What happens when the machine is turned off?

It's not uncommon to relate to God as He is our life-saver.  We see Him as our life support - our ventilator to keep oxygen in the bloodstream to sustain life to all our organs.  Long enough to regain consciousness to again breathe on our own.

But I would argue that God is not a life support at all.  He is the air.  Air is not a machine.  It is not confined to numbers and settings entered by a human being.

You Word even above Your Name

Genesis 11 is the first record the Bible has that discusses language.  One language was spoken, and the same words.  The people of earth had been moving around the east side of the planet, and they decided to settle down for a hot minute in Shinar.  They decided to build a tower up to the heavens.  (SIDE NOTE: sounds freezing, knowing now about the different levels of the atmosphere and what not).  They wanted to make a name for themselves.  Pay particular attention to scripture when describing names.  And to make a name for themselves. 

The Lord saw this (11:5-6) and decided to confuse the language.  What was the problem with making a name?  It worked out well for Romeo and Juliet, didn’t it?  Patriots take pride in chanting the name of their nation.  But what does the Lord think about the nature of a name?  David tells us in Psalm 138:2.  Here, King David is singing a song of praise to God for who He (God) is:

                ²I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy   truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

Even above His own name, God magnifies His Word!  If I am first magnifying His Word, and then His name, I doubt I will even find the time to start making claims about my own name.  Not that I haven’t had my own narcissistic moments in the sun..

Be a prophet

The term prophet is often reserved for OT characters like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and Jonah.  But we can be prophets in our 21st Century world.  In our time, we are not called to speak with supernatural knowledge.  God desires us to know Him and His will for our lives through the Bible.  The Word of God (the Bible) has already been written and translated into thousands of languages worldwide.  Our job is to proclaim it - through our conversation and our daily living.

Prophecy is the telling of things to come.  Again, this is not hidden knowledge; it is a general revelation open to everyone to hear and repeat.  Our goal in this age is to build up the church as a whole.  By doing this, the members are ALL edified.  The letters from Paul to the many churches around the Mediterranean told them (and us) how we can do just that.  The easiest place to read to understand the mission of the church is Philippians 2.  Be like-minded - sharing any knowledge, inspiration, strength, etc that you receive.  Share it with the church for everyone to be able to grow.

In speaking to the church in Corinth, the members were in a state of discord because of their obsession with their spiritual gifts.  Paul responds by confirming the mission here as well.  We want to edify the whole church.  Yes, some of you will be teachers.  Some will be healers.  Some will even speak in tongues.

In the 21st Century Western ideology, it is unpopular to create any sort of hierarchy.  Every kid gets a trophy.  But God and Paul are not confined to our way of thinking.  And Paul really spells it out well in these letters.

I Corinthians 12:27-31 - Paul acknowledges the many members of the church body - apostles, prophets, teachers, miracle-workers, healers, helpers, governments, diversity of tongues).  And he places more value on the ones he mentions first.  Why.  Because they are more beneficial to the church as a whole.  All these gifts come from God, but Paul never deviates from his mission of building up the church first and foremost.  These passages dispel any myth from church denominations teaching that we must all speak in tongues to have the 'full gospel'.

I Corinthians 13 - Here, Paul also diffuses the argument that the gifts of tongues (along with other ornate gifts) should have such a large role in the church.  Without emphasis on prophecy and teaching, speaking in tongues is a glitter bomb without an announcement of what we are celebrating.  (the edification of the church in this case)

I Corinthians 14 - HERE HERE HERE.  In chapters 12 and 13 Paul does well to be an author of INclusion above EXclusion.  God is an intentional God.  He would not have given anyone the gift of tongues without reason.  Paul acknowledges that truth, and He even teaches here when it is appropriate to use.  And in the church setting, it is a pretty limited period.  And it should be very prayerful.  Those who speak in tongues must fervently pray for the words needed to interpret (14:13).  The bulk of time in church gathering should be dedicated to prophesying and teaching.  Why?  Because it builds up the church as a whole (14:12).

Prophecy and teaching are done only as we know the truth.  The reason we have so many church denominations is in part due to our lack of scriptural knowledge of the truth. 

The truth is that Paul wants the church to be lifted up, not the individual members. 
The truth is that all the gifts have their place, in the church and the individual experience.
The truth is that prayer and guidance from the Holy Spirit must be the root of the church's actions.

The Pastors and the congregation must pray that only that which is true will be spoken.  Peter prophesies about false doctrine that is about to infiltrate the church in II Peter 2.  And the book of Jude (v4) acknowledges when they actually have crept into the church.

Only that which the Holy Spirit leads us to say and hear for the enrichment of the whole church.

Faith cometh!

Faith in God does not come from feeling. 

Paul tells us in Romans 10 that it comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God.  The Word of God - spoken, written, and breathed.  And we have someone who speaks the Word of God to us and through us.  He teaches us how to pray.  We can speak these words to those who don't know about God.  Acts 2:2 talks about a SOUND of a mighty rushing wind surrounding the apostles.  And continuing down in verse 4, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. 

So quickly, our imaginations turn to the feeling of the rushing wind, but it is so important to allow our ears to hear the message and our minds to discern the truth. 

Why should we listen before we feel?  Because our hearts deceive us (Jeremiah 17:9).  By reading the Word of God, we are like the trees planted by the rivers.  The river remains our constant guarantee that we will never thirst.  Even when the heat comes (trials in our lives), the Word will continue to be life-giving.  Truth-revealing.  We cannot rely on our hearts to rightly divide the Word of truth.  We must study the Word (2 Tim 3:16). 

