Why We Exist

I made a phone call the other day, kind of out of the blue.  Something in me wanted to call a man that I had spoken to in the past about some business.  As the conversation went on, I knew that the call was much more than business.  It was clear that he was struggling with some things and needed some prayer.  I’m always reluctant to ask someone if I can pray for them, especially if I’m unsure of how they’ll respond.  This was true in this case.   Although I’m a pastor, I’m not this man’s pastor and I’m not even certain that he goes to church.

How many times do we miss the opportunity to reach out with the love of God, so consumed with our own lives and our own plans that the people right in front of us is invisible?  I think this is so true of many of us in the church.  We look at the blessings of being a Christian without understanding that we are blessed to be a blessing.  It’s really why we exist as followers of Christ- why the church exits in the world.

Someone once said that the church is the only organization that exists for those who aren’t members of it.  I like that quote…but I need to live it out more.  To be outward focused instead of inward focused is more than a matter of self-discipline.  It takes a constant remembering of where we came from and how God brought others into our lives when we were not following Him.  It’s how God came to us in the form of another person- to bring life.

The Christmas story speaks to us about God being “incarnate” in Christ; meaning God became man in order to relate to us and reach us on our level.  “He came to his own, but his own did not receive Him.  Yet to all who did receive Him, he gave the right to become children of God-” (Jn 1:11-12)  Incarnation didn’t stop with Jesus.  The church and those who are members of it, need to continue the process of restoring the broken, completing the task of Jesus.  Until we return to this mission, we will just be living our faith for ourselves alone.  And eventually that becomes a real drag!

It’s so easy to focus inward and miss the bigger picture of the world around us.  Like a light that is under a bushel, it makes no difference, shines in a very limited space, and even has the potential for internal combustion causing pain and damage.  But when we are engaged with the community that God has called us to reach, light shines so that the world may see our good deeds and praise the Father in heaven.

I’ve missed it so many times, but I’m grateful I made that phone call the other day.  Even though I believed I was calling for one thing (something that was about me), I obeyed the Holy Spirit who loves to draw people to Jesus.  God offers us many opportunities, and this is the season for giving, so let’s be a “go church”- a people that look outward not inward. This is why we exist!  We’ll be talking more about it beginning this Sunday in our new series: Them.  http://www.gccnh.com

-Peter

Wisdom or Consequences

There are two schools in life, two teachers that can direct our decisions and our paths- Wisdom or Consequences.

Wisdom comes with a price for you have to be willing to learn and hear from God’s Word and seek out the counsel of others.  Sometimes this is painful, because there may be the need to pull back from what you were planning, or say no to your will.  It is always an intentional thing to pursue wisdom, and a humble thing to admit that you don’t have enough of it on your own.  The school of wisdom is available to anyone, but not many choose it.  Proverbs 1:20 says that “Wisdom calls aloud in the street, she raises her voice in the public squares…”  Yet, the simple love their simple ways, the foolish persist in their foolishness.  Why?  Because it’s much easier to keep doing what we’re doing, even if we’re getting lousy results.  Wisdom’s school has a high tuition fee- it’s called obedience.

Consequences on the other hand, has no enrollment fee.  In fact, if you don’t enroll in Wisdom, by default you get consequences.  How many times have you heard someone say that they want to make their own mistakes, they want to learn by experience?  Even I have said that.  The only problem with this way of thinking is that I am learning the hard way and eventually I am paying a price for it in the end.  That’s the deceptiveness of going to the school of consequences.

We recently went through a series at our church http://www.gccnh.com that helped us learn how to make good decisions and minimize mistakes.  We talked about the three legs of a stool being like an analogy to help us in this process: 1- The Word of God, 2- The leading of the Holy Spirit, 3- The godly counsel of others.  All of this is good information, but unless it’s applied truth, we still will go to the school of consequences.

Some people think God will just bail them out of bad choices or rescue them from the wrong path.  In fact, the Bible teaches us that whatever we sow, we will reap.  So, to say that I can do what I want and then “everything will work together for good in the end,” is not only a misinterpretation of the Bible, but it’s remaining simple and foolish in our thinking.  If God is so willing to show us the right way, to give us wisdom, let’s take it.  Not only will we grow and avoid mistakes, but we’ll be able to help others with the wisdom that God gives to us.

