Thoughts On Awakening

Awakening is defined as...an act or moment of becoming suddenly aware of something. This is a word not used as much today in our language, but one that could use some recapturing. When we use this word in a church context, it describes a move of God, initiated by Him in the life of his people where they move from a place of either apathy, complacency, or even sinfulness. As God breaks into the lives of His people, they are awakened to the glory of His Name and Word and desire to adjust everything in their lives in line with Who He Is and What He Says.

When I was around the church several decades ago we used to have conferences either in the fall or Spring and we call them called "Revivals".  I do not want to be critical of them for I have fond memories of some of those gatherings, but I thought it then and think it still think it today - You cannot "calendar" a revival for only God can bring about the Awakening that is needed.

In looking at Scripture and in history though, there are definitive things that are present when God moves and raises the church from its slumber.  So what are some of these things that are present before and as a moment begins among Christ-followers. Currently at the church I pastor, we are walking through the book of Jonah.  While Jonah had some real spiritual issues, there were also moments where I want to be like him.  

From the belly of the Fish to landing on the shore out the mouth of the Great Fish and begins his way finally to Nineveh, those initial steps from those 3 places reveal some critical pieces that are present as a move of God begins. Again, these cannot be scheduled for they happen through God's revelation and initiation in the lives of His people. 

Let me note them here...

The Necessary Steps - Jonah 3:1-4

Jonah 3:1 Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 

2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it the message that I tell you.” 3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the 

Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

These are the necessary steps before God often does something big like rescuing a city.

(1) A Move of God Starts with Christ-followers Getting Right

1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18 And “If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?” 

In the belly of the fish God has gotten Jonah's attention and Jonah things get right with God. Before anything was going to happen in Nineveh, God's messenger needed an awakening and heart change.  Jonah needed to deal with his sin before God before he would be ready to bring any kind of message to the pagan city of Nineveh.   

(2) Word of God Comes Fresh in Power– 3:1a

Jonah 3:1a Then the Word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time”

God comes again a second time to Jonah and the Word is a bit different this time as God tells him that Jonah will only be allowed to speak what God tells him to say. The first time he was told to go and call out against Nineveh. 

When awakening has come throughout history, the Word of God come fresh in power to those awakened.  Here is an example from the Old Testament that show the passion the returned exiles had as they stood listening to the Word of God. 

Ezra 8:1And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. And they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses that the Lord had commanded Israel. 2 So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, both men and women and all who could understand what they heard, 

on the first day of the seventh month. 3 And he read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of the men and the women and those who could understand. And the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law. 

(3) Move Forward in Holy Obedience– 3:2a

Jonah 3:2a“Arise”

Jonah is to move forward from the shore in obedience so when God tells him to get up and it is more than just a physical calling, but he is to get up from his messy life and move forward into God’s purposes. This is a starting over for he has been broken down to be ready to get up and be used by God. Our faith is not to be an idle faith, but active.

Every move of God reveals a deep desire for walking in holiness as those people move deeper into God's purposes.

(4) Align Our Heart with God’s Mission– 3:2ab

Jonah 3:2b go to Nineveh, that great city, 

Through Jonah’s restoration will now become the vessel in which God is going to bring salvation to the city of Nineveh. Before, Jonah did not want to go so he ran - now he aligns his heart with God's desire to see Nineveh repent of its sin. 

His heart is aligned with going and carrying forth the purpose of God in Him. 

(5) Simplify Life to the Mission of God– 3:2c

Jonah 3:2cand call out against it the message that I tell you.”

Jonah 3:3 So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. 

 He was not to come up with his own words, but the exact Words from God and he is to be completely obedient to preach what he is given. By the way – this is still the case. Sermons and Messages are not to be grounded in a speaker’s thoughts but a faithful explanation of what has already been said by God.

If you read about the great moves of God throughout history, one of the marks of those who have been awakened in that move, is that the people completely adjust their lives to God’s ways. They get rid of things and simplify life to a single-minded pursuit. They take an inventory and simplify their lives to practice the disciplines of the faith over anything else.

(5) Unashamed Confidence Embracing the Risk of the Gospel– 3:3-4

Jonah 3:3So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh,according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days' journey in breadth. 4 Jonah began to go into the city, going a day's journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” 

Q: How long did this journey take Jonah? Well, we are not told on what shore he landed on so we can only guess. If it was back at Joppa, then we can have an idea from there and to me it makes sense this may be where he was put back on land – the very place he decided to flee from.

