Are You Experiencing God Today?

More and more, I’m finding God asking me to reduce my vocabulary to fewer and fewer words. For many of you, that’s probably something you’ve been hoping to hear from a pastor for years! But seriously, friends, I’m finding that the best thing I can say to a person right now is in the form of a very short question…“HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED GOD TODAY?”

As many of you know, we’ve been in a season of great change here at the Vineyard of Cedar Rapids and throughout these months, we’ve seen more and more people enter into a time where God is releasing a great increase of His personal interaction with them. If you were at our Sunday morning service this past week, you heard several people tell amazing testimonies of how God is actively involved in their lives right now, bringing an increase of His presence into their everyday lives. I encourage you to go on-line and listen to some of those testimonies on-line (www.crvineyard.org/teachings.kt) and open up to the November 1st Teaching of the Week: ENCOURAGING ONE ANOTHER.

Actually these reports that God is meddling in our lives shouldn’t surprise us. The Bible clearly proclaims that with the advent of Jesus, God is bringing a whole new way of relating with His people. In Eugene Peterson’s translation of the Bible (The Message) Jesus says this:

“If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we’ll move right into the neighborhood!” (John 14:23)

So, my question to you is this, if Jesus and the Father (accompanied by the Holy Spirit) are moving into YOUR neighborhood, why wouldn’t you expect an increase of experiencing God in your life? It’s our prayer that as we move into this last two months of 2009, all of us will enjoy a greater increase of God-awareness in our lives. Jesus has come to set us free, to empower us with His Spirit, and set us on a wonderful journey of experiencing Him daily in our day-to-day lives! MORE LORD!

THREE THINGS TO REMEMBER FOR LIVING WELL IN THIS PRESENT MOMENT

This week my staff and I attended a seminar on becoming emotionally healthy leaders. The speaker, Don Follis, threw out a quick quote from author Leo Tolstoy. As it turned out, that quote has become one of the key nuggets I’ve been chewing on since then. I decided to look up a bit more about Tolstoy and this quote and I share with you here today what I found. Maybe it can help you, as it is helping me, to remember the THREE THINGS TO REMEMBER FOR LIVING WELL IN THIS PRESENT MOMENT.

Although the great nineteenth century Russian novelist, Leo Tolstoy, is well known for his major novels: War and Peace; Anna Karenina; and Resurrection, he is lesser known for his numerous religious writings, which present a challenging and original point of view. In Path of Life, his last book, Tolstoy writes…

They asked a wise man. “What is the most important activity? Who is the most important person? What time of life is the most important?”

He answered, “The most important activity is to love everyone, because this is the task of everyone’s life.”

“The most important person is the one you are with in this moment, because you do not know for sure whether you will be with another person.”

“The most important time is the present moment, because it is the only time you have control over yourself.”

LOVE CAN BE EXPRESSED ONLY IN THE PRESENT MOMENT

Love is a manifestation of the divine essence, for which time does not exist. The most important activity in life is to love. You cannot love in the past or the future. You can only love in the present, now, this minute. Do not think about the future, but try to make life in the present joyful for yourself and others. “Let tomorrow take care of itself.” This is a great truth. Life is good due to the very fact that we cannot know what we will need for tomorrow. We need only one thing for sure, and it is always beneficial to feel love for everyone in the present moment.

INCARNATE. INCARNATION. INCARNATIONAL. Experiencing the experiential God of the Bible.

Around the Vineyard, you’ll generally not hear a lot of heavy-duty theological rhetoric when we’re talking about the things of God. For us, simplicity is the key when discussing our faith journeys with Jesus. There are, however, a few very unique words that are popping up regularly in our discussions, and honestly, I’m truly enjoying our pursuit of these big ‘ten-dollar’ words.The primary word is INCARNATE, and its’ associated friends are: INCARNATION and INCARNATIONAL.

