I became the temporary secretary at Central Christian Church when I was 17. It was the summer after graduating high school and before starting college. Basically they needed someone who was a Christian, could type and answer the phone, and wouldn't need the job in the fall when the new secretary arrived. I fit the bill.
I was not the only employee of the church who was brand new that summer. Brett was our straight-out-of-seminary Youth Minister. This was my first job as a secretary and his first job as a minister.
Intelligent guy that he is, it took him no time at all to figure out that I was one of the most clueless individuals on the planet. On top of that, I had only been a Christian for a year and a half and hadn't matured in my faith as much as I should have. The only explanation for me getting (and keeping) the job was that it was a God thing. Truthfully.
A few years later I got married and moved away. Brett went on to plant a church that was, and continues to be, one of the fastest-growing congregations in our brotherhood.
Fast forward about 18 years. Clinton and I were attending the North American Christian Convention in Louisville, Kentucky. In the program of events we happened to spot Brett's name and I realized he must be at the convention. Of course, thousands of others were there as well. It would NOT be an easy task to find him out of the blue. Undaunted, I told God that it would be fun to see him, even for a second, if He could arrange that for me.
From the program I knew Brett was on a committee that was meeting in a certain room at a certain time. Clinton and I tried to find the room before the meeting adjourned but never found it. While standing in the general vicinity of where we thought he might come through, with hundreds of people milling around and on their way to the opening session, I prayed and turned around.
"Somehow" I knew that Brett had already passed me and was walking away. "Somehow" I knew that the man in khakis and yellow polo was him. I ran after and shouted his name. He stopped and turned around. I will never forget the look on his face when he recognized me. To this day the memory of it makes me smile.
His gaping mouth, wide eyes and raised eyebrows told me that I was one of the last people he expected to run into at an event like the North American. It was a look that said, "YOU?! HERE?!" Now I don't often get to mess with people's heads, but I got him good that time. After he remembered how to talk we had a nice conversation.
In that moment I realized the milestone. Here was a man who knew me as a hapless baby Christian. Now he was seeing me all grown up. And for him, the simple fact of my presence at the conference meant that I had grown in the Lord and was still walking with Him. Otherwise, why would I have been there?
Sometimes it takes a "chance" meeting to help you realize that you have, in fact, grown and changed. And, at the same time, you can catch a glimpse of how far you still have to go. You see, in those few minutes I got to see a bit of how Brett had grown up over the years as well.
I just hope Brett isn't surprised to see me when we get to Heaven. :)
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Whose War? Mine? Now wait a minute...
Spiritual warfare isn't something I'm extremely familiar with, but it has been a theme in my life over the last few weeks. I know that we have an Enemy who comes to kill, steal and destroy, the Devil who prowls around like a lion looking for someone to devour.
So my question is, what do I do? How do I win this battle? Three verses have stood out to me in how best to fight our Enemy. The first is from Ephesians 6:10-17.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Lessons from here: 1. Remember who the enemy is. My enemy is not anyone I can see with my eyes. Other Christians are not my enemy. Even non-believers who are violently against God are not my enemy. Satan and his minions are.
2. Use God's power, not mine. Not "be strong in myself", but strong in the Lord. Not "be strong in my mighty power" but strong in His. If I ask Him, He will help me. And He will help you.
3. The armor of God, if you'll notice, is nearly all based on defense. The only weapon is the Sword of the Spirit.
4. Why do we put on the armor? So we can STAND FIRM, STAND OUR GROUND. Not run around looking for a fight, but ready to stand when confronted with one.
The next is from James 4:7, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you." First we whole-heartedly offer ourselves to God. After that, we are not to stand there quivering in fear. We are not to let the Devil come up and push us over with his foul breath. We are to resist. This is an active stance. We use truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, our salvation and God's word against his attacks. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, this is EXACTLY what He did. (Matthew 4)
And finally, my favorite of these verses. Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still." Moses said this to Israel as they watched all of Pharaoh's army ready to attack and kill them at the Red Sea.
If Israel had turned and fought the army in their own strength we would not be having this conversation. But what did they do? They stood still and watched God send a pillar of fire to halt the army and open the Red Sea for them to walk across. They waited and God showed up in one of the most dramatic encounters in the history of the world.
Lesson from this: I AM NOT ALONE IN THE BATTLE! WHOO-HOO! In fact, I'm not the one actually fighting the battle! If I let God fight the rulers, authorities and powers of the dark world and just be still, standing firm and resisting, the battle will be won! And it will be a victory that no one can deny came by the hand of God. I love it!
One more note: I've learned that Satan cannot read our minds! Only God can do that. Satan does NOT have that power! When Jesus cast out demons he didn't "think" them gone, he spoke to them. Out loud. For all to hear. Everyone thought He was a nut case UNTIL they saw the results. It's when we allow God's strength, God's plan, God's timing and God's truth to fight the battle that we can be still. We can be calm, cool and collected in the midst of the most devastating circumstances. Stand firm, stand your ground, resist, and be still as God fights for you.
So my question is, what do I do? How do I win this battle? Three verses have stood out to me in how best to fight our Enemy. The first is from Ephesians 6:10-17.
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Lessons from here: 1. Remember who the enemy is. My enemy is not anyone I can see with my eyes. Other Christians are not my enemy. Even non-believers who are violently against God are not my enemy. Satan and his minions are.
2. Use God's power, not mine. Not "be strong in myself", but strong in the Lord. Not "be strong in my mighty power" but strong in His. If I ask Him, He will help me. And He will help you.
3. The armor of God, if you'll notice, is nearly all based on defense. The only weapon is the Sword of the Spirit.
4. Why do we put on the armor? So we can STAND FIRM, STAND OUR GROUND. Not run around looking for a fight, but ready to stand when confronted with one.
The next is from James 4:7, "Submit therefore to God. Resist the Devil and he will flee from you." First we whole-heartedly offer ourselves to God. After that, we are not to stand there quivering in fear. We are not to let the Devil come up and push us over with his foul breath. We are to resist. This is an active stance. We use truth, righteousness, gospel, faith, our salvation and God's word against his attacks. When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness by Satan, this is EXACTLY what He did. (Matthew 4)
And finally, my favorite of these verses. Exodus 14:14 says, "The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still." Moses said this to Israel as they watched all of Pharaoh's army ready to attack and kill them at the Red Sea.
If Israel had turned and fought the army in their own strength we would not be having this conversation. But what did they do? They stood still and watched God send a pillar of fire to halt the army and open the Red Sea for them to walk across. They waited and God showed up in one of the most dramatic encounters in the history of the world.
Lesson from this: I AM NOT ALONE IN THE BATTLE! WHOO-HOO! In fact, I'm not the one actually fighting the battle! If I let God fight the rulers, authorities and powers of the dark world and just be still, standing firm and resisting, the battle will be won! And it will be a victory that no one can deny came by the hand of God. I love it!
One more note: I've learned that Satan cannot read our minds! Only God can do that. Satan does NOT have that power! When Jesus cast out demons he didn't "think" them gone, he spoke to them. Out loud. For all to hear. Everyone thought He was a nut case UNTIL they saw the results. It's when we allow God's strength, God's plan, God's timing and God's truth to fight the battle that we can be still. We can be calm, cool and collected in the midst of the most devastating circumstances. Stand firm, stand your ground, resist, and be still as God fights for you.
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