Discipleship Network Forum

By Allen White

The American church is off-mission.

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

That may seem like a ridiculous statement considering the number of growing megachurches and multisite churches around the country. How could the church be off-mission with record crowds? Well, let’s go back and look at the church’s mission statement:

Jesus said: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19-20, NIV).

Regardless of how churches can rephrase and reframe their mission statements, this is the mission: to go and make disciples. The church is not called to make converts. In fact, to lead people in a prayer without offering them a pathway and companions for the journey is irresponsible. The church is not called to make leaders. In Jesus’ view, the first would be the least. This doesn’t sound like western leadership. It sounds like discipleship. The church is not called to make volunteers to staff the weekend services. In fact, to reduce the ministry of the church body to guest service roles is an affront to the New Testament church. The church is not called to draw crowds. The church is not called to build buildings. The church is not called to make money. We are called to make disciples.

But, how can megachurches or any church for that matter make disciples?

Disciples Aren’t Processed. They’re crafted.

Many churches attempt to convert their crowd into some form of discipleship through an assimilation process. Take this class. Make this commitment. Sign this card. Yet an assembly line process doesn’t work with people. They aren’t raw materials. They don’t all start from the same place.

Who are you the most like? What is your default? While we would all like to say, “Jesus,” the reality is that you and I are more like our parents than any other people on the planet. We think like them. We talk like them. We parent like them. We relate like them. Our habits are like them. Their example is ingrained in us. Some of us had great parents. Some of us had loving parents who did their best. Some of us had parents who were complete nightmares. Regardless of what type of parents we had, what’s ingrained in us is difficult to overcome. Even the example of the best parents can be improved upon. No one’s parents are perfect.

Then, in addition to parents, we can add experiences, tragedies, pain, addictions, suffering, career paths, relationships, and so many other things that shape our lives. Discipleship is not making widgets on an assembly line. Widgets are made from pure, raw materials. Disciples are made from broken and sinful people who long for transformation. But, it doesn’t disappear all at once. As Pete Scazzero says, “Jesus may be in our hearts, but grandpa is in our bones.”

Processes are inadequate to make disciples, yet how many churches have an assimilation process, department, or even pastor of assimilation for that exact purpose? In college I had a double major in biblical studies and missions. What I learned in cross-cultural communication and anthropology is that assimilation is the process of helping people adapt to a new culture. They take on the language, the customs, the mannerism, and the wardrobe of their adopted culture. Once they look like, talk like, and act like the new culture, they are regarded as being assimilated. So if we are assimilating non-church people into becoming part of the church, we are teaching them how to look like, talk like, and act like people who belong to the church. What is lacking is actual life transformation. Mimicking actions, language, and appearance does not make a disciple. It makes a cultural Christian and that’s a lot to live up to. Disciples make disciples, but not in mass quantity.

And while we’re at it, stop using the V word: volunteer. Churches should not have volunteers. The church, meaning the people or the body of Christ, have been equipped with spiritual gifts, abilities, and passions to fulfill a divine calling. By reducing the focus to serving and helps, a church is effectively ignoring about 20 other spiritual gifts. The “real” ministry is reserved for paid staff members. This flies in the face of what Paul taught the Corinthians, the Romans, and the Ephesians about the nature and use of spiritual gifts. Paul admonishes the church that no one part of the body can say to the other “I do not need you,” but that’s exactly what the American church is saying today. The attractional movement told people to sit back, relax, and leave the driving to us. That was Greyhound’s slogan. When was the last time you took the bus?

People are reluctant to get involved because the opportunities churches offer them are beneath them. That doesn’t mean that they’re too good to serve. It just means that the only opportunities most churches offer to their people are menial tasks that feed the demands of the weekend service. When CEOs are handing out bulletins and entrepreneurs are parking cars, this is a great misuse of their gifts and talents. They have so much more to offer.

Processes are inadequate for making disciples. Any mass approach to discipleship is a failure. Assimilation doesn’t make disciples. Worship services don’t make disciples. Sermons don’t make disciples. As Mike Breen says, “People learn by imitation, not instruction.” Yet, most churches attempt a programmatic process of making disciples that does little to help people overcome the powerful models they’ve come to imitate. People can be very inspired by sermons, yet within a day they resort to their default behavior. The only way to help people change and grow is to provide personal encouragement and accountability, and of course, all of this is built on the expectation that every member should apply God’s Word to his or her life. If the expectation is for people to come back next Sunday, then we’ve missed an opportunity and are relying on the weekend service to have a greater impact than it possibly can.

Disciples are crafted, not processed. After all, it takes a disciple to make a disciple.

Big Hairy Audacious Goals

Jim Collins, author of Good to Great among other titles, coined this term for when success organizations set out to achieve ridiculous levels of growth. They didn’t settle for being stalled or accepting mediocre, incremental growth. They went for it.

Jesus spent three and a half years of His life pouring into 12 men. The impact of these disciples is still felt 2,000 years later around the globe and involves over 2 billion people. Jesus set the BHAG in Acts 1:8. Propelled more by persecution than ambition (Acts 8:1), the disciples spread a movement worldwide to transform lives.

How can you activate your disciples when most are intimidated by the thought of evangelism and distracted by the busyness of life? Groups could be the answer. You could argue that many people don’t have the time or the desire to lead a group. Some don’t even believe they can. I think we’re going at this all wrong.

Jesus didn’t call us to make leaders. Jesus called us to make disciples. And, disciples make disciples. Do you get it? You don’t need to recruit leaders to lead groups to make disciples. You could, but you don’t have to. You need to equip disciples to make disciples. Who in your church couldn’t be a disciple?

Often in the church today, we embrace the definition of disciple as “follower” or “student” when in reality we’re just working hard to increase the size of the crowd. The crowd are not disciples, if they were, they would be making disciples. In Jesus’ ministry, He spent 73% of his time with His disciples. Jesus could have easily built a megachurch, but He spent very little time with the crowd. The modern American church has flipped Jesus’ ministry on its head. Most churches choose to rapidly add people rather than invest in multiplication. This has a diminishing return.

A Disciple-Making Moonshot

So now that I’ve poked at the church and pointed out what’s broken, let’s fix it. Rather than putting our energy into mass efforts of corralling the most people we possibly can at the fastest rate, let’s focus on the 1/3 of your congregation who has enough of a spiritual basis they could each disciple two other people. Who would be on that list? Church members? Leaders? Long-time members? Then, with the church’s guidance, curriculum, and coaching, you could equip these disciples to make disciples. If the church can get 1/3 of its people to disciple the other 2/3, then you’re making some significant progress. You don’t need to do this all at once, but you certainly could. And, it’s doesn’t need to be just groups of three. You could use church-wide campaigns and host homes to get them started, but don’t leave them there. Or challenge people to get together with their friends and do a study. The bottom line is to stop intimidating people with the thoughts of leadership and evangelism and challenge them to offer what God has given them in community with other believers. What they lack, they can learn from a coach, a resource, or relevant training.

We measure what is important. When you think about the metrics used by most churches, they count nickels and noses. Maybe they count the number of groups or the number of people in groups. Maybe they count the number of people who are serving. But what if churches focused on a new metric? This metric would dynamically impact all of the other metrics. What if the measurement of success became the number of people actively discipling other people? It could be a person discipling two other people as I described above. Or it could be a person discipling eight other people. And of course the intention of all of this discipling is to produce more disciples who make disciples.

What Kind of Church is Yours?

Not all pastors and churches are doing a bad job at making disciples. But, not very many are doing a good job either. Pastors and churches fit into one of four categories when it comes to making disciples:

Content: These pastors and churches are happy with what they have. Often discipleship and small group pastors in these churches are content with the groups and discipleship efforts they have because they have met the expectations of their leadership. They are satisfied with a good job that’s keeping them from achieving a great job at discipleship.