Wisdom or Consequences?

Bills or Seeds?

One of my least favorite things to do is to pay bills.  It used to be so much harder with paper and stamps and handwritten checks.  Now it’s relatively easy being able to pay on-line, get bills electronically, and balance my account through some amazing software.  But, it’s not the process that’s hard, it’s the idea of releasing what is sitting in my hands and in my account- the idea of paying is hard.

I haven’t always been a giver, but over the last 20 years or so, I’ve learned how to faithfully put God first in my finances.  One thing that I do every week is set aside an amount in keeping with my income and give it to the church that I call home.  This is different than writing out a check for the water bill or to the doctors office.  In those cases, I know I owe the money for the services I’ve received, but still it’s painful.  When a credit card statement comes and I go through the detailed list knowing that I made the charges, it still doesn’t make me feel any better paying them.

Some people look at giving to their church as a bill.  I’ve actually heard people say that they need to “pay God” first, before everything else.  I remember a preacher who didn’t believe that.  He said that giving to God was not a “debt we owe- but a seed we sow.”  He talked about giving to the Lord as something joyful and filled with hope and expectation.  A generous person know the difference between paying bills and being a blessing with the resources we have.  They are focused on how they give and realize that they are not giving because they owe it to someone, but because God can do something greater with what they have then they can.

I believe the best way to see God work in our finances is by releasing them to Him.  If I am trying to manage everything I have and there is no room for generosity and giving, then I am being ruled by money. If, on the other hand, I give to God obediently, joyfully, and faithfully then bill paying is not as much a burden as a real part of seeing God move and provide for me.  I think that’s what the prophet Malachi meant when he challenged the people to “test God” in the tithe.  It’s about putting the Lord first in our finances, meaning we aren’t overcome by how much or how little we have.  Seeds that are sown always bring a harvest, while seeds that are eaten only satisfy for a meal or two.

Next time the offering plate comes by, or an opportunity to give generously to a godly cause comes your way- think of it not as a bill, but as a seed you are sowing in the lives of others.  Unlike a check you are writing for something you already used or bought or are making a payment on- this act of giving has no strings attached.  It’s just good, pure, joyful release!

-Peter

An Alumni

I brought my oldest son to college a few weeks ago.  It happens to be where my wife and I graduated from (Oral Roberts University- www.oru.edu).  Quite an experience really-unbelievable really!  The part that got me most was thinking about how fast time has gone by.  I remember my son as an infant and toddler, so to see him now as an undergrad is mind boggling.

We did all the things that new student orientation offered- meetings, moving in the dorm, meeting other parents, and saying goodbye. As an alumni, I also wanted to get a feel for the kind of students that were coming to the school these days.  I was really impressed with their desire to hear from God and their passion to figure out His purpose for their lives.

As I sat around one of the cafeteria tables talking to them and sharing some of my college experiences, one of them asked when I graduated.  That’s when it hit me.  I’m not only an alumni- I’m old.  I stopped myself when I was about to say it.  “I graduated in 1984, that was twenty-five…….!!!” Twenty-five years ago!  That was before any of them were born, that was beyond their comprehension.  Where has the time gone?  Fortunately, these students were very gracious Christian kids.  They didn’t laugh or make comments regarding my age, they just smiled and thought the things they could say.

I am an alumni and I am happy that my son is off to college.  But, I am also coming to grasp with the fact that time flies and youth is not something we can hold onto.  Fortunately, I still feel young (although my kids remind me that it’s not cool to act like I’m younger than I am).  Aging is not a bad thing…really, it isn’t, I keep on telling myself.  In fact God says that there is a blessing of wisdom that is upon those who have aged by following His Word and learning along the way.

So, let life come, let time come, let my kids grow up and my hair fall out (slowly please)…and let me be able to say like the writer of the Psalms- I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread. I pray that you will age gracefully and become an alumnus of God’s school of study.

