J.O.Y. - the secret to a Mega-Church

Acts 4:32-34     (32) "And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them.  (35) And with great ("Mega") power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant ("Mega") grace was upon them all.  (36) For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales..."

I want my church to be a "Mega-Church", full of "Mega-Christians".  Not "Mega" by the world's standard, but "Mega" like the early church.... like what verse 35 describes... full of "mega-power" and "mega-grace".  You can go to any Christian bookstore and find scores of "how to" books that claim the secret of building a successful church, but save your money.... I'll show You God's plan.

I remember learning in Sunday School as a young boy, that the secret to a joyful life was keeping my priorities straight.  Our teacher taught us an acronym for joy: Jesus, Others, Yourself.  He said that if we live each day with those things in the right order, God will fill us with joy and with a sense of His Presence.

When I look carefully at the context in Acts 4, the description of the "mega-church" in verse 35 is sandwiched by J.O.Y.  The Believers had given themselves completely to Jesus and also to each other.  They were truly living out Paul's words in Philippians 2:2-5  "... make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,.."

So, how do I build a "mega-church"?  It starts with me and my priorities.  If I wholeheartedly give myself to the "J.O.Y. Principle", God will work in and through me to impact other people with His grace and mercy.  He will transform them and they, too, will become propagators of J.O.Y.  Before too long, we will resemble the church in Acts 4.

Dear Lord, I fully embrace the concept of J.O.Y.  Please, Holy Spirit, make it a reality in my experience today.  Live through me and let me be an example of Your power and grace.  Help me to be a "Mega-Christian" today.
Amen.

Boldness or Bravado?...

Acts 4:13 "Now as they observed the boldness of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus."

Acts 4:29 "And now, Lord, take note of their threats, and grant that Your bond-servants may speak Your word with all boldness,"

Acts 4:31 "And when they had prayed, the place where they had gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak the word of God with boldness."

Peter and John had been dragged from the Temple and found themselves in the center of a room, surrounded by a hostile group of Jewish leaders - the same group who had condemned Jesus on the night Peter denied the Savior just a few months earlier.  Why the drastic difference in Peter's response?

This was not the same Peter as the one who routinely seemed to speak before he engaged his brain.  His bravado had been replaced by boldness.  It began on Pentecost when the Holy Spirit baptized, filled him and his fellow disciples, and it became a signature descriptor of his ministry.

I want that!  I want to be so controlled by the Spirit that my words and my actions reveal that I, too, have been with Jesus.  How do I do it?  It's simple, really, but it's not easy.  Simple because all it requires is for me to trust Him and yield my will to His. Difficult because that's not how I function naturally.  My natural tendency would be to go through my day, making decisions with no thought of God.  Yes, I pray to start my day but, as the day progresses, I tend to slip into "auto-pilot".

Fortunately, The Lord also wants me to be controlled by His Spirit, and He doesn't leave me to my own devices.  He has a way of interrupting, of catching my attention and pulling me back on course.  I am so thankful for that!

So, here's my test for today.  The Lord woke me up earlier than usual this morning with a multi-item "to-do" list swirling in my head.  As I groggily typed them into my iPad reminders, He kept adding more tasks to my day.  Now, as I sit in my study, I am going over the "impossible-to-accomplish-in-one-day" accumulation, and I am consciously relinquishing control of each item.  I am asking the Holy Spirit to schedule my tasks to intersect with His "Divine appointments" and to keep my spiritual eyes and ears alert to His leading.  Wow!  I can't wait to get started!

Dear Father, I am really looking forward to what You are going to do in, through, and for me today.  Thank You for transforming today's task list from "daunting" to "do-able"!  Thank You for changing my attitude from "dreading" to "daring".  Please, Lord, reveal Your boldness in me.  I want people to notice that I've been with Jesus this morning.  Amen.

Expect More...

Acts 3:3-6 "When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms.  But Peter, along with John, fixed his gaze on him and said, 'Look at us!'  And he began to give them his attention, expecting to receive something from them.  But Peter said to him, 'I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you: In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene--walk!'"

