The Fullness of Blessings

Reconciling some old thoughts.......


I wrote a blog post a few months back entitled, "My heart in His hands" Below is the post:

I will be the first to admit that I have always been foolish in the heart. In the past, the desires of my heart have led me astray. My passions have chased the heart of Man and not the heart of God. Yet, the amazing truth and power that I now recognize is that God needed to break my heart into pieces in order to draw me to Him. He took away the world's version of love in order to include me into the greatest love story to ever unfold. 

When my heart was broken, wounded and in agony, I received a heavenly visual. I was sitting at a coffee shop in Mexico writing out the bitterness in my heart.  As I closed my eyes, He was standing before me with His hands reached out. Without words, He spoke to my heart saying, "do you trust me?" If you do, place  your broken, wounded and darkened heart in my hands." I did. I remember saying, "...And don't you give it back to me until it is healed, strong, and bright" He promised.

To give Jesus everything does not mean what I choose to give Him. It is not a compromise. Everything means everything. Everything means my mind, my heart, my family, my hopes, my dreams, my pains, my joys.... everything is His. He is in control of everything. I trust Him with everything. Therefore, I walk in peace and assurance. This is faith at its best.

I look forward to the day when I close my eyes and revisit Jesus as He stands before me with my heart in His hands. This time, He will give my heart back as He had promised- healed, strong and bright. Yet, even when my heart dwells brightly within me, I will continue to passionately seek and chase after the heart of Christ - the lover of my soul for a love eternal.

"Do you trust me?" He said. 

I sure do. I trust you with my whole heart.

Much has happened since that post...... The journey of my heart has brought me to a place of new love. I have discovered and have been lavished by a love unimaginable. The pursuit of God's heart and Man's heart are no longer separate. You see, I have come to understand that I only pursue God's heart- and it is only THERE that I will also find the heart of the Man I love. This ensures that both our hearts walk side by side only towards His direction.

The Lord gave my heart back to me as He promised- healed, strong and bright. He blessed me with this. We remember that we are blessed to be a blessing, so this blessing can not stop here. I am drowning in the joy of this blessing, but I also understand that I now have a responsibility to it. The true obedience to this blessing, is ultimately an act of giving glory back to God- where the blessing came from. Everything goes back to Him. A blessing truly magnified which captures its true fullness is when it:

1. Blesses us
2. Used to Bless others
3. Blessing is returned to God in the form of praise for His ultimate glory.

So, now that God has been faithful in His promise to me, what is my obligation? My obligation is the responsibility of my Man's heart. Just as Christ held my heart in His hands- healing it. Making it stronger. Protecting it. And making it bright. I now must do the same with my Man's heart that He has entrusted me with. This is my responsibility and obedience to the blessing He faithfully bestowed upon me.

Just as Christ held my heart in His hands as if it were His own..... I now carry my Man's heart in my hands..... as if it is my own. This is my demonstration of obedience and praise to my faithful God - returning the blessing back to Him for His splendid glory.

Proof and Trust

This blog post is a collection of thoughts during my last couple weeks of teaching and reflecting.

The Messenger is the proof of the Message.

 I have been relating this tag line for much of my teachings this past month. "Who we are" comes before "What we do." Often times in our sincere heartfelt passion to bring the light and love of Christ to the unsaved, we jump to strategies and "how to" methods without fully establishing a firm foundation and understanding of what it means to be the humble servant- adopting the incarnation model illustrated by Jesus Christ Himself.

Each culture and people we reach are unique. Therefore, the bridge we build to these cultures and people must be unique and look differently to one another. However, it must be understood that although each bridge may look different, "who we are"- the identities we carry over the bridge AND the message we carry must remain the same. The result: Authenticity of the servant, therefore, authenticity of the message. The result: Integrity of one's own identity and integrity for the culture and people we reach.