Joppa is the current city Jaffa, which is near Tel Aviv, and if this is where he landed then it is around 711 miles from Joppa to Nineveh and that would take if one did not stop- 232 hours to walk it. Someone could walk it in 9 days if there was not stopping or sleeping. That distance would be like walking from Lifepointe to Denver, Colorado. 

See Jonah Outside the City   

If you can, I would like to invite you to observe Jonah with me at a safe distance where we can see his body language, his facial expression, and his gait as he approaches this massive ancient city. 

Think back with me and see him in Jonah 1 where his heart is nothing like anything we desire to be. 

Now look with me at him in Jonah 3 where he is standing before the most magnificent and powerful city in the ancient world.  He is all by himself, no companions, no army, no accountability partners, no sword, no fellow staff members, no sending agency, no money raised – absolutely no support system around him.

Now see him armed only with the presence of God and the Word of God and see him step into the city and walk according to the Word of the Lord and preach. 

One man alone in the biggest 

and most vile city of the World!

This is not a coward, but rather a man I would like to be like in that very moment! I can’t imagine any more faith than what he is possessing and I am overwhelmed at the site of him. 

When God awakens believers, they embrace the cost connected with the Gospel. Just look at the Reformers who at great cost never wavered in this stance for Biblical authority in the church.

Are you and I willing to embrace those realities connected with God's movement with the Gospel? 

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Some Why's I'm Pondering

I have been wondering about we who claim to know & love Christ so well - if this is true of us, then why are our lives so grounded and stuck in the ways of the course of this world? 

We say there is none like Him for us, but why does so much of our social media posts purely speak about the things connected to this place. As much as we refuse to admit it or we have told or convinced ourselves it is okay - our words, life, and postings say what we really love. 

Why do we talk so much about the things in this life as if they actually have some kind of eternal value, when they are purely little trinkets that someone else will own after us?

Why do we speak about how much we value His Word and spend so little time studying it, but have no trouble at all being consumed by uninterrupted time on our phone? 

Why do affirm our lives are guided by wisdom from scripture, but never know what to do in moments of crisis, temptation, or opportunities for great faith?

Why do say we only want to hear His voice, but spend so much time listening to others perspectives on the Word?

Why do we place so much value on whether people like our posts, but rarely stop to ponder whether God is pleased with our obedience? Why does His displeasure at our lack of obedience no longer move us to repentance and change?

Why do we confess that doctrine and Biblical truth matter and they are the longing of our hearts, yet we have no issue reading blogs, books, and the blusterings of humanistic self-help writers and speakers who sprinkle in a little Christianity to make it all seem okay? Have we forgotten that Galatians and other NT letters were written to crush and combat false gospels?

What is wrong with us, that we are okay with weak doctrine and turn a blind eye to supposed Christian leaders who espouse things Jesus never did say or would say even if He were walking on the earth in our generation?  What does it say of us that we keep reading and listening to those who say these things and feel no conviction?

Why do we want to be led by a purely emotional faith, instead of having a faith when both mind and heart are fully engaged in the glory of Christ? Feelings ungrounded without the facts of truth in Scripture is just an emotional experience shrouded in Christian words.  Jesus said we are to worship in spirit and truth - both must be present for it to be worship. 

Why do we say the local church matters, but easily allow so many other things take precedent of gathering with the people of God? He died to establish a people called the church - not sports, business, hobbies, or sleep.

I have been asking myself to take a hard look at it all for myself and I think I clearly know the answer to the previous questions for all of us. Paul sets for the answer in this text...

Colossians 3:1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Here is what may be missing in our lives...

1. Salvation means we have been raised with Christ - 3:1a

This salvation means we are to live contrary to the ways of this world and we live contrary to it by...

• 3:1b - Seeking the things above, not the things of this life - We seek the kind of things that surround Jesus as He is seated at the right hand of the Father.
• 3:2 - Set our minds on the things above, not things here  
• 3:3 - Safety of our lives - found not in the things of this life, but that our life is hidden with Christ in God! Having stuff is not safety!
• 3:4 - Security and Satisfaction that our faith will lead to seeing Jesus - Because of are safely hidden in Him, when He appears, we have the promise of being with Him in glory.

