Answers for Today, May 2, 2011
Funeral Parties
“And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone would harm them, fire pours from their mouth and consumes their foes. If anyone would harm them, this is how he is doomed to be killed. They have the power to shut the sky, that no rain may fall during the days of their prophesying, and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood and to strike the earth with every kind of plague, as often as they desire. And when they have finished their testimony, the beast that rises from the bottomless pit will make war on them and conquer them and kill them, and their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified. For three and a half days some from the peoples and tribes and languages and nations will gaze at their dead bodies and refuse to let them be placed in a tomb, and those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and make merry and exchange presents, because these two prophets had been a torment to those who dwell on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood up on their feet, and a great fear fell on those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven saying to them, “Come up here!” And they went up to heaven in a cloud, and their enemies watched them. Revelation 11:3-12
The news went worldwide in seconds, this past Sunday: “They got him.” The intense, decade-long manhunt for Osama bin Laden had finally ended with his death, in Pakistan, at the hands of Navy Seals. The man behind Al Quaeda and 9/11 had embittered many toward him. When word was received of his demise, jubilation broke out in some places, as crowds spontaneously gathered to celebrate the news that the one who had caused so much pain in America was gone.
As I watched news coverage of the celebrations, I thought of this prophetic passage in Revelation. One day, the world will be throwing parties because God’s prophets are dead. Our world will be so far gone that when the witnesses who stand for God are killed, the reaction of the world will be to gloat, refuse the bodies burial, and celebrate by sending one another gifts.
Will the other believers in Christ still be here on earth, when this happens? I don’t know. But we’re here, now. We should be busy with what matters. Now.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We must be about our Father’s business. Now.
Answers for Today, May 3, 2011
Idols for Free
And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled,
and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low,
and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
And the idols shall utterly pass away.
And people shall enter the caves of the rocks
and the holes of the ground,
from before the terror of the LORD,
and from the splendor of his majesty,
when he rises to terrify the earth.
Isaiah 2:17-19
God has His ways of dealing with pride, national and otherwise. Much of our culture is saturated with haughtiness; one day it will be dealt with—all of it. The lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
Once again, we get the not-so-subtle hint that now would be a good time to humble ourselves before the LORD, and abandon our idols, since it’s going to happen, anyway, one way or another! There is coming a time when the inhabitants of the earth will be not just respectful of God, but utterly terrified.
What of the cherished idols to which they have devoted their lives?
In that day mankind will cast away their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the LORD, and from the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. (Isa 2:20-21)
Think of it. Treasures of a lifetime literally tossed away, as panic-stricken people run for cover, hoping to avoid the judgment of a God they have spent their lives despising. They won’t just be afraid. They will be terrified. Suddenly, only one thing will have value for them: Salvation. Escaping the judgment of God. All pride will be erased, not only from individuals, but from entire nations. Only One will be exalted in that day. It would be such a good idea to exalt Him, now. It would be such a good idea to discard worthless idols, now. There is coming a day when only God will be exalted on the earth. We are foolish if we wait until then to fear Him. Only fools cling to idols they will one day throw away.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: One day all will exalt God. Exalt Him and fear Him, now.
Answers for Today, May 4, 2011, originally written 1-07-09
Four Alarm Persecution
And Saul approved of his execution.
And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. Acts 8:1-4
Well, that’s one way to get them out of town! It’s hard to get folks motivated to leave a place where everything’s perfect, but a little persecution is pretty good motivation. Suddenly, instead of one city being infected with the Gospel, now there are many. Saul ended up benefitting the Church even before he became a Christian! That was certainly not his intention, but God manages to use everything that happens in a way that moves the Kingdom forward.
The worst thing that can happen to the Church is not persecution; the worst thing that can happen is lethargy, when people settle down into their comfort zone and focus their energy on complaining, or in fighting each other, since there’s no pressure on them to rely on God and hang onto each other. I don’t want to call persecution a gift, but God makes it work like one when it’s around.
I don’t want to say we’re in need of persecution in America, but I don’t think it would hurt us if it came! I don’t want it to come, but if that’s the only way the Church will wake up in time for us to fulfill our purpose, God may be doing us an awesome favor by allowing enough of it to awaken millions of believers who seem to be caught in freedom’s stupor! I’m still hoping that we’ll be able to get spiritual transformation without catastrophe or persecution or both; I think God would prefer that instead of needing the fire alarm to wake us, we would just set an alarm clock. But I think He loves us enough to awaken us, and if a whisper and a gentle nudge isn’t enough to rouse us, well.... whatever it takes! When the house is on fire, it’s no time to worry about talking too loudly. The options at the Judgment include everlasting consequences more devastating than that!
