Remembering 9/11: How to Prevent Another Terrorist Attack

“Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”       Luke 13:2,3 NASB

Today is the anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States. For those who are reading from outside the U.S., al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four airliners. Two of the planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers, one hit the Pentagon in Washington, and a fourth crashed in a Pennsylvania field. 2,973 people died in the initial attacks, and more have died as a result of their injuries since. 

Life has changed radically in this country as a result of those terrorists who sought to destroy the symbols of American prosperity and government. Since that dreadful day, we've traded freedom for a tentative and fragile security. Are we safer now than we were then? Probably not, despite all the men and women who work tirelessly to prevent another attack.

I say those frightening words, not because those who work to protect us are inefficient or ineffective, but because of the nature of evil itself. Hunting down and destroying a single person might make us feel safer, but it is not enough, for the enemy is not a specific nation or a specific terrorist cell. The enemy is not even one specific terrorist mastermind.

The enemy is the master of lies and deceit, Satan himself. The Apostle Peter wrote, "Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." (1 Peter 5:8) Jesus described him as the thief who "comes only to steal and kill and destroy". (John 10:10)

It somehow comforts us to think that security screening at airports, passport checks, watch lists, and vigilant guards can protect us. The Apostle Paul wrote that "our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12) No airport scanners can screen for the "world forces of darkness".

What, then, can be done? Are we powerless? Must we sit back and let evil devour us? Of course not. If death and destruction ultimately come from the enemy of our souls, then our efforts at protecting ourselves need to be directed at the ultimate enemy. 

It will not be the people outside the body of Christ who fight this battle. It will be those who follow Christ. As disciples, we must fall on our faces and fight in prayer. 

The movie War Room was #1 in the box office at this time last year. We're drawn to the idea of powerful prayer; we celebrate the potential victories to be found in intercessory prayer. Being intrigued by spiritual warfare through prayer, however, is not the same as being involved in prayer. It is not the same as being committed to prayer, being effective in prayer.

If we want to protect ourselves and those we love, we must do it God's way. The foundation for battle is a lifestyle of love (loving God first and our neighbors second - Matthew 22:38-39). The manner of battle is spiritual. 

The protective gear includes the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the boots of the preparation of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation.

There is only one offensive weapon with which we can effectively battle evil, and it is not a gun or a bomb or a missile. It is the Sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. 

"With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition..." (Ephesians 6:18)

It is past time for the body of Christ to be the body of Christ. 

Fake church is not only a waste of time; it is an offense to God. We must become disciples who are willing to do battle for our family, our culture, our world, and we must do our battling on our knees with the sword of Scripture. 

As we remember the more than 3,000 people who died as a result of the terrorist attacks and ponder the enormity of evil in this world, let us, the disciples of Christ, commit ourselves anew to the war that only we can fight. Let us dedicate ourselves to continuous intercession, praying the very words of Scripture, and do battle. 

It is past time to take up our armor and use the powerful, two-edge Sword that God has given us. 

The words of Jesus to those shocked by the brutal attack at the temple, in which men from Galilee bled and died, are no less pertinent today than they were more than 2000 years ago. "I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish." (Luke 13:3 NASB)