Here is the danger and hardship. Often times, when the "who we are" / identity that we carry over is tainted or compromised, so to is the message. The messenger IS the proof of the message. When the messenger is received, so is the message. "The one who receives you receives Me" It is more critical that Christ's messengers are "received" than "believed"

Here goes my frustration.....  how often do churches and sending agencies train the minds of missionaries  on the "how's" and "strategies" of missions, without genuinely preparing the messenger's heart in regards to ensuring that he or she stands on a solid foundation in the identity of Christ. Without the patience and proper molding of the servant attitude, the "doing" and "action" is compromised. In essence, the message of Christ is compromised. Ultimately, the salvation of the unreached people is compromised.

In my personal walk with the Lord and in my ministry efforts, I ask myself two questions and two questions only: Who is He? and Do I proclaim Him? These are simple, yet profound questions. By holding on to these two questions, I remain found IN Christ – and not lost in Christianity.

I     "Who is He?" is the seeking and attitude - the "Do we proclaim Him?" is the action and doing. We must possess both- they are extensions of one another. We are ineffective if we are one without the other. "Who is He?".... does not merely mean Lord or Savior... or the understanding of merely the cost of eternal salvation, grace, His love, freedom in Christ etc. We all can comprehend the cost, because we know the cross. The cost was Jesus Christ on the cross, crucified and killed for our sake. No, rather I mean, the value. Most of us do not comprehend the value. It is then when we truly know "Who He is."  If you know Him... I mean if you truly know Him, then "You would proclaim Him." Proclaiming Him then becomes not a "choice" but an automatic, authentic, passionate outpouring of our love for Him because we truly know who He is and the value of what He has given us.  If you truly know Him - you LISTEN. As my pastor says: If you listen, therefore, you do. This is the parable of the sower.

Hey Humble Servant! Can you crystalize a deliberate impact for the Kingdom? I am talking about strategic missions versus aimless missionaries. "Be pure as a dove and sharp as a serpent" When I read that verse, I am reminded that the Lord has given us a heart and a mind to be utilized for His Kingdom cause. We must also remember that we now have a "Mind in Christ." Most of our missions efforts is propelled and fueled by a passionate heart to reach the lost. The heart leads, but the mind gives us wisdom to prepare, be aware, become listeners etc. The heart and mind of Christ within us must partner and go hand in hand in strategic missions. We are not to be aimless missionaries lost in a la la land by a naive heart. The early church in Acts was strategic. Why are we not?  "And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them" Acts 16:6-7 We have a strategic God. We possess a strategic Holy Spirit that dwells within us.

·      My assessment to why we have become aimless is that in our self righteous arrogant selves, we still believe that we are in control. We forget that the Spirit must lead. The hardest thing in the humble approach in cross cultural communication or even in our daily walk is to TRUST THE SPIRIT. This is especially difficult for Western missionaries who have become hardened by the belief that they are teachers and not learners. Avoid do's and dont's in ministry approach. Of course we have the wisdom not to be idiots in new cultural settings, disregarding their values, beliefs and behaviors, but trusting that the Spirit can do what we can not! We assume that the success of our mission efforts depends solely on the effectiveness of our approach. Who do we think we are? That clearly means that we are in control and not the Spirit. The Spirit is the Chief communicator! The Spirit has the ultimate power to penetrate the message in the most restrictive cultures, circumstances and hearts. Even when we stumble and mess up, the Spirit is still in control. Don't we see that the Spirit can do more through our mistakes than through our success. I often say, even the enemies evils, God can use for our good. A pure heart and a humble mind require us to relinquish oneself to the awesome power of the Holy Spirit. I would rather partner and collaborate with the Holy Spirit than with man or even my own intentions.

These are the understandings that a humble servant must posses before attempting to build a bridge to the hearts of unreached people and cultures. This is all part of the molding, shaping and preparing of a servant attitude. The Lord does not send an untrained calf out for His cause, so why do we? I am speaking of the internal preparation of the messenger. The messenger is the proof of the message.

When I reflect on my journey, I remember that my heart broke open to the saving power and grace of Jesus, but I still could not allow Him to enter. I was almost there... but I just could not surrender. I now understand what happened. Christians did not trust the Spirit enough to back off. What was in the way and in between me and Christ - were Christians. True servant attitude and humility gives us wisdom to say, "Holy Spirit, I need you. Holy Spirit, I have been obedient. Holy Spirit, I have done my part. But I trust your power. It is time for me to move out of the way, so that you can unleash your power into the heart of your child."

