The Most Important Post I've Ever Written

I want to address one of the big reasons why I believe a moral revival has eluded this generation and we have failed to see the awakening that has characterized earlier times.  It is not simply enough to say our time is more complex than previous times.  The claim that the Spirit of God has never penetrated a culture more complicated and more reprehensible than this one simply reveals a poor sense of history.  If God is able to overcome the evils of the third and fourth century Roman emperors, he can certainly penetrate the atheistic-based secular humanism that pervades ours at the moment. 

Neither is it enough to turn to the famous Timothy passages about the great falling away of the last days.  If one reads those passages carefully, it will become quite obvious Paul's not referring to some distant time in the future when he writes, he is warning Timothy about the time Timothy lived in currently and describing the situation as he saw it then.  The church of nearly every generation has believed that they live in the last times.  Paul and Timothy's generation was no exception.  Moreover, in those very same passages that predict a great falling away, Paul predicts that God's Spirit will ultimately prevail even in that situation, and that those fight against it will live to regret it because God’s ways will be shown to be right (see 2 Tim 3:9).  Nowhere does God's Word suggest that one generation has a right to lower its expectations for God to move among its people on eschatological grounds!  The truth of the matter is, we have no idea how close or how far the end really is, and if you think you have it figured out, think again!  Do any of us have any idea how many people in the 1940s understandably thought beyond any shadow of a doubt that Hitler was the Antichrist?  They thought they had it figured out.  Obviously, they were wrong! So, away with the, “It’s the Last Days”, excuses as well!  We are still responsible for our generation.  If the Great Awakening preachers like Edwards and Finney had possessed the same mentality, not only would not know who these men were, but the case could easily be made that the United States may not exist at all, (a topic for another day)!

So what's holding back the potential of a Great Awakening in our day? In addition to our eschatological misunderstandings addressed above, I think the issue could come down to something as simple as an unintentional misreading of one of my favorite passages, 2 Chronicles 7:14:

 "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

 Despite our tendency to misinterpret it, a lot of good memories and even one of my favorite songs is based on this passage!  Typically this passage has been interpreted by Christians to mean that if Christians would humble themselves, pray and intercede, and repent, that God would bring revival.  However if we are to look at the passage little bit closer in its original context, we will discover God is not giving us a formula for revival at all, but he is instead promising to take care of his people and provide for them if they have a revival!  It is essentially the promises of Deuteronomy 27-28 restated in a temple context for a new generation.  Let me explain.  (2 Chr 7) This passage is rooted in the context of a solemn assembly in honor of the dedication of what became known as Solomon’s Temple, since he oversaw its construction.  These nationwide solemn assemblies were rare events that were usually reserved for times of extreme, nationwide crises.  Ancient Israel was an agriculturally-based society.  The livelihood of her people depended on the ability to effectively farm the land.  When the Temple was being dedicated, God appeared to Solomon and promised him that in the future  when things began to fall apart economically through natural disasters like drought, the first thing people needed to do was take their corporate spiritual temperature by calling a solemn nationwide assembly of repentance to be held in the Temple. God promised Solomon that if he would lead the people to do the things indicative of a backslidden people’s return to God (i.e. exhibit humility, heartfelt prayer and repentance) then God would have mercy and cause the crops to come again (i.e. heal the land). 

Thus, God's promise to "heal their land", does not refer to a spiritual healing of the people as modern Christians typically interpret it. Instead, God required revival as a condition of economic prosperity. Remember, in Old Testament times economic prosperity was considered the primary sign of God’s favor. (This supposed correlation between economic blessings and divine favor  does not necessarily carry over to the New Testament, see James 1:9-11).  Unfortunately this passage does NOT explain how to get people to the point where they are ready to repent and get right with God or pray or intercede, and Solomon was certainly no role model in this area. In Old Testament times, it typically took natural and military disasters to wake people up and cause them to repent.  Sadly, we appear to be much like them. 

But wait!  There's more!  Jesus provides his disciples with the model! We don’t have to wait for things to fall apart to make a difference. We don’t even have to have “the right people” in power! The apostles certainly were not afforded that luxury, that’s for sure!  Ironically they likely had the same mentality we typically have today.  They were waiting for God to do something.  Jesus had to change their mentality.  Once he was able to do that, the disciples witnessed the beginnings of a revival whose impact is still being felt and talked about today!  And get this; you don’t even need a great minister, evangelist, or motivational speaker!  God uses all of that at different times, but that's not really what softens people's heart to make them want to repent.  Here's what Jesus said:

“Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.” (Mt 10:41-42).

At a later time, probably not far from his death Jesus sought to encourage his disciple about the seemingly ominous and overwhelming task that lie ahead:

“Then Jesus asked, “What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden. It grew and became a tree, and the birds perched in its branches.” Again he asked, “What shall I compare the kingdom of God to? It is like yeast that a woman  who took and mixed into about sixty pounds of flour until it worked all through the dough^.” (Lk 13:18-20).

