“The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot
was sitting in the gateway of the city.” Genesis 19:1

You suppose Lot may have regretted the day he chose to part from Uncle Abe and “pitch his tents near Sodom” (v.13:12)? I’ll say! Yet even after Abram had risked his own life once to recover Lot, his family, and all his possessions after being taken captive, Lot still went back to Sodom! Now, years later, Lot was in a quandary. The sin of the city was so great, 2 Peter 2:8 says every day he was “tormented in his righteous soul”, just trying to cope. And so he sat in the gate of the city in this vexed state. For what? What was he thinking?

Before I get to this, let me refresh you on the facts of the story. For in reality, many have held God to unfair judgment, as though He willy nilly rained fire and brimstone down on a group of helpless people. In fact, the story is more about God’s mercy than it is about His judgment. Sodom was completely filled with evil. Not even ten decent people could be found in the city, and that included the members of Lot’s household! When one considers the extent of the depravity and depths of wickedness, it is a wonder that God stayed His hand as long as He did just for the sake of a few.

Details you ask? OK, how is this. Lot invited the two angels to be his house guests. When they were preparing to settle down for the night, “all the man from every part of the city of Sodom—both young and old—surrounded the house”. They insisted that Lot release his guests to them “so that we can have sex with them” (Gen 19:4,5). Ouch! Every male, young and old, completely bent on vile deeds, even to the point of raping any unsuspecting journeyer who happened to enter the gates of the city and not leave before nightfall.

So, back to Lot sitting at the gate. Daily, Lot had to withstand the onslaught of evil around him. I believe Lot was doing the following:

• Lot was devising creative ways to shelter his family from Sodom’s poison, and consider how he could nurture them in godliness.
• From the gate, his gaze was fixed outside the walls, yearning for a place free from perversion, a kingdom which would have no end, full of justice and truth.
• He hoped against hope that someone would pass through these gates with whom he could have godly communication.
• His conscience pricked him to warn and even rescue (provide a safe haven) travelers from the corruption and dangers lurking within.

Cities and nations don’t become Sodom and Gomorrah overnight. Paul describes one such slippery moral slope in Romans 1:18-23 which begins with men who “suppress the truth.” He says, “for although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God not gave them to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” The slope continues down to the cesspool at the bottom, where God “abandons them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desire…they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.”

The Sodoms of Biblical lore are no longer Sunday school material. Our own cities and streets are being “sodomized”. Whereas the day will come when we will be told to flee, until that day, God is looking for Gatekeepers in the same spirit as Lot. If you are being tormented in your righteous soul, there is a place for you at the gate. It’ s a place to ponder, and a place to plan. It’s a place to find hope for the future, as well as for today. It is a place of rescue, for there are yet those who are seeking refuge, who refuse to give in to the spirit of this age.  It is not a place to complain or fall into despair.  For Lot, the gate was a place of action, a place of service.

Now you know why Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. I can imagine him singing this song as he waited:

“Lift up your heads, O you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.”
PS 24:7-8

“And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments                              and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” LK 1:6

We make a grave mistake when we compare ourselves with superstars. In a very practical sense, not everyone can be LeBron James. You can practice 20 hours a day, have the best coach money can buy, watch every film of all the greats of the game, but if you are not physically endowed like LeBron, you are never going to get there.

When we read through the annals of Biblical history, if we try to be a Moses or an Apostle Paul, we are also not likely to get there since these men stand out over thousands of years of history as exceptions. While we should emulate them, and be inspired by their accomplishments, none of us were raised as a son of Pharaoh or discipled by Gamaliel (one of the most highly respected Rabbi’s of Jewish history). And I am not likely to all of a sudden be able to preach with the passion and flare of Reinhard Bonnke. We are each unique, but there is something which each one of us can do to qualify us for service in God’s house: we can obey Him.