As a guy who didn’t grow up Catholic and didn’t pay too much attention in my high school Latin classes, I’m kind of surprised that I was able to conjure up the basic meaning behind these words. For those of you who didn’t grow up in church settings or took French or Spanish instead of Latin, let me fill you in on these words: INCARNATE. INCARNATION. INCARNATIONAL. And no, they don’t mean we all have to start wearing carnations on our lapel when we come to church!

INCARNATE. First, let’s look at the basic word: INCARNATE. In its simplest forms, it translates from Latin as “in the flesh”. We get our English word, carnal, from this source word and in most cases, being “carnal” or “fleshly” is not necessarily a good thing, right? Yet when we place the word INCARNATE next to another Latin word, DEO, which translates as GOD, we now have a whole new phrase that can open up volumes of possibilities to the human heart. GOD IN THE FLESH is the phrase. So now let’s take our word study to the next step as it impacts our Christian faith. INCARNATION.

To the Christian theologian, INCARNATION, or the moment in time when GOD IN THE FLESH happens, means God being embodied, comprehended, or experienced in and through the human flesh of Jesus Christ. In the minds of the ancients, this idea of mingling God (who is spirit) with flesh (which is carnal), can result in some pretty kinky stuff. Yet to the first-century Jew or Gentile, when reading the first chapter of the Gospel of John, the reader is immediately confronted with the bold statement that Jesus of Nazareth was and is the “logos” (God’s Living Word), embodied in human flesh, and is now living in the neighborhood! (see John 1: 14 in The Message).

THE INCARNATION OF JESUS IS GOOD NEWS. The good news of the New Testament gospels is just that. Jesus of Nazareth has come into this world as the complete representation of God the Father, embodied, displayed, and experienced in human flesh! Jesus said this of Himself when He told Thomas, “ Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” (see John 14: 9) Being both fully divine and fully human, Jesus has set Himself apart from all other religious leaders of all time by boldly stating that He alone is the human form of the Great I Am, first introduced to us in the Beginning (see Genesis 1: 1).

As C.S. Lewis states, this mind-boggling claim of Jesus Christ to be the INCARNATE GOD is one of three possible options: 1) a sad self-illusion of a lunatic, 2) a cruel lie from a truly evil man, or 3) a powerful truth from a truthful man. Lewis, after years of struggling with these three options, finally chose the third as the only feasible truth from amongst the three. As he did, Lewis embraced this eternal truth: THE INCARNATION OF JESUS IS GOOD NEWS, which from the beginning of the church age has become one of the cornerstone messages of the Christian faith.

As a result of THE INCARNATION OF JESUS, we have in hand the best news a sinner on this side of heaven or hell can ever hear. Jesus of Nazareth has come into this world, has lived a perfect life, died on a cruel cross for our sins, was resurrected by God from the grave, and now, ascended to heaven, sits at the right hand of God, praying for all of us to successfully follow in His footsteps. Scriptures teach us that Jesus alone, as the INCARNATE GOD, had and has the authority and power to speak and fulfill the amazing prophetic words of promise found in full context in Isaiah 61.

God’s Spirit is on me; He’s chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor, Sent me to announce pardon to prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, To set the burdened and battered free, to announce, “This is God’s year to act!” Luke 4:18-19 (MsgB)

It is in Jesus’ speaking and fulfillment of this scripture, that all men, women, and children from every generation can now look to the heavens and say, “thank you, God, for sending Jesus, the INCARNATE GOD, into my life to set me free both now and forever more!.”

BUILD INCARNATIONAL KINGDOM COMMUNITIES. Now that Jesus has come into this world as the INCARNATE GOD, He has opened the doors of salvation, redemption and reconciliation for all people for all time. In His commission (see Matthew 28: 18-20 and Acts 1:8 ) Jesus sends His friends and followers out into the world, indwelled and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to continue His words and works to every generation. While we, His church, should never expect to become a full representation of the INCARNATE GOD (that is Jesus’ position, alone!), we can become, through the generous outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the human hands and feet of the INCARNATE CHRIST, going into the world today, joining Jesus to BUILD INCARNATIONAL KINGDOM COMMUNITIES around the world.