My Savior had no place to lay His head

Ownership and possessiveness is a crazy thing.  It is something that is conditioned in us from our beginnings.  The first time a child reaches for a toy and yells, "Mine!", he stands condemned before God. And look at what happens as the child ages.

Anything I love in life, I find myself wanting to place ownership over it.  (**Except the trees.  I more want to just dwell among them.)  I go to a theater and enjoy the movie.  I should buy the DVD.  I see a piece of art in a gallery.  How much for the painting?  I want to display it in my house for my select few friends. 

I buy into my company to own part of it.
I find that I am unknowingly trespassing in nature if that particular piece of ground is state-owned.
You can own a parking spot.
Possess a degree (or two or three)

Taking ownership is not the transgression.  It is unlawful to take without payment.  But who possesses whom?  So shameful to think of times when I have been possessed by an object or an idea.  Look at the beginning of Revelation 21.  After the time for endurance and abstinence, down in verse 7 - now we are talking about an inheritance and a much better possession.  Wow.  "I will be his God, and he shall me my son."

The OT makes mention of a few men coming from "his own place".  And I don't believe it was an accident how the authors used this same phrase in each event:
1.  Gen 31:55 with Laban - who tricked Jacob, renegotiated his wages 3 times, and kept him away from his homeland for 20 years - after a hot debate, he kissed his sons and daughters and departed to his place
2. 2 Sam 18:18 - Absalom had no son to bear his name.  So called a pillar after his own name, calling it Absalom's place.
3. Job 2:11 - Job's 3 friends came everyone from his own place.  And what did they tell Job to do?
*Common denominator in all these stories - these men were not highly esteemed by the authors of each passage.

Now look at Christ:
1. Luke 2 - Born in a dirt-nasty stable because there was no place for Him. 
2. Luke 9:58 - During His time of ministry.  Jesus replied, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
3.  John 19:38 - Even in death, Jesus lay in a borrowed tomb.

I've quoted this before, but I cannot get enough of this guy.  "The blessedness of possessing nothing." (AW Tozer)

Somebody's baby

A sobering thought has been held captive in my mind in recent years.  I look at many of the people I see in the hospital, on the street, even the bitter individual you see often in everyday life.  I think about their day to day, what they must be thinking as they try to fall asleep, how they perceive their environment - all these elements contributing to how the world sees them on the exterior.

The harsh lines on their faces tell a story.  Begging for money or narcotics or attention - to feed something far deeper than physical need.  I can guarantee that none of these individuals planned to grow up to be in this position.  Sometimes I see the morbidly obese struggling to even change positions in a chair.  They look so uncomfortable all the time, persistently out of breath.  I can guarantee they didn't plan to get there.

What's so ironic is the common thread all of us share.  We were all someone's baby at one point.  Even if a child was born into a troubled home, the miracle of life still seems to change those parents' perception - even for a short while.  Someone used to hold each of us, not wanting us to face any harm.

To see the people in this light can help us show love in the most difficult situations.  Sometimes as I am being harassed by unruly patients or family members at work, I can sense another being in the room.  It's as if they are yelling at the disease or the pain or someone in their past.   I was just the next schmuck who crossed their path.  But I can definitely channel their angst to the only one who can bring healing.  A healing that far surpasses the efficacy of any morphine, relationship, or monetary amount.

When you begin to visualize the evil spiritual shield around the minds of many, you can see why some people are so vehemently opposed to messages of love and peace that bear the name of Jesus Christ.  Only through devoted prayer can that wall be conquered.  When the Western World is willing to acknowledge the spiritual war that continues even without their consideration, only then will the hope found through prayer be recognized.

"I don't pray to change God.  I pray to God because it changes me." (CS Lewis)

I would venture to say THAT is one of my missions here on earth.

My parents' mission letter!

Hello  friends, alumni, Facebook friends,   I wanted to share with you all what changes are about to take place in our life. As of December 21^st I will be leaving IRCS to go to work full time for a mission organization called TWR – Transworld Radio.  This is a ministry that broadcasts the gospel along with Bible study materials into areas where traditional missionaries are not always able to go. 

    As I walked through our Christian book store this weekend I was amazed at the amount of Bibles and study materials available to us.  We have so many translations available, audio, video , children’s Bibles,

Women’s Bibles, couples Bibles, Study Bibles, Spanish Bibles, Bible dictionaries, Commentaries galore,  Christian music cds, Christian movies, fiction books, Christian living books, devotionals etc…. Yet when we look around the world we see many areas where just to be in possession of a Bible is a criminal offense.  The shelves are empty.

So, Daryl, my husband, and I asked God if there was any way we could get involved in helping those people around the world with little or no access to His Word.  The option came to get involved with TWR.  We will be moving to the Pacific island of Guam in the new year to work at a station that broadcasts into China and eastern Asia.

Not everyone can pack up and move to the other side of the world to do this, but there is one way you can help.  We will be totally living on support from Christians who want to make an difference in this area of ministry. We are required to raise 100% of our support needs before we can leave.  Because Daryl is retired from the military we are able to provide 55% of this from the retirement pay.  We also have a generous contribution from our local church and commitments from friends and family.  We are so close to our goal.  We are currently at 91% of our monthly requirements.  Will you consider helping us with a monthly commitment to the ministry.  If not monthly would you consider helping with our moving costs with a one time gift.  If we work together, we can make a difference in our world.  Just think… where would you be is you never knew of God’s love for you!

Our website is http://www.twr.org/global_staff/renshaw/

Thank you for considering this.

Gaynelle