This is what is missing in our lives and why there are so many questions surrounding the church today.

We need to live in and immerse ourselves in C314 and maybe some things will finally be different. 

Could This Be an Answer We Have Forgotten?

I noticed something in a familiar passage that needs addressing, something that has been lost in our current church culture.  It is something that has been missing in my life as well and needs to become a part of my life again.  Let's look at the text...

2 Corinthians 12:7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Pride can never produce anything that is Godly, for it will only serve to exalt ourselves over God in every kind of way. 

Paul in the text was a man who saw God keep him from becoming too big headed by giving him a thorn in the flesh, to force him to seek and rely on God and not his spiritual accomplishments. We know there is power in prayer when a righteous man prays...

James 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit.

Yet, when Paul prayed here, God said "no' - that Paul would have to be content with grace, for in it he would see Christ work His power in his life. Then Paul writes these words that are so foreign today in the church...Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, 

Here is what I am really wondering about in these recent days - where is the boasting in the church about weaknesses? When you look around, there seems to be a bit too much boasting about how big a ministry is, a conference is, or a camp somewhere. Many ministers like to show how many followers they have on social media, how big their building is, or the size of the church. Where is the idea of weakness in all of that? 

Now Paul is not calling us to be weaklings or make ourselves appear that way, but rather we are to have an accurate view of who we truly are - people desperate for Christ and ones who have not arrived at perfect maturity.

     Longing For the Power of Christ to Rest on Us

1 Corinthians 12:9b Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 

I have rarely met a professing Christian who would say that do not want the power of Christ to rest upon them.  I want that in my own life!

The question thought is not one of a lack of desire for His Power, but it comes down to the fleshing it out, the doing what is necessary in surrendering fully to the leadership of the Spirit.  Let's flesh this out a bit more with several principles that have been lost and need to be rediscovered...

1. Fully Trust His Provision of Grace - 12:9

12:9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,

His provision of Grace is all we need and we should find our contentment in it. It is sufficient enough, but sadly we want more and find it not enough.

2. Weakness, not pride is the avenue for Power - 12:9

12:9 for my power is made perfect in weakness.

Look at those words and consider them - Christ's power is made perfect in weakness, not strength.  If there is someone who makes sure you know how strong they are instead of how desperate they are for Christ, then that is a false 

3. Boast in Weaknesses so that Power May Rest on Us - 12:9c 

12:9c Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

It is sad that this is a rare thing today for we can just look at the social media of so many Christians and see little evidence of "gladly boasting in weaknesses". 

4. For the Sake of Christ, Content with Weakness - 12:10

12:10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.

This is so contrary to what we often see, but according to Paul, this is a key to experiencing the power of Christ in our lives.  I fall prey to wanting contentment in comfort, but none of that is found in the list in 12:10.  

We need a revival of contentment as well for the sake of and glory of Christ.

Could this be an answer we have forgotten in an age of social media self-exaltation?

It is time for us to embrace our weaknesses and have a fresh perspective on the pathway to greater power.

Are you and I ready for this?

Fresh Reminder of Who He Is

There are moments in our lives that bring some of the simplest reminders as to the nature of God and why I find Him so satisfying and why He is my deepest longing. I had one of these moments tonight as Canyon and I read the Scripture.  I let him pick out the story for tonight and he chose the familiar story of the son who got himself lost in Luke 15.  As we read it and talked about it, I found profound thoughts and emotions stirring in my heart in a story I have taught or referred to likely 100 times of more during my ministry. I hate when my familiarity keeps me from seeing the depth of God's stories.

Maybe you need a fresh reminder from this story we know so well.

The Setting

Luke 15:1 Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. 2 And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

Jesus is surrounded by two polar opposite groups of people on this day...

(1) Sinners - you know, those whose life pursued any and everything but God, except on this day they decided to step right into God's presence as they drew near to hear him.  Did you notice that? They did not want anything from Him but for His Words to fall upon their hearts.

(2) Religious Leaders - They have come to the same place Jesus was, but not because they longed for His presence or Words, but to cast judgment on Him for the crime of receiving sinners and eating with them.  