Over the years I have read a few books that have radically impacted my spiritual life.  One of the first was a little volume written by J. B. Phillips, "Your God is Too Small." He helped me realize that I had "compartmentalized" God.  I had tried to squeeze the eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent, infinite God into a finite, convenient, comfortable, controllable "box".  How foolish and presumptuous I was.

Similarly, I keep discovering how limited are my expectations of Him.  I'm too much like the lame beggar in Acts 3.  When Peter got his attention, he expected a "handout", a few coins.  Little did he know that God had a much greater gift for him.  God gave him a "hand up"... Instead of a temporary fix, he received a total makeover.

I wonder if my limited expectations of God hinder my enjoyment of Him.  I ponder my prayer life and can't help but think that I have tunnel vision.  I see from my limited perspective what I think I need, what I perceive God to be doing, what I believe He wants from me, and where I sense He's directing my steps.  He obviously sees these same things from a much broader point of view!

I want to see things more from His perspective than from mine.  I don't want to settle for a "few alms" when God has planned so much more.  I want to raise my expectations so that what I expect is more in line with what He has in mind.  I can't do that by myself.  That's a job for the Holy Spirit.  I need to listen carefully to His voice and see with His eyes today.

Dear Lord, You know me inside out.  I know that You have plans for me, both short and long range.  I pray that You will keep my spiritual "bi-focals" clean today so that I will have a clear vision of both the details of today and the broader view of tomorrow.  I don't want to miss anything You have planned for me.  I can't wait to get started!  Amen.

Hopelessly devoted...

Acts 1:14  "These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers."

Acts 2:42 "They were continually devoting themselves to teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

Colossians 4:2 "Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving..."

Each of us is devoted to something or someone.  As a husband and father, I am devoted to my wife and family.  In the movie, "Grease", Olivia Newton-John's character, Sandy, poured out her heart as she sang "Hopelessly Devoted to You" to the love of her life, Danny.

What is it to be "hopelessly devoted"?  It  means to be so committed to someone or something that nothing can diminish your passion; it is to be single-minded, entirely focused, making it your highest priority, giving it your undivided attention.

That word is used 10 times in the New Testament.  Half of those verses deal with our attitude toward prayer.  It describes Jesus' habit of continual communication with His Father and it pictures the priority of the early Christians.  As I ponder this, I have to ask the question, "Does it describe me.?"

What does "devotion to prayer" look like?  I don't think it means that we have to spend hours at a time on our knees, although sometimes that will happen.  It's more of a constant conversation with God, a continual awareness of His presence, actively listening for His voice, seeking His advice, counsel and direction throughout the day.  That's what Paul meant when he advised us to "pray without ceasing."

That's what I desperately want and need today... and tomorrow... and the next day.

Dear Lord, I am so amazed and thankful that You would want to carry on a conversation with me today.  I don't understand why, but I gladly, wholeheartedly accept your offer.  Please, Holy Spirit, help me to listen carefully, discern Your voice, and follow Your lead throughout this day.  I am hopelessly devoted to You!  Amen.

Oh, what a good boy am I ... or am I?

2 Chronicles 32:22 -25  "So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side. And many were bringing gifts to the LORD at Jerusalem and choice presents to Hezekiah king of Judah, so that he was exalted in the sight of all nations thereafter.

"In those days Hezekiah became mortally ill; and he prayed to the LORD, and the LORD spoke to him and gave him a sign. But Hezekiah gave no return for the benefit he received, because his heart was proud; therefore wrath came on him and on Judah and Jerusalem.

"Even in the matter of the envoys of the rulers of Babylon, who sent to him to inquire of the wonder that had happened in the land, God left him alone only to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart."

Hezekiah is described in Scripture as having been one of Judah's godliest kings, a man who, like David, served The Lord wholeheartedly.  As a result, God blessed him beyond measure.  Because Hezekiah was humble of heart, he was the recipient of miraculous intervention by God.  Even though he foolishly sought help by allying himself with Egypt, God rescued Jerusalem by destroying the Assyrian army overnight.  When Hezekiah became mortally ill, God healed him and extended his life by fifteen years.