Now, with hopefully, a clearer understanding of these ancient words: INCARNATE, INCARNATION, and INCARNATIONAL, possibly the words of this old hymn just might take on more meaning…

Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, With the cross of Jesus going on before. Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe; Forward into battle see His banners go!

Leadership 101: Look for the Bell-Cows!

Wow…I love it when God gives insight through unique ways. Today I ran across this recent interview of retired Iowa football coach Hayden Fry. Fry coached at Iowa from 1979-1998 and brought Iowa out of nearly two decades of football futility, taking the Hawks to national prominence. One of Fry’s greatest accomplishments was recruiting great young guys to be around him and building those great young men into great leaders. As I look at my role as senior pastor, my prayer is that I can be more like a Coach Fry, who sees the great potential in the people around me and call them to be “bell-cows” for Jesus! Enjoy the read!

Official Sports Report: September 14, 2009
FRY LOOKED FOR ‘BELL COWS’ TO LEAD THE HAWKEYES
Elliott discovered the ultimate leader in Fry
by Darren Miller, OSR Contributing Editor

Former UI football coach Hayden Fry recently revealed a secret that led to 143 football victories at the University of Iowa from 1979-98. Although his coaching methods and psychological maneuvers were some of the most elaborate in the nation, Fry offered one simple example of what he thought helped the Hawkeyes succeed.

“I quizzed my assistant coaches on who the leaders of the team would be,” Fry told a smattering of media at a press conference Sept. 4 inside the Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. “I think one of the reasons for our success was that after we found out who the leaders were, I brought them in and went over a list of things you needed to do to win. I called those players the bell cows. All you guys ever raised on a farm know about a bell cow. That’s the old cow that wherever it goes, the rest of the herd follows; so we always put a bell around that cow because when you heard that bell ringing out in the pasture, you knew where the whole herd was located.”

Bump Elliott was athletics director at the UI from 1970-91, and following a 42-7 loss at Michigan State on Nov. 25, 1978, he decided to make a head coaching switch. Bob Commings, who was 18-37 in five seasons with the Hawkeyes, was replaced by Fry, who was coming off four consecutive winning campaigns at North Texas State.

In Fry’s third season at Iowa, the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten Championship and played Washington in the Rose Bowl. Thirteen more bowl invitations followed, including two more Rose Bowls. Only four times during Fry’s tenure did the Hawkeyes finish with a sub-.500 record in conference play.

The “bell cow” theory must have had some merit.

“I tried to find a bell cow at each position,” Fry said. “I told the players that you would be my bell cow – you’re going to be my leader.”

Fry called coming to the University of Iowa “a blessing.” He said he was fortunate to be surrounded by excellent student-athletes and loyal fans.

“I felt like we had the greatest psychological edge at Iowa because I inherited a group of young men who had been called losers, told they couldn’t win and they had their rumps kicked for a long, long period of time,” Fry said. “They were the easiest people in the world to motivate. I’ve been very, very fortunate to be associated with winners.”

Always a progressive thinker, Fry recruited Jerry LeVias to Southern Methodist University in 1965, making LeVias the first African-American scholarship student-athlete in the Southwest Conference. Fry also operated out of a spread offensive formation decades before the term spread offense was even invented.

“We were playing Indiana (Sept. 8, 1979) and on the first play my team lined up with nobody in the backfield except the quarterback,” Fry said. “All the people in Kinnick Stadium stood up and started clapping before we even snapped the ball.”

It seems that Fry wasn’t the only person in search of bell cows. Elliott found one, too.

Push in toward the Winds…and sail on!

I’ve been more and more aware this past two weeks of the great need for an uptick of our intercessory prayer around here at the Vineyard. Several recent developments have brought me to this conclusion.

First, it was interesting that when Bill & Darlene Davis were here with us in late August, Bill mentioned to me this great need at our church for more intercessory prayer. He senses, as we do, that God is pouring out a greater release of His power and presence in our church and with that outpouring comes a much greater need for intercessory prayer to be “behind the scenes”, covering and interceding for all God is doing. One night of our weekly sessions, Bill & Darlene identified at least one person in our midst who carries a true burden for intercessory prayer, and he took some extra time praying over that person. I believe this was just one incident that needs to be repeated more and more in our midst. Just yesterday on the phone, Bill & I talked about getting all of our intercessory prayer people together for a special meeting when Bill & Darlene return in late October.