Regardless of what God does, or allows, our place is to trust Him. And if He is gently urging us out of our complacency, we would be wise to follow Him willingly, rather than waiting for four alarm persecution to really get us motivated.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We don’t need to wait for persecution to move forward.
Answers for Today, May 5, 2011, originally written 1-07-09
License to Witness
The martyrdom of Stephen could have knocked a few believers off track: “How could a loving God let one of His saints die while praising Him? If He can’t protect His children better than this, how can we trust Him?” But the Early Christians had a different mentality than most of us, regarding discipleship.
Had the Church been scattered, but silent, they wouldn’t have enjoyed the same results of societal change ultimately experienced. The key is that when God allowed them to be scattered, they remained the Church. Witnessing about Jesus had not been left exclusively to the apostles when they were in Jerusalem; now, they continued doing what they had been doing all along—talking about the goodness of Jesus Christ, except in a new location. Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. (Ac 8:4) Who is doing the preaching? Everybody, except the apostles! They’re still in Jerusalem! (v. 1) They’re the only ones who weren’t scattered; they’re still preaching in Jerusalem, everyone else is preaching wherever they’ve landed. And now the Gospel is no longer limited to Jerusalem— the fire has been flung across Judea and Samaria. Next, the flame will spread to the Roman world, and who will get the torch but the man who scattered the evangelists through his persecution in the first place? “Life changing” doesn’t begin to describe what happened to Saul of Tarsus.
Had it been left to the lonely apostles, persecution would have done in the Early Church. Thankfully, primitive followers of Christ knew it was the duty and privilege of every believer to testify about Jesus. It was part of being a disciple.
What if? What if all Christians considered it a privilege to preach Christ to whomever would listen? What if we talked about Jesus, even at great risk? What if we didn’t wait until someone ordained us before boldly speaking about God’s goodness to another person? What would Satan do with a Church like that?! If you persecute them, their message only spreads.
Our God loves us enough to wake us up. It may be gentle or it may be four alarm persecution—whatever it takes. And what we might think is the worst thing that could happen to us may just be His way of moving us into the position where we’ll be most effective.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We all have a license to witness. Let’s not wait for persecution!
Answers for Today, May 6, 2011, originally written 1-09-09
Breakthrough Teams
Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for he had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.
Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel to many villages of the Samaritans. Acts 8:14-17,25
Conversion is seldom a solo process. In this case, God used Philip, then followed up with a couple apostles to finish the job. The persecution in Jerusalem was used to get the Church out of town and into some needy areas. God even uses the people who aren’t on His side to accomplish His purposes.
Also in Acts 8, we get the story of Simon the Sorcerer, a weasely local magician who goes from pride to envy to greed to remorse in nineteen verses. Simon is on a track which is not unfamiliar, even in our day. He thinks the Gospel is just a way to make money, and that spiritual gifts are secret knowledge which can be bought and sold. The first idea is very much in evidence, these days, particularly in the realm of television ministries and the like; the other is more subtle, but still present, basically the product of some of these same ministry philosophies (i.e., “Send me a donation and I’ll send you a magic prayer shawl,” “Pray the Prayer of Jabez for 30 days and God will bless you with riches.”).
God does stuff in “breakthrough’s.” He allows persecution to be the propellant which gets the Church out of their cluster in Jerusalem, then uses a non-apostle to start ministry among non-Jews. He confirms His presence by doing miracles through Philip, yet doesn’t give the Samaritans the Holy Spirit until a couple apostles arrive. He manifests Himself sufficiently at this Samaritan Pentecost to totally impress a magician, but we never hear of a subsequent visible manifestation in Samaria (or it’s become so routine it isn’t mentioned). It was the big Samaritan breakthrough, followed by breakthroughs to the Gentiles. On the way home from Samaria, Peter and John feel free to preach in other Samaritan villages, too. There are no longer any barriers or missing pieces—the Gospel has spread to Samaria. When we follow Christ, we’re always part of something big.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: When we follow Christ, we’re always part of something big.