We must not only understand, but trust and believe that the Holy Spirit has the ultimate transforming power to direct the hearts of people, cultures and even an entire generation to Kingdom principles and values. The only thing that stands in the way of God's movement... is you and I.

The Foundation

No ministry objective, plan or strategy should be implemented before the vision (as a seed) is planted in a strong Christ centered foundation (the soil). To comprehend the critical nature of first setting a solid ministry foundation, one must visualize monuments being built upon a foundation that is not Christ. Regardless of how high, strong, fantastic, productive and alluring the monuments are, if the foundation is not solid and firm, the monuments WILL crumble and fall when shaken. “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.” Luke 6:46-49  

Many times, even with Godly intentions, when our ministry monuments rise higher and higher, we seek to look up as we rise with our structures. In the process of looking up, we lose sight of the foundation (who is Christ) in whom all things hold together. In essence, our ministry monuments become our idols as we rely on the effectiveness and efficiency of Man rather than the desperate reliance on God who is the source and power of the growth. Even with the knowledge of the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our spiritual walk and ministry objectives, we must face the detrimental reality that although the foundation that we stand on is often Christ inspired, but not Christ built. Christ is our foundation. We have placed “other” foundations over the foundation of Christ. 

Christ as the foundation:
1. Personal walk
2. In a ministry

“According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. 11 For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 3:10-11 

Paul was an architect of our faith. We must also be architects building on top of this foundation which is Christ. This foundation is more than just merely ethics, codes and culture. Rather, through a process of Christification, we “absorb” Jesus and not merely agree with doctrine. 

If Jesus is the foundation, what does that mean for our lives and for our ministry objectives? –IT ALL COMES BACK TO THE “IDENTITY” OF CHRIST. WHO IS HE? “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” Colossians 1:15-20

The entire Christian walk serves to answer, WHO IS HE? I do not merely mean Lord, redeemer, savior, messiah and the other adjectives that proclaim Him, but rather, this question is one that digs so deep into His power that consumes and fuels our Christian walk. We will not grasp the incomprehensibility of who He is in His everlasting glory until we each stand before Him. 

In laying the foundation, what would happen if we cultivate a fascination with Jesus that precedes ethics or dogma? Colossians 1:24-2:5 – What is Paul doing here?

• Lays the foundation of understanding of discipleship 
• Establishing “identity” in Christ
• “Apostolic” ministry

The most important ministry objective question is: Ask, DO WE PROCLAIM HIM?

Unimaginable Love Behind the Incomprehensible Grace

Love. Grace. Two concepts that serve as the foundation of our faith. Grace extends from deep love. The understanding of grace can not be comprehended without the knowledge of love. And that was my spiritual epiphany moment! It may sound logical, but a deeper examination and how it relates to freeing Muslim's to Christ, reveals a profound understanding of the barriers to the Muslim heart.

Until recently, I approached grace as the biggest obstacle for a Muslim person to accept Christ as Savior. Grace is an incomprehensible notion for a Muslim, but why? I looked at ever angle, but failed to see the most obvious reason that truly encompasses why God saved us back to Him from the pangs and death of sin - Love. God is love. 

For the longest time, I was fixated on the issue of rejection. I walked with the understanding that grace was incomprehensible for a Muslim heart because of a deep rooted rejection they carry which is passed down through generations within religion, culture, identity and worldview. The rejection of Ishmael over Isaac. The rejection of Mohammad from Medina. And even today by the modern rejection of a post September 11th society that points its fingers at Muslims as our enemies. 

I failed to see the deeper, more powerful, and ultimately, the more heartbreaking reason: The Unimaginable Love. A love from an Almighty God that passionately loves His creation enough to sacrifice His own son so that none shall perish, but have eternal life. This is a love unimaginable. I now understand that when God unites me with my future husband, I will know, feel and act upon a love that comes from my love for the Lord. His love spills over as an outpouring into my union with a man. How does this relate to Muslims coming to know Christ? It is not merely because of rejection that a Muslim person can not spiritually grasp grace, but because of their inability to comprehend true Godly love. Worldly love, especially within the union of a man and women lacks the nourishment provided by living in the center of God's love.

