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Prayer, Pride and Practical Atheism

I figured out last night why I have a problem "praying continuously." Prayerlessness is the natural result of either pride or lack of faith, usually both. You fail to pray, instinctively, because you are too proud to realize you need God or too unbelieving to grasp God’s willingness to help.

I’m prayerless because I’m full of pride and unbelief.

When the Gospel has cultivated humility and faith in you, you will obey that verse in 1 Thessalonians, "Pray continuously," instinctively.

Thanks to Kevin DeYoung for this thought.

Forgotten God

Just finishing up another book, this one by Francis Chan, called "The Forgotten God." While I did not find this one as astounding as "Crazy Love," I do think that Chan raises some good questions in the book. Here's a great paragraph that gives you the flavor of it.

"As believers, we ought to experience this same kind of astonishment when the Holy Spirit enters our bodies. We should be stunned in disbelief over becoming a "new creation" with the Spirit living in us. As the caterpillar finds its new ability to fly, we should be thrilled over our Spirit-empowered ability to live differently and faithfully. Isn't this what the Scriptures speak of? Isn't this what we've all been longing for?"

As I asked you last week, do you feel that the Holy Spirit's presence in your life is MORE VALUABLE to you than if Jesus Himself had stayed behind to be your personal discipler? Jesus said that that is how it should be (John 16:7)...

The Gospel Prayer::Quit feeling your way into your beliefs!

Yesterday, I told you that I believe that every Christian has the Spirit of God living inside of them. (Romans 8:9). This is one of the sweetest parts of the Christian life... to know Him, and to feel Him moving inside of your soul. He is my companion, my strength, He restores my soul, He guides me, convicts me and comforts me in ways that are hard to describe. He is as real to me as the chair I'm sitting on at this moment.

That said, the message of the Bible is clear: we cannot always "feel" God. I certainly can't. There are times I "feel" like He is absent and like my soul is wandering in "darkness." In those moments, we can't lose sight of this crucial biblical truth: the presence of God is grasped mostly by faith, not by feelings. If you depend on feelings to prove the presence of and love of God in your life, you're going to feel lost and alone most of the time.

We must "believe our way into our feelings, and not feel our way into our beliefs." We must not doubt in the darkness of our feelings what God has demonstrated to us in the light of the cross. There, once for all, He demonstrated His compassion and proved His commitment to us. Found your confidence on the unchangeable cross of Christ, not the capricious winds of your feelings.

One of the practical ways I have told you I do this every day is to pray the "light" of the Gospel into my life. It is a 4 part prayer, and it goes like this. Do this, every day for a month, and I can almost guarantee that through the Spirit it will change your life:

“Father, there is nothing I can do today that would make you love me more; nothing I failed to do yesterday made you love me less.”





“Father, your presence and approval are all I need today for everlasting joy.”



“Father, as you have been gracious and a servant to me, so I will be to others.”



“Father, everything the Gospel tells me about your intentions for my life, my family, and my world is TRUE. I will ask according to the generosity and power You revealed in the Gospel.”

The word "enough" is the enemy of the Gospel

The word "enough" is the enemy of the Gospel. The word "enough" about killed me spiritually.

For many years I have lived with a complex... Have I given enough? Do I love enough? Do I share Christ enough? Do I sacrifice enough? Should I be living in a downtown Durham project? Should I adopt 3 adolescent runaways from Russia? Should I be sharing our house with a homeless man? Should I give away 50% of my income?

Every time I have heard a new preacher with a new "cause" I have left thinking, "Do I have to do that to be a real disciple of Jesus? Am I doing enough?"

That is because many well meaning (though I think misguided Christian preachers) preach a message built on enough. Their message often appears to be, "Do you give enough to the poor to really consider yourself a good Christian? Why don't Christians in America die like Jesus' first followers? After all, good Christians... adopt, live poor, die martyr's deaths, win all their neighbors to Jesus, use only recycled cooking oil, drive hybrids... etc." I am forever left thinking, "If I were a real Christian, I'd be doing this or that..." (and, to be fair, it's not always the individual preacher's fault, sometimes it's how I misinterpret them--which has more to do with me... I seem addicted to works-righteousness and can turn anything into a new "standard" to reach.)

Obviously, giving and any form of sacrificial living are all important questions and things that many Christians who have experienced the love of the Gospel will want to do. But never in the context of "enough."

Whenever we preach "enough" we preach legalism. Legalism has two unmistakable marks: pride in those who feel like they live up to the standard or guilt-complexes in those who don't. The Gospel creates neither. The Gospel is not about how much you give, or whether or not you die, or if you adopt, or if you go overseas, the Gospel is about a heart of love that does things simply and freely in response to what God has done for us. 