Second, on the day we dropped Bill & Darlene off at the airport, we were discussing all the good fruit we had seen from the week of meetings. I decided to ask Bill, since he has been around moves of God like this before, what he saw coming next for us. Without hesitation, Bill said emphatically, “warfare”. With a gulp, I realized once more, that nothing God wants to birth on this planet or in our hearts comes without a battle. As born-again followers of Jesus, we need to fully recognize that Kingdom theology establishes this one truth. We live in a time between the times. Jesus has come. God’s Kingdom and His King has been inaugurated and firmly established in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. But while the final decision on WHO will win the war has firmly been decided, the day-to-day war over men’s hearts rages on. With the eternal destinies of all men, women, and children hanging in the balance, we, as God’s ambassadors of His in-breaking Kingdom, push forward toward that day of final consummation, when all creation will finally bow at the feet of Jesus, ushering in God’s Kingdom rule and reign for all time. As we go through this time of warfare, intercessory prayer (agreeing with God’s will to be firmly established here on earth, over and above our fleshly wills or the will of Satan) is needed in increased ways.

Third, This last week had a number of very intense personal battles for me. As I mentioned on Sunday morning (hear the 9/6/09 MP3 on our website), the last two years has not been an easy season as Sandy & I have attempted to turn this ship called Vineyard Church of Cedar Rapids in a direction that is in complete alignment with the words and works of God that first started the Vineyard family back in the early 1980’s. It’s time for us to be Kingdom people, Holy-Spirit in-dwelled and empowered, giving ourselves over completely to the unique Kingdom call upon our lives. It’s time to jettison the peripheral add-ons of typical American church programming and get back to Doin’ the Stuff. Entering more into “Jesus’ ministry” as described in Isaiah 61 or Luke 4: 18-19 and doing much less of “our ministry” that includes doing a bunch of nice things for Jesus!

I’m going to be talking about this more on Sunday morning. I had originally planned to be gone this Sunday (Sept 13) but I sense I need to follow up on the teaching I gave last Sunday morning and spell out for us where I believe God is taking us as a church family. I ask you to PLEASE be praying (intercessory prayer!) for me and for all of us, that we. as a church body, will be listening very carefully right now to what the Spirit is saying in our midst. The winds of CHANGE are upon us and we need to be pushing in toward those winds, so our sails can take us where God wants us to go!

TIME TO RE-EXAMINE OUR ‘WORSHIP’

Malachi 1:6-14 (MsgB)

“Isn’t it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So if I’m your Father, where’s the honor? If I’m your Master, where’s the respect?” God-of-the-Angel-Armies is calling you on the carpet: “You priests despise me!

“You say, ‘Not so! How do we despise you?’

“By your shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship.

“You ask, ‘What do you mean, “defiling”? What’s defiling about it?’ [7] “When you say, ‘The altar of God is not important anymore; worship of God is no longer a priority,’ that’s defiling. [8] And when you offer worthless animals for sacrifices in worship, animals that you’re trying to get rid of—blind and sick and crippled animals—isn’t that defiling? Try a trick like that with your banker or your senator—how far do you think it will get you?” God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you.

[9] “Get on your knees and pray that I will be gracious to you. You priests have gotten everyone in trouble. With this kind of conduct, do you think I’ll pay attention to you?” God-of-the-Angel-Armies asks you. [10] “Why doesn’t one of you just shut the Temple doors and lock them? Then none of you can get in and play at religion with this silly, empty-headed worship. I am not pleased. The God-of-the-Angel-Armies is not pleased. And I don’t want any more of this so-called worship!

[11] “I am honored all over the world. And there are people who know how to worship me all over the world, who honor me by bringing their best to me. They’re saying it everywhere: ‘God is greater, this God-of-the-Angel-Armies.’