I have seen love in the Muslim context. I can say this because I lived it and felt it. I witnessed it within the dynamics of my Muslim family and home. It truly is a love that I sometimes do not even see within Christian families and communities that I have engaged in. Really. However, this type of love is one that is in the confines of the flesh and human understanding. You see, the abounding love that Christians are given a glimpse of is a reflection of an extraordinary bigger, unimaginable, unsearchable and immeasurable love that shines down from the creator of the universe. If the love that brings me down to my knees in tears and submission is merely a ray of light that shines down on me, then I can not fathom the entirety of that love in its fullness. Maybe that is why we must die in our fleshly states before we can come fully face to face with the glory of this love in the Kingdom of God. This is the unimaginable love that I am talking about. This is the unimaginable love that we are lavished with as children of God when we give our lives to Jesus. This is the unimaginable love being held captive from the Muslim heart, therefore, making it incomprehensible to spiritually grasp grace.

A Muslim person will not truly grasp grace when they are first saved. Grace is revealed through the process of transformation. They will understand sin and separation from God. They will understand salvation and the need to reconcile with God. However, it will only be through the process of transformation with the power of the Holy Spirit and the experience of a Godly love through a personal relationship with Jesus and through the fellowship of the Body of Christ and community, that a new Muslim believer will finally be given a spiritual revelation and comprehension of grace. I truly grasped grace only a few months ago. 

It is not only about understanding grace, but growing into the knowledge of the VALUE of grace - What that grace COST. I have to be honest, most Christians today want and accept the grace of God without a true conviction of the value of grace. We live in a society where we know the price or cost of everything, but the value of nothing.  If we truly understood the value of grace given freely through the ultimate sacrifice, Christians would be responding to this spectacular grace through the act of obedience to our Christian obligations. Truly understanding the value of grace brings forth a natural spiritual outpouring of listening and doing. 

Here is another thought. It blows my mind that although Muslims can not grasp with their hearts the true understanding of Grace because of their inability to embrace an intimate Godly love through a personal relationship with God, how is it that many Muslims are able to "act out" this love more than Christians.....?? Let me explain. In America, our idea of love thy neighbour or reflecting God's love by helping someone in need is usually equated to the notion of "giving" and not "doing." We love to "give" people things they lack or need, but how often do we in Christian communities actually go into the homes to spend time and reflect the love of Christ through the intentionality of spending relational time with those who need us? We are willing to give our money and things, but not our time.

Jesus spent time with people. Jesus walked, ate and spent time with His disciples. We have weakened relationships and time out of discipleship and made it into a program. 

How is it that Muslims who are separated by the love of the Almighty loving God act more appropriately on this love? Muslims understand the value and power of spending time together in relationships. It is central to their faith, culture, communities and families... and even survival. This is another example that proves my belief that when a Muslim person comes to know the Lord, they become a passionate and powerful embodiment of a true follower of Christ. Hospitality, loyalty, brotherhood, family, community, service etc are already natural attributes of their identity and who they are, an outpouring from the inside out. Whereas, for many Western believers, they are not natural attributes, but rather expected attachments to their faith. 

Things to ponder.......

Responsible Love

A person who thinks himself unlovable cannot be in a relationship with God because he or she can't accept who God is: Love. We learn that we are lovable or unlovable from other people. That is why God tells us time after time to love each other.  I am responsible for the way I interact with others. I am responsible for the way I love others. With love comes accountability.  We are required not only to talk about love, read about love, or discuss about love; our need is to experience the love of God. To experience this love of God is meant to be an outpouring and not merely a receiving. But we cannot give to others what we have not received ourselves. We must understand how much God loves us, so that His love can flow freely through us and between us.