-Peter

No Wonder Why He Wept

I’ve been reading the prophet Jeremiah for several weeks now.  Honestly, I haven’t wanted to.  Who wants to hear of God’s disappointment and impending discipline on a people who should have known better?  But, I have learned a lot along the way.  Jeremiah, also known as the weeping prophet, has been a good teacher.

I’ve learned that instead of going forward- toward God, we all have a tendency to go backward and follow the stubborn inclinations of our own heart.  I’ve learned that our own heart deceives us even though we think it’s so reliable.  I’ve learned that we are more prone to hear what we want, even when the words are opposed to God’s.  I’ve learned that we can stray if we don’t set up clear road signs and guide posts along the way.  And, most disturbingly, I’ve learned that God seems to have His limits.

Now, I know that the book of Jeremiah is written to a people who are brought into captivity because of their reckless and wayward ways.  That they have been warned time and time again to turn back to the truth and they persist on going their own way.  I also know that this is Old Testament, old covenant stuff.  Jesus hasn’t come yet and grace, although present, is not fully demonstrated through the cross.

How would you like to be the guy having to tell God’s people to straighten up, or else?  Jeremiah wept at the thought of God’s people being taken captive.  I’m sure he also had a difficult time reminding them that this wouldn’t be a quick fix, but would last seventy years.  No wonder why he wept.

Today, I am pondering what it is like having to encourage, warn and rebuke.  This is not just an Old Testament, old covenant, idea.  It says in 2 Timothy 4:2, Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. This is for today, under grace and in love.  Yet, it does make me weep.  Maybe I’m sad for myself, knowing that when I bring about words like this, I’m liable to be rejected just like Jeremiah was.  But, more than that, I am saddened by the response of His people that brush away the Word of the Lord to return to Him.

“Walk in obedience that it may go well with you,” Jeremiah said. “But they did not listen or pay attention, instead they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.  They went backward and not forward.”  I’m preaching a series called Follow…and I need to do just that.  But, I’m not alone and I’m calling others to come along- going forward and not backward.  It really does make more sense to follow Him!

-Peter

Human Disappointment and Rain

“Elijah was a human being, even as we are.  He prayed earnestly that it would not rain….” (James 5:17) Wow can I relate to this!  In Elijah’s case it had to do with God bringing both blessing and punishment on Israel for their wacky ways under the leadership of King Ahab.  For me, it has to do with “enough rain already!”  Like Elijah, I know the human frailties of my personality, the bouts of feeling down when the clouds are gray, and the desperation of “God, where are you!”

Last week my wife’s family all came out to New England to spend a wonderful week on a lake in Maine.  And, needless to say, we had these expectations of sunny skies and warm weather.  Instead, we got rain nearly every day and cold temps.  My humanness was very disappointed.  I had expectations and God didn’t deliver on them.  Considering this was the first time that the entire family came from the Midwest to spend a well planned out week- a family reunion…couldn’t God stop the rain and send the sun?  What’s up with that?  After all I do for God as a pastor and as a faithful follower, shouldn’t it just work out the way my wife and I want it to?  [Oh, by the way, to make matters seem a little more discouraging, I ended up in the ER with a Kidney stone midweek.  Fun, huh?]

Actually, realistically, looking back- it was one of the best weeks we have had in a long time.  We still enjoyed the lake, the beautiful lake homes we had rented, and mos of all- we enjoyed one another.  It was a blessing to be together and talk and eat and pray together.  The kids and adults hung out and played and rested and laughed.  There was one very special night when we gathered together to talk about mom, who went to be with the Lord about a year ago.  I have a feeling that she made sure we spent lots of time together last week.  It was what she loved.

We made memories- great memories.  The rain could not damper the love that was in that place all week.

Lots of times when people refer to this Scripture in James 5, they take it from the perspective that even though we are only human, we have this incredible authority to use the name of Jesus to get whatever we want.  “We can pray that the rain stops, and it will,”  is the thought.  Maybe not.  Maybe the real point is that like Elijah, we are human beings who serve a God that knows exactly what it is we really need.  They needed famine back then, because God had to get their attention.  Even Elijah needed the course correction of God out on the mountain when He met with him.