I find myself gravitating to the more “common” men and women of scripture. I see myself in them. Did you know that Acts used to be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit rather than the Acts of the Apostles? If the great things of God were only intended to be done by a few apostles, then the majority of Christians could just relax and let the professionals take care of all problems out there in the world. In fact, that is the way many think about the Christian faith. “Let the Pastor do it!” But that is not the way God works! That is why Acts may chronicle the first century church largely through the exploits of Peter and Paul, yet there is also a splattering of others whose stories remind us that uncommon things are often done through common people. Philip and Stephen were appointed to “serve tables” (6:2) at the church’s first soup kitchen. Ananias, whom God used to propel Paul into ministry, was only “a certain disciple” (9:10). Tabitha just made clothes for widows, yet was instrumental in the town of Joppa’s revival (9:36). While the Apostles stayed in Jerusalem when intense persecution hit the church, “those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word” (8:4).

That is one of the reasons I like the story of Christ’s birth. God chose common people, whose primary trait was that they were faithful. I did not say perfect. Which brings me to the main person in this article: John the Baptist’s father, Zacharias. I love Zacharias. I love the fact that he was not contaminated by the politics and snobbery of the Jewish leaders of his day. I love that he was upright, walking before the Lord blamelessly. I love that he never gave us praying about having a son even though he and Elizabeth were much too old (LK 1:13). I love that “he lingered so long” (1:21) in the temple after the angel appeared to him.

I also love the fact that he had issues. Aren’t you glad that the angel didn’t tell Zacharias when he did not express the fullness of faith in his announcement: “Well, Zacharias, I can see that you are not really qualified for this. The Forerunner for the Messiah was going to come from your loins, but I can’t allow history to record that he was born the son of someone who dared question God!”

Instead, he was made mute. This is where it really gets interesting. We know that Zacharias had not blamed God for the shame of he and his wife bearing the stigma of being childless into their old age. Now, publicly bearing the brunt of sneers and criticisms for being a mute man due to his disobedience to God, yet Zacharias amazingly did not swallow the pill of bitterness. Risking further disdain, at the christening of his first-born son, against tradition, in the face of the astonishment of the crowd, he named his son John even though “no one among your relatives is called by this name” (1:61). Did Zacharias know at that moment his tongue would be loosed? No! He simply knew that it was always right to obey God. And then, opening his mouth, what would he say? He who had suffered punishment, scorn, and shame did the one thing that was in his heart to do, and it was not complain or be angry. He praised God. What integrity! What a testimony! How many have become bitter by lesser things? How many have given themselves over to self-pity or self-justification? Not Zacharias. He praised God.

I like Zacharias because he doesn’t have a big “S” on his T-Shirt. I love him because he was real, touchable, common. We can see ourselves in his story, for not many of us were born with a silver spoon, and not many of us have always had things go exactly the way that we would have liked. Life happens. We fail. We suffer disappointments, injustices, and rejection. In all these things, we have a choice just like Zacharias. I will choose to walk blamelessly before the Lord. I will choose to trust even when it’s hard. I will choose to continue in prayer, to lay my petitions before the Lord when it seems so much easier just to give up. I will choose to guard my heart from anger and resentment, so that if I am ever made mute for a season, the first thing that will come out of my mouth will be high praise for the One who has saved me and Who is ever true, even when I am not.

Beloved, you don’t need to be a superstar. You just need to be faithful.

“Jesus replied, ‘Your mistake is that you don’t know the Scriptures,

and you don’t know the power of God’.” MK 12:24 NLT

Jesus made it very clear to His disciples that only those who know both the scriptures and the power of God are living according to His design and purpose. It is not either/or, but both/and. If we are completely honest with ourselves, we would have to say that we have not handled this tension very well. Christians have often had to choose between one camp or the other. Will I gravitate towards the “Word-based” group or the “Holy Ghost, power people”?

Beloved, can we decide once and for all that we are for both?! We do not have to sacrifice one for the other! We CAN have our cake and eat it too. We CAN be scholars and yet wake up speaking in tongues. We CAN have a ministry that witnesses healing and deliverance and not bow to the altar of “strange” fire.

Our church has begun a movement called #365, which mobilizes people to read the Bible through in a year. When I consider how Biblically ignorant this generation of Christians is, I say Hallelujah. This generation has no excuse for ignorance, for we have access to more knowledge and tools and education than any generation before us. I once gave a New Testament to a man in China on Monday. He came back on Friday to return it to me. I was deeply disappointed, so I asked him why he was giving it back. He simply said, “because I have finished it.” God have mercy! He wasn’t even a believer, and yet there as many, many Christians who have believed in the Lord for years and have never even finished the New Testament, much less the whole Bible.