[12] “All except you. Instead of honoring me, you profane me. You profane me when you say, ‘Worship is not important, and what we bring to worship is of no account,’ [13] and when you say, ‘I’m bored—this doesn’t do anything for me.’ You act so superior, sticking your noses in the air—act superior to me, God-of-the-Angel-Armies! And when you do offer something to me, it’s a hand-me-down, or broken, or useless. Do you think I’m going to accept it? This is God speaking to you! [14] “A curse on the person who makes a big show of doing something great for me—an expensive sacrifice, say—and then at the last minute brings in something puny and worthless! I’m a great king, God-of-the-Angel-Armies, honored far and wide, and I’ll not put up with it!

I find it interesting that at the end of the Old Testament, after two thousand years of constant faithfulness to His people, God finds it necessary once again to step up to His leaders and ask some pretty hard, heart-revealing questions. Keep in mind, when Yahweh, the eternal God, comes knocking on your door and starts asking probing questions of you, it’s not because He doesn’t know the answer!

In Malachi, God goes right for the jugular and asks His priests, “Isn’t it true that a son honors his father and a worker his master? So, if I’m your Father, where’s the honor? If I’m your Master, where’s the respect?” Now, if your earthly father or boss walked up to you and began interrogating you with these types of questions, you might have an excuse in blowing them off. But this is the God-of-the-Angel-Armies, the one who has faithfully loved and protected you and your family for two thousand years, who is asking these questions. So you might want to pay particular attention here!

No sooner does God conclude His questions with the statement, “You priests despise me!”, do we read the priests’ quick response, which so resembles my childish comeback whenever my mother would catch me red-handed, with my hand stuffed into the cookie jar. “Not so!” the priests protest, “ How do we despise you?” Without a moment of hesitation, the Lord responds with the cold hard facts, “By your shoddy, sloppy, defiling worship.”

Ouch! You mean Lord, there’s something wrong with our worship? It seems pretty good to me! It runs on time, the people seem to be participating pretty well. The offerings are ok. Our sermons are fairly entertaining. What’s wrong, Lord? Why would you tell us that our worship is shoddy, sloppy, or defiling?

Well, I know some of you might not agree with me, saying this is “Old Testament”, but folks, I tend to think if something is important to God, it doesn’t matter where in the Bible it appears. As I see it, God’s complaint is this…He’s addressing our cold hearts toward our worship. And I don’t sense this dis-satisfaction of God stems simply from the poor song selection a worship leader chooses for Sunday morning worship time! No, to be honest, God wants all of us to re-examine every aspect of our current approach to worship.

Throughout this chapter of Malachi and beyond, God is asking His people to take a cold hard look at our cold hard hearts and how it might be possible that our approach to our typical Sunday morning worship time on any given Sunday morning just might be as “shoddy, sloppy, and defiling” as our counterparts’ worship of 2,500 years ago.

So let me share with you a few probing questions, God is asking me…

1)      Just how important is our Sunday AM worship time in our weekly calendar? Is it an optional appointment, or is it a “high priority” time slot?  In most churches in America today, the “regular member” attends church two or three Sundays in one month. It’s increasingly rare to find the family who doesn’t have major Sunday AM scheduling conflicts with other outside activities. What about you?

2)      Once you have decided to attend Sunday AM worship this week, are you giving thought to what you are bringing with you to worship?  Are you coming to Sunday AM worship only out of a sense of duty or responsibility or are you coming because you have a true hunger and desire to be with God and His people?

3)      Let’s do another heart check. Do you come to Sunday AM worship with an attitude of  “boredom”, wondering how you will stay awake during the pastor’s long-winded talk, or are you coming with a heart of expectation, believing that there will be at least one or two moments where you and others will truly experience God today?

4)      Here’s a fun question…How about the quality of your offerings to God? Are you throwing your spare change into the offering plate, or are you giving God your very best? Are you treating God with honor and respect with your offerings, or are you blowing Him off as the worshippers in Malachi’s generation were doing (see chapter 3 for more details)?