It's impossible to love others until we truly feel loved ourselves.  I was confident in myself, but that does not mean that I loved myself. My confidence told me what I could do, but love tells me what I can be. There is an essence of grace that comes with the latter. Confidence demands, but love accepts. This is an accepting of oneself that comes with the understanding that we all fall short of the glory of God. This is an accepting of oneself that comes with the seeking of God's strength over strength of oneself. This is an accepting of oneself that comes with the peace of knowing that I am enough for my savior. When I was genuinely loved by Christians that God brought into my life, when I fell madly in love with Christ, and when I came to the knowledge of His immeasurable love, I finally came to love myself. Not a self righteous kind of love, but I loved myself because He loved me enough to sacrifice Himself for me. I am still confident in myself, but my confidence is now found in Him. I am a child of God, worthy to know love, be loved and to love. 

Just as it is not merely about the knowledge of faith, but the obedience of faith- the same applies to love. We know about God's love for us because He has showed it to us through the sacrifice of His son, but the obedience to His love requires action. Love is something we do. The crucifixion was the ultimate action and expression of love. He is not asking His children to be nailed to the cross as a sacrifice, He is merely asking us to step outside of the love of oneself by loving others authentically, passionately and without any expectation to receive anything in return. Ultimately, He is asking us to be a reflection of Him.

Ultimately, love is a choice, commitment and a responsibility. Although God's love, grace, salvation and our place in eternity is a free gift through faith, it comes with a responsibility. The nation of Israel - God's chosen people wanted the blessings without the responsibilities. We have received God's ultimate and incorruptible love, but we do not want the responsibilities that come with it. The nation of Israel was to be an attractive "light" or a royal priesthood of the glory and blessings of the Lord in order to attract all people and nations to Him. This outpouring of love by loving one another serves the same by becoming the greatest attractive force to exemplify God's saving power and glory to the lost world. What a spectacular expression of God's love if we all took on this responsibility and became a collective example of His love.

The world does not see His love in us, but through us. The love of God dwells in me, but when we love one another, what brings glory and demonstrates His love to others is the love unified.  When we love each other, there is a flash of love- the love between us is what we show to the world. God is love, so God is present in that space. That is the moment when the veil is torn and the light soaks through. We must love each other right- it is missiologically crucial. We can create a community, but if love is not there and nourished and intentional, the presence of God is not there. The community of Christ followers must be shaped to contain love. There can be fellowship, but that is not Church. Church is when we are all sitting at the table. It is where we all “contain” ourselves and contain the love of God. The world see’s this unity that contains God's love. This is our greatest collective testimony of Him.

Love always involves responsibility, and love always involves sacrifice. And we do not really love Christ unless we are prepared to face His task and to take up His Cross.- William Barclay

My thoughts go as far as me.

A few random and unrelated thoughts this week............

"I believe that the greatest trick of the devil is not to get us into some sort of evil but rather have us wasting time. This is why the devil tries so hard to get Christians to be religious. If he can sink a man's mind into habit, he will prevent his heart from engaging God." (Blue Like Jazz - Donald Miller) As I pondered this quote by Donald Miller, I connected it to the notion of blessings. Let me rephrase: "I believe that the greatest trick of the devil is not to plunder us with the struggles of life, but to lavish us with misguided fancy blessings that paralyze us into a state of comfortable Christianity surrounded by white picket fences. Our spiritual ignorance misguides us with the false belief that to be blessed with money, a happy family, well educated kids and a beautiful home means that we are in God's good books. If the devil can sink man's mind into the desire of comfortable and alluring blessings, he will prevent and distract his heart from engaging God. You see, this "engaging" requires sacrifice and to get outside of the comfortable boundaries of our self envisioned Christianity that is often habit filled rather than spirit led. Our spirituality should never become a matter of habit, but rather a source of being.

