Thoughts of a Servant

There are two things I think of when I consider death.  One is that the Savior will know us, the other is that he will not know us.  Wow.

If we were to die and go to Heaven, what a glorious site it would be to have the Holy God tell us “Come here my child, I have prepared a place for you.”  And he brings you into glory and rejoicing.  This is where we will get to share the riches of Heaven on Earth and praise God.

The other option is for us to get to Heaven and Jesus says to us, “Im sorry, but I never knew you.”  Where we spent all of our time on earth searching splendor in lust, idolatry, adultery, etc.  Now we will spend eternity in the darkest, coldest, depths of our soul.

Just as a side note… I had a misconception about hell for a while.  I was taught that hell was full of burning and torture and whatnot– But I recently learned what all of that symbolizes rather than a literal sense.  One that spends time in Hell will have something much worse than physical torment and torture…  It will be a place where we will be alone.  It will be a place where we know that God is real, and exists.  It will be a place where the deepest parts of our hearts and soul will want a relationship with God, but will never be able to obtain it because of our disobedience on Earth and our unwillingness to have a relationship with Jesus.  This longing is not just “I want a relationship with God.”  It is a longing where you are parched of thirst for God, where your burning for a relationship with God, where you are utterly desperate for a relationship with God.

So we went to downtown LA for a video shoot of Broken Hearts Ministry.  It was absolutely amazing.  I wasn’t expecting to have anyone ready and willing to be on video with their testimony.  But sure enough God provided someone to share (for the very first time) their story.  It was such an amazing story of growing up in the church, etc. But being kicked out of the church, then living out on the streets with prostitution, meth, rice racing, etc.  But in the end he found the Broken Hearts Ministry and God got a HUGE grip on him and completely transformed his thoughts, actions, etc.  Now he is working the 12 steps and loving sobriety.

We had only planned on being up in LA until 1am ish.  But after talking with this gentleman, we ended up staying there until somewhere around 3:30am.  It was just awesome to hear God’s hand working through him and how open he was to letting God control his life.  Not to say he still struggles with the temptations of returning back– We all have those struggles, but but he loves God now, and God holds him / us accountable.  How amazing.

I Love Jesus.

I was having a conversation with a good friend from a while back at a company I used to work for.  He apparently goes to the same church that I do–  Just at a different time.  Thats pretty cool, cause I didn’t know he was even remotely interested in God.

But our conversation halted because he said he was a Christian, and basically insinuated that he wanted to leave it at that.  Thats interesting– If you Love God, wouldn’t you want to talk about Him?  It’s okay, I am convicted of doing the same thing– sometimes ill turn away if I think I am not prepared for the topic.  But honestly?  If I love God, what can I say that would make Him Love me less?

I just recently heard this story, a story about two Iranian women being imprisoned at the high court because they would not denounce their Faith in Jesus. They have been in there for seven months now, and their health is failing– but they push on.   These women, by the names of Maryam and Marzieh, “have suffered greatly while in prison, suffering ill health, solitary confinement and interrogations for many hours while blindfolded. (Prayer Int)”  Because of this one crime: They started believing in Christ.

From my understanding, the women are absolutely stunning reflections of Christ.  They have had discussions about faith and handed out nearly ten thousand Bibles underground.

How amazing is that…

They stood before the Judge and had the most amazing conversation:

Mr. Haddad, asked the two women if they were Christians. “We love Jesus,” they replied.  He repeated his question and they said, “Yes, we are Christians.”

Mr. Haddad then said, “You were Muslims and now you have become Christians.”

“We were born in Muslim families, but we were not Muslims,” was their reply.

Mr. Haddad’s questioning continued and he asked them if they regretted becoming Christians, to which they replied, “We have no regrets.”

Then he stated emphatically, “You should renounce your faith verbally and in written form.”  They stood firm and replied, “We will not deny our faith.”

During one tense moment in the questioning, Maryam and Marzieh made reference to their belief that God had convicted them through the Holy Spirit.  Mr. Haddad told them, “It is impossible for God to speak with humans.”

Marzieh asked him in return, “Are you questioning whether God is Almighty?”

Mr. Haddad then replied, “You are not worthy for God to speak to you.”

Marzieh said, “It is God, and not you, who determines if I am worthy.”

Mr. Haddad told the women to return to prison and think about the options they were given and come back to him when they are ready (to comply). Maryam and Marzieh said, “We have already done our thinking.”

http://www.24-7prayer.com/blog/1069

Join me and thousands of others as we pray for these two amazing messengers in hopes that they will set them free and they can continue to uplift God’s grace in a midst of pain, suffering, and longing in this world.

I just heard a Christian speaker from Iran talk about the amazing things that are happening in Iran.  He said that although the government is against the mentioning of Christianity in any way, shape or form– There is a large revolution underway.  According to him, the Iranian people are more open to hearing God’s word than we are!  Which is completely true–

He told a story of a younger boy who had found the New Testament and was just soaking up every word God had to say to His people.  He loved it, but he was so sad because he couldn’t afford the Old Testament.  He didn’t have access to this book, but all he wanted was to learn everything about this amazing God.  It was so real to him– he would go to bed at night sleeping with his New Testament and wake up in the morning right where he left off.