I have been reading about Revival history, of movements, of revivalists, for the last several months. There are many features which characterized every past revival, and without fail one of them was an all-consuming passion for the Word of God. I just listened to the testimony of former Muslim Nabeel Qureshi say that for the first 20 years of his life whenever he got into debates with Christians, none could show him from the Word of God where Jesus said that he was the Son of God. Is it any wonder that people will follow after the hypergrace teachings of a Joseph Prince, or fall prey to universal salvation, or no hell, or other unbiblical yet popular opinions. We must know the Scriptures. Jesus said so.

One of the most striking facts of past moves of God is the inability to strike this balance, or to sustain it over time. An example of this can be taken from a mighty outpouring of God’s Spirit around 1800 in the newly established states of Kentucky and Tennessee. So powerful were these “camp meetings” held for days leading to weeks in the open air of these frontier regions that an eyewitness account wrote:

“At one time I saw at least five hundred swept down in a moment, as if a battery of a thousand guns had been opened upon them, and then immediately followed shrieks and shouts that rent the very heavens.”

One of these preachers, Barton Stone, wrote detailed accounts of the manifestations of the Spirit’s power. I cannot highlight the detailed descriptions of each here, but he called the manifestations “exercises” which were common occurrences. They were:

* The Falling Exercise
* The Jerks
* The Dancing Exercise
* The Barking Exercise
* The Laughing Exercise
* The Singing (i.e. in the Spirit) Exercise

Barton Stone went on to become the founder of The Church of Christ denomination, which no longer reads the records of these things by their own founder, nor do they encourage or embrace them when they come. They have run to the “Word” camp and found “safety” there.

We must also know the power of God. Most of you reading this know something of the power of God. Granted, we might know more ABOUT the power of God than we actually know the power itself, but at least we identify with this camp. While that is a good start, many of us are more spectators than we are actually participants. We say we know the power because we listen to Bill Johnson, or because we fell on the floor at a Rodney Howard-Brown meeting. I’m just now reading the book God’s Generals: The Revivalists, and I am under deep conviction because I am measuring myself against those who didn’t just plug into a toy car battery. These men and women were wired to the state power station!

I want more. I want more Word. I want more power. I want more of Jesus. I want more of the Holy Spirit. Pentecostals in the early days disdained the heady, proud, and powerless preachers of the traditional churches of their day, and in doing so threw the baby out with the bathwater, rejecting theology and advanced education. Thank God that stigma is past, and we now have some of the world’s most learned Biblical scholars and historians who come from the “power-based” camp. This is as it should be, for in these last days, as the winds of Revival are stirring again, these words of Jesus will be staring us right in the face.

Beloved, let us be a people of the Word, and a people of power. Let us be the generation who will not only experience the power of God, but who will witness a sustained move of God worthy of the Master who gave His life to redeem a Bride who is without “mistake”, yes, without spot of wrinkle. Amen.

It is a new year, and a new day. It is a time of new beginnings, and so I turn to the beginning, Genesis 1, to share some insights with you:

“…and God divided the light from the darkness.” Gen 1:4

Throughout the earth, a separation is occurring. Have you noticed? Things are shifting. Politics is becoming more polarized. Racial tensions are on the rise. Religions radicalized. Evil is becoming more heinous. Righteousness is ridiculed and met with intolerance at every turn. Even creation itself is reeling, groaning like a woman in travail awaiting to deliver and be delivered (see Romans 8:18-22). As it was on the first day, so shall it be on the last; God is dividing the light from the darkness.

Satan is evil, and his wickedness cannot be restrained much longer. Although it is clearly a futile fight, so great is his self-deception that he actually believes he might win. Emboldened, he is increasingly aggressive and vicious. As it was during the time of the crucifixion, his wickedness will blind him to the point that he will play right into the hands of God. His schemes are destined to become a part of God’s triumphant plan.

Of course none of this has caught God off guard; neither should we be. This is an expected part of the landscape in the days we are living in, even as was prophesied. While there are many battles to be fought in this war to end all wars, I want to take a minute to speak to just one. It is the battle of the Family.