Both groups hearts were tragically lost, but one group was ready for change because pride was not standing in the way and clouding who they were in the presence of. What a mess pride is!

Jesus then tells 3 stories with the same essential message - something or someone is lost and someone is searching or waiting for what was lost to be found and brought home to restoration.

The Last Story of the Three

One day a younger son of a father came to him for the young man had been thinking about something for awhile and could not deal with his thoughts anymore. So he goes to his father and asks for his inheritance early.  As he looked at his situation, he felt cramped, restricted, and everywhere he went at home - it just did not feel like a place for him nor a place of love.  He longed for more and he knew he could not find what his aching heart longed for if he stayed, so he cast all sensibilities and respect aside and asked for what would be coming to him when his father was dead.

The son thinks he will be better off away from his father, for after all, he was old enough to make his own decisions and could take care of himself just fine.

The father was incredibly wise and knew the son would never found out about true love if He forced him to stay, so He grants His son the freedom he thinks he is desperately in need of - and cuts the cord and lets him go.

The son gets his stuff together and heads out and lands in a distant country that has everything his heart could experience.  Man, was he ever living in freedom there! For a while everything was great for he had no restrictions as he was the sole one in charge of his life.  It's funny thing though about life, this kind of freedom is never really free and the money eventually ran out and he was left with only himself. This freedom eventually leads to a famine and great emptiness where it is all gone.

Out of great desperation he finds a man who is willing to help the boy by allowing him to feed his pigs for some measly income as he tried to still make it work in that distant land. One day as he is feeding the pigs, he realizes his hunger is so great that he is actually longing to eat the food of the pigs.  This is where sin will ultimately leads us - a great hunger and longing for things in that state that can never truly satisfy.

He looked around at his surroundings and it dawned on him that there was no one in that land who had anything they could offer nor were willing to offer.  No one cared anything about him. This is life in the distant country. It was in that moment as a servant of the man that he remembered how well the servants at his Father's house had it.  They never had a longing for pigs food for His father even took care of all of there daily needs.

As he comes to his senses in that moment, he decides to go home and be a servant.  He knows though that he is not just a servant, but a son, but in his mind he embraces and feeds the thought that he is too far gone to be restored to sonship again.  He is okay with a new position with his father, so he begins the long journey home. He knows he will have a lot of explaining to do so he comes up with a speech and memorizes it all the way home.

He is convinced the father will be done with him and will not love him anymore but he also knows the father is kind, good, and generous so he is convinced the father will take him in as a servant.  

How the enemy plays with the minds of God's children who have made grave mistakes and marred God's name in sin.  The liar has convinced far too many that sonship can be lost because they think our salvation is all in our control and not in His Hands.

Then came a moment of one day when the son came into the view of the house where he could see it and see people walking around.  His heart must have raced and been gripped by nervousness of seeing the Father once again.  He practices the speech once more, yes he says, "I've got it down and it sounds good and convincing".

He did not notice it before, but it is clear now that someone is running down the road and he realizes it is HIS FATHER.  He wonders...what will Dad say? Will He shout? He tells himself as the Father is getting closer "I will just take whatever chastisement He will mete out at me, I deserve it". The Fahter is almost here, oh yeah, the speech, but all that happened was this...

• Running
• Compassion
• Hugging
• Kissing
• Ignoring of a speech
• Bring quickly the best robe
• Put on ring on his finger with the family's signet
• Put some shoes on his feet
• Get that fattened calf we've been feeding extra 
• Let's celebrate that My lost son is now found

I am indelibly humbled tonight in knowing God never stops loving His sons and daughters who think they can run too far & be too far lost.  Some think we cannot ever be truly restored after some of the things we have done.

By the way, did you notice that the Father was not interested in the son's clever speech nor in his decision that he could never be restored again - He is not impressed by our clever words nor is he about relegating His kids who make mistakes and end up coming home to life in the back pasture.

Maybe you are like that son, you've got some things you have squandered and you have come back to God and the church but you are holding yourself back.  You are not serving, you don't sing from the depth of your heart, you don't join in the community of the body in small group Bible Study, etc.  You are this way because you have lost sight you are truly forgiven and you are still a son or daughter.

You are the son in the story and God is YOUR Father.  Draw near and be free.

I was reminded of this tonight....

I Am a Son Of That Father

Who could want anymore?