Freedom

I woke this morning from having a recurring dream. In it I am speaking to a group of people. I begin by asking them if they believe that God loves them? I ask what love is. I tell them He is a loving Father and in that kind of love there is discipline. I then speak about what sin is and how important it is that we be cleansed of it if we want to live forever. In great detail, I show from scripture (Genesis 3) how sin entered a perfect world; how God had created us to be free so He set boundaries around the Tree of Good and Evil.  We were innocent of evil when created. He never intended this boundary to be breached yet the enemy of God used confusing language to draw God’s loved creation into the darkness. Then I wake up. 

 

Friends, God’s boundaries were not placed to impede our freedom…they are the very instruments to protect our freedom. When Jesus came, He came to set us free again. Galatians 5:1 says, “For freedom, [our original created state] Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.” (Emphasis mine.)

 

We love to say that God is love…but that love is not without boundaries much like a mother’s love sets boundaries to keep her toddler from the hot flames on the stove. God knows what will destroy us and sets a boundary around it…for our protection.  

 

This dream was so real and my desire is to speak it to that crowd is overwhelming. The enemy is deceiving great multitudes—even within the body. Many think God’s laws are legalistic and He winks at our desire to explore our lusts. Many say God created us with those lusts-- but that is a lie and the result always ends up being harmful for us. 

 

I sense that there is a new and stronger wave of deception falling upon the church. Only those with eyes to see and ears to hear will understand.  In this church age, we have become like the Church at Laodicea. Read these frightening words and pray for eyes to see and ears that hear. 

 

Revelation 3:14-22

 

“Write to the angel of the church in Laodicea: Thus, says the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the originator of God’s creation: I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish that you were cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I am going to vomit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I’m rich; I have become wealthy and need nothing,’ and you don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined in the fire so that you may be rich, white clothes so that you may be dressed and your shameful nakedness not be exposed, and ointment to spread on your eyes so that you may see. As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline. So be zealous and repent.  See! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. “To the one who conquers I will give the right to sit with me on mythrone, just as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. “Let anyone who has ears to hear listen towhat the Spirit says to the churches.”

 

But I Don't Like Cats

Let me start this by saying, I am not a cat person. I like dogs. (I did like the musical Cats, but that is another thing all together.) I don’t want to offend my cat-loving friends but I have always thought cats are not real pets. They do what they want and ignore you most of the time…dogs do not. Dogs sit in your lap and get excited when you come home after a 3-minute exit of the premises.  Cats glance at you, allowing you into their presence. That is what I thought until this morning.

A couple of days after Easter, my daughter came over (yes, we broke quarantine…sue me!) and we heard a sound from a deep hollow in a tree in our yard. Last summer we discovered this hollow to be a snake’s nest so we approached it slowly. From the deep bowels emerged a tiny gray kitten begging for food. We took it out and found that there was another, smaller, stripped kitten in the hollow and a less fortunate littermate who had not survived. The mother obviously had abandoned them to the snakes, but these two had survived. What were we to do? I couldn’t just let these kittens fend for themselves at just a little over a week old (their eyes had just opened) We hoped that my elder granddaughter’s cat, who had just had kittens, would adopt them. My daughter took the kittens to her house and Kayce’s cat adopted them and the two kittens thrived.  All was well. I had done my duty and saved these little creatures…I patted myself on the back. In reality, I had done nothing but agree that my daughter should take the kittens home. I promised I would visit them.  

Sunday, that all changed as my daughter called and said it was time for the kittens to come “home!” To her this meant MY house. If you know my daughter, she can be very convincing so on Sunday afternoon, after braving Wal-Mart for litter box and food, I begrudgingly became a “cat mama.” I put them in our back sun-room along with all my younger grandchildren’s toys and a seldom used treadmill. I sat down and waited to make sure they knew how to use the litter box. That was my only intent.  I was going to leave them alone to fend for themselves with an American Girl doll as company. But something happened…they began to play with my toes. They slept on my toes. They nibbled on my toes. Then they looked at me as only cats can. I told myself I was not going to fall for it. I was going to keep them until I found someone else who would take them…but then one reared-up on my leg and begged me to pick her up. As I did, I heard this noise from somewhere deep…a purr. I picked the other up and it curled in my hand contented. I was trapped.

We did the next horrible thing—we gave them names. The larger gray one—the one who climbed out of the hollow to ask for help—we named “Steel Magnolia” because of her will to survive. The much smaller little brother we named “Drew Brees”—who was small and never thought to amount to anything. So, there. They were named and began a life of luxury in our home. 