Confused: These churches and pastors believe they are making a greater impact with discipleship than they actually are. Often these churches are led by brilliant teachers who can captivate an audience. The thought is if the pastor gives the people more of the truth, then they will learn and become more like Christ. This is a result of the Enlightenment. Knowledge is king. But, we must remember that “Knowledge puffs up, while love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1, NIV). How many people know a great deal of God’s Word, yet it’s not reflected in their actions and attitudes? Great teaching alone won’t overcome the average person’s default which was established by imitating their parents and other role models. They need the support and accountability of others to apply God’s Word to their lives. One service or series won’t dramatically change someone’s daily habits. In fact, a call to change without the means to change will lead to tremendous frustration.

Frustrated: These pastors are trying to make disciples in a church that doesn’t support their efforts. Make disciples anyway. These churches have a spiritual growth/discipleship/assimilation/small groups department for the minimum purpose of preventing members from complaining about a lack of discipleship. When someone asks what the church is doing to help people grow or to go deeper, these pastors and churches just need to point to the department. If you are a pastor who’s discipleship efforts or small group ministry as been relegated to a complaint department for unchallenged members, you have my sympathy. In your church, the weekend service is king. But, in your circumstance, you can still make disciples who make disciples despite the limitations.

Disciple-making: These pastors and churches are making disciples who make disciples. They use worship services and sermons to catalyze commitments that lead to next steps in discipleship groups, support groups, or whatever next steps people need in their spiritual walk. In every worship service, every event, every church initiative, these churches provide an opportunity for people to take the next step of working through issues, applying God’s Word to their lives, finding their unique calling as part of the body of Christ, overcoming sin and addiction, and so many other things. A worship service alone will not resolve these things, but it can motivate people to take their next step. People need someone to disciple them. Disciples make disciples.

Which church are you? Isn’t it time to stop striving to become the megachurch you will never be? Isn’t it time to come to grips with the fact that bigger is only better as long as the church stays on-mission to make disciples? The alternative is wearing yourself out trying to raise money, build buildings, market strategically, and recruit volunteers to maintain a large weekend gathering that doesn’t make disciples in and of itself. Then you wonder why you don’t have any energy to fulfill the church’s calling to make disciples. If your church’s focus is not on making disciples, then what are you making?

This is why I am calling churches to the 100 Groups Challenge in 2020. We have got to make up for this deficit of discipleship in our churches. We need to give 100% effort to either connecting 100% of the weekend attendance into groups, reaching 100 total groups in your church, or starting 100 new groups in 2020.

If you are ready to go for it and join the 100 Groups Challenge, you can find out more here. There is no cost. My goal is to help 100 churches start 100 groups in 2020 and effectively disciple 100,000 people. Over the last eight years, I’ve helped churches to start over 16,000 groups and connect over 125,000 people into groups. My BHAG is to do the same in 1 year! Will you join me?

People battling illness or other serious trials often turn to the book of Job looking for some kind of explanation for what’s happening to them. Although it’s unlikely our situation is even a fraction of the horrendous things Job endured, he becomes our model nevertheless.

If you remember the story, Job’s friends were convinced his suffering was God’s judgment on hidden sin in his life. They were sincere and passionate in their theology, yet they were totally misguided in applying their assumptions to their friend Job.

To the contrary, when the curtain to the unseen realm is pulled back, readers see God boasting to Satan about Job’s exceptional virtue: “There is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8).

What a great endorsement of Job’s character, and coming from Almighty God Himself!

So make no mistake about it: God wasn’t mad at Job. Nothing that happened to this righteous man was because of divine displeasure. In fact, Job’s trials were actually part of the Lord’s plan to bless Him in even greater ways. His story would conclude with a happy ending and a supernatural upgrade: “The Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:12).

Despite his understandable bewilderment during his trials, Job somehow realized he would exit the crucible of affliction a better man. “[God] knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).

I’ve always loved this verse. What a great declaration about trusting God to use every adverse situation in our life for our ultimate good. In the furnace of our affliction, He is producing pure gold.

However, I’ve never noticed the surprising context, where the preceding verses make Job’s statement even more amazing:

Look, I go forward, but He is not there,
And backward, but I cannot perceive Him;
When He works on the left hand, I cannot behold Him;
When He turns to the right hand, I cannot see Him (Job 23:8-9).

I find this confession stunning. During the first part of his ordeal, Job was unable to “feel” the Lord’s presence at all. Although He trusted that God was somehow at work on His behalf, there were no goose bumps. Try as he might, he couldn’t perceive the Lord’s hand in his circumstances or understand why all this was happening to him.

Like Job, this was my experience during the first part of my battle against cancer. I trusted in God’s love and goodness, but I struggled to feel His presence amid my unpleasant symptoms and the side effects of chemo.

Yes, I clung to verses about the Lord being with us “in the valley of the shadow of death” (Psalm 23:4) and when we pass through difficult circumstances (Isaiah 43:1-5). However, for months I didn’t have any reassuring feelings that He was truly walking with me on this difficult journey. And though I hoped for a positive outcome, it was hard to envision how that could happen.

During this season when God seemed unusually silent, someone posted a helpful perspective on Facebook: When you trust everything into God’s hand, you will eventually see God’s hand in everything.

I like that! We are sometimes called upon, like Job was, to trust God even when we can’t see or feel His loving arms around us.

So what does it take to experience a turnaround? In Job’s case, there was a pivotal verse where he finally began to sense what God was showing him through his circumstances: “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; and how faint a word we hear of Him!” (Job 26:14).

After years of feeling the smug satisfaction of knowing he was an exceptionally upright and virtuous man, Job finally understood an awful truth: Although he had been doing all the right “religious” things, he was still only on the outer edges of God’s plan for his life. Instead of having an intimate daily relationship with the Lord, he was only hearing God’s voice faintly and sporadically.

Why had Job never noticed this before? Part of the problem was that he and his friends spent far too much time comparing their righteousness to one another. As 2 Corinthians 10:12 would later tell us, that’s never a good idea – even though we’re all prone to do it.

Job’s story also reveals another sad reality: Far too often, our knowledge of God is based on mere hearsay, not direct experience. We can quote our pastor, our friends, some Instagram memes, and our favorite TV preachers and authors, but we rarely have an encounter with the Lord Himself.  

During the climactic final scene of Job’s story, he finally begins to recognize this: “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye sees You; therefore I retract, and I repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6).

You see, when Job compared himself to his friends, he felt proud of his spirituality. But when He finally caught a glimpse of God’s awesome holiness, all he could do was humble himself and repent.

People always wonder why Job had to go through such terrible trials. Although there are many possible ways to explain the lessons in this story, part of the answer is simply this: God wouldn’t allow Job to remain on the fringe of His purposes.

The trials Job faced weren’t a sign of God’s judgment, but quite the contrary: The Lord wanted to bless him in new ways, beyond Job’s wildest dreams.

Yet none of that would have been possible if Job had stayed content to remain on the fringe. If given the choice, Job may have been content to cling to the blessings he was already experiencing, as described in chapter one. But God had a far greater dimension of intimacy and abundance in mind for Job – right on the other side of his trials.

Looking back on my decades of life, I realize there have been many times when I was content to languish on the fringe of God’s ways. Perhaps you have too. Sadly, when we’re fairly comfortably on the fringe, we often don’t even recognize what we’re missing.

Until the heat was on, Job didn’t have a clue about his true condition. He had fallen into the common trap of comparing himself to those around him, instead of comparing himself to God’s awesome holiness. He was content to be “the greatest of all the people of the East” instead of being truly great in God’s kingdom (Job 1:1-3).