Last week, our family needed each other- rain or shine.  And thank God we received this blessing from Him.

Clear Thinking

We are about to break new ground.  This evening, in fact, the church that I am honored to pastor will embark on a new journey building a youth center to be a blessing to the community.  We’ve never been a people to hold tightly to buildings or facilities, but we do have a responsibility to say yes to God, even in the everyday material things of life.

Proverbs 4:18 says that the path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining brighter and brighter till the full light of day. In other words, the more you walk it- the more clear it will become.  Several months ago our plans and our budget for this facility were bigger.  As we walked it out, sought godly counsel, prayed together and planned together- God scaled us back.  [Even when God turns our corners and readjusts our original thinking, we must say yes to Him!]

Vision must be progressive, not stagnant, otherwise we become stubborn and resistant to change.  This is not only true in the scaling back of our building design…but it is even more true in the re-adjusting and tweaking that the Lord does in us.  I can’t tell you how many times the direction that I was going, which was clearly given by the Lord, changed.  It’s as though God Himself changed his mind about things.  I think He should have that perogative, considering He knows the beginning from the end.  That’s a concept that we aren’t too comfortable with, but if we were to think about it honestly, He’s probably not so much changing His mind as changing His timing and ufolding things in a fuller dimension.

I just got back from Rwanda.  The time frame and schedule in Africa is quite different from what I am used to.  Hakuna Matata is not just a Disney song from The Lion King, but a Swahli expression meaning “no worries.”  It’s also a way of life for folks in Rwanda.  We worry because our plans are laid out and ready to execute.  They don’t worry because they have accepted the fact that plans, in and of themselves, are not the thing.  African people find it much easier to walk the path of each day, believing that the plan will reveal itself as it goes on.

Clear thinking is the result of waiting and trusting and obeying- even when obedience means uncertainty and change.  After all, it’s not just about me, but about what God wants to do in and through me.  I’m excited to see what’s around the bend.

Faces Like Flint

There is saying that is not used that much anymore, but perhaps it should be.  “Keep your chin up!”  I don’t know if it’s old fashioned or if it just seems impossible in the face of life’s challenges, and so we just don’t say it anymore.  I like it better than “hang in there” because that sounds kind of desperate- like your barely hanging on and hoping that somehow you don’t let go and end up at the bottom of a canyon somewhere.

There’s also a statement that the prophet Isaiah made thousands of years ago that resembles this encouraging word that we rarely use today.  After realizing that the Lord’s call is upon him, not only to follow God but to be used as a source of encouragement to the people, he reflects on how to sustain himself.  He says,

Because the Sovereign LORD helps me,
I will not be disgraced.
Therefore have I set my face like flint,
and I know I will not be put to shame.

I have set my face like flint. That’s even less likely of a saying to be used today than “keep your chin up,” but it basically means the same thing.  Isaiah was saying that he wouldn’t be moved or discouraged or become weary with the way things were going, the way people may have treated him, or even with his calling.  Do I set my face like flint?  Am I able to have the kind of resolve that is hopeful even when things seem kind of hopeless.

This really speaks to those of us that are not only trying to keep our own chins up but are trying to encourage others to do the same.   It’s the very context of Isaiah’s words that have profound meaning.  You see, he’s been commissioned by God to speak words to “sustain the weary.”  It can truly become wearisome if the ones we are trying to bring hope to just don’t want it.  And yet, we can’t stop.  We have to set our faces like flint and be an encourager no matter what.

I feel compelled to do that for anyone who is reading this.  Stay strong!  Don’t give up! Keep your chin up! Look right into the storm and set your face like flint! It won’t be long until you see the answer to your prayer come to pass and it can be as soon as this moment when you sense the hope of God even during the waiting.

-peter

Chariots and Horses

This morning I was reminded of a statement made by a King.  He wasn’t a perfect King, although we are told that he really had a heart for God.  David had his share of ups and downs; sin and holiness.  There were days when the Lord was first in his life and days when he became complacent.  He was a king, a leader, a man who knew that the only reason he had such a position was because God chose Him.