Last night, during some thunder and lightning and while watching reruns of Chicago Fire, I heard a desperate cry…Magnolia was scared and wanted her “mommy.” I climbed over the barrier to get to her and held her for a moment, sat with her and then laid her in her bed. She was content and went to sleep. She needed me to console her and let her know it was going to be alright…that snake was not coming back and you are safe now, little gray kitty. 

This morning, I sat drinking my coffee, feeling little claws on my toes, thinking about how my heart had softened once I got to know these kittens…not all cats…but these kittens. I began to think perhaps that is the way many of us are in our society…grouping all people together and deciding things about them on information that may or may not be true. It wasn’t an accident we found those kittens. They were desperate and we were nearby. They cried out the only way they knew how. What if we began to listen to the desperate cries of those around us and put ourselves in a place where we can help. What if we got to know individuals instead of a group. We will find is that no one fits into the boxes we created. No one. Not whites, not blacks not Asians, not Native Americans, nor Latinos. Each individual has hopes and fears. Each one has trusts issues that need to be dealt with. Each one truly wants to be loved and accepted. We are more alike than different. All the things I want in myself, I find are things others want as well. I learned this lesson many years ago on a trip to China. God spoke clearly to me that people are people. We discover that once people have names. Names clarify who people are. Names give us someone to intercede for, to care for, to laugh with, to live life with, to calm fears. 

I truly believe God sent Magnolia and Brees to remind me to look individually at those around me. In reality, not everyone will be happy to know we now have cats and I get that. To be honest, I am still more comfortable with dogs, but I am willing to step out and see that not all cats are aloof and uncaring…and neither should I be, for perhaps my OWN aloofness and apathy was what I didn’t want to see when I looked into the eyes of my kittens. Thank you, God for the reminder. 

Why Do You Go to Church?

This week my pastor asked us why we went to church. With not being able to meet except online, the question was for us to clarify our purpose for attending when we are able to return. Immediately I had the answer and knew it was the correct one. I would get the gold star for the day! Of course, the answer was “to worship and have fellowship with other believers.”  Then the voice of God prodded me and I began to ponder…should my worship of Him only happen when we gather in a building? Don’t I worship Him daily as I walk and see how majestic He is in all the earth?  Why do I need to go to a building to do that?

BUT as our pastor’s sermon continued and he began to talk about “inward thinking” and “missional thinking” reasons, I continued to make my list of whys. These are some I came up with: 

·      So I can hear the Word (as long as I like what the preacher is saying)

·      So I can sing praises to God (as long as we are singing songs I like in the style I like.)

·      So I can fellowship with others (as long as they like me and pay attention to me)

·      So I can share my prayer needs (as long as people care about me)

·      So I can have a place where my children can be taught about God. (not the church’s responsibility according to Deuteronomy 6)

Our reasons need to go deeper and the early church knew that.  They were being persecuted because of their faith and needed to join together for encouragement and to pray for God’s direction as they continued sharing the Good News of Christ. Their faith was firmly planted in knowing the belief of the risen Christ was something worth dying for. They were passionate about sharing.

So, what were some of the differences between the early church and today’s church? The scriptures cited were from Acts 11 and 13. 

·      They were filled with the Holy Spirit who gave them the words to say and showed them their purpose. (Acts 11: 18) They were compelled to share what God had done and the Holy Spirit gave them power and purpose.

·      They wanted everyone to hear. Barnabus was compelled to leave his group to encourage others. It wasn’t about his comfort. As he left, it is said of him, “He was a good man, full of the Spirit and of faith, and large numbers were being added to the Lord. Acts 11: 23-24 Please note, they were not added to a congregation but to the Lord. 

·      They encouraged others in the faith.  Barnabus went to Saul…a former enemy of The Way. He saw Saul’s potential and discipled him without a thought that Saul might steal some of this thunder or followers…So many times in our inward thinking, we become jealous of someone and often try to discredit them. We need to see other’s gifting’s and encourage them to use them for the kingdom. (Acts 11:25) 

·      The early believers helped other believers who had needs (Acts 11:28-30) Too often, congregations compete with each other. The early church shared what they had to other churches so that all could be equipped for the mission. 

·      They were a praying people (Acts 13: 1-3)  Yes, they sang and listened to the teachings from those who taught, but then they spent much time in prayer and fasting, seeking God’s will for them. How much time do we as a congregation spend in earnest prayer seeking God’s will?  Have we merely appointed committees to do that? Even mores, how much time after the service do you spend in prayer asking God what He wants you to do with what you have just heard? (ouch)

·      They sent people from their own to spread the Word as the Holy Spirit lead. They laid hands on them to give assurance of their continued support. They were willing to let go of those they loved, so that the Gospel could spread. This church loved Barnabus—he was their encourager—but they let him go and did not get mad that he was leaving. The mission was more important than their own congregation. 

