The Greatest Danger

THE CHRISTMAS MODEL FOR MISSIONS

“As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.” —John 17:18

Christmas is a model for missions. Missions is a mirror of Christmas. As I, so you.  For example, danger. Christ came to his own and his own received him not. So you. They plotted against him. So you. He had no permanent home. So you. They trumped up false charges against him. So you. They whipped and mocked him. So you. He died after three years of ministry. So you.

But there is a worse danger than any of these which Jesus escaped. So you!

In the mid-16th century Francis Xavier (1506–1552), a Catholic missionary, wrote to Father Perez of Malacca (today part of Indonesia) about the perils of his mission to China. He said,

The danger of all dangers would be to lose trust and confidence in the mercy of God... To distrust him would be a far more terrible thing than any physical evil which all the enemies of God put together could inflict on us, for without God’s permission neither the devils nor their human ministers could hinder us in the slightest degree.

The greatest danger a missionary faces is to distrust the mercy of God...   (from Good News of Great Joy Daily Readings for Advent by John Piper - December 18 reading)



Isn't that the greatest danger that any person faces - to distrust the mercy of God?  And, oh how the Enemy works at making it so.  He will stop at nothing!  He is not passive!!  He doesn't care how  he steals, kills and destroys our trust, only that he does!  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy!"  (John 10:10a)  His ways have not changed since the Garden of Eden.

But You came, Jesus, that we may have life, and have it more abundantly!  (John 10:10b)  Not just life - ABUNDANT LIFE!!

Lord, I believe!  Help my unbelief!  Help me to remember that this light momentary affliction is preparing for me an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.  Help me to not look to the things that are seen, but to the things that are unseen.  Help me to not lose trust and confidence in Your mercy!  That truly is the greatest danger of them all!  Help!

Advent - Days 6 and 7

Day 6:  Prince of Peace

Can there be a more fitting way to come towards the end of the first week of Advent than to focus on the Prince of Peace!

For in Him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of the cross. -Colossians 1:20

Much more on this next week...

Day 7:  Waiting for our Hope

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of The LORD, as the waters cover the sea. -Habakkuk 2:14

What beautiful words!  What a blessed promise to lead us into Week 2 of Advent where we'll focus on peace!  Future peace, but also peace right here, right now - in the midst of turmoil everywhere we turn.

I am reminded of these words, written by Ann Blocker as she was dying of breast cancer.  As would be natural, she had lots of concerns and fears, and she was struggling to give all this over to her Wonderful Counselor, her Mighty God and Everlasting Father, to her Prince of Peace.  It was as if He spoke these words into her soul, quieting the anxiety...

Can you trust me, child?

Not only for ultimate eternity, of which you know next to nothing, and so are not tempted to meddle...

But for the little span of your life between the Now and Then, where you envision decline and separations and failures, impairments, pain, bereavements, disappointments... 

Do you find me qualified to be Lord of your (last) days?

Ahhh!  There is the question!  I can trust that someday the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of The Lord, but can I trust that He has my today covered?  Is my hope not only steadfast for Eternity, but steadfast and strong for Now?  I do not have any life-threatening illness that I know of, but this question becomes ever more real as I march rapidly towards 60, and then 70...  As I march towards the very real possibility of future physical frailty, the very physical unknown...  Thirty-something seems like yesterday!!

Is the One who came and is coming qualified not only to be Lord of Eternity, but Lord of my everyday?  Peace will only come as I answer, "Yes, Lord!"  There is no other answer!

Looking to the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, I can wait with hope; and I can wait with peace...

Advent - Day 5

Day 5:  Everlasting Father

No verses transition us from the picture of Mighty God to Everlasting Father quite like Isaiah 40:10-11...

Behold The Lord God comes with might, and His arm rules for Him; behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him...He will tend His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs in His arms; He will carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.

Mighty Warrior - Gentle Shepherd!

Mighty God - Everlasting Father!

Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in His holy habitation.  -Psalms 68:5

As a father shows compassion to his children, so The Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him.  -Psalm 103:13

Mighty God - Everlasting Father...

A Paradox that we cannot wrap our minds around, but that's our God!  Our Father!  Our Hope!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. -Romans 15:13

Advent - Day 4

Day 4:  Mighty God

For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.  (Deuteronomy 10:17)

Now, therefore, our God, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love...  (Nehemiah 9:32a)

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.  (Zephaniah 3:17)

In Strong's, mighty is defined as "powerful; by implication, warrior, tyrant:— champion, chief, excel, giant, man, mighty (man, one), strong (man), valiant man."

While I'm extremely grateful that my God is mighty, I must admit that the thought can be a little intimidating to me.  I'm so thankful that right on the heels of "mighty" comes the added description that He "is not partial and takes no bribe," He "keeps covenant and steadfast love," and He "will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing."

An awesome, mighty God Who rejoices over me with gladness? and quiets me with his love?

That's a God who not only commands my reverence, but also is completely deserving of my full trust in every aspect of my life.  Even when my feelings would disagree!

My hope has a very sure Foundation!

Advent - Day 3

The One for Whom we wait has many Names...

Day 3:  Wonderful Counselor

Wonderful - he IS wonderful!!  And as we behold Him, we are full of wonder...

...that He came to earth as a child - a bloody, helpless, squalling child - for the purpose of showing us the glory of God in the plan of redemption;

...that this same child is the One who made all things, and without Him was not anything made that was made - from the most microscopic fragment (which seems to be getting smaller all the time as we develop more powerful ways to see), to the vastness of the universe and beyond (which seems to be getting larger all the time as we develop more powerful ways to see), and which, from all physical aspects, hangs on NOTHING!

