Storage Wars

It seems only in America can an obsession with possession result in series of hit reality TV shows like Storage Wars.  I have to admit I find this show fun and fascinating to watch!

For those unfamiliar, when storage units are abandoned the contents are sold at public auction.   The show follows the pursuits of 2 auctioneers and 6 buyers in search of great deals. 

The storage unit is opened.  Buyers get a few minutes to peer inside but not go inside.  Then the auction begins – all or nothing.  It’s more like gambling than shopping which adds to the excitement.  Afterwards, we watch as the winner hunts for buried treasure, which sometimes turns out to be trash.  Fascinating!  Who doesn’t enjoy finding that great deal?

But what is even more fascinating to me is the fact that there are so many abandoned storage units that we can have an entire reality series with spin-offs.  Why did the owner leave behind so much stuff?  We can only speculate.

Did they die?  We all know we can’t take our stuff with us.

Did they get more stuff?  Better stuff?

Did they move away deciding to just get more stuff somewhere else?

Did the storage unit become a white elephant, too expensive to keep over time?

The show doesn’t tell anything about the owners.  All we know is that the units are abandoned and up for grabs.  People come from miles around like vultures, and those of us who don’t watch.  Fascinating!

I don’t want to read too much into this fun, light-hearted show…but… it does give me pause for reflection…

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”  (Matthew 6:19-21)

Yuuup!

Workers are Many

“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”  (Matthew 9:35-36)

Yesterday evening at Kensington Training Camp, Steve Andrews taught from this passage.  Jesus saw the needs around him and was filled with great compassion - a word in Greek which actually means a heart-breaking, gut-wrenching, visceral reaction.  Jesus knew he’d soon be leaving, no longer able to teach and heal people in person.  He needed help to carry out his work.

“Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”” (Matthew 9:37-38)

Steve confessed to wondering, even doubting, how the church could meet an ocean of needs with only a pool of resources.  That’s when the Holy Spirit reminded him that there’s really an ocean of resources - and we’re not talking about money, we’re talking about people. 

Jesus told his disciples to pray for more workers, but then in the very next verse he sends them out themselves.  Hey! (Matthew 10:1)

God expects us to notice the needs around us, to have his heart and compassion, and to be his hands and feet in the world.  He expects us to pray, but not just pray, to also go.  And if we’re not sure where, how, or when…start somewhere.  When we do, the workers aren’t few, but many!

Last night we commissioned 4 mission teams doing just that.  People stepping across time zones and comfort zones as the hands and feet of Christ.  Please pray for them.

And please consider if the Lord may be calling you to lead a team of your own.  If so, I’ve written a blog series to help you get started, and I welcome any questions or comments that you have.

   

Leading Mission Teams:

How to Get Started

Forming the Mission Team

Making the Most of Team Meetings

The Nitty Gritty of Getting There

Managing Team Finances

Fundraising 101

Spiritual Preparation

Team Building

Cultural Preparation

Final Details before Heading Out

Returning Home

Tested

I’m reading Mark right now and it’s interesting to see how the Gospels compare in terms of style, audience, and content.  Not that there are any contradictions (there are none), but God uses each writer to convey the same Truths in different ways to different people.  Mark focuses on the ministry of Jesus and His role as the ultimate servant.  It’s believed that his primary audience at the time was Roman believers suffering persecution.  Mark purposed to encourage them through Jesus’ example.  Could you use some encouragement as a servant of God?

Mark begins with Jesus being baptized first with water, then by the Holy Spirit.  Baptism of the Holy Spirit is an infilling that empowers believers for ministry or service.  Then immediately after Jesus’ baptism by water and by the Holy Spirit the same Holy Spirit pushed him out to be tested by Satan.  (Mark 1:12-13, MSG)  Some translations say tempted.  The Holy Spirit didn’t want to see if Jesus would sin, rather He wanted to prove that he wouldn’t. 

Mark doesn’t share the nature of the test, nor does he reveal the score - for that you can read Matthew’s account (Matthew 4:1:11,NIV).  Perhaps this is because we all know Jesus passed with flying colors.  Or perhaps this is because they don’t matter, at least not to the point God is trying to make in this account.  I’ve been reflecting on the latter.

I think the point is simply that when leaders are called and equipped by God, tests are inevitable.  Jesus himself was tested.  Furthermore, tests aren’t just trials to be endured, they are active, intentional tools used by God to deepen our knowledge, hone our skills, and practice what we’ve learned.  Such tests give us experience and credibility as believers and leaders.

First Mark tells us Jesus is the Son of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit.  For the rest of us, I compare that to titles and education listed on a resume.  Important stuff, but not what proves we can do the job.  Next Mark tells of Jesus’ testing - His experience.  This is where the spiritual rubber meets the road, demonstrating Jesus’ anointing and credibility.  Next Mark goes on to tell us about Jesus’ authority in teaching and performing miracles, and the experiences go on from there.

It feels weird analyzing Jesus like a man to be hired, but it helps me to apply Mark’s Gospel to my life.  Tests are intentional.  And the more closely we follow God, the more intense the tests will be.  Satan doesn’t waste his time with non-Believers, or Believers not stepping out to make a difference.  Why bother. 

