Our family is exiting a very busy season of life and has experienced tremendous tiredness over the last week. We failed to follow God's commandment of keeping a Sabbath rest time and paid the price for it over the last week. It began with us having to return the block party trailer to a location 90 miles from home last Sunday only to return home completely drained. It further intensified for me with a very stressful week at work as the district gears up for the school year ahead. I quickly switched back to my old way of relying on my own strength to get through the week. The fruit of that is usually lost sleep, anxiety, irritability, and intense frustration. Yep, I experienced all of those this week, and it was of my own doing.
I don't believe that God wants us to take a Sabbath rest specifically on a Sunday, but I do believe His word clearly indicates that one day of the week is supposed to be for rest and devotion to Him. Yesterday we heeded the call and had a much better day of recharging and refreshment. We had no obligations, nowhere to go, nothing to do, nobody to see, and no plans. And in spite of the usual stresses of having 5 boys in the house, the day really was great.
Where did all of this come from? These are further lessons from the Lord Himself as He prepares us for our current and future ministry.
We can't do it alone.
We can't do it in our own strength.
We can't generate "positive feelings" and have them carry us through.
We can't do it.
And that's exactly why we are here in Everett, Washington. It's because He wants to show all of us that while we can't do it, He can. That's exciting to me.
The grapevine on our back patio. It has made so many grapes that we don't have room for all of them. And it is a constant and visible reminder to us that we can bear no fruit for the Lord apart from what He does through us.
John 15:5 (NLT)
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.The Week Ahead
Next weekend I have been given the honor and responsibility of leading the Men's Retreat for Everett Family Church. We will be studying God's word within the framework of the awesome book "Crazy Love" by Francis Chan. It stands among the top 5 works of Christian writing that have been most influential to me.
The central idea of the book is that if we say we love God, it is evident and looks a certain way. There is no such thing as a Christian that bears no fruit. You may want to read that last sentence again.
Scripture indicates repeatedly that at the end of time there will be people who went to church and even did good works in God's name who don't make it into heaven (Matthew 7:21-23). Why? Because they never really knew Jesus. They were just doing a lot of things and making a big splash (1 Corinthians 13:1). Or, they attended church because that's what we do on Sundays. But church attendance won't get you into heaven either. Only Christ can get you there as he covers you with His blood and pays the price for your sins (Romans 3:25, Romans 5:9).
Many people point to that idea and say "good, I'm covered." And yet their actions 99% of the time don't indicate that they know Jesus at all. Chan puts it very succinctly: if they suddenly stopped believing in God, you would see no difference in their lives. The thing that needs to shake you and me up is that the Lord knows who are His and who are not His (John 10:14, 2 Timothy 2:19). While we can fool each other, we can't fool Him.
This teaching carries great weight and it is supremely important that the men own what the Lord tells us about those who are His. Please pray for us next Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as we study His word and come to Him.
Life in the City
In previous posts I have simply posted scripture because I believe it speaks for itself. This will be another one of those times. In the last post I described some characteristics of people who come to work with us to plant a church, noting that they need not feel that they have to pastor a church and preach. This passage describes the work better than I could ever do. This is what we must do in Everett.
Jeremiah 29:4-7
4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! 7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”
The only way to change a city is to change the people living in the city. The only way to change the people in the city is to, with obedience and submission to the Lord, follow Him as He leads us into being involved in their lives. To be involved in their lives, we must live and work among them. And most of all, we must pray for our city because it is the Lord's limitless power that can change it.
May the Lord continue to glorify Himself as He draws people to Himself in Everett.
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