If we hope to save our nation, we must do our part. There is no one else. Body of Christ, arise, take up our armor, fall to our knees, and fight. 

~~~~~~~

Forgive us, our Father, for our prayerlessness. Create in us a passion for prayer, for intercession for those we love, for our nation, for our world. Bring the kind of revival that demonstrates Your truth, Your love to the world around us. Create in us clean, prayerful hearts and change the world through us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#NeverForget #Remembering911 #prayerchangesthings #terroristattack #preventingterroristattack #disciple #TheBible #JesusChrist #radicalobedience #WarRoom #twintowers

Life is Short, Live Like You Mean It

“Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered this fate? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you suppose that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse culprits than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish."”       Luke 13:1-5 NASB

At last we come to Luke 13. These verses are complex and may take us a few days to cover completely. 

"Now on the same occasion" refers to the preceding chapter's verses. (Remember, Luke didn't write in chapters. He simply wrote. Later, scholars assigned chapter and verse notations.) The "occasion" referenced here was Jesus' talking with the crowd. You may remember that He had turned from teaching the disciples to speak specifically to the crowd concerning signs of the times and the debt we could not pay. 

Jesus had closed the discussion of the debt by telling His listeners that the debtor who did not reach a settlement with his accuser would be thrown in jail and not get out until the debt was completely paid. 

Jesus had just completed His discussion of the debt when some people broke in to report a tragic occurrence. A number of Galileans had gone to Jerusalem to present sacrifices before the Lord. The description of the events suggests that the Galileans may have been killing their sacrifices themselves (which was acceptable) before giving them to the priests. As the animals were being killed, Pilate's soldiers burst on the scene and slaughtered the men where they stood. Then men's blood flowed down and mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.

This was not a secret slaughter. It was at the temple, in front of all the people present that day. It was in a holy place, with no regard for the sanctuary. The soldiers did not (apparently) allow discussion or a trial. 

Pilate had an offense against these men, judged them, and condemned them to death. He ordered their execution be done in a most heinous way and, it appears, to take them by surprise when their  guard was down.

Before we move to what Jesus said, let's consider what happened.

A number of men from Galilee had gone to Jerusalem to worship and make sacrifices to their God. They were in the temple, probably the safest place they knew. Soldiers burst in and killed them. It happened so fast, they could not escape and were unable to defend themselves. (At least not successfully.)

Selah. Pause and consider.

These men died abruptly and unexpectedly. They probably knew Pilate had an offense against them, but they went to Jerusalem anyway. They may have been afraid, and probably were, but fear did not stop them from worshipping or sacrificing. No matter their age, they all likely presumed they had more life, more years ahead of them. Just as we presume. Life, however, is fragile and we are not guaranteed length of years.

Life can end in an instant, when we least expect it.

We can walk out our front door, planning to be home for dinner in the evening, and die before we reach our destination. That knowledge should change the way we live. The brevity of life should cause us to treasure every day we're given, to live fully every day. 

Forgive quickly. Apologize promptly. Love fiercely. Give extravagantly. Pray unceasingly. Serve unreservedly. Make a difference.

My friend, Gene Merkl, attaches a quote to the end of every email. I don't know the source, but it describes how I want to live, how we all should live.

"Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming 'Wow, what a ride. Thank you, Jesus.'"

Some months ago, I heard Sean Malone (founder of CRI) say, "I would rather enter heaven with my head in my hand than to arrive, head intact, and have to admit to our Lord that I left the harvest in the field because I was afraid."

If we lived as these men live, the body of Christ could make an impact on the world that we can't even begin to imagine. It would be risky. It would require courage. It would require commitment and perseverance, but it would be exciting and thrilling and the most incredibly sweet time with our Lord. 

It would be worth it.

We have a choice to make. We can live cautiously or we can live with abandon. 

I choose abandon. I choose joy. 

It is past time to decide how we will live. So let's live as Christ intended us to live.

It's time to live like we believe the faith we proclaim. No matter the cost.