I am the problem. I often catch myself addressing the many man made add on's to our faith- the many layers of Christianity that make us lose sight of Jesus- our cornerstone. I blame authority, humanity, America, the modern Church...... Ultimately, I am the problem. I am a person who is awake to the functioning principles within my faith, therefore, I must stop looking outwards to people and problems of the world, and start to face myself. "The problem is the needy beast of a thing that lives in my chest......I wondered what it would be like not to live in a house of mirrors, everywhere I go being reminded of myself" Here is a question that demands desperate honesty: "Do I believe in the urgency of the gospel and the Kingdom cause, or do I just want to be known as a spiritually active person.?" Am I a servant or am I a self-seeker? Am I trying to get people to agree with me rather than to meet God? C.S Lewis stated: "I can not crawl one inch outside my proper skin...." My thoughts go as far as me. It starts to become about the Kingdom the moment it stops being about me. What I believe becomes not what I say, but what I do.

Now comes the dilemma. With the intentional pursuit to live outside of myself and to seek to be better for God, I actually continue to focus on "who I am" than on "who He is." It is still about me and how good I look before Him. "Being better" must be a natural spiritual process within our pursuit of "who God is" rather than the goal. Not sure if that makes sense outside of my head. I do not want my relationship with the Lord to be one in which I want to impress Him. I do not have daddy issues with Him. Rather, I want to talk about God as if I talked to Him on the phone that day.

Remembering to Remember

God's message today was pretty darn clear.

My morning prayer and discussion with the Lord was consumed by thoughts of His faithfulness. I threw away the check list of anxieties and prayer requests because in all honesty, the list is pretty long. Rather, I focused the thoughts of my heart to the faithful journey He and I have been on. Time after time, He came through fulfilling the smallest and the largest of my needs in His precious way and in His intentional timing. Yes, He wants His children to be needy of Him. Yes, He wants His children to crawl on His lap, taking their concerns to Him. However, we are not climbing on Santa Clauses clap, whispering to Him our needs and wants. I choose to visualize me as a child sitting on the lap of my strong and mighty Father, but instead of speaking to Him about my fears and prayer requests..... I want to simply snuggle in His arms and embrace the mighty peace of His presence. He knows my thoughts and He knows the intentions of my heart. He simply wants me to rest in Him.

My prayer this morning was, "Lord, I will walk in peace, assurance and joy, for I know that you will come through. I will not FORGET your faithfulness. Oh what foolish children we are that we do forget. Yet, even in our faithlessness to you and in our inability to remember, you continue to show up. We do not know the value of your grace. If we truly walked wearing the remembrance of your faithfulness on the tablets of our hearts, we as your children would walk in abounding peace and confidence in you. Lord, I will not forget. Remembering every awesome way that you came through.... providing for even my smallest of needs, I will faithfully sit back and be in awe of you. I witness your daily spectacle and watch as you showcase your splendor and blessings by using your children as instruments of blessing upon my life."

The Lord took me to Mark 6 today and 2 Peter. In the examination of Mark 6, we see the astonishment of the disciples as they see Jesus walk on water. They have dismissed the fact that just a few hours earlier, they had witnessed Him perform a spectacular miracle of feeding the five thousand. Yet, as we see the lack of faith by the disciples, we are reminded that we too still walk in the same manner in our "faith" even though time after time the Lord has proven His faithfulness and miracles in our lives. Yet, we are surprised when He intervenes once again - time after time. We forget about all the times that He graciously showed up, yet we have the audacity to demand where He is when times get tough, or simply we expect Him to show up when we want? This blows my mind! Remember, God always shows up. He is faithful to the faithless! But how and when He shows up is according to His timing and purpose.

My Bible fell open to 2 Peter after reading Mark 6. He continues to feed me a theme or understanding for the day. I was taken back by the fact that although I have read 2 Peters countless times, what really stood out for me today was the theme of forgetting and remembrance within it. In the past, my thoughts grabbed onto the qualities we must have as children of God, but i skipped past the desperate issue of remembering them.

The issue of remembrance is of two great value to me:

1. His faithfulness: The remembrance of God's faithfulness in my life as I reflect on my journey and walk with Him
2. Our expected qualities: The remembrance "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us to His own glory and excellence.......2 Peter 1:3 ... For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, FORGOTTEN that he was cleansed from his former sins. 2 Peter 1:9

These qualities are: virtue, knowledge, self control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, love!