The disciples didn't have a lot of "resources" at their disposal, but they did have the Spirit of God within them.  Jesus taught his disciples that the real revival they sought wasn't going to come through some great event eschatological or otherwise, but through an intentional life that focused on doing the small things from a pure heart with a conscious awareness of God's presence in all we do.  It is to live Incarnationally as physical and visible extensions of Christ’s body in action.  In the words of the apostle Paul:

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Co 10:31). 

Each of the above passages highlights the fact that it's not about waiting for something big to happen, not even the rapture.  It's about living an intentional life with the constant awareness of God's presence living in and through you as you go about your daily tasks as intentional acts of worship.  It’s more about how and why we do what we do that it is about what we do. It is what brother Lawrence called "practicing the presence of God."  

God may in fact bless us with unforgettable events to ignite something beyond our dreams.  If he does, it will more than likely be in response to people who chose to be faithful and intentional in the small things when nothing big was happening and no one else was looking.  Seeds are small things; a cup of cold water is something that doesn't make the headlines.  Satan tries to get us to focus on our failures and seeming insignificance (a lie from Satan himself), so we will do nothing and stay focused on a world "going to hell in a hand basket.”  However, when we pick ourselves up and focus on what we can do in the name of Christ rather than what we or everybody else is not doing, we have the prescription for a revival like this generation has never seen! If you question what I’m saying let me close with this simple challenge: For one week, make an intentional decision to see yourself as Jesus with skin on in whatever you do and just watch and see what happens!

Important Lessons I've Learned Living In A Wheelchair: A Message Dedicated to My Liberal Friends"

There are some notes that I write simply because I want to begin a good conversation. Every once in a while though, there are notes I actually feel compelled to write even when it is not convenient schedule wise. I guess when God keeps waking you up in the middle of the night to remind you that you need to do something, you had better just get busy and do it! So here goes! WARNING: Even though I know this note is long, please, please read unto the very end! There's more here than it first appears!

I want to explain to my friends why a particular irony exists within me. I know I have driven some of you crazy at times and for that I certainly do apologize. The question I want to answer for everyone is this: why do I as a minister and a person steeped in the discipline of theology rather than politics – who doesn't even believe that our primary answers rest in the political system but in spiritual revival – find it necessary from time to time to even comment on political issues at all? This is a worthwhile question that does deserve some explanation.

The best way to answer this question is to introduce you to my parents specifically in terms of how they related to me and my physical situation. Dad, on the one hand was always very time conscious – he wanted things done yesterday! Therefore, if Dad was helping me with something, he often thought it was easier to do it himself than to give me time to do what I could first. To be honest, I sometimes liked Dad's approach because my life seemed to go a lot faster when he was around! Mom, on the other hand, was exactly the opposite. She was going to make sure that I did everything I could for myself in order to be as independent as possible even if she had to sacrifice a lot of her life to do so. The interesting thing is, even though my parents had almost opposite approaches, I knew they both loved me and cared for me very much.

Dad worked rotating shifts as I was growing up which meant that I was around Mom a lot more than Dad. I sometimes resented Dad's absence for key events in my life; even though I knew he had no control over it. In retrospect, I realize God had a plan in it all. Because I was around Mom a lot more, she demanded a lot more of me. Mom would make me work for things. She would often sit on our hands to resist the temptation to give me something so that I would learn to exercise my muscles by reaching for it myself. Mom's tough-as- nails like attitude sometimes seemed mean, because I didn't see the big picture. As much as I loved the faster and frankly easier pace of life when my dad was around, if the roles had been reversed, I am almost certain that I would not have gotten as far in life as I have even though I still have a LONG way to go!

Somewhere around my late high school years, an interesting change took place, a role reversal of sorts. On the one hand, Dad started becoming more patient about letting me do things for myself. He didn't seem quite as in a hurry as he was earlier. Mom, on the other hand, begin to realize that she had done such a good job teaching me to be independent and self-sufficient that I now had trouble asking for help even when it was justified! (Perhaps it really was better to ask for help with your laundry in college rather than spending three hours trying to fold it yourself when you're taking a full load of classes)! So in the years that followed Mom and Dad tried to help me reach a delicate balance between maintaining my independence, and recognizing that maximizing that independence might at times involve asking help from others when appropriate.

Today, I still struggle to find that perfect balance. Some days I can be lazy and wait for Jackie to do something that I really could have done myself with a little extra effort. Other days I'm exactly the opposite; I try to cram too much into one day and end up paying the price down the road – or I end up trying to do something myself that I should really wait for Jackie to help me! I realize more and more that balance is an art form and not an exact science and the only way I will ever come close to doing it right is with the Holy Spirit's help.

So what does all of this have to do with politics? On one level, almost nothing; on another level EVERYTHING! Our government and our country are torn between the extremes of two completing philosophies. Democrats are all too willing to "help" people with things they can do better themselves or find more appropriate help elsewhere. Republicans, on the other hand, are all too willing to encourage self-reliance but often seem unwilling to get involved in the personal lives of people and mentor them so they can become independent themselves. So what gives? How do we come to some resolution? To explain what needs to happen, let's quickly look at two government programs for the disabled with which I am well acquainted.

