As I sit at my desk thinking and praying about all the opportunities we have to train indigenous people God’s Plan for His Church, there are several questions that often come to mind. Which opportunities are ones God is bringing to us and which ones are not ‘His open door’? Paul faced the same problem as we have noted before from Acts 16:6-10. It should not surprise us that he asked churches to pray for him in this regard.
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving. At the same time, pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ, on account of which I am in prison--” (Colossians 4:2–3). While Paul wanted the saints to be praying people as a habit, he asked them to include him in their prayers. He had a specific reason for making this request; “that God may open to us a door for the word, to declare the mystery of Christ”. What did he mean by an “open…door”? I can guarantee that he was not seeking events that would soon be forgotten by those who attended or that he become more popular! He wanted encounters when the Word of God and the mystery of Christ would effectively penetrate hearts and the Spirit would produce transformation so the gospel would expand. This is what Paul also calls “a wide door for effective work” (1 Corinthians 16:9). We sincerely need prayer partners who will see with us this need and commit themselves to “continual steadfast prayer…for us”. We are finding that many influences from the “West” have turned opportunities into ineffective events. Your prayers for discernment will help us avoid wasting our time and God’s resources in places where God is not at work.
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We have been blogging several times about the circles of intimacy with God, what each one looks like, and who you will find in the inner circle. What then makes the difference between those who are as close as the “crowd” versus those who are almost alone with Him in the inner circle?
The question that God posed to Isaiah (above) is one that we all should be asking ourselves. “To whom then will you compare Me, that I should be like him? Says the Holy One” (Isaiah 40:25). Rarely do we stop to realize how incomparable God is, yet we place so many other things and human heroes before an intimate relationship with God. Why? J. I. Packer makes this comment: “Our thoughts of God are not great enough; we fail to reckon with the reality of His limitless wisdom and power. Because we ourselves are limited and weak, we imagine that at some points God is too, and find it hard to believe that He is not.” This limitless God invites us to draw near to the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. James tell us to “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you” (4:8). The more we see His majesty as revealed in Christ, the less we will try to compare Him with anything or anyone. His lofty, exalted and unique totality of glory combined with His coming near to us in Christ should make us want to be near Him. Yes, nearer, still nearer through spending large amounts of time gazing on His beauty! Knowing God, Hodder & Stoughton, 1973, page 94. As Randy works through the final events of this trip, he sends a request for prayer. Please join us in lifting him and those he is with up to God for spiritual victory in spite of apparent hindrances.
“The battles are great here in India. Part of this comes from a translator steering in one direction when I sensed God leading in another way. This tension, along with issues of money, caused the training event to have what seems to be limited success. Combine this with the fact that the people did not do the work as they were asked to do. This increases our struggle for advancement of Christ's kingdom in India. They are more into showy events rather than solid Spirit-directed, Scripture-centered training. Pray that God would break through these barriers. Now, I head to the state of Himachal Pradesh, not knowing what I will find there. I am leaning wholly on God's promise to be with me and even go ahead to prepare the ground of people's hearts. Please join with me in praying for God's glory to be manifested in the Himalayan Mountains where I will be teaching. May God bring down the spiritual high places and establish His reign where darkness is clouding the minds of believers. May God's Spirit pour out abundant grace on India!” Jesus makes a very insightful connection between doing the will of God and having a close, personal relationship with Him. But before we get to that point, let’s look at the context. “And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” It would appear that Jesus’ natural family thought they had a prior claim over Him. Why didn’t they come right to where He was? Could this be an indicator of what they thought of His teaching? Jesus response puts both priorities and relationships in their right perspective.
“And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”” (Mark 3:31–35). What are we to learn from Jesus’ answer?
We have seen how the numbers dwindle the closer we get to God, but we also observed that there is a very specific purpose for the Lord choosing us; “that [we] might be with Him” (Mark 3:14). Now I want to point out some of the rewards that come from being in the inner circle; as near to the Lord as possible.
(1) Enjoying Intimacy with God, Discovery House Publishers, 2000, page 16. As we have been thinking about what it means to be closer to God in our personal relationship, I want to draw your attention to Jesus and how he chose his disciples. There are two Scriptures we will look at in this blog.