"Therefore I intend always to REMIND you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have." 2 Peter 1:12

"I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of REMINDER....." 2 Peter 1:13

"And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to RECALL these things" 2 Peter 1:15

"I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of REMINDER, that you should REMEMBER the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles...." 2 Peter 3:1-2

I will continue to rest in the remembrance of His faithfulness in my life. I will continue to be strengthened "through the knowledge of Him" of the remembrance of the qualities (virtue, knowledge, self control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, love) to be "established in truth" and righteousness.

Through "remembrance", I am given Peace and Strength in my faith. This does not qualify us to merely remember in times of joy, but more importantly, in times of pain, fear and suffering, giving the Lord thanksgiving in all our circumstances. "I will bless the Lord at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Psalm 34:1

I know with fullness of heart and clarity of mind that the Lord poured out this theme of "remembrance" upon me today as a way to say, "don't worry, I have your back - I won't forget you." I am also brought back to a moment a year ago when I cried out to Him to not forget me. In the most awesome of ways, He took me to Isaiah 49:15-16 "Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget you, YET I WILL NOT FORGET YOU. Behold, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me."

As the Lord will not forget me, I will never forget His faithfulness nor the qualities He has granted me through His divine power. What amazes me is that in both of the scripture verses that God provided me in Psalm 34:1 and Isaiah 49:16 - they both had the word "continually." My praise shall continually be in my mouth...... Your walls are continually before me....." Not in moments, or when I want or when He wants.... CONTINUALLY!

I am passionately and joyfully consumed continually by your faithful remembrance of me Lord. Lord, give me the wisdom of heart and mind to consistently remember your abounding faithfulness. Lord, give me the strength to relentlessly remember the qualities expected of me as a new creation in your divine power.

My Notes of Experience

The Veil of Islam is Torn

Ultimately, through the sharing of each other’s lives (Muslims and Christians), hence worldviews, as Christians we begin to spill the person of Christ into their lives by resonating Christ IN us and through us. The hoped result is that Jesus is introduced to a worldview that is foreign and even hostile to His love. However, we must recognize the truth that we are in actuality not introducing Jesus to a person or community that does not have Him in the boundaries of their culture, but rather we must understand that Jesus has always been there.  God simply uses us as instruments whereby through the power of the Holy Spirit, we tear the “veil of Islam” that has blinded the Muslim person to see Him in all things. When a Muslim background believer comes to know the Lord, it is not as if Jesus has magically appeared in the context of their new awakening, but rather the new believer realizes the deep hearted understanding that Jesus was always there…. However, the veil of Islam covered their eyes to able to see Him within their Muslim cultural context that has been hijacked by the constraints of Islam. 

The reconciliation of Faith and Culture through Jesus – The solution to the “Dual Identity” Dilemma:

A Muslim dual identity emerges when a new believer still holds their Muslim culture and identity as separate from their new faith in Christ. This is a crucial understanding that a new Muslim background believer must truly embrace. One does not have to leave the confines of their Muslim culture because Jesus could not be found there, resulting in sentiments of guilt and abandonment as a result of following Him. The danger here is that the cultural burdens and feelings of guilt, shame and abandonment are too much to bear, ultimately forcing the new believer to walk away from their new faith and back into the confines of their old self and life where their identity is embedded. Unconsciously, they are holding their culture and new faith as separate. The hope is that the new believer grips to the heart opening truth that Jesus has always been and is within the boundaries of the only life that they have ever known. The Muslim mind holds the Muslim heart captive. When the heart becomes free in Christ, the veil is torn and their eyes open to a smiling and open armed savior who has always been standing and waiting before them! How beautiful! (That visual brings me to tears.)The beautiful result is the resolve to the dilemma of “dual identity” Their faith in Christ and their Muslim culture are reconciled in a powerful way, resulting in the new believer to finally feel FREE IN CHRIST! Their new spiritual identity is shaped around the image of Christ with the reconciliation of faith and culture, but this time not held captive by Islam, but now rather free in Christ. Christ transcends culture because He was, is and will remain the same!