Amid Job’s horrific circumstances, God was working all things together for his good (Romans 8:28). If it hadn’t been for his trials, Job might have been content with a “hearsay” relationship with the Lord, never recognizing that he was merely living on the fringe.

Aren’t you tired of living on the fringe of God’s purposes for your life? I sure am.

So let’s go deeper in our relationship with the Lord and dive into the very center of His will. When we leave the fringe, we’ll experience an amazing new beginning of adventure, fulfillment, and impact.

She played fast and loose with life, she never considered tomorrow,

and now she’s crashed royally, with no one to hold her hand.

“Look at my pain, O God! And how the enemy cruelly struts.”

Lamentations 1:9 THE MESSAGE

After getting burned playing with fire, you say, “I just wasn’t thinking.”

    You should have been!

    Flirting with temptation starts you on a toboggan ride toward disaster.

    Sin’s slippery slope is difficult to exit—it is easier to avoid altogether.

    It is foolhardy to only consider the consequences after they hit.

    Impulsive choices typically land you in trouble.

    Human nature chooses the easy way, and that is usually wrong.

Think back—learn from history you cannot sin without painful effects.

    Reflect on how unpleasant your life became when you acted badly.

    Reconsider how complicated relationships got when you misbehaved.

Think ahead—anticipate the awful effects of sin—turn away from it.

    Keep in mind consequences of guilt and grief—avoid doing wrong.

    Reflect on how pleasant your life is when you trust and obey Me.

Jerusalem, city of peace, was exiled to heart-wrenching loneliness.

    Jerusalem, city of the Great King, was shackled by cruel tyrants.

    Jerusalem, the holy city, was orphaned from the Promised Land.

    If they had only thought ahead, they could have avoided disaster.

Now it is your turn.

    Repent and walk humbly with Me, and I will help you live correctly.

    Hold My nail-scarred hand, and I will guide you on a glorious path—

        a path of peace and joy, not chaos and heartache.

Want to celebrate victory—not defeat—at sunset?

    Then, at sunrise, think ahead!

© Pastor Johnny R. Almond, Day 280 Gentle Whispers from Eternity

A few Sundays ago, my pastor preached on Psalm 73, reminding me that I had also preached on that Psalm – several times in fact. It is the age-old conflict of the prosperity of the wicked vs. the suffering of the righteous, and the Psalmist began by asking tough questions. Make no mistake, the wicked do prosper, and our questions make little difference to them. But one must quickly get past the questions to Psalm 73:16-17, “When I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me – until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood.” In those days, to enter the sanctuary, the tabernacle, or the Temple, was to enter the presence of God. There sits on my shelf, an old book entitled “Settled in the Sanctuary,” published in 1925, written by a retired pastor to ministerial students in the college where he taught. In his book, W.W. Landrum wrote, “Whether I understand or not, God does understand, and by communion with Him I shall have whatever explanation he is pleased to afford a trusting child. And that is all that my mind demands, or my heart craves.” When the Psalmist left the sanctuary, he was just as poor, and the righteous were just as prosperous, and he still had no answer to his question, but now he had a new perspective, making his previous question irrelevant. He had settled it in the presence of God, in the sanctuary. I have a suggestion. Next time you have an unanswered question, head for the sanctuary – or wherever you go to be in the presence of God – and there settle it. You may not come away with an answer, but God’s presence makes many of earth’s questions irrelevant. Martin Luther said it this way: “As long as I have Thee, I wish for nothing else in heaven or on earth.”

Praying Hands  Albrecht Durer 

Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

Psalm 20:7 NIV

     When you are in distress, I am your Vitality. When life crashes and you send out an SOS, I quickly respond to your desperation. I do not give you an attitude of paralyzing fear or immobilizing timidity—I embolden action, intensify compassion, and calm anxieties. Do not go to pieces when trouble comes—I hold you together. Discover the secret of surviving every situation—lean on Almighty God!

     When you are discouraged, I am your Valiancy. When the fight is fiercest, I am on the front line with you. With My support, you will not sink—you will soar high on eagle’s wings. You can be strong, not intimidated; brave-hearted, not cowardly; faith-full, not fearful; determined, not irresolute—all because of Me. There is a Higher Power on your side, fighting your battles for you—press on!

     When you are bothered by doubt, I am your Vision. Your devotion to Me will eventually be openly vindicated. Place your life on the altar of surrender, and I promise to remember your sacrifice and smile on your efforts in My cause. Detractors judge worship worthless, but unfolding developments will prove its worth. When time gives way to eternity and human governments are replaced by My throne, the wisdom of worship will be crystal clear to the entire universe. On the other side of trouble and sin and sadness—you will sing My praises, serve Me wholeheartedly, enjoy face-to-face communion, and reign with Me forever. So make a conscious effort to live a pure life.

     Lowell’s poem “The Present Crisis” eloquently expresses ultimate reality:

                   Then to side with Truth is noble when we share her wretched crust,

                    Ere her cause bring fame and profit, and ’tis prosperous to be just;

                   Then it is the brave man chooses, while the coward stands aside,

                    Doubting in his abject spirit, till his Lord is crucified,

                    And the multitude make virtue of the faith they had denied.

     It may seem at times you are on the brink of defeat, but that will never happen, because I am your Victory. Life’s battles may occasionally make you weak-kneed, but you do not buckle under—stand tall! Military armed forces cannot stop evil   fiends attacking your heart; cruise missiles and fighter jets will not help in this fight with the Devil. The sure formula for spiritual conquest is to earnestly seek My help. Include Me in your formula for living—and you are sure to win!

© Pastor Johnny R. Almond, Day 198 Gentle Whispers from Eternity

May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you,

O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Psalm 19:14 NLT

     See My smile in star-shine marvel and sunlight majesty. The skies speak of My omnipotent greatness. The dazzling beauties of My earliest creations reflect My supernatural power.

     My throne is in the third heaven—invisible to you from earth. However, you can gaze in wonder at the second heaven of stars and the first heaven of clouds. High above faltering people, I direct the traffic patterns of countless galaxies and paint canopies of beauty. Spacious firmament, blazing sun, sparkling stars, and orbiting planets are “forever singing as they shine, ‘The hand that made us is divine’” (Joseph Addison).

     See My smile in inspired Scripture. My Word is a compass revealing wise moral principles. The Book from Heaven is a travel guide for meaningful living. My flawless law puts a spring in your step. My true Word gives sense to your head. My basic principles inspire a song in the depths of your heart. My direct orders clarify your soul’s vision.

     See My smile in your everyday life. My face shines on you with reinforcing smiles—undying grace sustains. My face shines on you with revitalizing smiles—unfaltering light energizes. My face shines on you with loving smiles—unfailing wisdom teaches. My face shines on you with understanding smiles—unparalleled compassion holds you together.

     In the grip of despair? Hear gentle whispers from eternity—find hope. Discouraged? Recall your ultimate destination—get up and keep going. Saddened by the world scene? Look up—I will teach you to smile again.

     See My smile of approval as you obey the Omnipresent God. If your conscience yearns to please Me, submit to My thorough x-ray of your life—I will test your thoughts and point out attitudes and habits that sadden My heart. Make necessary changes and all will be well.

     To hear My “well done” will not compare to the joy you will experience when you see My gracious smile. When you stand before your King, everything you have done in My service and for My honor will be worth it. Let this thought keep you going—live and work above all for My pleasure. I will repay yo with something better than a golden crown—My smile.