One program called Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a very poorly-run federal government program that is so overburdened by regulations that Social Security workers have volumes of material to try to keep track of. Even though the federal program has added provisions to encourage self-support for clients capable of becoming self-sufficient, these programs get so little attention that most people don't even realize they exist. Sadly, this means many people who could perhaps eventually become self-supporting never have the opportunity because they are unaware of their options. Therefore, the majority of people receiving SSI are on it for the long haul once they start receiving it, including many who have the capacity to become productive citizens.

In contrast to SSI, Vocational Rehabilitation is largely state-run with federal grants being block-granted to individual states. Unlike SSI, vocational rehabilitation programs are built around specific plans designed by the individual with the assistance of trained counselors to help individuals become as financially productive as possible. Unlike SSI, people are usually recipients of rehabilitation assistance for a relatively short period of time until they are able to provide for themselves. It is a rare example of the way government programs should work, but unfortunately there are relatively few like it around.

I have used the crude illustration of these two government programs to illustrate a couple key points. I, like many of my conservative friends, are not at all oblivious or uncaring about the very real needs people face. What concerns me though is that I see a lot of people growing up in a culture where they associate compassion with the impatience my father used to have. Just give me what I need so I don't have to struggle at all. These are largely the liberals in our culture. I know my liberal friends really do care, but some fail to realize that not all intervention is healthy. They are like my dad was; they just want to do whatever it takes to get the job done even if it unknowingly inhibits one's ultimate independence. Many of these same people associate the hard-nosed tough love approach of Mom with selflessness and insensitivity to others in need. They need to learn that not all struggle and pain is bad. If the only goal of our life is to avoid suffering at any cost, we will grow to be weak, feeble and unproductive people. The more we promote reliance on the government rather than targeted assistance from it, the less freedom we really have.

On the other hand, my conservative friends need to learn that some targeted help can actually make a person more independent in the long run. Just like I had to learn that there were times when help really was productive in the long run, my conservative friends need to learn that they need to personally involve themselves in the lives of people who really need help. That doesn't always mean a handout – though sometimes it might! More often, it means a commitment to open your heart, your home, your office to mentor people who need guidance without always doing things for them. Even when Mom sat on her hands to keep from helping me when I struggled, she would still be there to encourage me as I worked with all my might. Even when Mom was being as tough as nails, she still remained involved. Conservatives need to learn to care less about their privacy and be willing to get involved! If conservatives simply tell people simply to pull themselves up by their boot straps without being willing to be involved in their lives on a personal level to help them succeed then they deserve the labels of selfishness they often receive.

To summarize, my disdain for big government does not mean a hate for government as a whole. This disdain for big-government approaches to helping people (like the Affordable Care Act) comes from two primary places. First, long-term dependence the government, no matter how well-intentioned, more often than not minimizes people's ability to provide for themselves over time. Second, the more involved government becomes in one's life, the less freedom an individual ultimately has. It's like an adult returning home to live with his parents expecting to have the same freedom as if he or she lived on their own! Your parents will always love you, but if they are paying the bills they have every right to a greater say about what happens in your life! This does not mean that there is never a place for government involvement, especially on a short-term basis as I suggested with my rehabilitation example above. Similarly there are times when it is appropriate for parents to assist their adult children on a temporary basis is perfectly appropriate. But, I also realize that promoting a smaller government, means that places like churches and ministries have to be willing to get their hands dirty. We have to be comfortable more places than just the pulpit! People don't always need money, but they do need our support.

To my liberal friends, I say this: I know you are not bad or evil; I NEED YOU IN MY LIFE! Sometimes, I just get frustrated when you’re just too much like my Dad was! My disdain for big government is not a disdain for you or your intentions. As a matter of fact, there is a place for you in my life. If it weren't for you, I would never learn to ask for help even when it's appropriate! If it seems like I am tougher toward you, it’s not because I love you less but because right now pendulum seems way too focused in one diection. Thank you for reminding me that there are time when government can be a force for good when done with discipline and restraint. To my conservative friends, thank you for reminding me that there is no substitute for giving your very best even when it hurts and takes longer to do something than to have it done for you. But please remember, that not every manifestation of "independence" may be real independence in the long run. Not all requests for help are demeaning or ill-legitimate.(I'm so glad I got over asking for help with my clothes)!

As a minister first and foremost, and an energized citizen second, I have greatly curtailed my involvement in political issues. However, as a part of making a clean break, I really felt like I had to explain my passion, even if it was misplaced at times. It is really hard for me not to feel passionate about things that strike so close to home. I hope by understanding the roots of my passion that those of you who get frustrated by it at times at least have a better appreciation for why. So as I choose to back away in order to pursue a more single-minded focus toward a spiritual revival---the only real cure for what ails us--- I hope all will continue to pray for me as I continue to do my best to follow God.