“Not under compulsion” is one of Paul’s favorite phrases in the context of generosity. The word "enough" is its own type of compulsion. The Gospel is not about any response that is “enough”; the Gospel is about the free response of love flowing from gratefulness for the sacrifice of Christ which set us completely free.

The Gospel is not about what we are to go and do for God, but about what He has done for us. There are only two ways to approach God... one says, "I'll obey some standard, and because of that I'll be accepted." The other says "I've been accepted by what Christ has done for me, and I love in response.

This is why the preaching of the announcement of the Gospel (that Christ has DONE all that is necessary to save us) is so absolutely essential for all Christian living. If you do not preach the announcement of acceptance because of what Christ has done, there is no way he can create free love. Legalistic preachers, no matter how "evangelical" or "radical" they seem to be, don't create love for Jesus in people, they create pride and guilt-despair. Because they don't preach an announcement of freedom, they preach an obedience of captivity.

Paul said in 1 Cor 13:1-4 that "real Christianity" had nothing to do with "giving enough" or "dying enough" or "suffering enough" or "witnessing enough." He said it had to do with love, and love, as I'm saying, only grows in absolute freedom.

The only time the word "enough" ought to be used for the Gospel is in reference to what Christ has done for us. Those who understand this will live their lives in response, and their lives will be characterized by radical love.

The Gospel is not spelled "D-O" or "D-O-N-T" but "D-O-N-E." If you don't love and live radically, think about what Christ has done. Repent of the idols and saviors you have served in place of Him, and when you do , He will change your heart from one of selfishness to one of love.

It's Better That He's Gone?

I've always found one of the most intriguing things Jesus said to be some of His final words to His disciples recorded in John 14-16. Among other things he said, "It is to your advantage that I go away... because if I go to my Father I can send the Holy Spirit." It would be better, in Jesus opinion, for the disciples to have the Holy Spirit and no physical Jesus than to have Him physically present and no Holy Spirit.

Think about that for a minute. Is the Holy Spirit's presence in your life such that you can say it's better than have Jesus come and hang out with you for a day? If you got up this morning and the Holy Spirit was totally absent from your life, would you even know? If He didn't show up at your church this weekend, would you know? Pastors... are you more concerned with how many people show up, or that He shows up? What do you consider to be a "successful" church service--a large attendance with flawless execution, or the presence of God showing up?

The Holy Spirit is the comfort, guide, restorer, motivator, and instructor of our souls. He is the Presence of God to us that we have spoken about in this Exodus series.

Of course, we don't want to draw too much of a distinction between the presence of the Holy Spirit and the presence of Jesus, because Jesus said in that same passage that He would be present with us in the Holy Spirit. ("My Father and I will come and make our home with Him"). The Holy Spirit was another "of the same kind" of Jesus, and of course you can't divide God up like a pie. Isaiah 9:6-7 said that Jesus would be called "Counselor" and "Father," "Counselor being a name of the Holy Spirit and "Father" being the name of God the Father, of course. So, again, to know and be in the presence of one is to be in the presence of all 3.

Take some time to commune with the Holy Spirit today. Talk with Him when you get up and when you go to sleep. Take a walk with Him. Don't quench Him by ignoring Him. Dellight in Him; hope in Him; listen for Him.

A Practical Help to Prayer

I've been having our staff read, recently, A Praying Life by Paul Miller. It is a great book, and I have blogged about it before.

One really practical thing I have gotten from the book is the idea to make a fairly detailed card for each major person/thing I'm praying for. Here are the reasons I have found it very helpful:

• Everything in my life that is important I plan for. Microsoft Outlook keeps my day on track and my priorities ordered. The same should be true for prayer.
• It keeps my mind from wandering. I know you have this idealized picture of what pastors pray like... we're swept up in rapturous, effusive orations to God... but a lot of times when I find my mind has wandered off into distant lands, and I'm thinking about dinner, or who said what yesterday that ticked me off, or what I've got to do when I get into the office... holding a card helps me stay focused. There are times I get greatly moved in prayer and it just flows, and there are times when I need some help staying focused.
• It helps me be really specific when I pray, and then also to notice when the prayers have been answered. I have a few specific things, for example, I am praying for my daughters... character things I want to see develop, etc. I have noticed how God has answered prayer.
• I have a specific Scripture(s) that I have written out on the card that I associate with the things I am praying for.

I'd encourage you to give this a try. Don't try and be too detailed on your card, but be specific about things you want to see happen in certain people's lives or in situations. Have numerous cards, at least one that corresponds to each major area of your life: your workplace; each of your family; friends; your church; your small group; Summit Church plants; etc.