(c) Pastor Johnny R. Almond, Day 197 Gentle Whispers from Eternity

Larry (not his real name) lived across the street during high school. We played on the golf team together, but Larry was a much better golfer. After I trusted Christ, I share the good news with Larry. He called me soon afterward and said, “Mark, I placed my faith in Christ and am so excited. Can I see you?”

I couldn’t wait to see Larry. I lived off campus. Larry knocked on my door, and we talked awhile. “Let’s go to a park and share our faith,” Larry said. “Sounds like a great idea,” I said.

Larry and his father were very close. A few weeks later, Larry called me. “I shared the gospel with my father and he said I’m too fanatical about my faith. Our family doesn’t believe like that. I don’t want my father mad at me!” That’s the last time I heard from Larry. 

Sociologists Christian Smith and Melinda Lundquist Denton wrote in their book, Soul Searching, that many people live what they call, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. Faith is reduced to rules for a happy life, religion is a self-help tool, and God is a removed and distant being. This religion won’t offend anyone.  

How can we live a life of distinction so we stay consistent in the midst of persecution while drawing non-believers to Christ?

1. Exploit God-provided situations

One of the Pharisee leaders watched Jesus closely when He asked, "Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not?" Jesus healed a man suffering from dropsy. He reasoned that you would pull a son or ox out of a well on the Sabbath (Luke 14:1-6). Minister to needs that come across your path.

2. Humble yourself

Jesus spoke a parable to invited guests after noticing they picked places of honor at the table. Instead, He told them to sit in the last place so the master may say, 'Friend, move up higher', resulting in honor instead of disgrace. "For everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted" (Luke 14:7-11). Humble yourself to be exalted.  

3. Spend time with the needy

Jesus told the host not to invite his friends, brothers, relatives or rich neighbors, lest they invite him in return. When giving a reception, invite the poor, crippled, lame and blind to be blessed since they can’t repay. Wait for payment at the resurrection of the righteous (Luke 14:12-14). Spend time with the poor, crippled, lame and blind.

4. Leave your comfort zone

Jesus shared another parable about a man who invited many to a big dinner. They made various excuses why they couldn't come: oversaw a piece of land, tried out five yoke of oxen, and married a wife. The master told his slave to go immediately into the streets and bring in the poor, crippled, blind and lame. After finding there was still room, the master said to "go out into the highways and along the hedges and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled." None invited shall taste of His dinner (Luke 14:15-24). Leave your comfort zone so the poor, crippled, blind and lame can experience a personal relationship with Christ. 

5. Make Christ your first love

To be a disciple, one’s love for Christ is like hate for family and his own life. Being a disciple involves carrying a cross. Count the cost to become a disciple like building a tower or being strong enough to win in battle. Put possessions in proper perspective. Not paying the price of discipleship results in being tasteless and ineffective (Luke 14:25-35). Make Christ your first love in order to influence others.

Action Steps:

1. Do I minister to needs that come across my path or walk on the other side to avoid them? 
2. Am I humble not expecting attention or exalt myself to feel important?
3. Do I spend time with the poor, crippled, blind and lame (either physically or spiritually) or only hang out with important and beautiful people?
4. Do I leave my comfort zone to help the poor, crippled, blind and lame experience a personal relationship with God or hide away at home, in my office or church building?
5. Do I pay the price in loving Christ more than other things or love other things more than Christ?

I will repent of my sin, ask God to change my heart, and obey Him doing what’s listed first in each question. 

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Guard me as the apple of your eye. Hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Psalm 17:8 NLT

     Incredibly, I take a personal interest in you. Believe it or not, you are a gleam in your Heavenly Father’s eyes! The sun and moon and brightest stars do not bring Me as much delight as caring for you.

     My unfailing love, undeserved mercy, and kind understanding are your heart’s sweetest delights. However, how often do you consider the reality that I actually enjoy you? Trust Me, it is not too good to be true! As your Creator, I celebrate you. As your Father, I dance for joy when I think of you. You set My heart to singing. You are one sheep in millions—yet I know you intimately, calling you by name. You are far more to Me than a number on the books—you are the apple of My eye.

     Invariably, I protect you. Your archenemy is intent on stealing enthusiasm, killing contentment, and destroying influence. Your Greatest Friend is intent on enriching your life, guarding you from all that would rob you of joy.

     You naturally protect the pupil of your eye—I supernaturally encircle you. My commandments are not designed to make you miserable—I am not a killjoy! I nestle you near My heart in eternal love—death’s terrors cannot kill love, life’s troubles cannot overcome love, demons’ distractions cannot cancel love, today’s fears cannot overwhelm love, tomorrow’s worries cannot defeat love, hell’s powers cannot destroy love.

     Infinitely, I provide for you. I govern your life every day in every way. Providence engineers your circumstances, orchestrating every event for good. Whatever happens to you, I either cause or permit. I do not sign every piece of work, but I am the Artist behind the scenes.

     I am the Good Shepherd leading the way through life’s labyrinth. Recognize My voice in the midst of the competing cacophony—trust My limitless knowledge to know what is best for you. Life makes sense when you take time to listen to My voice and seek My face. The journey will be an adventure if you stay close to your Guide. Feeling overwhelmed, remember My wings overshadow you. When you tremble on foot bridges, I am out there with you—trust Me to find your way across the deep ravine.

     Immortally, I make paradise your home. Face to face, we will embrace in joy. Waking up from death’s sleep and getting up from the grave to see the One who made it possible—that is My promise to you! Until you see your Savior, let the light of heaven sparkle in your eyes.

© Pastor Johnny R. Almond, Day 196 Gentle Whispers from Eternity

O Lord, how long will you forget me? Forever? How long will you look the other way?

How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?

How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

Psalm 13:1-2 NLT

     When you experience one of those days when life is in shambles, nothing goes right, and you wonder if it will ever end—in your heartache and despair, you theorize I have forgotten you and left you out in the cold to eke out an existence on your own.

     Raging winds of catastrophe and faith-quakes raise serious questions. In a seemingly endless emotional tempest, you cry out “How long?” In your desperate moments, recall My promise never to orphan you in the storm.

     When problems overwhelm you, you may wonder how long you will have to look at the back of My head. In a long day of panic and perplexity, you may ache to experience My Presence. Wrestling with heavy thoughts and broken heart, you may wonder if worry will ever stop. A ton of trouble may weigh so heavily on your shoulders that you feel you are going under. Battling evil, you may doubt that you can ever experience victory.

     When you are afraid, let Me remind you of your conqueror status. Death’s terror, life’s trouble, demons’ distractions, today’s fears, tomorrow’s worries, hell’s powers—none of these can come between Me and you, because we are inseparable! Any friend of My Son is a friend of Mine—when the smoke of battle clears, you will share in the King’s glorious reign!

     In your most frustrating day—when you are tempted to conclude I have actually written you off—continue to exercise tenacious faith in Me. In chaos, believe in Christ. In trouble, trust. In every difficult situation, seek My help and you will survive. In heartache, count on My unfailing love. Rely on heaven’s help, and you will make it through earth’s toughest day.

     You will not always feel like celebrating circumstances, but you can always celebrate inner-stances. Your heart is My permanent home—nothing will cause Me to move away. My Presence in your life is your greatest blessing—Christ in you is your hope of heaven. I am with you for the long haul—you can stay in high spirits because of My Spirit.

     The longest day is not forever. At the close of time’s little day, you will see Jesus and join a symphony of praise in eternity’s unending celebration.     Listen hopefully for heaven’s future melody—dance faithfully for joy today.

© Pastor Johnny R. Almond, Day 195 Gentle Whispers from Eternity

It’s humbling to discover you’re not indispensable. This unpleasant experience happened to me a few months ago when I had to go on medical leave from work.