...that this child lived a perfectly sinless life on this sin-cursed earth, and then as a man He humbled Himself and chose to become a curse for me, so that I, who have never known one moment of sinlessness, might become His righteousness.  Not only just as if I'd never sinned, but just as if I'd always been innocent!  That's important to me!

...that this same child will come again, not as a tiny babe, but as a conquering Hero, Faithful and True, with eyes like a flame of fire, to judge and make war on all evil;

...that this Creator/Baby/Sacrifice/Hero God loves me!  And offers Himself as my Counselor!  My Advisor!  My Lawyer!

My mind can comprehend none of this.  So in reverent awe I wonder... and I believe... and I long... and I pray...  "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"

Advent Day 2

Day 2: Waiting

“And now, O Lord, for what do I wait?
 My hope is in You. (Psalm 39:7)

For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my deliverance and my honor; my mighty rock, my refuge is in God. (Psalm 62:5-7)

[T]hose who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isa 40:31)

I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God; for the creation was subjected to futility, not of its own will but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. (Rom 8:18-25)

The Hebrew word for "wait" is qawa, which according to Strongs means to bind together (perhaps by twisting), i.e. collect; (figuratively) to expect:— gather (together).

How does "binding together" and "gathering" have anything to do with waiting?  What I get from this is that waiting is not a solo sport!  We are not called to wait alone.  We are bound together - the Comforter within, and the Body without.  There are many aspects to the Holy Spirit's work in us, but that is a subject for another time.  Today, as I wait, I am so thankful for the Body!  We, though many, are one...

And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him - a threefold cord is not quickly broken!  (Ecclesiastes 4:12)

As brothers and sisters in The Lord, we are actually to be bound together even as we wait to be free from this bondage to decay.  It's a spiritual union that has great and wonderful physical ramifications.  We are to comfort and encourage one another in very real and meaningful ways through these "light and momentary afflictions" that can seem like two-ton boulders on our backs.  We are to pray for one another, and we are to love one another and build each other up.  We are to live in harmony with each other, and never bite or devour each other or cause another to stumble.  We are to be kind to one another, bear one another's burdens, submit to one another, and address one another with hymns and psalms and spiritual songs as we eagerly wait to see our Lord and Savior face to face.  It is not a small thing we are called to as we wait!

The one who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.”  And so we wait... but not alone!  And not without MUCH responsibility!

Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! (Rev 22:20)

Advent

For the first time in my life I am intent on observing Advent.  I wish I had done this many years ago!  I have a daughter-in-law who, with her children, is very purposeful in her enjoyment of these days leading up to Christmas.  I find myself wishing I could go back and do the same with mine.  But I cannot - those days are past, and regretting what I didn't do accomplishes nothing.  Thankfully, I do have today... and tomorrow...  And I know that whatever work God does in me at this late stage of life  will not be lost on them, and for that I am grateful.

As I was looking for a little guidance on the i-net, I came across a Day 1 writing that was meaningful to me, but on December 2 when I went to read Day 2, I realized I had neglected to note where I had found the first one.  Google helped me find Day 1 again, but for the life of me, I cannot find anything more than that by the same author.  I don't even know who the author is, other than it seems to be someone from Illinois or Iowa State University.

So...  I have decided to venture out a bit on my own.  I'm intending to post my thoughts for future reference, but if the writing begins to overtake the real purpose of focusing on the Savior, I'll not continue in it.

The words of Day 1 come from someone else from ISU...

Week 1: Hope

Day 1: The Foundation

What is hope? We use the word all the time. I hope I don’t get sick. I hope my boss is nice to me. I hope my favorite sports team is good this year.

When we use “hope” this way, we really mean something more like wish – a desire for something we want to have happen regardless of feasibility. Biblical hope, on the other hand, is “the confidence that what God has done for us in the past guarantees our participation in what God will do in the future.” The word “guarantees” demonstrates the vast difference between the fleeting wishes of casual hope and strong promise of biblical hope.

Hope is a future-oriented term, but it is grounded in past events. In the Old Testament, the source of hope for God’s people was God’s proven character and His mighty deeds in history. The Psalmist says, “Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever, who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry” (Psalm 146:5-7). His hope is founded in who God is and what He has done.

When God called Moses to deliver his people from slavery in Egypt, Moses had a list of excuses and doubts. God responded not by building up the person of Moses or even directly answering Moses’ doubts; rather, God redirected Moses’ hope to Himself. He appeals to the foundation of His promise and His ability to perform great deeds on earth (Exodus 6:1-8). After Moses, the Exodus event formed the basis of hope for the people of God. They told the story over and over again. This is why their concept of Messiah was closely linked with terms like “Deliverer.”

Throughout the Bible, true hope is not tested against our ability to hope, but rather against the foundation of God’s ability to deliver. It is a deep longing for God to show himself for who He is again. Jean-Paul Sartre, a famous philosopher and atheist, said a month before he died that he so strongly resisted feelings of despair that he would say to himself, “I know I shall die in hope.” Then in profound sadness, he would add, “But hope needs a foundation.” Without a foundation, we have only wishful thinking or personal ability.

Advent is a season of hope because we look back to the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, for “no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 3:11). We also look forward to the day when Jesus will return, and fulfill our deepest longing to see him face to face.  Come, Lord Jesus, Come!

Reflection & Prayer: Advent awakens us to this question: “What do I long for now?” If we are weak in hope, perhaps we have vested our hope in weak things: wealth, possessions, reputation, relationships. Perhaps these are the things we long for now. The more we walk around with that question and let it penetrate through the layers of distraction and self-protection, the more powerfully we will experience Advent. “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” (Psalm 139:23-24)