During times of waiting on God, there is a “white space.” That’s when nothing seems to be happening—at least nothing visible. You could easily tell yourself at the time, “I’m waiting in vain. Nothing’s going to change.”
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That’s precisely what the Adversary wants you to think: “Waiting on God is a waste.”
Don’t you believe it!
When the Enemy’s message slips into your mind, you need to kick it out. Reject it. Call it the lie that it is. As Paul wrote,
We are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5).
See how practical that is? Every thought.
During those times when doubt and discouragement creep into our waiting periods, the Lord provides us with strong counsel to remember.
Many years ago, I went through a dreadful experience with a person who decided to make me his enemy. I still don’t know why he had it in for me. It remains a mystery. Nevertheless, it occurred.
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This individual decided to make my life miserable.
- He watched my every move.
- He questioned my decisions.
- He cast doubts on my ministry.
- This person applied pressure, sometimes to the point where I thought I would scream.
I don’t know how much he said to others about his opinion of me; I never asked. But he said enough to me and was bullying and intimidating enough that I became frightened, especially when I realized he carried a gun!
Eventually, on one occasion, he even threatened me with it.
Everybody hurts. But not everybody lives such honest and vulnerable lives that they admit the pain. Why? Because, most often, there isn’t a safe place to do so. The church should be that place (second only to the home). Regrettably, it isn’t.
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I heard of a research study where psychologists discovered the top three places where average people “fake it.”
- We tend to put on airs when we visit the lobby of a fancy hotel.
- We typically fake our true feelings alongside the salesperson at a new-car showroom.
- Can you guess the third place we wear a mask? That’s right. In church!
Tragically, in church where authenticity should be modeled, we’ll paint on the phony smiles, slap backs, and shake hands, all the while masking what’s inside our hearts.
In reality . . . we’re hurting.
If prayer is the cure for worry, you might be tempted to think that your prayer was ineffective. Maybe you feel that you somehow failed because your anxiety returned—perhaps as soon as you said, “Amen.”
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Happens to me from time to time. I take my persistent anxiety as a signal that I need more time before the Father, reviewing all the details of my situation, telling Him how much it plagues me, and sometimes even admitting that I’m afraid He won’t handle it soon enough.
Having a deep, persistent concern for a problem is not the same as worry. Not at all!
- Worry is choosing to fret and churn instead of turning it completely over to God.
- Worry is wrestling with anxiety on your own rather than releasing it to the Father.
Big difference.
Most people whom I consider to be men and women of prayer go before God because their hearts are heavy. They tell me that nothing but continual conversation with Him brings them relief.
So, if you tend to worry a lot, here’s a solution.
Sin has a ripple effect in families. Even in pastor’s families. Propensity to prolong one particular sin might be handed from father to son genetically. One day science may prove or disprove this notion. However, we know for sure sins are passed from one generation to the next by example.
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We don’t have to look any further than the first book of the Bible to see it.
When Paul stood on Mars Hill in Athens and proclaimed the grace of God to the lost, he preached to a crowd of skeptics, critics, and those we might call “sophisticated eggheads.”
(The Acropolis in Athens, with Mars Hill in the foreground. By Χρήστης Templar52Templar52 at el.wikipedia, from Wikimedia Commons)
Rather than beginning with the Scriptures, Paul began with the created world in which these unbelievers lived in order to introduce Jesus to them. He began with their spiritual hunger and pointed them to Jesus as the satisfaction for their longings . . . and the payment for their sins. Paul even quoted a well-known pagan poet as a means of building a bridge between the lost and the Lord (see Acts 17:16–33).
A number of ministries have adopted for their churches what I call a “Mars Hill philosophy of ministry.” Modeled after Paul’s message on Mars Hill, their goal is to connect with the unbeliever, or the postmodern, or any person they would call a “seeker.” In recent years the emerging church movement has attempted to “do church” (or be the church) in a new way amidst our postmodern world. Their purpose is “missional living,” that is, to get involved in the world in hopes of transforming it. This style of ministry engages the culture in a “conversation” rather than preaching to people like a prophet. A wide range of theologies and strategies exist within this current movement. Some individuals hold to orthodox beliefs but have adopted very unorthodox ways of communication.
I have read of sermons that use language that would make most believers cringe . . . and cover their children’s ears.
Are we to minister as those in the world?
In late 2007, Pastor Bill Hybels and the leadership team of the Willow Creek Community Church shared the startling results of a study they conducted of their own church—as well as other so-called “seeker churches.”
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The results, Hybels said, were “the greatest wake-up call of my adult life.” Among other findings, they discovered that their ministry to “seekers” was very effective for introducing Christ to those who were new to church.
No big surprise.
But they had not been as successful in fulfilling their mission statement to turn “irreligious people into fully devoted followers of Christ.” That is, they had not been as strong in developing the spiritual lives of those who had trusted Christ. As a result of a conversation Hybels had with his executive pastor, Greg Hawkins, they realized:
Our world has lost its way. So it’s no surprise when the church takes its cues from the world that the church begins to drift as well.
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But must we resort to gimmicks for people to come to church? Is biblical reinterpretation the new essential for church growth? Must we dumb down historic Christianity into shallow entertainment skits in order to pamper consumers?
Surely, not!
Our culture is driven by marketing. There’s no escaping it. Consumerism and materialism have wormed their way into our lives, and the germs of marketing spreads the disease.
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For instance, how can I possibly know which of the eight hundred cereals in the store is most healthy? Which car should I purchase? What vacation should we take this summer? See the dilemma? Consumers must make decisions.
I’ve learned through the years that perception overshadows reality. I hate that . . . but it’s true. From political candidates to polyester carpet, how people perceive things is, to them, more convincing than a truckload of evidence. Unfortunately, most draw their opinions from the shallow stream of perception instead of the deep reservoir of truth. I find that strange and disappointing. Perception actually overshadows reality. Scary thought, isn’t it?
It’s even more frightening when we realize that our culture doesn’t market Christianity very well.
The church can get slick. Its ministers can become perfunctory in their tasks. I guess that’s why I love Pastor John Piper’s excellent volume, Brothers, We Are Not Professionals (great title!).
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Read his words carefully.