The whole thing was unimaginable. Within days I went from having a full-time job I loved to no longer even having a workable scan key to get me into the building.

Most humbling of all was having to encounter the painful Myth of Indispensability. Put simply, this myth says people can’t survive without us. We’re irreplaceable and thus have unlimited job security.

To be honest, it feels good to think you’re indispensable. You feel like a person of exceptional importance, with skills no one else possesses. What an ego trip.

However, humbling as it has been, I discovered in recent months that the world at Inspiration Ministries was quite capable of going on without me. To my deep regret, the suddenness of my departure certainly made things much more difficult for everyone, but they rose to the occasion and life went on.

Is anyone truly indispensable? Perhaps you’re somewhat irreplaceable in your role as a spouse, parent, or grandparent. But in just about any other setting someone else could take your place.

Some of us predicted the quick demise of the Apple brand after the untimely death of Steve Jobs in 2011. But although they lost a great innovator when Steve died, they somehow are doing quite well without him.

Throughout the Bible, we see the Myth of Indispensability confronted…

• How could anyone replace an amazing leader like Moses? Yet the Israelites’ leadership passed into the hands of Moses’ 40-year understudy, Joshua. Although Joshua must have experienced considerable trepidation at his new assignment, he was encouraged by the Lord to be strong and courageous (Joshua 1:1-9). The result? Joshua took God’s people further into their destiny than Moses has been able to do.
• Elijah seemed like a unique and totally irreplaceable prophetic voice. “I alone am left,” he grumbled to God (1 Kings 19:10). Yet the Lord told him to quit complaining and go train his replacement, Elisha (v. 16). Not only did Elisha perform many of the same miracles as Elijah, but Bible scholars point out that he seems to have done twice as many as his mentor!
• Queen Esther appeared to be the only person with even a small chance of defeating Haman’s plot to annihilate the Jewish people. Yet Esther’s cousin Mordecai told her something incredible: “If you remain completely silent at this time, relief and deliverance will arise for the Jews from another place” (Esther 4:14). Even Queen Esther was replaceable in fulfilling the purposes of God. If she wasn’t willing to step up to the occasion, Mordecai was confident the Lord would find someone else.

The Indispensability of Jesus

Far beyond these other examples, Jesus provided us with the most stunning example of the Myth of Indispensability. On the one hand, He’s the only Person in the universe who truly IS indispensable. His disciples came to understand this, so they must have been shocked and dismayed when He assured them that it would be to their advantage when He no longer walked with them in His physical body (John 16:7).

While the disciples must have wondered how they would even survive Jesus’ physical departure, He told them they would actually thrive. They would do the same works He had done when He was with them…and even greater works (John 14:12).

You see, Jesus was the kind of leader who recognizes the folly of the Myth of Indispensability. He easily could have told His disheartened disciples, “Guys, you clearly suck at this leadership stuff, and things are bound to fall apart after I’m gone.”

Instead, Jesus said just the opposite. He assured them they would receive such great power from the Holy Spirit that they would be able to extend His kingdom far beyond Jerusalem and Judea…to the very ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Notice the stark contrast: Insecure leaders, like King Saul, try to hold on to the reigns of power rather than invest themselves in the next generation. Exceptional leaders, like Jesus, confront the Myth of Indispensability by freely dispensing their lives into the lives of others.

If we are truly “indispensable” in our leadership role, something is clearly wrong. It’s a clear indication that, over the course of months or years, we’ve failed to dispense ourselves into those who are called to carry the leadership baton into the future.

But we’ve all seen churches that end up shutting down after the founding pastor dies or must leave his post for some other reason. And countless businesses have to be sold or shut down when the original owner can no longer provide leadership. How sad. Success without a successor often ends in failure.

So what lessons can we learn when forced to admit we’re not as indispensable as we thought? Painful as this experience is, it’s also amazingly liberating. It leads to an acknowledgement that the government of the universe doesn’t rest on our shoulders, but on the Lord’s (Isaiah 9:6-7).

Facing our limitations and vulnerabilities will also help us focus on the Biblical mandate to train our replacement. We’ll be challenged to greater intentionality in dispensing our lives into the lives of others in the months and years ahead.

When the Myth of Indispensability is shattered in your life, it can feel pretty traumatic. I picture it like the scene in the Wizard of Oz where the curtain is pulled back on the “great and powerful Oz.” How embarrassing…

But it’s time to come out from behind the curtain, acknowledging our dispensability and our need for others. Instead of trying to impress people with our own importance, we can transform lives by helping people unleash their own remarkable potential.

National  Pastors'  Prayer  Network

INNER ~ VIEWS        #011    Rick Warren Interviews Bill Bright
 

ARCHIVES ~ Aug 2003

--->NPPNote: The following interview took place before the home-going of Bill Bright.  God will continue to speak to us through His dedicated servant long after he has passed from the scene. His insight on the strategic role of prayer is a potent reminder to all of us; Pastors, City Reachers, Prayer Leaders, who are calling on God and working together for revival and awakening and transformation.

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Phil.... Since you're a pastor of prayer -- and so closely associated with Mission America Coalition -- I hope you caught the Rick Warren interview piece with Dr. Bright that's running at the Baptist Press site. And look what he said was the most important thing he'd learned.... 

YBIC, Neil Cox        http://IndyChristian.com 
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LAKE FOREST, Calif. (BP)--The following is a brief interview via telephone I conducted last year with Campus Crusade for Christ's founder, Bill Bright, who died July 19 at the age of 81.

Rick Warren: Would you share with us some of the things God taught you over your 50 years in ministry?

Bill Bright: First of all, I want to thank you, Rick, for the privilege to speak to the many pastors who read your newsletter. I have a special concern and burden for ... church leaders. You are the most strategic men and women in any community. That's the reason it's so crucial that you be men (and women) of God, who seek first the Kingdom of God.

The most important lesson I've learned is to love God with all my heart and soul and mind and strength, obey His commandments and to trust His promises and relax. I work day and night. I have for 50 years in the Crusade ministry and before that I had my own business in other matters.

But I can tell you; God honors a heart that is in tune with His. The number one priority I believe of every pastor -- any believer for that matter -- is to truly seek first the Kingdom and love God and obey and trust. 

Warren: Bill, many years ago -- when you were influenced by Henrietta Miers and under her influence -- I remember you drafted a contract with the Lord and part of it said, "I am your slave." Can you tell the pastors about that?

Bright: Actually, I'd been somewhat of a ... I wouldn't say a pagan (my wife doesn't want me to say that), but I was a non-believer and agnostic. I had no God; no Savior all through college and graduate school. And while I was on the faculty of Oklahoma State University extension, and a businessman in Hollywood, in my early 20's -- through the influence of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood and Dr. Henrietta Mears -- I received Christ. I fell in love with Him.

I immediately enrolled in seminary at Princeton, later at Fuller. I really loved the Lord from the very beginning. I was overwhelmed with His love. That I -- a sinner -- while I was yet in my sins, He died for me. My wife and I were growing together and very busy in serving the Lord. One Sunday afternoon (I'll not go into details why), God led us to sign a contract -- literally to write out a contract of total surrender of our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ -- to become His slave.

And, of course, He is our example, our model -- Philippians 2:7 speaks of Him becoming a slave. The creator of a couple hundred billion galaxies became a man, the God-man. [The Apostle] Paul refers to himself in Romans 1:1 "a slave of Jesus Christ." We felt the most important thing we could do was to become as slaves of Jesus -- signing a contract to that effect, laid everything we owned or ever would own on the altar, and we've been slaves now for 50 some years, and I must tell you it's the most liberating thing that's ever happened to me.