Answers for Today, May 9, 2011, originally written 1-09-09
Some People’s Samaria
When I think of Samaria, inner cities come to mind. The mindset, environment, values—so different from suburbia! It’s as if we were in separate countries. I’m among those who have been repulsed by the Inner City, a country boy who likes the wide open spaces and conservative values. I don’t understand the city, don’t enjoy it, don’t fit—or at least don’t think I do. I went through a guilt trip for awhile, in college and seminary; they were pleading with people to go to the Inner City, and I wanted to go to Alaska. I finally figured out not everyone dreamt of starting a home mission church in Alaska like I did, so it might make better sense to believe God was calling me to a place I absolutely loved, instead of somewhere which repulsed me. “Glad I went!” doesn’t begin to describe how I feel about Alaska. It was an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime, God-driven adventure, for ten years. My loved ones thought I was heading to Samaria (or Siberia) for sure, that first trip to The Great Land. I came back thinking I’d been in heaven. To some people it was Samaria; I never wanted to leave!
Like Philip, God moved us. Kelso-Longview, Washington is a city I used to despise from the road as we sped up to get past it on I-5. “Thank you, God, that we don’t have to live there!” Twenty years ago, it was as Samaritan as it gets, for me. It soon went from being “Samaria” to being “home.” I’m so glad to live here! The best place on earth to be is where God has placed you.
Where do we fit? Somewhere. But it’s not always the same place, and it’s not usually forever. Philip was having the time of his life, but he was soon to be leaving, to accomplish another special job God had for him. He would always have Samaria to treasure as a special memory of how the Lord took him to what others considered a God-forsaken place, then showed him a bit of heaven. That’s what God did for me, too, more than once!
Lessons from Samaria? Don’t be taken in by the crass commercialism we sometimes see in religion. Keep the heart pure. Be open to new challenges and new people. Be willing to go among the unlovely and love them in Jesus’ name—it might turn out to be the greatest experience of our life. Be willing to work as a team. God almost always uses triangulation to accomplish His purposes, with prophets predicting, then various people coming along to fulfill assignments they may not even comprehend, but which are all being managed from above. In God’s book, assists seem to count as much as scoring. And don’t avoid Samaria—the experience may prove to be one of the great highlights of a lifetime.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Our new Samaria? Seattle. Loving it. The best place to be...
Answers for Today, May 11, 2011
Puffins or People?
But God said to Jonah, “Do you do well to be angry for the plant?” And he said, “Yes, I do well to be angry, angry enough to die.” And the LORD said, “You pity the plant, for which you did not labor, nor did you make it grow, which came into being in a night and perished in a night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than 120,000 persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also much cattle?” Jonah 4:9-11
I woke up before 5 A.M. this morning because of Canada geese nearby and couldn’t go back to sleep, so decided it was time to go for a walk on the beach. I was keeping an eye out for bald eagles, which to me has long been the personal sign of God’s approval and presence in my life. I was only a few minutes into my walk when I saw one. Then, later on, I saw one above Haystack Rock.
I had decided to turn around and head back toward the Cannon Beach Christian Conference Center, site of our 23rd annual Leadership Prayer Summit. I had been looking for puffins, telling God that I didn’t really need to see one but that I would like to, if He wanted to show one to me. He prompted me to get my
cell phone camera ready for a picture. I waited, watching Haystack Rock. No puffins. Instead, an immature bald eagle came right up over me. I didn’t get the picture of Eagle #3, but I didn’t need to.
That was when the Lord starting talking to me. He reminded me of Jonah and his affection for a plant, while he could care less about the people who were busy repenting as a result of his preaching! Jonah liked shade vines and hated Ninevites. He delighted in plants and didn’t like people—at least not Ninevites.
The Lord told me that if I looked for people who needed Him with the same kind of excitement I had toward eagles and puffins, I would find some. And if I got as excited about people as I did about puffins, I would be more in tune with His heart. That’s when I saw the first puffin. Then I saw two puffins fly by in formation, wing tip to wing tip. Then another. And another. I finally took a very poor quality cell phone picture to document puffin number 17, and started back.
The reason I’ve seen so many eagles and puffins through the years is because I’ve looked for them. I’ve noticed them. But I’ve been much more excited about eagles and puffins than I have been about lost people. It’s time to start looking for the people God loves, who need someone to see them, in Jesus’ name.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: If I look for lost people like I look for eagles, I’ll find some.