You see, the Devil has the institution of the Family in his crosshairs. Everything about the family has come under intense bombardments. From skyrocketing divorce rates, to absent fathers, to teenage pregnancies…why, even the very definition of the family has come out of the trenches with its hands up. When I was young, a popular storybook called “Are You My Mother” told of a baby bird which hatched while its mom was away catching a worm to feed to it. Anxiously the bird asked a dog, a cat, a cow, and even a steam shovel if any was his mother. Little did I know that this question would be fretfully asked in our time every day, but not by little birds anymore.

The result of the separation, and ensuing confusion? Multitudes of people have been bloodied with an irreparable wound. And although some will surrender to the new definitions, and capitulate to and accept new “norms”, still others will grow increasingly wearied by all this newness. They will refuse to accept the dog or the cow, and keep searching, all the time saying in their hearts “something’s not right here!” To these:

“The Sun of Righteousness will arise with healing in His wings” Mal 4:2

This chapter, the last in the entire Old Testament leading down to the very last verse, reminds us that just when things seem most desperate, God has prepared the means of full recovery. In the midst of this separation, two distinct outcomes are foretold. He says “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” something will happen.

First note that this is both a great day, and a dreadful day. You might be thinking, how can this be? Well, it is great for some, but dreadful for others, which of course is determined by which side we go to during the division of light from darkness. For those who choose light, something completely sovereign and miraculous is going to take place. The little bird will hatch, and go looking for its father. And the father bird will suddenly be consumed with such love for that little bird that every pursuit will be left behind in order to return to the side of his chirping offspring. For the chapter continues, and concludes with these powerful words:

“And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
and the hearts of the children to their fathers,
Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.” Mal 4:5-6

Beloved, if you have not discovered it yet, let me tell you a piece of VERY GOOD NEWS. Satan’s attack on the family is being met by an even greater counterattack. The enemy’s conventional weapons will pale before the arsenal of God’s nuclear force. Hearts are being turned by the same power that conquered the grave. And the Sun of Righteousness is arising to heal all those who were once considered DOA. So beloved, let us not underestimate the greatness of God in these things and grow discouraged. When God arises, His enemies still scatter (PS 68:1).

There was a time when the darkness came in hues of grey. But as darkness gives way to gross darkness, some will awaken and flee towards the Light. We must be ready! This too was foretold, signaling the beginning of the greatest harvest the world has ever known. Those desperate for healing will then come to the Light, the Sun, the only way to be healed in body, mind, or heart—through His blood and mercy. When all hope seems lost, He will arise. And when He does, we will witness the Church’s finest hour.

“For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
and deep (gross) darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory shall be seen upon you.
The nations shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.”
IS 60:2-3

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” JN 10:26

I week ago I had a conversation with one of the wealthiest men in Asia as we were honored guests at his home for their weekly “family dinner”. Due to several members of his family have become Christians, he wanted to hear my thoughts about hearing the voice of God, of which he was very skeptical. I shared a few good examples from my own life and have been praying for God to water this seed in his heart that he might come to faith. But it also left me questioning; had I done better, would this man have become a Christian that night?

This is such a key part of each one of our stories. One day we could not hear the voice of God; the next day we could. Once we were not one of His sheep; now as His sheep it is normal for us to hear the voice of the Shepherd. If we can convince people that God has spoken to us, they are much more likely to believe God can speak to them as well. There really is a part of every man which yearns to commune with his Creator. You may not have thought of this, but Allah will never “speak to” a Muslim, nor will a Buddhist statue ever talk. Hearing God speak to us is something which sets us apart.

In reality, their skepticism is often justified. Some people who “hear God’s voice” are just plane flaky. Others speak of hearing God as though it is something mystical and otherworldly, something the average person out there either can’t relate to or doesn’t want to be a part of. There are also examples of people who have rashly or arrogantly declared what “God spoke to me” only to have it not happen as they said–or worse yet, have them live in such a way that is completely inconsistent with the message. Or how about two Christians saying God said exactly opposite things! We have a lot of misinformation or bad testimonies to make up for.