Warren: I believe one of the secrets of effective ministry is keep it simple -- be simple. You work real hard at that. Simple does not mean shallow and simple doesn't mean simplistic and simple doesn't mean superficial. It just means understandable.

Bright: Jesus taught in parables so the masses understood Him gladly.

Warren: One time Einstein said, "You don't really understand something unless you can say it in a simple way." Saddleback [Valley Community Church] is in one of the more educated areas in America, yet I find that the simpler I get, the more God blesses it.

Bright: I try to stay within an 800-word vocabulary with everything I speak or write.

Warren: I didn't know that, but I knew you were a master of simplicity and that's why God has used you globally -- and not with just a few intellectual giraffes. You put it out there so people can understand it. Another thing I'd like you to talk about is the power of tool-making. You're a tool-maker. When Bill Bright dies and goes to heaven, the tools that you've built are going to outlast you -- "The Four Spiritual Laws," the transferable concepts, the "JESUS" film. Here at Saddleback we do a lot of tool-making, too, because I believe that it's tools that help get the word out.

Bright: Would you believe I'm still reading Andrew Murray? I think he's been dead 150 years. And Oswald Chambers, probably 100 years. I've written over 100 books and booklets and videotapes and things, and I expect by God's grace that those will be around long after I have been enjoying the celestial city.

Warren: If you could go back to your first year of ministry, is there anything you'd do different? Are there some successful mistakes that you'd say, "I learned not to do that again!"

Bright: I think the most important thing I've learned -- in a positive way -- is to encourage people to pray. Before we began our ministry at UCLA, we organized a 24-hour prayer chain, dividing the 24 hours into 96 15-minute periods. As a result, in almost every meeting we had at UCLA -- faculty, sorority, fraternity and dormitory -- people indicated their desire to follow Christ.

Warren: That's the power of prayer.

Bright: I think more recently, in 1994, God taught me the power of fasting and prayer. I think it's the spiritual atomic bomb of all the disciplines.

Warren: There are a lot of pastors reading this who are facing the discouragement of criticism. Obviously you've had to deal with criticism all your life. How do you respond? How do you handle criticism?

Bright: Dead people don't have any feelings. We're supposed to be crucified. As a matter of fact, whenever I get hate-filled letters, I write them and tell them I love them. I'm not stressed over that. I always listen to criticism because I want to learn if there's something I need to know. But I'm never troubled with those things because there's only one person in this world I have to please and that's Jesus -- the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If I please Him, He'll take care of the rest.

That's the reason I emphasize to all of our leaders -- Seek first the Kingdom of God, love God with all your heart, soul and mind -- and God takes care of everything else. People give me credit but I say, "I'm the slave. The Master deserves the credit." When problems arise, the Master carries the load. That's what He wants. "Cast all your cares on the Lord."

I'd say to all the pastors, don't be intimidated by any critics in your church. Just love them. You're commanded to love them whether you want to or not, as you walk in the Spirit. And I must say one of the most important qualifications to serve God is to do it in the power of the Holy Spirit -- anything we do in the energy of the flesh is wood, hay and stubble.

One of the great lessons I learned early on was to draw upon the supernatural resources of God day by day, moment by moment. For as we all know, our bodies are temples of the living God.

Another lesson I learned: I used to be very, very critical of the church. I saw all these people going to church and doing nothing. As you know, very few people witness for Christ. I saw them living as though they didn't even know the Lord. I became impatient with the church and said, "I don't want to waste my time talking to Christians. From now on I'm going to work with non-believers and when they become believers, I'm going to keep them separated from the old believers so they won't catch the same thing."

I was wrong. I discovered that these people who were not fruitful for God, and who were living in defeat, were really hungry for help. When I loved them and showed them how they could know the power of the resurrection and the fullness of God's Spirit and the power of God's Word -- the cleansing and the blood of Christ -- miracles happened.

Warren: I know the pastors reading this can sense your total dependence on Jesus Christ, your humility. I think vision is highly overrated today. I think what really blesses a ministry is, if you want the power of God in your life, its humility and integrity. I'll take a person who's humble and has integrity over a person who has vision any day. A lot of people have vision just based on ego, but it's in that dependence upon God that we get His vision and develop more trust in Him. 

What would you say is your life's message?

Bright: My life's message is be a slave of Jesus. And all that involves. Love your master, trust your master and obey your master. Obviously, I'm a son of God, heir of God, joint-heir with Christ, and if He was described as a slave -- Paul and Peter and the other apostles were slaves -- this to me is the highest privilege anyone could know. I evaluate everything I do in light of what He wants me to do. I try to relate every move, every day, in light of how I can help fulfill His Great Commission and fulfill His commandments.

Warren: What's the greatest risk you've taken in 50 years of ministry?

Bright: I guess to purchase Arrowhead Springs [the Campus Crusade facility in California]. To purchase Arrowhead Springs -- which cost $6.7 million -- and we gave $2 million for it. We had no money. We borrowed $15,000 for deposit. The owner in the contract made it very certain that the moment we failed to come up with the monthly payment, we were out without any delays. God never failed us. We've been able to train probably a million and a half people there over the years. And it literally revolutionized our lives. In those days, $2 million would be like $25 million now.

Warren: Easily! Besides the Bible, what books have really played an important role in your life and in your ministry? 

Bright: It'd be hard to say. The most important, of course, would be the Word of God. Every morning before I eat or do anything else, it's been my practice through the years to get on my knees and read the Scripture in a spirit of reverence. The Bible is not just another book. It's God's Word to us: holy, inspired and inerrant. I read it in that respect. I don't worship the Bible. I worship the One who inspired men of old to record it. It's not just another book. I don't read it just to get a lesson to pass on to somebody else. I read it for my own nourishment, my own spiritual growth.

Warren: In your 50 years of ministry the world has changed a whole lot. What would you say to a pastor about sharing the Gospel in a rapidly changing world?

Bright: I would say be culturally sensitive. I would say also learn how to write and learn how to speak. You can go to local schools. There are all kinds of extension universities and seminaries around where you can learn how to preach and teach and write. Communication is so crucial. And understanding the culture -- why, in some big cities, there are 200 different languages spoken.

I'd like to add a word, if I may, Rick. As you know, I have fibrosis of the lungs, for which there's no cure. I discovered it about three years ago. I began to praise the Lord. That's what James commands us to do -- God -- through James and through Paul. God commands in Romans 5 to rejoice. I learned many years ago, in all things to give thanks and rejoice, whatever the circumstances.

So I began to rejoice and praise God that I'd soon see Him. Then miracles began to happen. The just shall live by faith, that which is not of faith is sin, without faith it's impossible to please God. When you're praising and worshiping Him, even with a broken heart, that releases God's power because He honors faith.

Jesus said in John 14:21-23, "If you obey Me, I will manifest Myself to you." I think one of the greatest lessons I've ever learned is to praise the Lord, rejoice, give thanks no matter what the circumstances. I can tell you that the last two years or so of my life have probably been the most delightful and most productive of my entire 80 years.

Warren: That is amazing! It's the power of praise. It unlocks doors.

Bright: It does. I'd like to encourage everyone, no matter what your problems -- financial problems, physical problems -- if you're having marital problems, take it all to Him. Cast it all on Him and rejoice in the certainty that if you trust Him and obey Him and love Him, He will take care of you.

Warren: Is there anything else that we haven't talked about that you would like to add?

Bright: In the last 50 years, my number 1 priority -- as an expression of my love and act of obedience -- has been to do like Christ came into the world to do -- to seek and save the lost. I've tried to dedicate my life to seeking and saving the lost and helping fulfill the Great Commission, winning and discipling people of the world.

