I always hear people saying they do not understand prevenient grace. It is simply the grace of God that moves before us. It is where God is at work preparing hearts and circumstances to come together for God's glory.
In the past few weeks I have had the pleasure of seeing and spending time with my cousin James. He came to see my father while he was in the hospital. During those stays at the hospital we had the chance to spend time talking. To tell the truth, James is a little older than I, so we never really connected as children, yet over the past few weeks we have connected. So, James and I spent time talking. He was also able to see me trying to prepare for the men’s retreat while taking care of my dad’s needs. We spent time talking about Genesis, and stories, and reading. We spoke about his job in which he travels, and which gives him the time to read in the evenings.
As we spoke I talked to him about one thing that gives me comfort whenever I start to consider that it is all “on me”. When crunch time comes and circumstances seem to be aligning to defeat the message I have in mind; I must remember God’s prevenient Grace. As I prepare lessons and sermons, I try to remember that God is at work in people’s lives. God is at work preparing hearts for a message. While I am preparing one message, God enables people to receive the message that they need. What is really interesting is that it happens all the time. When I first started preaching, this was not that long ago, I really got wound up. I worried that the message was all up to me, when in fact that is not true.
I am rereading a book by one of my professors in seminary, George Hunter. He has written several books, but one that interests me is “How to Reach Secular People”. In it he places the following question forward. “How do we effectively communicate the message of reconciliation and life to the secular un-churched people who have no Christian background, memory, or vocabulary, the millions who do not know what we are talking about?” This is a vital question. It is an intimidating question. He then makes this critical note after asking the question. “No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. (1Cor. 12:3b) We are rediscovering that if we will love “the Lord of the harvest” with our minds, as well as with our hearts, the Holy Spirit will often communicate through our best efforts.
George is touching on prevenient grace—that God moves before us. It is God who prepares hearts. George is also writing about being real. When I consider the size of the task, and I am being “real” I know I cannot do it by myself. I must rely on God to show up. So in moments of discouragement, in times of difficulty in preparing a message, I just need to remember that God is already moving. So then I lift my head and look for where God is moving and I become filled with encouragement.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
The Sun Still Shines
A few years ago I was catching a flight out of Houston for a business trip. We were having one of those typical Houston winters where it rains every day. After a few weeks you wonder: “Will the sun ever shine again?” It begins to creep into your mood. Well anyway, as the plane climbed upward I was surprised how quickly we broke through the overcast. We were above the clouds and the sun was shining brightly—brightly enough to make me squint. Just a few moments before I was trapped in a reality of clouds and rain, yet the reality was the sun was still shining, I just could not see it.
As I was driving home the other morning from the hospital and considering the reality of my dad’s illness, a song came on the radio. It was Amazing Grace, the one with Chris Tomlin. As I listened to the words and sang along, I realized that my dad would soon be stepping out of the rain, and joy was in my heart. For many years he has not been well. Age has reduced his mobility, and pain has become a consonant companion. But we are promised a new body, and God is true to his promises.
Faith is being certain of what we cannot see. It is not faith if we can see it. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 speaks of this. “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
I had once lost faith that the sun was shining until I was in its blinding light. Now when I consider this passage I realize that faith and hope will pass away, because I will see with my own eyes. There will be no need of faith or hope, but love will remain. As I consider the rain in my life now, as I worship, I feel the Son on my soul.
“When we’ve been there ten thousand year, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.”
Rev. Patrick Evans
As I was driving home the other morning from the hospital and considering the reality of my dad’s illness, a song came on the radio. It was Amazing Grace, the one with Chris Tomlin. As I listened to the words and sang along, I realized that my dad would soon be stepping out of the rain, and joy was in my heart. For many years he has not been well. Age has reduced his mobility, and pain has become a consonant companion. But we are promised a new body, and God is true to his promises.
Faith is being certain of what we cannot see. It is not faith if we can see it. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13 speaks of this. “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
I had once lost faith that the sun was shining until I was in its blinding light. Now when I consider this passage I realize that faith and hope will pass away, because I will see with my own eyes. There will be no need of faith or hope, but love will remain. As I consider the rain in my life now, as I worship, I feel the Son on my soul.
“When we’ve been there ten thousand year, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.”