Well, enough hard questions for this time. If these haven’t sent you to the exit door by now, I guess you’re still with me, trembling in front of God, asking Him to forgive us for fully participating, yet being woefully unaware, that our worship just might be failing to meet God’s expectations. Will I allow my loving Father to change me on the inside, making my worship of Him into the highest priority of my life? The good news of the Kingdom is that with His in-breaking of love and mercy, I know we can move from where we’ve been, to a place where our worship is truly pleasing in His sight! Anybody want to come along?

Great Questions for Godly Leaders

In talking yesterday to my pastoral coach (Dave Jacobs, a former Vineyard pastor who now lives in Oregon and coaches hundreds of pastors) I was telling him about the outpouring of God’s Spirit we have been experiencing here at the Vineyard of Cedar Rapids. I told him about our week of powerful Holy Spirit Come meetings with Bill & Darlene Davis and we laughed and reminisced about our past experiences with renewal and revival. Dave came into the Vineyard during the early nineties, as God’s power & presence was being poured out during the Toronto & Brownsville renewal season. We talked about how John Wimber and Vineyard leadership responded to that outpouring and the great need to pastor or shepherd a move of God. I told Dave about the differences of response I saw within the Vineyard family when comparing the move in Toronto in the early nineties to the massive outpouring of the Spirit that formed the Vineyard back in the early to mid 1980’s. I feel fortunate that I’m old enough (YIKES) to have personally experienced and observed the comparisons of pastoral responses to each of those moves of God, and hopefully we can bring a better awareness to the way we as leaders respond to this current wave of God’s Spirit in our midst.

As a great coach, Dave brought our conversation about past revivals and renewals to the awareness of what’s going on now. As God continues to pour out His presence here at our church, we came up with some great questions for us, as leaders, to be asking as we go further down this road to revival and awakening. Let’s be discussing these questions as we go forward.

What are God’s agendas as we experience an outpouring of revival?

What the key themes we should be teaching on during renewal & revival?

What can we as leaders do to stoke the fires of renewal & revival?

What can we do to “pastor” or “shepherd” a move of renewal & revival?

What can we NOT do? What’s out of our control?

GREAT QUESTIONS for godly leaders! Thanks, Dave!

What Now?

So what now?

My dearest friends….the afterglow of this past week is still upon me as I write this note to you, so please understand my heart here as I write. For those of you who were with us throughout the entire week with Bill & Darlene (and even those who were present only TUE or WED evening) will better understand my words here, but guys and gals…a line in the sand has been crossed here in our church over this last week.

We are being visited by a move of the Holy Spirit that Sandy & I have not experienced in nearly 15 years. In the early days of the Vineyard (early to mid 1980’s) and once again in the early 90’s, God’s Spirit was poured out to such an extent that it was nearly impossible to maintain “business as usual” in church life. My gut tells me that God is inviting us here in the Vineyard of CR into a similar time, where we join Him in a delightful ride of experiencing His presence in a powerful way.

Keep in mind, that this move of God has little to do with Bill & Darlene Davis, yet at the same time, it is Bill & Darlene who have come to town to spark a flame. Sandy & I are so thankful that we have known Bill & Darlene for over 20 years and we can rest assured that they have no interest in letting this move of God be about them. We are extremely thankful for all the powerful ministry our dear friends have brought to us over the last week (and look forward to MORE in October), but keep in mind that all the wonderful breakthroughs that so many people have experienced this week have come through the in-breaking of God’s Kingdom. To GOD be all glory, and honor, and praise.

Now, as we go into September, it is important for us as leaders to not let ourselves move back into a “business as usual” mode, but begin asking of the Lord what He wants us to do with the fire that He has deposited in our midst. I plan to talk more about this issue the next two Sunday mornings, but in this email, I ask YOU to take some extra time right now (and possibly a bit of fasting?) and let’s INQUIRE OF THE LORD as to HOW & WHAT GOD is asking of us as leaders here at the Vineyard.

