Plant, Water, and Be Grown

Acts 9:28, 31

So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied.

It has been said that, "The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church." Church history has proven this time and again, Stephen, often called the first martyr, being among the more notable examples. When genuine faith and the public eye intertwine, there is something in which stirs the hearts of like belief, such that deeds of greatness and lives of greater devotedness come "out of the woodwork," so to speak. Martyrdom is a miracle to me, especially its effects. How is that the fanaticism of one person or group inspires others to increased vigilance, even when that first person or group is killed precisely on account of their staunchness? Somehow, the giving of these lives encourages the nascence of more just like it, or even more than it. What would the Church, or any group, be without new growth? I will arrive at my point presently.

Seeds are well and good. There is no hope for newness or regeneration without them. My contention (for so it has become) is with the lack of maturity. If the blood of people who have passed on spurs the church to new growth, then the blood of those who have yet to slough off these mortal coils is what should help to make thrive what growth already exists. For what it is worth, my opinion leads me to think that we saints have become preoccupied with the new, following the example of the world system. The newest gadgets hit the market, and in flow the consumers. The latest apparel is in stock, and the masses make their way into the stores. Lights, camera, action, and the congregation...I mean, theatre,...is on edge for the theatrical display put on by the preacher in the pulpit...uh, actors...on the screen. The most intimate details, confided in secret to a fellow Christian pilgrim, are leaked into the tiniest but no less public corner of the electronic world. Why? Well, no one has ever heard it, at least not quite like this. We need newer, better, faster, now-er gratification.

The way wewe are held together by the word of God as one body, after allare living makes the miracle of the Church's existence all the more wonderful, because it seems that we are allowing (or have we already allowed (maybe 'welcomed' is a better word)) the evils of the age into the joints, ligaments, and marrow of Christ's body. Only God's word keeps these carcinogens from crippling and devouring the effectiveness of his work through and for his people. If left up to the most pious of the saints, self-acclaimed or otherwise, the body would be bedridden and full of every kind of disease. Enough of the diatribe, though, I suppose. My point hastens ever closer.

The lifestyle of the saints is the water of the church. I will avoid generalizations from here to the end. I have been given a clear command.

Romans 12:1 For this reason I make request to you, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you will give your bodies as a living offering, holy, pleasing to God, which is the worship it is right for you to give him.

It is not about me being willing to die for the cause of Jesus. It is about my willingness to die to myself for the cause of Jesus. That is the meaning of living sacrifice. Like with Elijah and the prophets of Baal, the fire of God consumed the sacrifice that pleased him. In the same way, when I put my life on the altar, then I remember the other command.

Romans 12:2 And let not your behaviour be like that of this world, but be changed and made new in mind, so that by experience you may have knowledge of the good and pleasing and complete purpose of God.

"Be changed and made new in mind." My command, since it is passively participatory at this juncture (mine is to offer myself), is to let the Lord himself change me. That is the hang up. I have to give up control. I like having control. I do not like giving it up. If I would let the Lord work on me, then I would see the miracle of his good and pleasing and complete purpose. But, wretched as I am, I would rather die uncompleted than live to tell of my utter transformation into the likeness of God.

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This Week in Pictures

Now we're in Navrongo, north of Nkwanta. Yesterday I was at a friend's wedding. She is among the Nkaane peoples. She married into the Chana people group, and is from a chief's palace. I am only now realizing that the wedding may be even more extraordinary than usual, in this case.

I am preaching this morning, as well, from the book of Acts, chapter 9, verses 32-35. What if you had an appointment with God?

Gotta go.

Oh; the wedding pictures were taken from my dad's camera. This post is from my new phone.

Live in Love.

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Meeting with God

Acts 9:32-35, 37 ESV

Now as Peter went here and there among them all, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda. There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, "Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed." And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord. In those days she became ill and died, and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper room.

What if you had an appointment with the Lord?

In this passage, all we are told is that Aeneas was bedridden for 8 years, and paralyzed. That is it. As Peter is moving throughout Judea and Galilee and Samaria, he comes to Lydda to visit those who follow Jesus the Christ. Does Aeneas even know anything about Peter's coming? It seems that, all of a sudden, this guy walks up to him and lets him know that Jesus Christ heals him, as if it Peter is the messenger delivering a letter that has already been written. Would it not be quite incredible to have your problem handled (I refer to the one most obvious to you, about which you most often think and/or pray. Or maybe you have stopped praying, giving up hope on an area of life in which you no longer expect anything notably positive to be done.)? Moreover, what if it is handled quite unexpectedly? You have yet to pray today, at least not about that. You have yet to obsess over it today, at least not as much as you did the last time. Then, it is finished. You sit up, make your bed, and realize your Lordthe Lord--has taken care of you...yet again. I say again because, well, for starters, it is not as if you have been dead since the development of this problem. There is always something for which you can and should thank the Lord. Maybe that is for another time, though.

Now consider this: what if you have been given the privilege of being Jesus Christ's messenger?

You are going about your way, impacting the world for the Lord in your spheres of influence, when you reach a certain place. There may or may not be anything special about the place in its own right, except that as you are on the way, you meet someone with an ailment, in whatever form it may be presented. Then, the Lord himself gives you notice, "This is the one I have a message for at this time. Let them know I heal them." What do you do? Your options are there. Will you obey; take glory for what has been done by the Lord's word; continue on your way as if nothing is happening ; because who knows if God even said anything to the target individual; or will you falter in your faith because you do not think God would really tell YOU to do something like THISeven though perhaps is is one of the things you wold like to believe is alive and well in God's kingdom?

In the scenarios to both questions you are blessed with an appointment with the Lord. So that means you need to pay attention to what you are doing, listening for the voice and direction of the Lord. Whether you are giving the message God has given you, or receiving the notice that God has given someone else, is it not a great thing to both tell and hear, "Jesus Christ heals you; rise and make your bed"?

Oh and by the way, Jesus Christ sent me to tell you he HAS healed you of your former condition, called being dead. Accept it. Acknowledge him as Lord. Believe that God raised him from the dead. Rise (you were once dead) and make your bed.

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