Whole books are written on this subject, but I want to stir up a desire in you to hear, and hear well. This is not an “elective” course, neither is it one that we want to get a C, a D, or God forbid an F on, as Christians. When God speaks it is creative, powerful, life-giving, and it brings peace. By God’s word we are directed, and corrected; we are strengthened and made courageous. Sometimes it comes to us with the force of lightning, while at others it’s like a like a gentle nudge.

When my host asked me “how do you know?” I told him that it often comes completely outside of ourselves, not being something that we would have even remotely had in mind, like Jonah being told to go to Ninevah. When God told me to go to Taiwan 26 years ago it was like that, since I had never had this thought, or interest, nor did I know anyone there, nor did it occur to me that there was anything for me to do there. And yet as I went in obedience, all the doors opened up before me as naturally yet supernaturally as could be!

As a young Christian I had suffered a horrible neck injury which meant I was forced to use a traction device morning and night. I had done this faithfully for a year and a half when one day I was removing it from my suitcase when God spoke to me “put it away, you will not be needing this anymore.” I was healed instantly of the affects and symptoms of my injury and never did use the traction device again.

During my reading through John this past week, I realized hearing is an underlying theme throughout. Let me highlight a few phases or aspects of hearing the voice of God that I noticed as I was reading through chapters 14, 15, and 16. You might consider these fave as moving along a gentle to intense, like increasing the volume, progression. Most days all of these are operating in my life:

• REMINDING: God may have spoken a word to me, or I may have heard it being preached, or it popped out to me on the page of the Bible, but in an instant this “voice” is dropped back into our hearts instantaneously and directly, like a reminder.
• GUIDING: The voice of God guides me, through peace, or signposts, or a confirming conversation with someone so that I do not wander aimlessly.
• TEACHING: More personalized and direct than guiding, this teaching brings some instruction with it. It is a very amazing thing for God to teach me something which I could not learn on my own but for which I have a definite or desperate need.
• CONVICTING: This can be an “oh oh”, or even and “oh, no”!. This can come to us gently, but also with a force, like an inner shout to our spirits, creating a pressure from the inner man to rise up for right, or stand up against sin or evil.
• DECLARING: “He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.” JN 16:14. There is no ambivalence here! Sometimes it is just plane hard NOT to hear the voice of God, for God knows how to make it plane.

Beloved, if you are not hearing Him, today is the day to start turning that around. If you have NEVER heard Him, then frankly you might have to simply kneel and make sure that the issue of your salvation is settled now, once and for all. If you SELDOM hear him, then I hope I have stirred up that desire to hear the Lord’s voice, for desire is no small factor. God rewards the thirsty. Then finally, I want you to do something which seems almost antiquated. Just ask Him to talk to you! In 1 Sam 3 we have the story of how God raised up young Samuel to be a prophet. But first he had to learn to hear the voice of the Lord, which happened after Samuel said this simple prayer: “Speak, for your servant is listening.” (v. 9)

Jesus spoke to His disciples in the clearest of terms: “My sheep hear My voice.” May we hear, and hear well. May His voice remind, guide, teach, and convict us. As we respond to and obey these ways He speaks, expect him to “take of what is His, and declare it to you”. The fact that we can hear God speak is one of the greatest treasures of life, and one of the most amazing and attractive thing about being a Christian. May God help us to quiet the skeptics, and to woo our friends and acquaintances as we tell our story. Think about it, the God who created all things, speaks to people like little old you and me. That’s a story worth telling over and over.

“Now when Peter heard that it was the Lord,

he put on his outer garments and plunged into the sea…” JN 21:7

I was in a meeting last week when the Lord began to show me some pictures and speak something deeply to my heart.  First I saw Peter leaping out of the boat and into the waters upon hearing that Jesus was standing on the shore.  I could see the reckless abandon in his eyes as he plunged with all his might, caring not for what the others might think.

Immediately, the picture shifted to a scene 1000 years earlier.  I saw David stripping himself of his kingly vestments as he wildly danced with everything in him before the ark of the Lord, showing no regard for what  family or friend might say about his flailing.  Just at that moment I felt the Lord say that He was raising a standard in our midst:  the standard of the fear of man.  “Look well upon this standard, for it is in conquering it or succumbing to it that I will deem you worthy of carrying the ark of My presence to the place of My choosing.” 