~~~~~~~

Our Father, forgive us for our timidity. Help us to live with abandon, no reservation. To follow where You lead, to live as You want us to live. Help us to love as You Love. In Jesus' name, amen.

~~~~~~~

#disciple #TheBible #JesusChrist #livelikewebelieve #worthit #radicalobedience #nomatterthecost #lifeisshort

The Division of Belief

“Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division; for from now on five members in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law."”

Luke 12:51-53 NASB

Jesus followed His words about His upcoming death with another bombshell. If the disciples thought He would bring peace to the earth, they were wrong. He wasn't bringing unity, but division. He did not bring a comfortable, easy faith. He brought a dangerous, radical faith. 

The "Christianity" we practice in this country is not quite what Jesus had in mind. 

Jesus came to earth to bring us into a deep, intimate relationship with our Lord. It's a relationship marked by radical obedience that changes everything. When we are rich, we're really poor. When we're poor, we're really rich. We are to deny ourselves and follow Him wherever He leads, without a plan of our own making. The contrasts are stark and shocking. The following is radical and rare.

Faith in Jesus doesn't make sense to our entitled, affluent, prosperity-driven society, but it makes sense to Him. 

We abandon our "rights" to follow the One who created us because He loves us and has our best interests at heart.

Radical obedience to Jesus should transform us into people filled with the fruits of the Spirit. If we allow His Spirit to work in us, we will become among the kindest, most generous people on earth, while at the same time speaking truth wherever God gives us opportunity. If you think people will embrace that change, you're wrong. Speaking the truth of Jesus is not popular. It never has been. 

First century onlookers thought the followers of Christ mad, and it's no better today. Following Jesus brings division between those who believe and those who do not. Jesus said that division would extend even to our families. Mothers and daughters, fathers and sons would be torn asunder because of their faith. 

To be sure we understand, Jesus was not talking about a simple disagreement. This is a cleaving that completely separates the parts. Following Jesus will break our hearts, because it will cost some of us our relationships with the very people we love the most. He knew this, and He warned us, but He expects us to follow anyway. 

There is a price to pay for how we respond to Jesus, either in this world or in the one to come. 

If we follow Him, we will be despised and rejected, perhaps even by our closest family members. It's a kind of informed consent. This is what you risk when you follow Me, Jesus was saying. Count the cost. 

His words are hard, and difficult to embrace. Can we do nothing? Are we to lose those we love and not look back? 

Every day, people around the world face losing their families when they convert to Christianity. This is a real issue for the body of Christ. I know people who have been rejected by their families because of their faith. What do they do? They follow Jesus, pray, and press on.

We, too, may soon find there is a price to pay for following Christ. 

What can we do? Pray as if your life and the lives of your loved ones depends upon it, for only God can help us in these difficult times.

