worshiping the Lord and fasting. While they were doing this the Holy Spirit spoke to them. The Spirit told them to set apart Saul (Paul) and Barnabas for a specific missionary task. There is no indication here that the church was holding a "brainstorming" session or had called in missions experts to give them counsel. No, the Holy Spirit spoke and they obeyed. It was as simple as that.

Or look at Acts 16:1-10. Paul is traveling from town to town strengthening the churches. They are experiencing daily growth. Notice Acts 16:6. They were going to go to the Roman province of Asia, but the Holy Spirit kept them from doing so. Look at that again. Paul, one of the greatest missionaries the church has known, wanted to go to Asia, but the Holy Spirit prevented him from going. Paul knew the work of the Holy Spirit as a living reality in his life.

They kept traveling, and tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. Now here is something new. In verse 7 the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Jesus. It is important to remember that the Holy Spirit is co-eternal and co-existent with the Father and the Son. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus.

Let's link these lessons together.

1. Jesus calls us to follow him and he will cause us to be fishers of men.
2. Jesus teaches that if we find ourselves in a position of being unable to meet the needs of others we are to seek God and he will provide what we need to serve others.
3. Jesus teaches that what God will give us is the Holy Spirit. He tells his followers to wait until they the Holy Spirit comes on them before they begin making disciples.
4. The Holy Spirit that leads and empowers the disciples in the book of Acts is nothing less than the Spirit of Jesus.

Therefore, the our task is the same task as the disciples: Follow Jesus and he will make us fishers of men. Only now, instead of following Jesus' physical presence, we follow the Spirit of Jesus...the Holy Spirit. As Paul puts it in Galatians 5:25: "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." We are to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit just as Simon and Andrew followed Jesus.

Again, have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?

An Open Door - Part Three

Yesterday we talked about how inadequate we can feel about reaching others for Christ. Jesus said we would become "fishers of men" yet we can feel like we've never seen water, much less a fishing pole! We discovered that Jesus tells us that we can go to God and that by persistent prayer we can obtain what we need to meet the needs we see around us. Of course, the greatest need people have is to develop a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

Let's look again at the passage we looked at yesterday, but continue on until verse 13 (Luke 11:5-13). After telling the story about the friend who had a guest arrive late at night, Jesus assures us that if we ask, seek and knock we will receive what we need.

But Jesus knows our hearts. He knows that as we contemplate this story our experience with sinful human nature tells us that we need to be wary. Having awakened our friend in the middle of the night pleading for bread, just what might be in the sack that he handed us? Could the bread be stale and moldy? Might the apples have worms in them? What might we put in the sack in similar circumstances?

Jesus assures us, "If your child asks for a fish, would you give him a snake? If he asks for an egg, would you give them a scorpion?" Of course not. His conclusion: If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Isn't it fascinating that the Lord, after talking about a man with nothing to set in front of his guests, tells a story about how the Father will give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him? He later goes on to tell his disciples that "they shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you and you shall be witness..." (Acts 1:8).

The Holy Spirit is absolutely vital in accomplishing the Great Commission. Unfortunately, there are many Christians who know nothing of the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The Holy Spirit is at best an abstract theological concept rather than a living reality in their lives. To the question "Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed?" they must honestly answer "No." (Acts 19:1-7).

What about you? Have you received the Holy Spirit? This filling of the Spirit was so important that Jesus told his disciples not go "fishing for men" until they had received it (Acts 1:4-5). Do you know the reality of the Spirit in your life? Can you honestly say that you are filled with the Holy Spirit...that you are under his control and influence?

If not, then ask, seek and knock until the door has been open and you receive what you need to be able to spread before your guests what they truly need.

An Open Door - Day Two

As this week begins, you may wonder where this is going to lead you. As you look at the people you know, some of them seem far from God and reaching them for Christ seems impossible. As you ponder the Great Commission and the responsibility of taking the gospel to the difficult places like Japan or other difficult countreis, the despair seems to grow within you. How is it possible to accomplish such a task?

Let's take a look at Luke 11:5-8. Jesus tells the story of a man whose friend is knocking on the door in the middle of the night, asking for bread. The man is inconvienced, even irritated, by the request. Yet because of the the friends's boldness, the man gets up and gives him what he needs.

Notice three things about the story. First, the friend was not asking for himself. He had unexpected late-arriving guests who needed to be fed. This was not a selfish request. It was the request of a friend desperate to meet the needs of others. He was not asking for himself. He was simply in the position of desiring to help others and lacked the means to do so.

Second, notice that the friend instinctively knew the place to get what he needed. He knew, that though it was the middle of the night, if he asked he would receive what he needed from his friend. He knew that his friend would have abundant resources to meet the need.

Third, he wouldn't take no for an answer. The Bible says, "though he wouldn't get up because he is his friend, because of his boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs." The Greek word translated "boldness" carries with it the idea of shamelessness or audacity. He came at a time when everyone was in bed and he kept pounding on the door until he received what he needed to meet the needs of his guests.

Does this sound familiar? Surrounded by people needing the bread of life, we wonder "how can I possibly meet these needs? I have nothing to set before them!" We have a friend who has more than adequate resources. What we really need is the boldness and audacity to pound on the door until it opens and we receive what is necessary to meet the needs.

What conclusion did Jesus draw from this parable?

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks the door will be opened."

Are you asking? Will you ask, seek and knock until you have received what you need to meet the needs of others?

An Open Door - Day One

The theme of this year's missions conference is the Open Door. This series of blog entries will help you take to heart the message of the conference and put it to practice in your own life.