We have to SEE before we DO

I've been fascinated this week by what I've seen in the book of Ephesians in light of what we are studying together in Exodus. What we saw is that God began the process of teaching Israel to relate to Him by giving them a glimpse of His size, His awesome holiness, and His great salvation. Before He gave them laws, He let them "see" Him. Why? Because until we tremble (19:16) before the awesomeness of God, we will never seek Him, believe Him, desire Him, delight in Him, or obey Him like we should. Seeing is the foundation of all doing. (That message is here if you need to hear it).

Thus, it is not surprising that Paul, as he begins the book of Ephesians, one of the most robust discussions of the Christian life, starts off with a prayer that the Ephesians might be given a "spirit of revelation to see... the surpassing greatness of His power" (1:17-19). Then, as if knowing that one short prayer is not enough, he spontaneously bursts into another prayer halfway through the book, saying exactly the same thing: "I pray that God would strengthen you with the Holy Spirit... that you might be able to comprehend what is the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ which surpasses all knowledge" (3:17-21).

In Christianity, seeing always comes before doing. Trying to do before you see leads to drudgery, lethargic worship, and half-hearted obedience. When we see the majesty of God, we find it so much easier to believe Him, seek Him, and obey Him.

Pray for sight. Pray for it a lot. Pray for it for our church.

I am OK with not Understanding Everything

Recently I memorized Psalm 131, and it has been of GREAT comfort to me.

PSALM 131

¹O LORD, my heart is not lifted up;
   my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
   too great and too marvelous for me.
²But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
   like a weaned child with its mother;
   like a weaned child is my soul within me. 

 ³O Israel, hope in the LORD
   from this time forth and forevermore.

There are things I still cannot grasp about God. Things I cannot understand. This passage tells me even King David, the man after God's own heart, felt the same. Martin Luther said that it is clear that there are things that angels, with fear and trembling, dare not ask. Following their example, he said, he knew there were things God had not revealed that he would not question. John Calvin's favorite verse was Deut 29:29, "The secret things belong to the Lord our God; but the things that are revealed belong to us and our children forever." There are things that God has not revealed that we will probably never be able to understand.

Is that OK with you?

It's not intellectual suicide, because we have convincing, logical reasons why the Bible is the revelation of God... and it is logical that if it is God speaking in the Bible, then of course we can trust that there are things He says we can't grasp yet~

In other words, I don't understanding everything in the Bible, but I know that God was in Christ and that God is behind the Bible (indeed, that God was in Christ is the only convincing explanation for His life, death and resurrection!). And so I accept what I cannot understand on the basis of what I can understand!

The bottom line is this: Sometimes I want answers; but God gives me presence. I want explanation; I get revelation. I want reasons; I get Jesus. "If my mind is the size of a soda can, and God is the size of all the oceans, then it is silly for me to think that he is only as large as the amount I can get into my little can."

Generosity: How Much is "Enough"?

I've been thinking a lot recently about what kind of radical sacrifices God "requires" of us. I'm almost done with one of the most convicting biographies I've ever read, A Chance to Die: The Story of Amy Carmichael  by Elisabeth Elliot. Let's just say she takes Gospel-centered living to a whole new level. It is a fantastic book.

So, I have spent a lot of time in the New Testament reading through the accounts of and instructions on giving. Part of my "problem" is that I know that whatever I am giving, I could almost always give more. I drive an older car, but I could, of course, drive an older one. Heck, my wife and I could probably figure out how to get by on one car. We try not to be extravagant in how we eat, but we could always eat more cheaply than we do (rice, beans, old bread and peanut butter). We try to be frugal in our dress, but we could always be moreso... i.e. we could shop exclusively at the thrift shop. Whatever vacations we take, we could always take a cheaper one. (Who says we need to travel anywhere on vacation?) We could do without air conditioning. We could share a home with another family like they do in China. You get the drift...

Even the most giving people I know could always find a way to give more if they were really pressed.

So, how much is enough? Didn't Jesus give up it ALL for us, in one sense? Remember the scene in Schindler's List, where Liam Neeson goes through all of his stuff at the end and says, "Couldn't this watch have bought one more person? This ring?" Is that how I need to think? Could this 2nd pair of Levi's have "bought" one more person? John Piper talks about "wartime giving" (in times of war we don't indulge in luxury, but we live simply so we can devote our resources to fighting). I VERY MUCH agree with that and want to live that way, but when is enough? Couldn't we always give up a little more? Isn't there always something else we could melt down and turn into bullets?

Even in this, the Bible must be our guide. One thing I have noticed in the New Testament is the incredible freedom and spontaneity in sacrifice.