“And He appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:14). “In these days He went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, He called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom He named apostles:” (Luke 6:12–13). These verses must be studied carefully. From them I draw two major points that are often overlooked in writings on the disciples.
“Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud.” (Exodus 24:15–16).
As we consider what Moses gained from this intimacy with God, it should make us want the same for ourselves. The following points expand our understanding of what this really meant to Moses.
A long time ago when I was much more fit, we would take the family camping in Yosemite Valley. We took long hikes on the trails toward the back county and high mountain peaks. The valley was always crowded with visitors to the park. But the further we hiked into the mountains the fewer people we met. One year, two of my sons and I hiked to the top of Unicorn Peak which is over 11,000 feet. For most of the hike, we were the only people to venture that high.
The closer to God we are, the fewer the people, yet the more wonderful is our experience. Moses took Joshua his assistant, up the mountain of God where “the glory of the Lord dwelt” (Exodus 24:12-18). This experience left such a mark on Joshua that later it is said of him that “Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent” where the presence of God was (33:11). I have often said to others that you will never desire after, sacrifice for, or pursue what you have never experienced. The value of God’s presence is so little understood and so little valued. Our American culture has created a type of busyness that does not make spending time in God’s presence a priority. If you are going to experience being with Him, you must sacrifice other things and discipline your time. The reward: God manifesting His glory and speaking His will!! If we get away from the “crowd” in Scripture, we find a smaller group that are selected to experience and enjoy closer moments in God’s presence. I have given two examples below:
“Then Moses and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel went up [Mount Sinai], and they saw the God of Israel. There was under his feet as it were a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness.” (Exodus 24:9–10). “And He went up on the mountain and called to Him those whom He desired, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and He might send them out to preach” (Mark 3:13–14). Both groups had a ‘sweet/bitter’ side to them. It wasn’t long after the seventy had been with Moses and seen the glory of God on the mountain that they were back in the valley with Aaron making a golden calf to worship (Exodus 32). This brought God to the point of wanting to consume them and start over with Moses as a new nation. What is wrong with this picture? Jesus chose twelve men to “be with Him”, training them for preaching and reaching the world with His message. Time and space does not allow me to list all the problems Jesus had with these men who had the finest mentor of mentors. With Peter denying that he knew Jesus and Judas betraying Him to the Jewish rulers, Jesus could have given up on them, but He knew what he was doing. He gives them the closeness of seeing God the Father in Himself (John 14:9). Has God given you the privilege of His presence, but you have squandered those moments and forgotten their value? He gave you those experiences to change your life and ministry, not to be wasted. He is calling you into the next two circles. Be sure to visit this blog for the next two days. One of the sad things I have watched over many years is those who want to blend into the crowd. They attend retreats, conferences, or even cruise ship events with famous authors or pastors. Some may even come away with a certificate for completing a course. But sadly, there is no transformation and they are no closer to God than 25 years ago. It was no different in Moses day with the nation of Israel. God prepared the people to meet Him at Mount Sinai, first by reminding them of what they meant to Him and what he had done for them. Then He consecrated them for this special moment. They would hear God’s voice as He spoke to Moses and so believe Moses forever. But God knew the people well enough that He had Moses set limits around the mountain so the people could approach, but not ascend the mountain (Exodus 19:11-12). In hearing His voice they would get a sense of His glory. Jesus was often surrounded by crowds who desired His miracles (Matthew 15:30-31), but rejected His truth (26:55-56). For them, relationship with a living God who was both powerful and righteous was not what they wanted. I wonder at times by so many of the prayers I hear if people are only interested in God if He meets their needs, but not in a relationship that demands sacrifice of self. Oswald Sanders says of Israel, “They did have a vision of God, but to them “the glory of the Lord was like a consuming fire on the mountain top”” (Exodus 24:17). In other words, we allow our perceptions of God to stand between us and the reward of intimacy with Him. Enjoying Intimacy with God, Discovery House Publishers, 2000, page 11. |
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