~~~~~~~

Our Father, forgive us our frail, ineffective witness for Christ. Help us to live in such a way that others can see Jesus in us, no matter the cost. In Jesus' name, Amen.

~~~~~~~

We started this series with a lesson about the fire of persecution. Others include lessons from the life of Tyndale, Christ's baptism of suffering, and yesterday's squeeze chute of distress. 

photo courtesy of freeimages.com
#disciple #radicalobedience #countthecost #JesusChrist

The Faithful and Sensible Steward: The Adventures of Alfred the Butler, part 8

"And the Lord said, 'Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time? Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.'Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions. But if that slave says in his heart, 'My master will be a long time in coming,' and begins to beat the slaves, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk; the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers. And that slave who knew his master's will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes, but the one who did not know it, and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few." Luke 12: 42-48 NASB

In case you're just joining us, we have taken a little segue for the story of Alfred the Butler. It not my usual morning devotional, but it's a short series, and we'll return to the usual format in a few days. It's an allegory and it has surprised me as much as anyone. 

Alfred has been a butler for a long time. He has a great master who recently announced he was giving Alfred a new job. Instead of being a butler, he is now in charge of grain distribution. The warehouse is in such a mess that he has to clean and straighten before any distribution can begin. You might want to read the previous stories to get caught up. Alfred # 1, Alfred # 2, Alfred #3, Alfred #4, Alfred # 5, Alfred #6, and Alfred #7.

In yesterday's story, Alfred's Master brought much-needed supplies and worked side-by-side with Alfred. He explained that his plan in leaving Alfred alone in the midst of the mess was so that he could understand the severity of the problem and the importance of good stewardship once it was solved.

We pick up with Alfred as he and Master are heading into the bedroom to clean it. "I'll retrieve a couple of garbage bags and the broom. It's quite the mess, Sir."

"I'll get the mop and the bleach. That room needs to be sanitized. It looks like mouse heaven in there."

The two men get to work in the bedroom. First, they gather all the trash in the bedroom. Alfred is horrified at the mess the last warehouse steward has left. He slept here? Didn't his mother teach him anything? 

It's a decision point for Alfred. After all the work he's done cleaning up, and that difficult night spent sleeping on the floor, Alfred thinks he's entitled to a little hard feelings. This decision point threatens to defeat him, and nearly does, but Alfred's Master is by his side. He doesn't want to displease the Master, so he makes a good choice. He lets it go. He's not responsible for what his predecessor did, even if he does have to clean it up. Maybe there's something he doesn't know. 

He chooses not to criticize. He chooses to focus on the job ahead of him rather than on the job behind him.

"Alfred, let's move everything out of this room. We'll scrub it down before we bring the furniture back." Alfred grabs the bedside table and Master grabs the lamp. They carry it to the hallway and push it into a corner.

 Alfred goes back for the bed linens. The sheets are filthy. It looks as if they have never been washed. "What should we do with these?" he asks.

"Put them in a garbage bag and I'll take them to be washed. Hot water and detergent might make more of a difference than we expect. It's worth a try."

When the room is cleared, the two men attack the filth like whirling dervishes. They sweep, scrub, mop. They don't just mop the floor. They mop the walls and scrub the baseboards. This takes longer than the kitchen did, but the little bedroom is spotless before they're done. They wipe down every piece of furniture before they return it to the room. 

The mattress is hopeless. Mice have been gnawing on it and have made a bed in its recesses. It goes to the Master's truck to be hauled to the dump. 

"Hey, anybody here?" they hear a man's gruff voice calling.

"Sounds like the mattress is right on time," Master says. "In here," he calls and hurries to direct the delivery men. They not only have a new mattress and box springs, they have a little table and two chairs for the kitchen, too. Alfred won't have to eat sitting on the floor anymore. 

While the men set up the bed, Master hauls one of his boxes to the bedroom. He unpacks clean cream-colored cotton sheets, a chocolate brown comforter, a new pillow (still in the bag), and brown and burgundy throw pillows. There's even a deep burgundy crocheted afghan for the foot of the bed and a rug for the floor. 

Alfred chokes up again. The horrible bedroom suddenly looks like home.

Master's box is still not empty. Shower curtains, towels, bath mat. Light bulbs. He has thought of everything. 

When he can speak again, Alfred turns to the Master. "You didn't have to do all this. I would have cleaned this room and made do with what was here. I don't deserve all this."

Master puts his arm around Alfred's shoulder. "I know you didn't expect all this. I know you would've made do with what was here. It's not a question of what you deserve, Alfred. You're a good servant and I love you. You've been with my family a long time and you're like family to me. Don't you know that yet? I'm doing this because I want to do it. I love you, Alfred."

Alfred doesn't know what to say. LOVE? The Master loves me? He doesn't trust his voice so he nods. Finally, he whispers, "Thank you, Sir. I love you, too."

Alfred has just encountered a truth that will rock his world and change his life. His Master loves him and it's not because of something Alfred has done. He has chosen to love Alfred because love is what the Master does. 

"Let's get the delivery men to take a picture of us cleaning up, Alfred. I want to have something to help remember this great day. Let's get our scoops and stand in the midst of the trash."

That sounds like a whacky idea, but Alfred will do anything the Master says. The two men get their scoops and stand side-by-side as the delivery man takes their picture with the Master's phone. They both have grins that spread all the way across their face. 

When the delivery man returns his phone, the Master looks at the time. "Oh, my, Alfred. It's getting late. I'll be back tomorrow. I think you're set for today. Have a good night." They shake hands and man-hug, then the Master leaves.

Alfred walks through the warehouse, incredulous at the very surprising day. Master loves me. Master cares about me. I'm not just a face in the crowd. He provides everything I need. He glances at his watch. It's 4:30 pm. There's still time to clean the bathroom and still clean some in the warehouse. Alfred gets back to work, humming a tune the entire time. He's never known such joy

Alfred has learned something we all need to understand. Our Lord loves us and His love makes all the difference. It was His great love that took Him to the cross for us. It was His great love that conquered sin and death and the grave. It is His great love for us that makes discipleship possible. It's that great love that motivate us to obey and draws up into the depth of His love.

His love for us is a fact. Our response to that love is a choice. How will we respond to the great love of God? 

For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly suppose those who heart is completely His. 2 Chronicles 16:9 NASB

~~~~~~~

Our Father, whose love knows no bounds, forgive us for our lack of love, our lack of faithfulness, our lack of obedience. Draw us closer to you and help us to love You as You love us. In Jesus' name, Amen.

#disciple #radicalobedience #Alfredthebutler #JesusChrist

The Sign of the Son of Man

As the crowds increased, Jesus said, “This is a wicked generation. It asks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah. For as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation. (Luke 11:29-30 NIV)

After a long detour, we have finally made it back to the passage in Luke, but don't forget all we learned about Jonah. In this passage, Jesus was talking to the crowds about "signs" and the "sign of Jonah." We will need everything we learned on the Jonah roundabout to understand these verses.