How did Hezekiah respond to God's miracles?  The king of Babylon heard how The Lord had blessed Hezekiah and sent envoys to learn more about it.  Rather than simply giving God credit, Hezekiah pridefully displayed all of the treasures in his kingdom, thus setting the stage for the coming Babylon invasion.  After being miraculously healed, he didn't even say thank you.

It reminds me of a nursery rhyme I learned as an infant.  "Little Jack Horner sat in a corner eating his Christmas pie.  He stuck in his thumb and pulled out a plum, and said, 'Oh what a good boy am I.'"

How many times is it like that with me?  It is so easy for me to take God's blessings for granted and to assume credit for what He has done.  I don't want to be like that.  I need to be like our students on the playground when they hear the supervisor's whistle.  They're trained to "stop, drop, and listen".  I need to do that periodically throughout the day.  Periodically I should hit the "pause button", direct my attention to the Holy Spirit, and thankfully reflect on what God is doing in and around me.

Dear Lord, I confess to You that I too often get so caught up in my goals and busy-ness that I completely ignore You.  When You answer prayers and bring unexpected success, it is easy to receive the credit rather than to direct it towards You.  I pray that You will develop within me a heart of humility and gratitude.  Remind me today to pause and recognize Your hand in the day's events.  I do love You.  Let my attitude, words, and actions demonstrate that today.  Amen.

I can do it myself!...or can I?

2 Chronicles 18:1     "Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance, and allied himself in marriage with Ahab."

2 Chronicles 19:2    "And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, 'Should you help the wicked, and love those who hate the LORD, and so bring wrath on yourself from the LORD?'
Nevertheless there is some good in you, for you have removed the Asheroth from the land, and you have set your  heart to seek God.  And Jehoshaphat lived in Jerusalem: and he went out again among the people from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers."

I remember driving on the 710 Freeway one foggy night in the 1960's with my cousin Johnnie.  The fog was so thick, we could barely see the road, and we became disoriented.  I was sure we were headed north.  As we proceeded ever so cautiously, Johnnie had his head out the window so he could help me navigate.  He was able to make out some of the offramp signs and, according to them, we were headed south, not north.  I was so sure of myself that I argued with him, saying the signs must be wrong.  How foolish!  I finally got off the freeway and drove back in the opposite direction.

It's like that in life sometimes.  King Jehosophat had a heart to serve God, and God blessed him abundantly.  After awhile, Jehosophat became full of himself, "disoriented", and made some poor choices, one of which was to depend upon a military alliance rather than to depend on God.  And, to make matters worse, he allied himself with the most wicked king in history.

After a battle in which God rescued Jehosophat and punished Ahab, a man of God reprimanded the king for his foolishness.  Fortunately, Jehosophat took the confrontation to heart and once again led his people back to The Lord.

Like Jehosophat (and many others in Scripture), I find it easy to take God's provision and protection for granted.  As my sense of dependence and my gratitude wane, a deceptive feeling of self-sufficiency arises.  That's when I get in trouble.  I think I can fix things, handle situations, solve my own problems, chart my own course. And, of course, I can't. That's when God steps in.

How thankful I am that God looks beyond my foolishness and sees my heart.  He knows that I love Him and want to serve Him.  Because of that, He chooses to discipline me rather than to destroy me.  Hebrews 12:3-13 speaks of the process.  God disciplines us "for our good" and as we respond humbly and obediently, it "yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness."

Dear Lord, I am so grateful that You see beyond my sometimes foolish choices and reactions, and you look at my heart.  Thank You that You don't allow me to  continue in a wrong direction.  Thank you for giving me the Holy Spirit and for surrounding me with a wife and good friends who help keep me in check.  I do love You with my whole heart.  Please let my words, attitude, and actions reflect it today. I can't do it myself.  I need You!  Amen.