Additionally, being tempted is not a sin.  Yielding to temptation is where sin enters the picture.  That’s why God empowers us with His Spirit, Word, spiritual armor and weapons; and why He puts us to the test when we choose to serve him.  To refine us, mature us, and to give us the opportunity to practice our knowledge, skills, and gifts.

I think of Peter Petrelli on Heroes (we just watched the first season).  His super-power was the ability to absorb the super-powers of any other hero he came in contact with.  But it took a lot of testing and practicing for him to master them and wield them for good.

God allows us to be tested so that we too may learn to wield our spiritual weapons with power.  How are you being tested right now?

New Year Resolutions

We seem to have a love-hate relationship with New Year’s Resolutions.  We make them, break them, vow to never make them again, and then keep trying.  Some are specific like lose 10 pounds; some are general like give more or become a better person.  But all have one thing in common – a desire to improve ourselves and our lives.  To make a change for the better.

So why is it so hard to keep our resolutions, to make our changes stick?

I was reading in Matthew 22 this morning and the Lord showed me something interesting…

As usual, the religious and government leaders were trying to trap Jesus.  In 22:23-33 the Sadducees challenged Jesus about resurrection and eternal life.  They wanted to show just how ridiculous the idea was, so they gave Jesus riddle-like story about a woman who married, lost her husband before they had children, married his brother, and then the same thing happened down to the 7^th brother.  Who would she actually be married to in heaven? 

In verse 29 Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.”  Then he went on to set the record straight.

So what does this have to do with New Year’s Resolutions? 

While Jesus is teaching specifically about resurrection and eternal life, what He says has much wider application.  The Sadducees were in error because they a) didn’t know Scripture and b) didn’t know the power of God.  They didn’t know what God’s Word said, nor did they believe He had the power to make it happen.

This made me think about my own “errors” – in my thinking, attitudes, ignorance, and behaviors.  Where do I fall short of God’s will for my life?  Where do I want to make changes?  See where I’m going? … I feel like Jesus is teaching us how to change and grow – New Year’s Resolution or not.

To make our changes stick we need to a) know Scripture, and b) know the power of God.

So how do we know Scripture?  First, we need to read and study regularly.  Even if it’s just 10-15 minutes a day, we need God’s Word like we need air, food, water…daily.  Second, we need to pray for guidance and revelation as we read.  God’s Word is alive.  You’ll be amazed at how it speaks to you if you read it with expectancy.  Third, we need to mediate on it, thinking about what we’ve read.  Let it sink in.  Plant it deep within your heart so that as it grows it changes the way we think, speak, or behave.  Trust that God’s Word is working even when the results aren’t immediately evident.  Knowing God’s Word will transform us, correcting errors and making positive changes in our lives.

So how do we know the power of God?  First, we need to read and study God’s Word regularly.  Yes, I’m repeating myself, but it’s the truth.  God’s Word is the primary way He speaks to us.  Read it like He’s talking directly to you, because He is.  Second, look for God’s power all around.  Expect it.  Notice it.  Don’t try to understand or explain everything based on our human limitations like the Sadducees were doing.  God’s power is everywhere – in His creation, provision, protection, miracles, and in the lives of His people.  Don’t let the world’s point of view render Him impotent or irrelevant.  Third, have faith when you can’t see God’s power in the given moment.  Trust that what He says is true.  This passage was specifically about resurrection and eternal life.  Something we can’t see, but know to be true.  Have faith knowing that God’s ways and timing are different than ours.

So what is your New Year’s Resolution?  What change or goal are you trying to accomplish? 

What does Scripture say about it?  What is God’s role in helping you achieve it?  Trust in both and you’ll be able to make that resolution stick!

Kicking But

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. (Matthew 14:28-29)

Jesus sent the disciples across the sea while he dismissed the crowd and went up the mountain to pray. In the wee hours of the morning, Jesus walked across the water to meet them. Thinking he was a ghost, the disciples panicked. (Ghost…really? That’s a whole other lesson)

As they cried out in fear, Jesus immediately reassured them saying “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” (Matthew 14:27) Like the disciples, I too have moments of doubt when what I “see” around me seems more believable than what I “know” to be true, when faith dips and fear rises up in its place.

It took courage for Peter to tell Jesus to call him out on the water. It took faith to believe in what seemed naturally impossible. But as Peter put his courage and faith into action, obeying Jesus’ command, he walked on water.

He actually did it!

But…

Too often we move quickly to verse 30 to analyze what went wrong. After all, there are great lessons to be learned. Peter took his eyes off Jesus, saw the wind and waves around him, lost faith in the moment, and let fear take over.

Sure he sunk, but let’s camp a moment on the fact that Peter walked on water. He did the impossible. We know all things are possible through Christ. We hear it a lot, we say it a lot, but do we actually believe it?

Do you truly believe you can walk on water? Accomplish that seemingly impossible goal? Achieve that breakthrough in your life? Overcome that pattern of sin that seems to be just “how you were made”?

Prove it by getting out of the boat. Kick all those buts right out the door and take the step of faith Christ is telling you to. Don’t let your fear, over-thinking, or “practicality” trump your courage, faith and obedience.

Trust that Christ will provide, protect, and empower you. Trust also that He will catch you if you sink.

Will – not can.

Peter walked on water, and that invitation is there for all of us. Come.