Before the detour, we looked at the people's quest for yet another sign. Jesus had given plenty of signs. He had healed the sick, restored sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, fed the multitudes with a few loaves and fishes, and raised the dead. As if those signs were not enough to convince them, the people continued to ask for another sign. 

The problem was not that the signs weren't authentic or that they were not convincing on their own. The problem was, at least in part, that the people liked the entertainment of the signs. If you were present when Jesus performed a sign, you could tell about it for years to come. It gave a kind of notoriety that was appealing, at least to some.

Another reason to ask for a sign was that it was much easier to watch signs and wonders than it was to listen and learn when Jesus taught. He spoke radical, hard words. We've smoothed the edges off those words because of our familiarity with them, but there is nothing easy about "deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me". If you don't believe me, give it a try. Denying myself is harder than I'd like to admit, and it must be done on a daily basis, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. 

Jesus said "no signs will be given except the sign of Jonah". We've spent the last few days learning about the sign of Jonah. Jonah was a runaway prodigal who spent three days in the belly of a fish. Inside that aquatic God-imposed retreat, Jonah surrendered his will to God's and determined to obey. He left the watery prison transformed, and headed straight to the work God had given him. His time in the belly of the fish impacted the city of Nineveh in the most powerful way imaginable. The entire population of 120,000 people repented and turned to God. 

Jesus told His listeners, "Just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the Son of Man be to this generation." Jesus was speaking of the time to come when He would spend three days in the grave. When He emerged, He would be transformed. His release from the grave would have an even greater impact than Jonah's release from the fish. Conquering sin, death, and the grave was all the sign we would get because it was all the sign we would need. 

Jesus was right. His resurrection is a sign, and it should have a radical impact on our lives. Just as Jonah's eight word sermon had a radical impact on Nineveh, the words of Christ should have an even greater impact on our lives. But do they? 

Someone has said, "It's not the parts of Scripture I don't understand that give me trouble. It's the parts I do understand." I've found that to be a true statement. Loving my neighbor as myself is more than I can do. Don't get me wrong. I can love some of my neighbors as my self, at least for a little while, but loving all my neighbors in this world of ours, including the least lovely, as myself, 24/7/365 is another matter. I can deny myself on occasion, but all the time? I'm not there yet. 

The problem with indulging my self-centeredness, though, is that Jesus rose from the grave. He conquered sin, including mine. He left His Holy Spirit so that I have a Helper. The Spirit has the power to help me overcome my sin, my bent toward selfishness, pride, lack of love. The possibility of obedience is real. My desire for obedience, however, is not real enough. If it were, I'd do better. I'd love more, give more, obey more. 

The problem is not Jesus. It's me. It's you. It's all of us. Jesus has come. He has given us words of life. He wasn't kidding. He wasn't making optional suggestions. He told us what He expected and He meant it. He gave His life to make it possible. If we have been redeemed, we need to live like it so that the world will know the truth. 

What is truth? Jesus. "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father except through Me."(John 14:6) Our lives will reveal what we believe, no matter what we claim. Let's be sure our lives demonstrate faith in Christ and the power He gave to conquer our sin. Let's take up our cross, deny ourselves, and follow Him.

Radical obedience

But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant, though you did not tend it or make it grow. It sprang up overnight and died overnight. And should I not have concern for the great city of Nineveh, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left—and also many animals?” (Jonah 4:10-11 NIV)

Our detour through Jonah is just about at an end, but it would be a shame to miss the finale. 

As you know, Jonah was a runaway prodigal because God had instructed him to go to Nineveh and he refused. Jonah was prejudiced against Israel's enemy, the Assyrians, and he hated the people of Nineveh. Ultimately, God put Jonah in a tight spot (the belly of a big fish) and Jonah relented. He agreed to obey God, but with an "I don't have to like it" attitude. Jonah did not have a burning desire for the repentance and transformation of Nineveh. He didn't care about the people. He was simply trying to get out of trouble with God by his obedience. It is surprising to me, but God blessed the grudging obedience.