Rev. Patrick Evans
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Take Time to Sharpen
For some time now, Alex and I have been working on his car –a 1971 mustang that has some rust issues and needs to have some sheet-metal replaced. This task requires that we drill through the sheet-metal. I noticed after about 10 to 15 holes the drill bit would become dull, requiring more and more effort to get the drill bit to cut. So I purchased a drill bit sharpening tool. A short period of time later the drill was cutting like new; for about 15 holes. So, back to the sharpener and again the drill bit was cutting fast.
It actually saves time to stop and sharpen the drill bit. I have tried to cut metal with a dull drill bit: Not an efficient process. A dull bit will get real hot and finally stop cutting. It will get hot enough to burn your fingers, but the sharp bit does not get hot. It bites into the metal and produces shiny shavings of metal.
There is discipline in stopping the work and sharpening the drill bit. The same is true of my spiritual walk. I often think that if I could just finish cranking out my sermon, or my Bible study lesson, or what ever else I am working on, I could rest. Then I concentrate on the work but forget to sharpen the tools. Many of us learned this lesson in the business world through Stephen Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. That lesson is true enough. Many of the classes I participated in while working in the business world often gave me a me new perspective and increased my effectiveness. Yet there is something different about ministry when compared to regular work. Being a Disciple is holistic in nature in that doing and being cannot be separated. I am not only a tool in God’s work of sharing the Word in a fresh way, I am also a tool that requires sharpening. While constantly sharpening tools, I myself am becoming a sharper tool.
Yet, I somehow lose the perspective that my work requires a sharpened tool. It is my encounter with the living God that sharpens me. The directions on sharpen drill bits say that as you sharpen the bit you should hear a ZZZZZ noise of the bit being ground against the grinding wheel. (No noise no sharpening.) I think if the drill bit had feeling it would not be a pleasant experience. But grinding is required if the bit is going to be renewed and returned to service.
The spiritual truth is there is always work being done on us. We are only effective as we are renewed by our constant connection with Jesus. There must be time set aside to be with God, through prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and other means of grace. In John 15 Jesus speaks in a grand metaphor of a grapevine.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”
The time that we spend in contact with God may often have the sound of metal being shaved off (ZZZZZZ), or it may be the sound of clippers making a firm cut (snip), but in either case it is a work in us that makes us fit for work in the world.
It actually saves time to stop and sharpen the drill bit. I have tried to cut metal with a dull drill bit: Not an efficient process. A dull bit will get real hot and finally stop cutting. It will get hot enough to burn your fingers, but the sharp bit does not get hot. It bites into the metal and produces shiny shavings of metal.
There is discipline in stopping the work and sharpening the drill bit. The same is true of my spiritual walk. I often think that if I could just finish cranking out my sermon, or my Bible study lesson, or what ever else I am working on, I could rest. Then I concentrate on the work but forget to sharpen the tools. Many of us learned this lesson in the business world through Stephen Covey’s book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. That lesson is true enough. Many of the classes I participated in while working in the business world often gave me a me new perspective and increased my effectiveness. Yet there is something different about ministry when compared to regular work. Being a Disciple is holistic in nature in that doing and being cannot be separated. I am not only a tool in God’s work of sharing the Word in a fresh way, I am also a tool that requires sharpening. While constantly sharpening tools, I myself am becoming a sharper tool.
Yet, I somehow lose the perspective that my work requires a sharpened tool. It is my encounter with the living God that sharpens me. The directions on sharpen drill bits say that as you sharpen the bit you should hear a ZZZZZ noise of the bit being ground against the grinding wheel. (No noise no sharpening.) I think if the drill bit had feeling it would not be a pleasant experience. But grinding is required if the bit is going to be renewed and returned to service.
The spiritual truth is there is always work being done on us. We are only effective as we are renewed by our constant connection with Jesus. There must be time set aside to be with God, through prayer, Bible study, fellowship, and other means of grace. In John 15 Jesus speaks in a grand metaphor of a grapevine.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. He removes every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes to make it bear more fruit. You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”
The time that we spend in contact with God may often have the sound of metal being shaved off (ZZZZZZ), or it may be the sound of clippers making a firm cut (snip), but in either case it is a work in us that makes us fit for work in the world.
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