Let's start by looking at Mark 1:16-17. It is a familiar story. Simon and Andrew are fishing, using large nets in the Sea of Galilee. Jesus, walking along the shore, beckons them and calls, "Come on! Come follow me...I'll make you fishers of men!" The Bible adds, "at once, they left their nets and followed him."

Jesus is calling again to day. He's beckoning you to join him in the adventure of a lifetime.

I want you to ponder a several things. First, Jesus was interested in a relationship with them. He is interested in a relationship with you. He is inviting you to join him. He knows all about you: your gifts, your fears, your sins and your situation. Still, he calls you into a relationship with him. This isn't about joining a church, or becoming more "religious", whatever that means. Its about accepting an invitation to "do life" with Jesus.

Second, Jesus promises that something else is going to happen: they will become fishers of men. Jesus is going to change their priorities. No longer will they be working to bring fish into the boat. Instead, they will be working to bring people into the Kingdom of God. Jesus is going to take their relatively mundane lives and transform them into something powerful. Their lives will have an eternal impact. Jesus wants to do the same thing in our lives.

Finally, Simon and Andrew were forced to make a decision. They had to decide whether they would follow Jesus or not. I suppose that it would have been possible for Jesus to sit down with them and spend some time letting them get to know him and talking to them about how this whole "fishers of men" thing was going to work. Or perhaps the view of some scholars that Simon and Andrew had met and talked to Jesus before the encounter at the Sea of Galilee is right. In that case, they already knew something about Jesus and fishing for men. In the same way, Jesus might allow us to get to know him and to learn something about "fishing for men" by going to church, attending Bible studies, or reading this blog article.

But there is a time when Jesus will start walking (Mark 1:19, 21). Then we will be faced, like Simon and Andrew were, with the decision of whether we are going to follow him or not.

The time will come when we have to decide whether this "Jesus thing" is actually going to affect how we live. Will we leave our nets to follow him? Where is he going? If we follow him, where will he lead us? Jesus didn't tell them. And he doesn't tell us. He simply promises to be we with us as we become fishers of men...fishing among all the nations of the earth (Matt. 28:29-20).

Are you willing to follow him?

I'd Rather Cancel Christmas...

Each fall as the Missions Conference rolls around I stand in front of the church say something like, "I enjoy the missions conference so much that if I had to choose between Christmas and the missions conference, it wouldn't even be close. The missions conference would win by a mile." I've never really explained why that is so. It goes way beyond the over-commericalization of Christmas.

At its best, Christmas is a time to reflect on one of the most incredible events in all of human history. The fact that God became a man and made his dwelling among us is worth contemplating and celebrating. The incarnation is one of the most central parts of the Christian faith. Without the incarnation there would be no cross, no resurrection, no forgiveness of sin, no reconciliation with the Father. It is worth remembering in a special way.

The missions conference, on the other hand is not about the past at all. It is about what God is doing today...in our day. Whatever part of the world we focus on in our missions conference, exciting things are happening. Missionaries are knocking with increasing fervency on doors long closed. Other doors are beginning to open for the very first time. Still others are wide open and multitudes are flooding into the Kingdom. Other doors have been open so long that new missionaries are flooding out of those countries, carrying the good news around the globe. This is worth learning about and celebrating! But that's not the real reason I prefer the missions conference to Christmas.

As much as I enjoy contemplating the incarnation at Christmas, my deepest longing is to see Jesus face to face. My greatest hunger is for HIM. He himself told us that "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to the nations, and then the end will come." You see, with every new people reached, every new church planted where there was no church, every soul gathered, we are just that much closer to seeing Him. The missionary effort paves the way for his return. The missions conference is about what God is doing now to prepare for that day.

As much as I cherish his first coming, my greater desire is for his second coming. On that day my greatest longing will be fulfilled, for I will see Him. THAT is the reason I prefer the missions conference to Christmas.

An Outward Focused Week

This week is one of those weeks where the "outwardness" of our church was on display. Let me mention a few things:

• Sunday afternoon our team returned from Mexico. Thirteen youth and five adults spent a week in Reynosa ministering alongside the Alliance church there. They arrived, sleepy and tired after spending thirty hours on the bus. As usual, Joel Nelson's Harvest Ministries did a great job lining up ministry opporunities including a VBS, youth jail ministry, construction, evangelistic Bible studies and more. The stories the team shared are incredible!
• Also Sunday afternoon we learned of tragedy. Nathan Junker, the son of Grand Rapids Alliance pastor Randy drowned on Pokegama trying to rescue a struggling youth. Three women from NAC have volunteered to help with the nursery duties for the visitation and funeral.
• Wednesday evening we hosted A Night of Prayer for Missions. Approximately 60 people attended from several churches. The NAC team outdid themselves in preparing materials for prayer and crepes to fuel it!
  
• Friday night we are allowing people to park in our lot to watch the fireworks. More than a dozen people have volunteered to help with parking and pass out tracts and information about the church.
• Saturday's parade will feature a float and clowns from NAC.
  
• All this on top of ending a week and a half of non-stop prayer in the prayer room! We have some people who simply "make it happen."

Needless to say, I continue to be amazed by God and the wonderful people here at Nashwauk Alliance. In fact, writing an short post about this week is scary, because I don't want to leave anything out and I KNOW that this is just the tip of the iceberg.

We are the Body

This past Sunday at church we continued on through our journey of Romans.

Romans 12:3-8

Do you use the gifts that the Lord has given to you? Are there gifts He has given you and you don't even know are there. Perhaps the gift of teaching -- have you ever tried? Perhaps the gift of encouragement -- have you encouraged someone today. Read Romans 12:3-8. Pray and ask God to show you gifts that you have that you might not be using to their fullest. Ask him to give you opportunities to use your gifts!