After everyone had repented and God had relented, Jonah pouted and was angry with God. I often wonder why God would have used Jonah at all, and then I remember that He chooses to use me. Jonah's fruit is a reminder that God can use anyone, including you and me. 

While he was pouting, Jonah went outside the city, built a little shelter, and sat in the shade. God made a vine grow up over Jonah to give him better shade. Jonah was happy about the vine but, when God allowed a worm to chew the plant so that it withered, Jonah was angry. God blessed Jonah with a hot sun and a blistering wind. Jonah was irate.

God responded with words that cut to the heart. "You care so much about the plant I created. Shouldn't I care about the people I created? (Leanna Paraphrase) 

Indeed. 

Aren't we just like Jonah? I sometimes care more about the plants and "stuff" in my life than I do the people God has entrusted to me. Surely not, you may say, but a quick look at my daily life will make that clear. I hate this, but it's true. I have a little garden. Every day I check my plants, look for bugs, water them, mulch them, trim away diseased leaves. Every day my plants receive tender, consistent care and they are thriving under my care.

There are lots of people in my life, but very few of them receive consistent, tender attention on a daily basis. I care a great deal about the plants in my garden, but do I attend to the people in my life with that same attention? 

Do I care about people the way God cares about people? Lost people? I have to admit that I do not. I am burdened for the people in my life with fractured, broken lives. I am burdened for the people of the world who are trapped in lifestyles of violence, terror, abuse, hopelessness. It's not that I don't care at all, but that I don't care like God cares. 

In an awful, shameful way, I don't want to care like God cares. I don't want to care because it will require change on my part. Perhaps that's what keeps you from God-care, too. Caring like God cares might require me to get outside my comfort zone, go somewhere unpleasant to minister in the name of Jesus, deny myself something in order to provide for others. I might have to do more, face my fears, take a risk.

I hesitate. But Jonah. Jonah didn't want to go, but he did, and God changed the history of 120,000 people who didn't know their right from their left. He used Jonah's radical, grudging obedience to bless His own people fifty years later. 

What would God do with my sacrifice if I opted for radical obedience? How would He change the world if I were willing to go when He says go, speak when He says speak, care when He says care, love when He says love? How would God change the world if you and I were willing to follow Him with radical obedience? 

If we are to deny ourselves daily, take up our cross, and follow Him, and we are, then perhaps it is past time for the kind of obedience that says, "Sure, God. Take me to the meanest, toughest, most lost people on earth and love them through me." It's not the people who don't know God who are making our world such a dark place. It's the ones of us who know God but fail to shine our light in the darkness. We are the ones who have allowed the darkness to persist. 

Today, let's offer ourselves to God, willing to follow wherever He leads, love whomever He loves, give whatever He requires. Be the light in the darkness and let God shine through you.

Friday Night with Friends: Radical Obedience and Radical UnrelentingPrayer

I received a text from a friend this afternoon, calling for prayer for believers in Iraq, under attack from ISIS. The text indicated that the attack was happening  now.  She was forwarding a text she had received. When I checked Google to confirm it's veracity, I found that the story of ISIS capturing Quaraquosh, the largest Christian town in Iraq, was reported by Daily Mail on August 7, 2014.  I hate to admit this, but I really wanted to believe that the text was a well-meaning over-dramatization of events. I've done some serious Googling hoping to disprove the text you will read later in this post. 

It was true. Unfortunately, it was all true. The text that is being forwarded was sent originally from Sean Malone, Crisis Relief International (CRI) founder and director. At the time of the text, ISIS troops really were ten minutes from their facility. That text made its way around the world, and people prayed.  Miraculously, the CRI team remained in place and are still ministering to the persecuted church in Iraq. (www.criout.com) God does hear our prayers. He does answer them. He does, if we pray.

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (James 5:16 KJV)

I really like the way the Measage paraphrases this verse. 

...The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. (James 5:16 MSG)

1.6 million believers, our brothers and sisters in Christ, have been displaced by this dreadful genocide being carried out by ISIS. That means that 1.6 million of our family members have been driven from their homes, leaving all their possessions behind, leaving their jobs, livestock, and livelihood behind in order to save the lives of their family members. Why is this happening? Because they are disciples of Christ. 