Again, I will say that we have access to so many Bibles, but we do not have the hunger that this boy had.  Things need to change.  We need to pray for hunger, we need to pray so that we can weep, feel, and long to bring Brothers and Sisters to Christ.

It amazes me how many flowery words we use.  How many Englishly astounding words we can use in a prayer, essay, etc.  One of my best friend’s read a letter she had written for her church.  I was absolutely blown away at how sincere, how loving, and how real the letter was.  I couldn’t write like that if my life depended on it.  Yet, it was simple, to the point, and brilliantly constructed–

I am guilty of it.  I want my prayers to be “tho shalt and grace be with you dear friend”, but I honestly want to speak as I am having a conversation.  I wouldn’t talk like that with my friend, I would only talk like that if I were giving a business presentation.  But our lives do not need a presentation, God is our friend and he lives within us.  He knows us inside to out, and our words are only words– our heart speaks louder than our words, and on so many more levels.

I have been on a pretty long theme of going out into the world.  It has been on my heart to go and serve– Whatever it looks like, wherever it is, whomever will listen, and whatever the consequences.  I just want to take a second on the conclusion of Crazy Love (the book by Francis Chan):

What will people say about your life in heaven? Will people speak of God’s work and glory through you? And even more important, how will you answer the King when He says, “What did you do with what I have you?

Daniel Webster once said, “The greatest thought that has ever entered my mind is that one day I will have to stand before a holy God and give an account of my life.” He was right.

… Get on your knees before our Holy, loving God.  And then live the life with your friends, your family, parents, spouse, children, neighbors, enemies, and strangers that He has created and empowered you through the Holy Spririt to live.  May you be able to say at the end of your life, along with Paul,

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)”

“Aw man, God, it didn’t quite work out”

“Im sorry God, maybe I wasn’t supposed to talk to that person”

“Well I will be okay God, I can still make it”

These are all very common statements that we say after something doesn’t go as we planned…  But why do we do that?  God’s plan is perfect, it happens exactly as it should.  Francis Chan puts it perfectly when he states that we always trust God enough to where we will be able to maintain ourselves if “God doesn’t come through.”

We are obeying a living Christ.  He is alive and well, and he is transforming lives.  Why must we say that we must accept everyone?!?!  We should be saying that, we should be saying “You should accept Christ!”  And in that we will come to accept each other.

I was recently told about a man who heard me preach on 1 Corinthians 15:19-20, where Paul writes, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men.  But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead.”  This man was convicted that since Christ is indeed alive, he needed to live like it.  So he quit his well-paying job and became a pastor– Something he had felt called to do for a while. … The world needs Christians who don’t tolerate the complacency of their own lives. (Chan, 172)

A question he asks in his book, Crazy Love, is: Is this what I want to be doing when Christ comes back?

Let me repeat…

Is this what I want to be doing when Christ comes back?

Your job, your friends, your free time, your life– Is that what you want Christ to see when he returns?

We are going to be judged in front of the Almighty God.  If all we can say to Him are quotes from a movie or how many levels you won in a game or how many parties you went to, why would He have any reason to give you Eternal salvation when he clearly states, “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Matthew 25:40 NIV)  So if we spend our time saving souls for the name of Jesus, you will be welcomed and Jesus will smile as you walk into his arms and He embraces you.

For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. (2 Cor. 5:10)

Some years ago when I was in North India, a little boy about eight years old watched me as I prepared for my morning meditations. I began to talk to him about Jesus and asked him several questions.

“What are you doing?” I asked the lad.
“I go to school,” was the reply.

“Why do you go to school?”
“To study,” he said.

“Why do you study?”
“To get smart.”

“Why do you want to get smart?”
“So I can get a good job.”

“Why do you want to get a good job?”
“So I can make lots of money.”

“Why do you want to make lots of money?”
“So I can buy food.”

“Why do you want to buy food?”
“So I can eat.”

“Why do you want to eat?”
“To live.”

“Why do you live?”

At that point, the little boy thought for a minute, scratched his head, looked me in the face and said, “Sir, why do I live?”  He paused a moment in mid-thought, then gave his own sad answer, “To die!”

What a powerful question.  Why do I live?  Is it to acquire Power, Fame, Fortune, Popularity? ”What is the basic purpose of your living in this world, as you claim to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? Is it to accumulate wealth? Fame? Popularity? To fulfill the desires of the flesh and of the mind? And to somehow survive and, in the end, to die and hopefully go to heaven?” – Revolution in World Missions

Why do we live?

It hit me today!  The Devil is powerless, he is unbelievably weak in comparison to God.  Whenever we are feeling down, whenever we are guilty, prideful, feeling unworthy, worthless, dysfunctional, obstructed, etc., it is a result of the Devil’s doings–  But today it occurred to me,  there are only two weapons that the devil has: temptation and fear.

I don’t know about you, but that makes me feel much better knowing that the devil only has those two weapons.  Whenever we have a great event happen like a good job, the devil might tempt us with a great opportunity that would eventually be detrimental to our wellbeing and our relationship with God.  If we are encouraged by God’s word, the only thing standing in our way is the fear put forth by uncertainty in which is put forth by the devil!

God is bigger than this.  Being aware of these obstacles helps our walk in the fact that we are aware of our faults and can easily acknowledge the wrong-doings.  But even if we do ignore or make a wrong decision, God will come with us into the fire and help us find a way out.