And in the process we've helped take the Gospel to over 6 billion. But in the last two years, we've helped take the Gospel to over 2.5 billion. No telling how many of those have come into the Kingdom. Most important is -- after they become believers -- is to make disciples. We need a million new pastors -- at least -- to help take care of all the new converts worldwide.

Warren: That's my vision, too, my burden. As I've watched the "JESUS" film reach so many of these people for Christ, the Bible says we have different roles to play. Paul says, "I planted, and Apollos watered, but God gave the increase." Part of our role here at Saddleback has been the Apollos role -- and that is to plant the churches right behind the showing of the JESUS film. Because, at that point, you have all these new converts to Christ, and they need discipling. And we try to water the pastors who need training.

Bright: That is absolutely crucial. Dr. Steel of Dawn Ministries -- a church planting ministry -- recently told me that out of the million-plus church starts in the last few years, over 750,000 of them he attributes to the showing of the JESUS film. 

Warren: I have no doubt about that. It's the most effective evangelistic tool ever invented, the JESUS film.

Bright: To God be the praise. He gave me the vision. I was a brand-new Christian, a businessman who had a great interest in communication and promotion -- that was the nature of my business. So when I became a Christian, I looked around and saw then the church of 6,500 (the church in Hollywood) -- most of the people didn't do anything. God gave me a vision to do a film on the life of Jesus. We took everything Hollywood had to offer and finally 33 years later, God was waiting for Paul Eschelman to be born and reared so he could take it over. God has used him and, of course, all of our staff all over the world. We partner with probably 2,000 different Mission groups.

Warren: We're one of them. Purpose-Driven ministries have been partnering with Crusade around the world on the JESUS film, and we're so grateful for that. Bill, this has really been an honor. I feel like this is an historic interview.

As we close, I'd like to ask you to pray for the pastors of this next generation, for young Christian leaders and pastors around the globe -- that they will have a heart for the Great Commandment and the Great Commission -- just as you've had.

Bright: Father, Holy, Holy Father, we bow, in reverence and awe before Your majesty. You're the omnipotent creator of all things. You sent Your only begotten Son, the creator under Your leadership to be our Savior, our Lord, our Master, our King. We ask in His name, the name to whom You've given all authority in heaven and on earth, to prepare millions of young men and young women to serve You on the front lines of spiritual warfare, to be men and women who seek first Your Kingdom, who love You with all their heart, soul and mind, who trust Your Word and obey Your commandments and are faithful to You, Father. 

I pray in the holy, holy name of Jesus for a continued spiritual harvest that will bring billions into Your Kingdom and liberate them out of the darkness and gloom of Satan's kingdom and bring them into the glorious Kingdom of light of Your Holy Son. In His name, we worship and praise You. In Jesus' name, we give You praise together. Amen.

Warren: And Father, I want to pray for Bill and Vonnette Bright. Thank You for the influence that they've had on my own life and the lives of millions and millions of other Christian leaders around the world. Thank You that You've given him these many years of effectiveness and fruitfulness, for his influence. I thank You for his humility, for his integrity, for his commitment to be a slave of Jesus Christ and the model that he is for all of us.

We do pray for the healing in his heart, according to Your timetable, and his lungs and that You would give him the exact number of days that You have for him on this earth. Thank You for the purpose and the mission and the life message You've given to him. May You give him the strength to fulfill each day that You give him between now and the time that You take him home to be with You. Lord, help him to sense the love from the thousands of pastors and church leaders who will read this interview and will be praying for Bill and for Vonnette, and we do pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Warren is pastor of Saddleback Valley Community Church in Lake Forest, Calif.

 

NPPN CONNECTIONS
Archived NPPN Inner~Views:
    http://www.nppn.org/innerviews.htm  

I was recently faced with a major decision concerning my future. I realized that the older I got the fewer options I had, and this one was complicated because it involved financial issues. In the midst of the decision, as I was listening for God’s directions, I read Isaiah 30 as a part of my daily Bible reading. When I got to verse 21, I had to pause, as if it were written just for me. “Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, ‘This is the way, walk in it’.” “Behind,” I wondered. It sure would be easier to know God’s will if He would speak to me in front, rather than behind. However, this was not a first-time experience for me. Several times in my life I have been forced to make a decision without a clear understanding of God’s direction. Each time, I made the decision based on the best understanding of the situation and what I thought, but did not know for sure, God would have me do. Each time, almost immediately following the decision, God affirmed my actions. In other words, God spoke “behind” my decision rather than in front of it. Perhaps this is what the Danish philosopher, theologian, and religious author, Soren Kierkegaard, meant when he said, “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

I’ve already run for dear life straight to the arms of GOD.

So why should I run away now when you say, “Run to the mountains”?

Psalm 11:1 THE MESSAGE

     When you are honest to God, you admit there are times when you feel like running away. Sometimes it seems the values you thought would always be respected are ridiculed, and your nation’s wholesome influence in the international community is deteriorating rapidly. When foundations of law and order crumble, what is a believer to do? When you need a storm cellar for your soul, where can you turn?

     No matter how uncertain circumstances are, one thing is for sure—you do not have to tremble; you can trust. You do not have to turn into a jigsaw puzzle—going to pieces every time you face a problem. You do not have to wring your hands in terror—you can fold your hands in trust and let your tranquil life be a testimony to the pleasure of My company. Your situation may be shaky ground, but your soul can be serene when you are resting on the Solid Rock.

     Synthetic foundations—prestige, materialism, pleasure, money—will collapse; but you can always lean confidently on Me. Other hiding places are papier-mâché compared to Me. Human advice may be that the best thing for you to do is escape, but experience keeps teaching you that running anywhere else except to My heart is a useless exercise. With heavenly assistance available, why seek shelter elsewhere?

     You do not need to resort to psychological defense mechanisms—turn to the Eternal One. You do not have to be paralyzed by fear—move out by faith. Tough times do not come down to either fight or flight; there is a third option to resolve your dilemmas—FAITH. When you go out on a limb, I will be your Guide so you will not perish in the ravine of uncertainty below. Rather than hiding from your problems, hide in My promises. Instead of panic, enjoy My peace. You might think you would like to live trouble-free, but there is something far better—getting to know Me as you and I go through trouble together.

     I am the Divine Psychiatrist—calming your inner being when chaos encircles. I enable you to stay on an even keel on the high seas of a crazy world. Refuse to be discouraged by signs all around you that earth is the insane asylum of the universe.

     Søren Kierkegaard was right—life is not a problem for you to solve; it is a reality for you to face.

     Do not run from reality—run to Reality!

 © Pastor Johnny R. Almond, Day 194 Gentle Whispers from Eternity

As most of my closest friends already know, doctors have recently diagnosed me with cancer. Unbelievable. I certainly never thought it would happen to me.

Although this is supposedly a highly “treatable” form of cancer, that’s not particularly comforting. In the old days, cancer was virtually a death sentence, which has caused me to reflect on some insightful words from the apostle Paul:

We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death (2 Corinthians 1:8-9 NIV).

Paul wasn’t dealing with a cancer diagnosis at the time, yet his overwhelming circumstances and tribulations felt like “the sentence of death.” While Paul would write elsewhere of God’s faithfulness in providing a way of escape during times of trouble or temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13), here he admitted that the trials seemed “far beyond our ability to endure.”

You see, cancer isn’t the only circumstance that can feel like a death sentence. In Paul’s case, he encountered severe persecution and countless other hardships (2 Corinthians 11:23-33). For you, the problem may be a job loss, insurmountable financial pressures, divorce, or addiction in your family.

I’m really glad Paul honestly shared about his tumultuous circumstances and inner turmoil. It’s somehow comforting to know that the mighty apostle – God’s man of faith and power – had his own dark days. Yes, Paul knew how to pray, but sometimes he experienced the Lord’s sustaining grace despite a “thorn in the flesh” that refused to immediately go away (2 Corinthians 12:7-10).