• There is the woman who "wasted" her year's-salary-perfume on Jesus' feet. Jesus never says, "This is the new standard. Go get your perfume bottles." This was a personal decision of hers, not required or expected, but a free offering she made to Jesus simply to say "I love you."
• Paul points out in 1 Corinthians 8-9 that he does not accept money for his ministry. He then goes out of his way that this should not be the new standard, and even insists that those who do their ministry should be rewarded with "double (financial) honor." Paul, however, had decided that there were some things he wanted to do just for Jesus, and even though he was free to receive and enjoy money for it... as a matter of love between him and Jesus, he would not. It was his 'perfume bottle' he was breaking over Jesus' feet.
• When Ananias and Sapphira only give 1/2 of the value of their land and lie and say that they gave it all, Peter goes out of his way to say that the problem is not that they held back part of it, but that they lied about it.

My conclusion so far? There is an incredible freedom given to us in how we sacrifice. God doesn't "need" my money. I do think that the Bible teaches we should all give generously, that we have a responsibility to the church, and that a tithe is a good place to start with that. However, it leaves the radical sacrifices beyond that as a matter of free will.

It's not even that we wait on God to "tell us" what he wants. There is no indication God told the woman to break her perfume bottle or Paul not to charge for ministry. God leaves us free to have our hearts well up with love for Him, like the woman with the perfume bottle, or Paul with his refusal to charge for ministry, and sacrifice, even randomly and senselessly, just out of love for Him.

This has left Veronica and I feeling incredibly free... and free to make some sacrifices to curb our lifestyle for no other reason than to say, "Jesus, we love you and are grateful for you. You gave up so much for us, we want to hurt some for you."Jesus, who was rich beyond compare, to rescue me became poor. I want to live "poorly" in some ways for Him and those He still wants to rescue.

Amy Carmichael writes these searching words,

Hast thou no scar?
No hidden scar on foot, or side, or hand?
I hear thee sung as mighty in the land;
I hear them hail thy bright, ascendant star.
Hast thou no scar?

Hast thou no wound?
Yet I was wounded by the archers; spent,
Leaned Me against a tree to die; and rent
By ravening beasts that compassed Me, I swooned.
Hast thou no wound?

No wound? No scar?
Yet, as the Master shall the servant be,
And piercèd are the feet that follow Me.
But thine are whole; can he have followed far
Who hast no wound or scar?

I'm still not done with all this... and would love your thoughts on it. (My first post on it was this one).

Out of Guilt, Into Generosity: How can I have a healthy attitude toward money?

I've always found 1 Tim 6:17-19 to be an intriguing, convicting, and yet liberating passage regarding money.

^6:17 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. ¹⁸ They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, ¹⁹ thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.

Paul does some radical things regarding money in this passage… First, he frees Christians up to be able to enjoy/celebrate God’s goodness in His provision. He says, "God... richly provides all things to enjoy." God loves to give us things... he loves it, for example, when we enjoy good food. He's not a "rice and beans" only God. He delights in the beauty with which we clothe our bodies and decorate our homes. He loves for us to take vacations to see his grandeur on display. You don’t have to feel guilty all the time. God gave us richly all things to enjoy, and He's got even more coming in eternity! Yet, Paul says, softly but profoundly, in response to the Gospel, we ought to be generous people. Radically generous. We ought to do good and to share. We should give to others in a way that mimics how Jesus gave to us.

Second, Paul isolates and then goes to war against the 2 ways money destroys us... 2 different ways that correspond to 2 different personality types.

"Do not set your hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God." Some people use money, rather than God, as their TRUST, thus they save, rather than give, all their money. They hoard, so that in the "rainy day" their god of money will be able to save them. Paul says, "Don't let riches be your trust for the future; let God be that."

“But be rich in good works...” Other people see money, rather than the Kingdom of God, as their TREASURE. So they are always spending their money on the latest glitz, fashion, and creature comfort. Paul says to them, "Don't make creature comforts your real treasure, make the Kingdom of God your treasure and give generously to it."

These two admonitions speak to two different personality types. Almost all people worship money... though in different ways. Some of us worship it by making it, rather than God, our trust; others of us make it, rather than God, our treasure.

What is interesting to me, as a pastor, is that these two personality types both see the other as money-sick. People who use money as their treasure save money all the time so they don’t have to worry, and look down on those who spend lots of money; people who think of money as their treasure spend money all the time so they can “enjoy” life and can’t understand the miserly people who are always saving. Both look down on the other, but both are really sick from the same disease. Both worship money instead of God.

God is to be our real beauty (treasure) and our real security (trust.) The one who understands this will enjoy his life, feel confident about the future, and share generously.