My personal sense on this aligns with a word Bill gave us on Wed night. God is pouring out a work of His Holy Spirit on the CITY of Cedar Rapids. What we are experiencing is not just for the Vineyard or just one church, nor is it just for us “Christians”. God’s hunger is to reach our city with His mercy and grace. He’s looking for willing participants (friends of God) who will let our “desperation factor” exceed our “embarrassment factor” and let the glory of the Lord go outside the walls of His church.

May WE be listening & obeying right now, so ALL WE SAY & DO here in the Vineyard of CR be in alignment with God’s plans for our city! AMEN & AMEN.

See ya Sunday morning…10 AM!  Sandy & I expect MORE! I pray you are expecting that as well!

A great quote

This from my good buddy Nate Sanderson…

“My leadership reading took me through an author’s understanding of vocation or our calling in life. He cites Frederick Buechner’s explanation of “how do we know what this is?” which reads:

“There are different kinds of voices calling you to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than that of society, say, or the superego, or self-interest. By and large a good rule for finding out is this: the kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done. If you really get a kick out of your work, you’ve presumably met requirement (a), but if your work is writing TV deodorant commercials, the chances are you’ve missed requirement (b). On the other hand, if your work is being a doctor in a leper colony, you have probably met (b), but if most of the time you’re bored and depressed by your work, the chances are that you’ve not only bypassed (a), but probably aren’t helping your patients much either…. The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Buechner, F., Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC (New York: Harper-Collins, 1973), p. 95

God’s Financial Contract with America: Ten Bills of Promise

This is a difficult time in America. Our current economic conditions are unlike any other time in recent history, similar only to the days of the Great Depression of the 1930’s. While politicians in Washington and legislators in our state capitals arm-wrestle with one other, struggling to find an agreeable solution to our economic woes, it’s important as Americans to remind ourselves that God, when humbly invited into our troubles, is more than willing to offer us a way through our darkest hours of financial failure.

Here now, as a reminder for all of us, is God’s Financial Contract with America.

BILL OF PROMISE #1: GOD IS OUR PRIMARY RESOURCE IN LIFE.

Psalm 23: 1-6 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

BILL OF PROMISE #2: HUMILITY, PRAYER, AND REPENTANCE OPEN THE DOOR TO OUR FINANCIAL RECOVERY.

2nd Chronicles 7: 13-14 “When I (God) shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among My people, if My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”

BILL OF PROMISE #3: PLACING OUR TRUST IN GOD BRINGS HEALTH AND WEALTH.

Proverbs 3: 5-10 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

BILL OF PROMISE #4: BRINGING OUR MONEY INTO GOD’S HOUSE GIVES PROTECTION OVER OUR POSSESSIONS.

Malachi 3: 8-12 “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob Me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing Me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

BILL OF PROMISE #5: HEAVENLY TREASURES WILL NEVER LOSE THEIR VALUE.

Matthew 6: 19-21, 24 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.”

BILL OF PROMISE #6: BEING GENEROUS WITH OUR RESOURCES BRINGS GOD’S FAVOR.

Isaiah 58: 6-11 “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and He will say: ‘Here am I.’ If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The LORD will guide you always; He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.”

BILL OF PROMISE #7: BEING HUNGRY AND THIRSTY FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS BRINGS GOD’S BLESSING.

Matthew 5: 3-10, 12 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven.”

BILL OF PROMISE #8: SEEKING GOD’S KINGDOM BRINGS GOD’S PROVISION FOR OUR BASIC NEEDS.

Matthew 6: 31-34 “So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

BILL OF PROMISE #9: REDUCING OUR POSSESSIONS ASSISTS IN GROWING CLOSER TO GOD’S PERFECT PROVISION.

Matthew 19: 21-26 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. Then Jesus said to His disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

BILL OF PROMISE #10: FOLLOWING GOD’S FINANCIAL CONTRACT WITH AMERICA GIVES LIFE-LONG BLESSINGS.

Psalm 37: 23-28 If the LORD delights in a man’s way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with His hand. I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake His faithful ones.

All scriptures listed are NIV (New International Version)