In that moment I realized that the same spirit which had led Peter to jump was in David to make him dance.  In that instant, I realized there was something in these two men separated by so many centuries which attracted God like a magnet; men who were deemed worthy to be carriers, hosts, and agents of the great things that God was about to do.   I let this thought incubate until I came into the presence of the Lord the next morning.  I picked up my pen and wrote the following as one moved:

Be careful lest you stumble over the fear of man.  Many who would have been used to bring greater manifestations of My glory fell here.  Their tombs litter the grounds of past awakenings which never came to their own. These heard the rumblings, they saw the signs like lightning foretelling of the approaching rain, but stopped short of ushering in the fullness because they chose their dignity over the freedom for Me to move as I choose. Rather than bow the knee to Me and Me alone, they turned aside to bow at the altar of the fear of man, not knowing the smoke of this offering would rise to Me as strange fire.  I have turned My face from these who began well so many times, but I cannot violate Who I am.  I resist the proud but give continuous grace to the humble. 

Turn not aside to this altar!  Fear not, My son, My people.  Stumble not upon this rock lest the power you seek, the change for which you cry out, the manifestation for which you have labored, begins well only to end in a puff of smoke.  For lo, I am a jealous God.  I will not share My glory, neither can I abide long with those who turn aside over appearances and the opinions of others.  For the bringing of My ark to the place of My choosing is costly. Like Uzzah, some will not make it, and though mistakes be made, press on, press in.  Prepare well your people for the sacrifices offered along the way will be many and hard.  Beware lest the eyes of contempt and the voices of criticism, or by means of disdain or hidden jealousies you become discouraged.  For there will always be Michals looking down from their lofty places who will never understand your passion.  How they come with the voice of reason!  They question your motives.  They raise the banners of doubt.  Rebuke her early, yeah, turn not aside to the altar of the fear of man. Say to her, “I will be even more undignified than this, and I will be humble in my own sight”. 

You can hear the thunder clapping in the distance. Occasional strikes in the sky have lifted your eyes in anticipation.  At times you have even smelled the coming rain.  I am coming, and when I do, it will be as the opening of the heavens.  Be wise, yeah, be careful, lest the opinions of man cause you to stumble.

I have been privileged to experience significant “outpourings” first hand, including being swept into the Kingdom during the Charismatic Renewal in the 70’s, the amazing demonstrations of God’s miraculous power upon the coast of China in the 80’s, and the Toronto as well as the Brownsville wells which opened up in the 90’s. 

The Spirit of the Lord is stirring in me.  I know He wants to move, and His eye is running to and fro, seeking after those whose hearts are so yearning, who are moved by the same convictions which made the Davids and Peters of old to LEAP.  He is looking for those who seek not just to experience His boundless blessings, but who can steward them as well.  May we be deemed worthy!  Yes, may we heed the call, and guard our hearts with all vigilance lest we stumble over the standard He is raising before He moves; the standard of the fear of man.

“Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,

but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out.”       PR 10:9

I was raised a Yankee fan. I remember watching Mickey Mantle play. The four boys in my family were all Yankee fans, though my parents rooted for Boston. Our family survived the rivalry : ) In my adult life I haven’t cared much, though I am aware whether they have a good season or not.

Nowadays, sports stars typically make the news for the wrong reasons. Few handle the spotlight well. They live in excess. They often have run-ins with the law, and sport after sport has been tainted with illegal use of drugs. Recently, the beating of wives and abuse of children has embroiled the NFL in controversy. In these darkest days of professional sport, Derek Jeter played his last year as a Yankee being honored with accolades and gifts at every turn. In this age of moral chaos, even skepticism about the very definitions of right and wrong, even the world is standing up and recognizing that a life has been lived well. Though he wasn’t the greatest player to ever play, he is being hailed as one who lived above reproach, who gave 100% for every game, who always put his teammates above himself, and seemed to do it without the slightest cockiness. In fact, his image conjures up a man with a cap, and a smile.

Turns out the world is still looking for a hero. Not just one who can jump the highest, run the fastest, or plaster every opponent on the matt. Jeter is being honored for WHO he is more than for WHAT he has done.