I hate to be the one to say this, but it must be said. These are not people who spend sixty minutes in a worship service checking their watches to see how long until they can go to Sunday lunch. They do not just drop in to church on Easter and Christmas. These people have faced death for Jesus and held firm. They might be called fanatics by some, but what they are is true Christians. 

If ISIS has their way, they will come to this country and give us an opportunity to flee for our faith or die for our faith. Or recant. We would all do well to pause right now and evaluate the validity of our faith. We would do well to make a rock solid decision to live or die by the faith we claim. The time to decide is NOT when a gun is pointed at your head or a sword is swinging toward your neck. The time to decide how you will respond is now. 

Selah. Pause and consider. 

I am reproducing the text I received here in its entirety. I don't have permission, but since it's been forwarded so many times already, I don't think that's a problem. (A link will be sent to CRI to let them know I've used it)

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"This was just sent to me by the Women's Council at Christ The Redeemer; it was sent to them by Father John Pitzer who just received this cry for help from an actual missionary on the ground in Iraq : 

"Dear Friends, 

Just a few minutes ago I received the following text message on my phone from Sean Malone who leads Crisis Relief International (CRI).  We then spoke briefly on the phone and I assured him that we would share this urgent prayer need with all of our contacts. He said:

"We lost the city of Queragosh. It fell to ISIS and they are beheading children systematically at this moment!  This is the city we have been smuggling food to.  ISIS has pushed back Peshmerga (Kurdish forces) and is within 10 minutes of where our CRI team is working. The UN evacuated it's staff in Erbil.  Our team is unmoved and will stay.  Prayer cover needed!" 

"Please pray sincerely for the deliverance of the people of Northern Iraq from the terrible advancement of ISIS and its extreme Islamic goals for mass conversion or death for Christians across this region."

They are pleading for prayer... Please take a minute to say a prayer for them & please pass this on to your Prayer Warriors.

God Bless..."

------

God will move if we pray. He will. It's not a hope. It's a fact. There is nothing we are doing on this Friday evening that is more important than those dear believers who are in harm's way. ISIS will gladly behead their children. Do not fail to pray for these believers. I beg you to pray. We do not need a quick, "Help them, Lord," we need a concert of prayer that starts now and does not stop until this genocide is done and they are safe. Look at your children, your grandchildren and consider what is happening to believers around the world. Consider what is happening to their children. 

Pray, dear ones. Pray. 

Radical Obedience: Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and ISIS

I've had terrorists on my mind. That's partly because I'm editing my first novel and it's filled with terrorists. It might also be because I've been jumping to conclusions and seeing terrorists where there were none.

All that terrorist thinking has reminded me of the time when I selected a terrorist of the week and asked you to pray for them.  It was July 6, 2014 and our terrorist of the week was Nasir al-Wuhayshi. He was the general manager of Al Qaeda of the Arabian Peninsula and one of the most dangerous men in the world.  

His stated goal was to "destroy the cross. The bearer of the cross is America."

I use the past tense because he was killed in a drone attack in Yemen on June 12, 2015. He was 38 years old.  He left behind a legacy of death and destruction. 

I wept when he died, but not because I was sorry his reign of terror had come to an end. I wept because I had prayed for him to come to a saving knowledge of the Great I AM, but he never did. He died as he lived. A bitter and murderous man.

He had a choice and he made it, but I still grieve the lost potential of a man redeemed and transformed by the blood of Jesus. 

Stranger things have happened. Consider the Apostle Paul. 

My first terrorist for whom I prayed was Ayman al-Zawahiri.  He is Egyptian and was trained as a surgeon. He practiced medicine for a while, but now, he is a full-time terrorist. One of his wives and two of his children were killed by a U.S. bomb in Afghanistan. Their loss fueled his anger, but he was a terrorist before they died and eventually became the head of Al-Qaeda. He was instrumental in helping the ISIS expand and merge with other terrorist organizations to become ISIL. 

As a physician, one who is trained to preserve life, it is unthinkable that one of my colleagues would dedicate himself to the murderous atrocities of ISIL, but al-Zawahiri knows no bounds. 

Assassination. Kidnapping and torture. Bombings. He is responsible for the death of untold numbers of people.

Law enforcement officials around the world have tried and failed to stop him. 

Only God can bring this man to his knees. 

Only God can stop him.