So, how are we doing? I am not painting with a large brush all congregations, for there are many who are doing incredible things for the Kingdom. But if we are honest, for most of us, our inwardly focused thinking has resulted in a program-led church not a Holy Spirit-led church. I love the church... the body of Christ…the Bride. As a matter of fact I am the church. So, this leads me to the original question: Why do you go to church (meeting)? Why do I go to church (meeting)? Where are we in this list? Do we:

·      Seek to be filled by the Holy Spirit so He can lead, or are we afraid of Him and what He will require? 

·      Do we desire everyone to know the good news? Even that next door neighbor with the barking dog? Or are we afraid of the persecution and keep silent? 

·      Do we encourage others to develop their gifts or are we jealous? Have we done a good job of mentoring the next generation? 

·      Do we help others in their need even if they are in another church?

·      Are we teaching our own household how to follow God or expecting the church to?  

·      Are we willing to send those we love or do we want to hold onto them for our sake? 

The bottom line—this is God’s church not ours. He established it so that the good news would spread. He did not intend it to be a huddled group inside walls doing programs. Perhaps that is why we have been taken out of our walls. His true church will blaze new, uncharted trails, unafraid, knowing He will guide them. Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”  John 14:15 His final commandment is in Matthew 28:19-20 “Go and make disciples of ALL men…teaching them to obey all I have commanded. Remember, I am with you to the end.” 

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So, let me ask again, “Why do you go to church?” 

Don't Listen to the Lies

Yesterday one of my high school classmates posted on Facebook that he was being chased by the police who pulled him over. They asked if he had been in a fight at a gas station moments before. Of course, my classmate said, “no,” but then heard the other officer calling the dispatch saying, “No, this is an elderly man.” It was a slap of cold water in his face—and mine since we graduated the same year. Earlier in the week I read of a pastor who asked the older people in his congregation to worship somewhere else so they could draw more young people into the crowd. That also slapped me in the face. 

I love younger people and mentor them to take over after I am gone, but we live in a youth-oriented culture where age is a liability. To be truthful, some seniors have added to the fire by becoming bitter and angry—demanding that nothing change from the way they have always done things. But we can’t sweep with a wide brush nor generalize! 

I was in senior in high school and in college during the Jesus Movement of the 70’s. This was the Christian’s answer to the Hippy, Flower Child movement happening in our world.  We loved everything about Jesus and proclaimed He was the One Way. Groups like Andre Crouch and the Disciples, Dove, Keith Green and many more used music to display their beliefs and we sang loudly. Yes, our songs were different than our parents but still proclaimed the truth of the gospel. The problem was that we sang accompanied by guitars and wore jeans (shock.) It was more than many of the congregations could handle and they alienated the youth of that day. Many left the local church and began non-denominational congregations. I didn’t leave but I did make a commitment to myself and God that I would never be an “old person like that!” What I meant was, that I would be open to new music and new ways of doing things as long as the message and the doctrine of the Bible was not altered in the process. I have kept my word. 

Just today, sitting at my piano, I played and sang (for His enjoyment only,) Leeland’s, Way Maker, and my heart was stirred to know that God is always working. Then from somewhere this thought came: “You are too old to sing this song or to speak into the hearts of younger people the truth of the Bible.” The enemy used the things I had read this week to cause doubt in my calling. I was devastated to say the least. I began to wonder if I was only fit to take trips to Branson and be satisfied with monthly luncheons. 

There is nothing wrong with Branson or lunches but any of you who know me, know I do not fit in that category or any category. God gave me skill sets that are different and has used these skill sets my whole life. God reminded me today as I sat in private worship, my fingers still ran across the ivory keys as well as they always did…my voice was still strong, albeit those really high notes don’t come like they used to. (so, I avoid them!) God reminded me He continues to give me messages to share and teachings from His word to encourage and urge others to stay in the fight. Tears fell. I knew all of this in my heart but my mind went to the lies of the enemy and I asked God if it was time to hang up my podium and piano.  Not three seconds later, my phone rang. I answered only to discover I was speaking with a ladies team looking for a speaker for their Hope Rally in September. The name of the rally was not lost on me. God was not finished. He answered immediately that I was still useful for the kingdom. 

Perhaps you have felt useless, as well, because your church only looks to the youthful for leading. Hold on. God has given those of us who have been around the sun many times, wisdom and patience, and persistence. These are things we only achieve with age. Don’t fall for the lies and don’t “settle” in your church if they think it is time to send you to pasture. Stand up and say you are not ready to retire from God’s army. 

As for me, encouraged once again by God,  I will not retire until someone leans over my coffin and says, “Don’t she look natural!”