Beloved, the world IS watching. Your disciples and friends ARE watching. Your teammates and colleagues WILL follow excellence. Most importantly, God knows those who have served well; honor and accolades await those who walk in their integrity. Thanks, Derek, for the reminder that even in this day of gross darkness in the earth, that there is still great value in being good.

“I am the Light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12

Now that is one audacious statement. Do you suppose he really meant it? I mean, maybe he just meant that he has some really good ideas that can really bring some light, i.e. understanding and wisdom, to the rest of us. Maybe he meant that there are many lights out there, like stars in the sky, and he was one of them, maybe even one of the brighter ones?

Tonight is the Harvest Moon in the Western world. In China, it is the Mid-Autumn Festival. Chinese all over the world will light handheld lanterns and go out to enjoy the moonlit sky while eating “mooncakes”. I told them in a service yesterday, Jesus is NOT like our little lanterns, helping us to see our way in the dark. While he certainly does that, we have missed something horribly important until we understand that he has no rival. He is not one among many. He is more like the moon, completely surrounded on all sides by utter darkness, a lone source of light for all to see. But even this analogy falls far short. “He is the True Light which gives light to every man coming into the world” (JN 1:9). He is the Source of all light, so that when we are finally translated into the realm of eternity, there will be no moon, or sun, or any other light.

More Chinese every year are not just gazing at the moon at Mid-Autumn Festival, and carrying candlelit paper lanterns; they have met the True Light, which is for every people of every time, and they now carry the light of life in their hearts. Hallelujah!

I met a few of them that I would like to highlight for you in the past couple weeks. There is “Jacob”, a man whose countenance was like that of an angel. In a room full of people I found my gaze constantly turning in his direction. Then one day I discovered why: Jacob had been raised from the dead.

I met Min, a sister who had been raised in a poor village which had experienced a remarkable outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Like many in those days, she was never able to attend past elementary school. Though she had never studied music, and could not read even a simple score, by the Holy Spirit she began to write songs, and more songs, and more songs. The people liked them so much they began to sing them when they gathered in their homes to worship, or when they went to work in the fields. Preachers who went out from there, or who had passed through on their way to other regions, carried the songs with them. After many years, Min’s songs were written into a hymnal comprising nearly 1000 of them. They are sung all over the Chinese world, and adored. You can check out more of her story at http://waysoflife.info/Canaan%20Hymns.html

I met “Brian”. A lawyer in one of China’s largest law firms, Brian met the Lord 20 years ago when he had gone overseas to study. Despite pressures and persecution for his faith, he has never shrunk back from testifying of the Lord’s goodness to him. At first his colleagues were not so sure, but one by one, upon request, 700 of the 1000 people in his law firm now subscribe to his china style blog known as We Chat.

Only one person in the world can truthfully say, I am President of the United States. So if it comes from anyone else in the world besides Barack Obama, that person is a liar, or a deceiver, or mentally troubled. But if Obama says it, he is not bragging. He is just stating a fact.

Without a question, Jesus meant what he said. He is the Light of the world. He is not a light. He is not a lantern. For anyone else, that would have been an audacious thing to say. But Jesus was just stating a fact.

The moon is rising. I am going to light my lantern, sit down with my family and hundreds of other Chinese families, and chew on this amazing truth over some mooncakes. I wish you could join us.

“Solomon went up from there to the bronze altar before the Lord…

and offered a thousand burnt offerings on it.”                2 Chr 1:6

We must not forget the primacy of worship. We must prioritize and personalize worship. God deserves it, and we can’t afford not to give it to Him. Sometimes it costs us dearly. Solomon knew this, so on this day he offered one thousand burnt offerings. Soon after, when he brought the ark back to the completed temple, he offered more sheep and oxen “that could not be counted or numbered for multitude” (5:6). Then at the dedication of the temple, the extravagance of his worship was on display for all generations to see: 22,000 bulls, and 120,000 sheep over a one week period.

Solomon learned this from David. When three of his mighty men risked their lives to get him a cup of water from the well in Bethlehem, he considered the cost of their lives and dared not drink the cup. So he poured it out as an offering to the Lord. Beloved, when we read the Psalms maybe we think David wrote them when he was sitting around watching the sheep. Some were, it’s true. But one of the things which stirs me about this man is that even when he was king over one of the most expansive empires in Israel’s history, he never stopped writing songs. As king (“the king will rejoice in God”, v.11) he penned words such as “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for you…” PS 63:1.