Answers for Today, May 12, 2011
Eagles and Puffins and Bob’s. Oh, My.
The flock of Canada geese again awakened me on the final day of the prayer summit at Cannon Beach. I thought I might as well go for one more beach walk. But this one would be a little different. Instead of focusing on wanting to see eagles or puffins, I would look for people who wanted to hear about God.
I had only been on the beach a few seconds when I saw him on the far side of the river emptying into the Pacific. I wasn’t sure, but it looked like a golden eagle to me. The color of the magnificent bird as it lifted off made me think I was right. As I turned to watch it fly away, I saw a man behind me who had just appeared. For a second, I wondered if he was an angel. He walked down the beach toward Haystack Rock, the direction I was going. On his return, we met and exchanged pleasantries in front of a splendid ocean. I credited our Creator for the beautiful morning. The man seemed receptive. When I asked if he was a visitor or a local, he told me he was a visitor, working at the Christian conference center (where I was staying)! He told me his name was Bob.
Further up the beach, I exchanged smiles and greetings with a couple as they played with their three dogs.
I got to Haystack Rock and had spotted three puffins when a man and his dog came my direction. I made friends with his dog, and asked him if he was a visitor or a local. He told me had grown up in Oregon, but now lived in Manhattan, in New York City, and was here for a visit. When he asked me what brought me here, I told him I was at a pastors’ prayer conference. We chatted a few more minutes, and I was able to show him a puffin. He said he needed to go, stuck out his hand and said, “I’m Bob.” I grinned, told him my name and spotted three more puffins as I headed back to the conference center. I had gotten a ways down the beach when I heard commotion as the hundreds of smaller birds on Haystack Rock went into action together to ward off an intruder flying over the rock. Bald eagle.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: A golden eagle, a bald eagle, seven puffins and two Bob’s. Not bad.
Answers for Today, May 23, 2011
The Glory of Long Fuses
Good sense makes one slow to anger,
and it is his glory to overlook an offense.
A king’s wrath is like the growling of a lion,
but his favor is like dew on the grass.
A foolish son is ruin to his father,
and a wife’s quarreling is a continual dripping of rain.
Proverbs 19:11-13
Patience is an often-scorned fruit of the Spirit, even among Christians. Many in our society carry the proverbial chip on their shoulder, eager to exact revenge on anyone who would dare to knock it off. It doesn’t take much to get a reaction from them! The Bible counters that it makes more sense to not be so easily offended, that it’s more noble to overlook an offense than it is to pick a fight, that living with someone who nurtures a quarrelsome spirit is as much fun as water torture. The Bible, of course, is right.
What can we do about a culture increasingly impatient, violent and whiny? We could choose patience, peace and the other fruits of the Spirit for ourselves. If we placed as much value on patience and kindness as we do on making sure our rights aren’t trampled, we would have plenty of opportunities to display what we value. If it’s all about aggression and getting even, and not so much about trying to live like God’s people, man will note what we truly value—and respond accordingly.
What does God value? The Israelites in the Wilderness earned His displeasure not by being poor fighters but by refusing to stop whining and complaining! What are we teaching our young people?
A generation of young men have learned through video games that the response to everything is violence—with no lasting consequences. A son who can’t control his temper or his impulses will prove to be a ruin to his father.
And it’s not just the boys. Girls are allowed to be sassy and disrespectful, particularly toward men. Media fare fuels the attitude. Complaining and whining and quarreling have become trained responses to any unpleasant situation. When everything is a big deal, whining and quarreling become the automatic response.
We don’t have to follow suit! We could choose to seek patience, peace and the other fruits of the Spirit. We could be examples to the world of what it looks like to be people who please the Father. Or we could be like everyone else.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: Being slow to anger is much more glorious than being a hothead.
Answers for Today, May 24, 2011
Please Don’t Whistle
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,
who put darkness for light and light for darkness,
who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes,
and shrewd in their own sight!
Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine,
and valiant men in mixing strong drink,
who acquit the guilty for a bribe,
and deprive the innocent of his right!
Isaiah 5:20-23
There’s plenty more where that came from! One thing about the prophets: They’re direct. Neither did they spare details when proclaiming the catastrophes which would befall entire nations due to the sin of some. All I can say is, “If God didn’t exempt the nation He personally established through His promises, why would He spare a nation like America, if we persist in doing the same things for which Israel was judged?”
Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness,... Our culture has been working through a process for decades in which each sin in the Bible is re-labeled “good.” The entire concept of “sin” has been discarded. And what is regarded as evil? Those who would question the morality of another, who would dare to imply that biblical standards of right and wrong might apply even to people who don’t like Bible standards. It’s all upside down. In our society, people trying to be godly are coming to be considered evil, while those espousing evil are proclaimed to be good! Look out. Judgment is coming to a city near you!
Isaiah talks of the Lord whistling for nations to come to work destruction on His people as punishment for their national sin (Isa 5:26). As I said before, “If He would do that to His people Israel (and He did), what is keeping Him from doing the same for us?” I would guess the answer is, “His mercy.” And I would think our best response should be repentance! True, genuine, heartfelt repentance, with actions to match! There’s still time. I don’t want the Lord to need to whistle something up against us. Let’s call good what He calls good, and evil what He terms evil. More than that, let’s live lives that show the fruit of repentance.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: We need to call it the same way God calls it—or pay the price.
Answers for Today, May 30, 2011, originally written 1-12-09
The Road to Gaza
Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him....
Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea. Acts 8:26-31,35-40
I guess the road to Gaza has never been too popular, and certainly not when having the time of your life leading a breakthrough revival, only to be interrupted by a message from God to leave it and head for the desert! But Philip was a disciple, willing to obey God’s instructions, logical or not. God uses one disciple to introduce a continent to Christ! God honored Philip’s obedience by “poofing” him to Azotus, rather than making him walk. Obedience to God has many, many rewards!
Obedience and evangelism. One results in the other. So what of strategy? Should we never make plans? I wouldn’t go that far, but I do think we spend too much time developing strategies which can ultimately only get in God’s way. How many times have I witnessed a meeting really going somewhere, only to be shut down by the bulletin? Someone was scheduled to do something, and bless God, they were going to do it! So they took up the offering, delivered their stump speech, sold their book or whatever, and the spirit of the service went down like a grounded hot air balloon. No more soaring, today; the agenda! The Holy Spirit knows what He’s doing. When He says to change plans, that’s what disciples do.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: One obedient disciple, willing to listen, makes a huge difference!
Answers for Today, May 31, originally written 1-12-09
Irrelevant Adventures
I’m of the opinion that we should be consulting God before we even make any plans, then be sure to check with Him throughout the process, and more than willing to abandon the whole thing at the prompting of the Holy Spirit. If we follow this “strategy,” I’m thinking we’ll see at least occasional miracles, plus have the thrill of knowing without a doubt that God arranged them. If we don’t want to trust God with our plans, He will probably let us keep our control, and we’ll read about people being led of the Holy Spirit, instead of being that person.
It makes me think of a long-ago kids camp I helped staff, in Alaska. As we divided the camp into two teams for a massive game of “Capture the Flag,” Scotty, a little space cadet known very personally to me, determined that his contribution to the game would be to wade the lake with his clothes on, clambering around the shallows, Rambo-style, in an effort to sneak up on the flag, fifty yards onshore. People were captured and freed, the flag changed hands several times, and a good time was had by all, including Scotty, who never even got out of the mud until all was done and we were headed for the next activity. Nobody chased him, he never got close to anyone else nor the flag, he was pretty much in his own world. Come to think of it, that was also true when we weren’t playing “Capture the Flag.” He’s the only ten-year-old I’ve ever known who hit up a pastor for salt, to tan his mole-hide.
Back to my point. When it comes to helping God in this mission to save the world from hell, we church folks are too often taking the Scotty approach, plotting a course of action we’re determined to take, based on our own ideas. It’s supposed to help the cause. Meanwhile, we’re oblivious to the fact that we’re in our own world, completely irrelevant to what’s going on in the real game. God uses those who pay attention and follow orders, sometimes giving them a free ride to their next assignment, while self-styled revolutionaries seldom get out of the swamp. Their main contribution to the cause is to leave their team one person short. God loves ‘em, anyway, but instead of an MVP award, they’ll probably get dry clothes.
Let’s be the kind of people God can pull out of the best time of our life, send out on a road to nowhere, have us cheerfully grab the opportunity for world-changing evangelism on the first try, then spend the rest of our lives smiling about the whole deal when it’s over.
Dave Ness
The Bottom Line: To avoid irrelevant adventures, we listen to God, then obey.
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