I wish that all of the leaders I know had this kind of an attitude.  First of all, that they understood that they were only human and subject to weakness, failure and mistakes.  This is a key to having integrity, for as soon as a leaders (spiritual or political leaders) become filled with pride, they set themselves and those who they lead up for a fall.  I see this happening in the state of New Hampshire where I live.

Same Sex marriage is a huge issue in our state right now and those who lead us in the house and senate are making nonsense decisions.  They are pandering to uncommon sense arguments and taking on attitudes of arrogance and pride.  I even had one senator tell me that she was going to vote in opposition to Same Sex marriage, only to do the opposite.  Somehow our leaders think that they are not serving people anymore, and that they don’t necessarily have to have integrity or be people of their word.

David made this statement, “Some trust in chariots and horses, but we will trust in the name of the Lord our God.”  In saying that, he was saying that he understood that we can all get caught up in personal power.  If there was anyone who had the chariots and horses to lean upon, it was King David.  He built Israel’s army and saw his share of great military victories.  I imagine that the thing that kept him from swaying too far from God was reminding himself of the early days.  He knew what it was to see God’s hand defeat the lion and the bear and the giant Goliath.  He didn’t take on an arrogant attitude.

Chariots and horses will come and go, but God’s name will stand forever.  I want to be the kind of leader that does not pander to opinion and does not take on personal power.  I’m grateful for grace, because I have failed in this at times.  In saying that, I also want to hold other leaders accountable for riding on their own chariots and horses without regard to God’s will.   We should do that by praying for them and speaking the truth in love.  You have permission to do that to me as well!

-Peter

In The Waiting Room

Depending on where you are in life, waiting is either an inconvenience or an annoyance.  To me, it’s mostly a waste of time.  I was reading somewhere about how many hours and days and months we wait in lines or are on hold on phone calls.  A few weeks ago, we went to a theme park and I think our kids were permanently cured of wanting to go back- the lines were terrible.  90 minutes for a 60 second ride.  If you put that in dollars it would be like paying $90,000 for something worth $1,000.  What a waste!

Yet, all of us know that there are some things that are really worth waiting for.  Our three children are perfect examples.  In addition to the time leading up to their conception, they had another nine months in the womb and then labor.  We waited and it was well worth it!  Some of you ladies out there may question the waiting involved in the labor pains, but I hear that moms usually forget the pain enough to have more children.  So, if this is true, the waiting and the pain were both worth it.

One of the things that I have been thinking a lot about lately is how God tells us to wait.  Through the prophet Isaiah, He says that when we “wait upon the Lord, we renew our strength.”  I think many of us don’t know how to do this.  There’s no ticket line or hold button with God.  It’s not like someone is on a recording saying “your wait time will be between five and ten minutes.”  I’d like that if there were!  Instead, we are encourage to wait and be renewed with His strength.  It’s in the waiting that there is renewal- not in the fulfillment of the waiting.

Jesus told his disciples to wait for the Holy Spirit to come to them.  This was as He was making his great departure after the resurrection.  He gave them instructions to go into an upper room- a waiting room- and wait.  What must that have been like?  I’m sure they thought, “for how long?”  and “how will we know when it’s time?”   Whatever they thought, they obeyed- they waited and the Holy Spirit showed up in a way that was undeniable.  Each of them recieved a touch of God that they had never expereinced before for this was a personal meeting and filling of God’s spirit into them.  The waiting paid off because God never disappoints.

I wonder if we are more willing to wait for a table at a restaruant than we are willing to wait for God’s Spirit to show up?  Could it be that we get less antsy in a waiting room where our car is being fixed (which is exactly where I am as I write these words on my laptop) than when being still and silent before God?  I need to get better at waiting upon the Lord and waiting in His waiting room.

In this season of difficulty and uncertainty in our nation, followers of Christ can truly become a light to the world by learning the secret of waiting with faith and hope and patience.  This kind of waiting brings no sorrow to it and never disappoints us.  Come Holy Spirit!

-peter