We often read the scriptures without really stopping to think about them. The setting, the culture, the fact that it was thousands of years ago, all inhibit us from really engaging with the text, and truly benefiting from it. If we thought there was gold in the ground beneath us, we would dig with abandon. David said that the law, statutes, and commandments of the Lord are more to be desired than gold. If we believe that, beloved, we ought to be digging!

So what is 2 Chr 1:6 speaking to us today? For context, Solomon was just beginning his reign as King. These were not required offerings, but were offered of his own free will, out of gratitude, and as a way of saying to God, “I am nothing apart from You. You are great, and hold all authority. I acknowledge you, I thank you, and I invoke Your name as I take on this solemn responsibility.” Then, he offered an average of one sheep or cow per minute for the next 17 hours. What expense! What dedication!

Worship Jesus. If you haven’t told Him you love Him today, take some moments and do it right now. God forbid that we relegate our worship to God to 40 minutes of singing on Sunday morning! Tell Him in prayer. Tell Him in a song. Tell Him in your service. He deserves it. You need it. Nothing else will truly satisfy the people we are called to reach. Yes, Lord, give us a revelation of those whom we are touching now will worship You for an eternity at our sides. Set aside some focused, undistracted time for your Lover. Yes, worship Jesus.

“And the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.’” Jud 6:16

We cannot serve the Lord effectively without confidence. The enemy knows this too, so of course he also attacks us in this vital area. We have to know this and resist him, and learn this simple lesson from Gideon in order to stay and stand strong in our callings.

There are several keys here, but let me just highlight a few:

1. Gideon heard what the Lord said about him. He said he was a “man of valor!” We are constantly tempted to see ourselves through our own eyes, and judge ourselves on the basis of our weaknesses or the areas in our lives where we are vulnerable. Though Gideon was far from perfect, the Lord chose him because he saw something amazing in him. God has not chosen you by accident or mistake, and if the Angel of the Lord was to appear to you today, he may well call you a man (or woman) of valor too. It is up to you to believe what HE says about you.

2. “Have I not sent you?” Great question. God COULD have sent many others more “qualified”, talented, even “spiritual”. The fact that He did not speaks volumes of how He thinks of you. Answering this question with a “YES!” (and not just a “yes”) is critical to your confidence quotient. It is worth spending some moments on your knees until you can get this settled.

3. “Surely I will be with you”. Check it out, ALL the people God uses throughout the Word hear this promise spoken personally to them. Have you heard it for you? Because if you have, if you know that God will be right by your side, that He will not leave you or forsake you, your confidence level has just gone through the roof. The fact that he adds “surely” seals it. This is a word of finality, like absolutely or without a doubt. Hebrews 6:14 calls it a swear word. I know, you thought God doesn’t swear, right?! For Him, swearing means He will do it not matter what.  Heb 6:15 says it is “an oath for confirmation…and end of all dispute.”

4. The promise of victory. In battles there are ebbs and flows. In life there are highs and lows. Sometimes we feel strong, at other times weak. Knowing the outcome, having that assurance that our victory is a done deal, causes us to walk tall with our heads high and to press through difficulties and not to give up even when there are setbacks. Before Gideon even lifted a sword, he had heard God say “you shall defeat the Midianites as one man”. By the strength of this promise, Gideon exuded confidence even when God had shrunk his army down to 300 men to face the Midianite hordes.

Beloved, now is a good time to do a heart check. How is your confidence quotient? Are you hearing what the Lord is saying about you, or are you listening to the voice which constantly reminds you of your flaws and defeats? Take some moments to affirm His call and His presence in your life, and watch the confidence meter rise some more. Finally, take up a pen and write down His personal promise of victory to you. You might start with “I know I will be victorious because…” As you confirm it in writing, you are giving another boost to your confidence, deepening and broadening the foundation for standing tall under your feet.

Confidence. If you lack it, go back and lock it in by these few simple steps. The time it takes to raise your confidence quotient could not be time better spent.

“Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble…” 2 Peter 1:10