Thankfully, Paul learned an incredible lesson amid his apparent death sentence: “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9).

What a great message for us when we encounter overwhelming challenges in life. The purpose of our trials is to teach us to rely upon the Lord instead of upon our own strength and ingenuity. Even if it seems we’ve been given “the sentence of death,” we have nothing to fear: Our God even raises the dead!

No matter what you might be facing today, I hope you experience the joy of knowing you have nothing to fear. How liberating!

In my situation, I know there’s a Name far above the name of cancer (Ephesians 1:19-21). For that reason, I have no need to fear cancer, chemo, or even death itself (Hebrews 2:14-15).

Actually, since the days of Adam and Eve, all of humanity has been under a death sentence – it’s just a matter of time (Hebrews 9:27). However, because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, death has lost its sting (1 Corinthians 15:53-57). As believers, we know a day will come when we’ll be “absent from the body.” But that’s okay, Paul says. When that day comes, we’ll be “present with the Lord” (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Like the three Hebrew young men who faced the prospect of a fiery furnace, I’m confident that “the God we serve is able to deliver” (Daniel 3:17-18). Isn’t that good news?

Paul’s conclusion ended up being remarkably similar:

[God] has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many (2 Corinthians 1:10-11).

Paul’s confidence of victory over his present and future trials was partly based on how God had faithfully rescued him in the past. Can you relate? If the Lord has helped you overcome some previous “death sentence,” He can surely do it again.

It’s also beautiful to see Paul’s recognition that the prayers of his friends would play a huge role in His expected victory. In recent weeks, I’ve never had so many people praying for me – and I know they’ll share in my victory when it comes.

Although I don’t fully know what lies ahead for me on this health journey, I’m sure God will be with me every step of the way. And if you are passing through a dark, shadowy valley during your own journey today, let me assure you of His presence with you as well (Psalm 23:4).

The Bible warns that this life will not be trouble-free, even for believers (John 16:33). But although you may have to pass through deep waters or fiery trials at times, Isaiah 43:1-3 says to fear not!

Of course, the natural human response is to desire immediate deliverance from our difficult circumstances. That is certainly my preference as well. I know that God is a supernatural God, and He can change things in a mere moment.

However, in spite of my desire for speedy relief, I have an even greater desire that my journey will reflect the heart of Jesus. His soul was troubled as He neared the cross. But instead of praying for an escape plan, He said, “Father, glorify Your name!” (John 12:27-28).

May that always be our quest, for there is no greater victory.

The Lord gave me a message.

He said, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb.

Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world.”

“O Sovereign Lord” I said, “I can't speak for you!  I'm too young!”

“Don't say that” the Lord replied, “you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you.

And don't be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and take care of you.”

Then the Lord touched my mouth and said, “See, I have put my words in your mouth!"

Jeremiah 1:4-9 NLT

You have a divine calling—I had a plan in mind for you before your birth.   

I placed My hand on your shoulder and commissioned you for a special task. 

Your highest honor in life is to be endowed with a heavenly purpose.

Above all else, make it your supreme ambition to be true to your vocation.

I promise you a divine reward—I will not forget your hard work on My behalf.

Treasure the pleasure of My company as you serve Me day by day.

Anticipate the joy of living with Me in My home eternally. 

Look forward to the compensation of My words of commendation.

I provide divine empowerment—I overcome your feelings of inadequacy.

Weak? I am strong. Ineloquent? Use My words. Incapable? Lean on Me.   

Not up to My assignment? Whatever I ask of you, I help you accomplish. 

I guarantee divine protection—whatever happens, I will take care of you. 

Do not be afraid of your audience—their scowls do not compare to My smile.

Do not quake at delivering unpopular messages—you are in good company.

Do not flinch when people laugh at you—one day, they will cry before Me.

Do not run anywhere—unless it is into My everlasting arms.

I am your Fortress—giving you nerves of steel and a moral backbone.

I am your Rock in a quicksand world—stronger than any hostile force.

Deliver My divine message—an unsteady, hurting world needs to hear it. 

Worried about running out of anything to say? Share My eternal Word.

Anxious about creatively holding others' attention? Preach Scripture. 

Wondering where to get ideas? Let Jesus be the theme of every sermon.

Follow My divine directions—you have your orders, now obey them.

Let Me choose the coordinates—then bloom where you are planted.

Be concerned about divine success—not success by the world's standards. 

Doubting you are making headway at the task I have given you? Persevere.

Wondering if you are making any difference? Stay focused on the cross.

Discouraged by sparse results? Jeremiah preached 40 years without any.

Work conscientiously for Me—the smile of your Boss will amply repay you.  

© Pastor Johnny R. Almond, Gentle Whispers from Eternity

“A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion.”— Proverbs 18:2.

Too bad the USA has this separation of church and state when it comes to political discussions.  This separation, as pertains to Proverbs 18:2, has turned us into fools.

Since we now only express our opinions and eschew understanding of others, we have fertilized the extreme right and the extreme left.  The goal of the extreme right has always been to eviscerate the left.   The goal of the extreme left has always been to eviscerate the right.  As this manured “sword play” continues, each side has only one way to grow:  toward the middle.

This encroachment on the middle continues to convert people to “Proverbs 18:2 fools.”  So, can America heal?  Yes.  There is a saying that states, “If you’re in a deep hole and want to get out, you first have to stop digging.  So, if America is ever to heal, “Proverbs 18:2 fools” on both sides must stop cutting each other.  Those of the un-encroached middle will have to stop shoveling [CENSORED] on the far right and the far left.  Unenriched far right and far left plantings will shrink if not nourished.  The middle could again become a bountiful American plain.

Do I trust that mankind can do this?  No.  I no longer trust mankind, present company included.  The only one I trust for this task is God.  I know He will help.  The question is, as an entire nation, are we willing to ask Him to do so. 

If you want to be my follower you must love me more than

your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters –

yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

You cannot be my disciple if you do not carry your own cross and follow me.

Count the cost. No one can become my disciple without giving up everything for me.

Luke 14:26-28a, 33 NLT

Sanctify your heart—consecrate your inner being to Me.

In grateful response to My mercy, love Me wholeheartedly.

Live passionately—prioritize My cause above earth’s trivial pursuits.

Live thoughtfully—ponder behavior, and reside in the moral highlands.

Live energetically—serve Me with all your strength and health.

Live creatively—allow Me to work through your unique personality.

Live loyally—make Me your Center of Gravity.

Live lovingly—adore Me with sincere affection nothing can kill.

Shoulder your cross—carry responsibilities willingly, without griping.

No difficulty or frustration begins to match the cross I carried for you.

Do not run from suffering—it is part of the landscape of obedience.

I endured excruciating pain for you—it is your turn to hang in there for Me.

There is only one way you can bear the cross I give you—grace.

Live unselfishly—put aside egocentric ambition and focus on others.

Live courageously—splinters from the cross should not surprise you.

Live nobly—follow my example; walk in My steps.

Surrender your life—count the cost of being My disciple.

Live for my glory—never seek your own.

Hold nothing back—renounce the idea of ownership.

Recognize My sovereignty—acknowledge that I rule and overrule all.

Be totally sincere in working for Me—take My business seriously.

Live humbly—do not be self-assertive; remember your place.

Live hopefully—practice downward mobility and I will promote you.

Live carefully—calculate the cost of obeying, and the higher cost of rebelling.

Live radically—give up everything for Me and finish the Faith Marathon.

© 2013 Pastor Johnny R. Almond, Day 317 Gentle Whispers from Eternity