Jesus said, "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you." (Matthew 5:44 nasb) 

Ayman al-Zawahiri is one of those enemies for whom we are to pray and to love. With the command of Jesus in mind, I'm choosing to pray for him. I'm choosing to ask God to bring him to repentance and salvation. Whether it is through a dream or a vision or the testimony of a believer, I pray this evil man will be transformed. 

He's not the only terrorist for whom we need to pray, but he is the leader of a large group of terrorists. Imagine the impact his salvation could make. 

Praying for our enemies. As disciples, it's not optional. We have it to do. 

There's no better place to start than praying for Ayman al-Zawahiri. 

"Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, 

but with God all things are possible." 

(Matthew 19:26 niv)

____________
photo from Wikipedia

Kathy McKinsey wrote a beautiful article for Friday Night with Friends, New Beginning. If you haven't read it yet, you can click here. You can read more by Kathy at her blog. Our next Friday Night with Friends guest blog will post at 6 pm this Friday night. You don't want to miss it!

In case you missed one of the past week's posts, here are the links:  Starting Over: It's Not as Easy as It Seems, Behavior That Demonstrates Belief, Answered Prayer: The Bulletproof Vest, Bringing Good from Tragedy: Wives of Warriors Make a Difference, Friday Night with Friends: New Beginning, The Temperament Test and Married Oneness, Leaving a Legacy: Choices That Last for Generations, and Jumping to Conclusions: The Terrorists That Were Not.

#prayingforterrorists #AymanalZawahiri #loveyourenemies #disciple #JesusChrist

Radical Obedience: Hamas and Khaled Meshaal

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May they prosper who love you. (Psalms 122:6 NASB)

Khaled Meshaal, a Suni Muslim, heads the Hamas organization, which was originally an off shoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, and has the liberation of Palestine from Israeli occupation as its goal. This is a Muslim organization with three main branches, or wings: Social Welfare, Political, and Military.  According to Wikipedia, "Israeli scholar Reuven Paz estimates that 90% of Hamas activities revolve around "social, welfare, cultural, and educational activities". Social services include running relief programs and funding schools, orphanages, mosques, healthcare clinics, soup kitchens, and sports leagues.^[57]" Needless to say, the social welfare activities have made Hamas very popular with the Palestinians. 

It is not the social welfare programs that are the problem. The military branch excels at covert operations and have targeted groups that they consider moral deviants, pro-Israelis, and random unarmed civilians.  They view suicide bombings and summary executions as acceptable options, and celebrate the idea of martyrdom.  Criticism of Hamas has not been tolerated, and has resulted in execution for those dissidents who are brave enough to speak out against them.  

Although the claim of only 10% of their activities as military sounds nice, those activities are acts of terrorism, which is by definition "using violence and threats to intimidate or coerce". Being 90% humanitarian does not excuse the 10% of this organization that is purely terrorist, nor Khaled Meshaal, who heads this organization.  

The current conflict between Hamas and Israel is a perfect example of the tactics of these terrorists.  They have shot rockets into Israel and dug tunnels from Gaza to Israel "with our fingernails", with the plan being to send terrorists in disguise through the tunnels to infiltrate into Israel.  The Jerusalem Post is reporting a statement by Mushir-al-Masri, a spokesman for Hamas, who says that Israel has not discovered even a fraction of the tunnels, that they will build many more, and that, despite their losses, they are recuperating and will liberate Palestine from Israel.  

Terrorism is inexcusable.  

No matter what your objective, terrorism is inexcusable.  

No matter how many soup kitchens and schools you support, terrorism is inexcusable.  

With that understanding, please pray this week for Kahled Meshaal, who heads Hamas, and those who lead with him.  Admittedly, praying for these terrorists is not easy.  The prayer that never fails, however, is the one that we would do well to pray here.  Thy will be done. Whatever God wants in their lives is what we should want. Because His Word says that He is not willing for any to perish, we should want that, too.  For that reason, repentance and transformation should be a part of our prayers for these men.  

There is one more thing we can pray in this situation.  There is clear instruction in the Scripture to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem."  In these days when there is such threat of violence and destruction toward Jerusalem, we can pray with confidence for the peace of Jerusalem, knowing that it is the will of God.