How does a Muslim background believer create a new spiritual identity in Christ while maintaining and embracing their cultural identity? Through the increased knowledge and love of Christ and through the power of the Holy Spirit. As the Muslim background believer grows in the knowledge of Christ, the Holy Spirit directs them on their actions, behaviors and reshapes their values. Their Muslim worldview is transformed by their seeking of the Lord; not imposed by a Christian witness. Their cultural identity and new spiritual identity reconcile, embrace and become embedded around the person of Christ. 

Transformed (Hope in Christ) vs Conformed (Gospel imposed as “foreign hope”)

Transformation comes from the inside out, whereas Conformed is from the outside in. When a person is changed by the changing grace of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, they are transformed around the image of Christ, reflecting Kingdom values and principles. This transformation is a spiritual process from within and eventually is reflected outwardly as we pour out the transformation in our walk in Christ.

Many times, when a missionary goes to the 10/40 window with the message of hope, it is received as a “foreign hope or gospel” or even more dangerous, an “American hope or gospel.” Therefore, the gospel is perceived as being “imposed” upon that person, community or culture, resulting in the belief that they must “conform” to receive the hope of the gospel and new life in Christ.

The Vital Issue of Ownership

When a person is transformed from the inside out, the result is something so powerful, so necessary in faith which is OWNERSHIP. When the gospel message is introduced to a person or community through a process of spiritual transformation, that person or community receives ownership of their faith which is a reflection and symbol of a battle won and eternity gained with the receiving of Christ! 

THE HOPE OF CHRIST THROUGH THE MESSAGE OF THE GOSPEL SHOULD BE TAKEN TO A MUSLIM COMMUNITY THROUGH THE WORDS, LANGUAGE AND HANDS OF ITS OWN PEOPLE. WHEN THIS IS DONE, THE GOSPEL MESSAGE IS NOT PERCEIVED AS A FOREIGN HOPE, BUT RATHER A HOPE IN CHRIST THAT IS PLANTED WITHIN THE VERY SOIL OF THAT COMMUNITY, CULTURE, SUBSYSTEMS, HOMES AND HEARTS! THE GOSPEL MESSAGE IS UNLEASHED INTO THE VERY FABRIC OF THAT SOCIETY, PENETRATING THROUGH THE LIVES, CULTURE, SUBSYSTEMS, HOMES AND HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE. THE GOSPEL MESSAGE IS GIVEN BIRTH FROM THE INSIDE OUT RESULTING IN TRANSFORMATION, RATHER THAN IMPOSING IT FROM THE OUTSIDE IN, RESULTING IN THE NEED TO CONFORM. THE POWERFUL RESULT IS OWNERSHIP! THE GOSPEL MESSAGE NO LONGER IS PERCEIVED AS AN AMERICAN CHRISTIANITY OR A FOREIGN HOPE, BUT RATHER AS A SEED OF HOPE THAT IS PLANTED IN THE VERY SOIL AND HEART OF THE SOCIETY AND PEOPLE- GROWING AND BEARING FRUIT THAT ACCOMMODATES AND IS UNIQUE TO THAT CULTURE! CHRISTIANITY IS ENGULFED WITHIN A VIBRANT CULTURE, BEARING BRANCHES AND FRUIT THAT IS UNIQUE BUT STILL STANDS FIRMLY ON THE FOUNDATION OF SCRIPTURE AND WHO CHRIST IS- THIS GIVES GOD A GREATER VIBRANCY OF GLORY, REFLECTING A GLORIOUS PICTURE OF REVELATIONS 7:9.

Analogy: Christianity is not supposed to be a tree that was nourished and grew in one society and then was transplanted to a new cultural environment or cultural mindset, with leaves, branches and fruit that mark it indelibly as a product of “Western Christianity”. The gospel is to be planted as a seed that will sprout within and be nourished by the rain and nutrients in the cultural soil of the Muslim life. The end result is that the Muslim has ownership of the hope of the gospel which penetrates and digs deep and unleashes into the fabric of that Muslim person’s life. What sprouts from true gospel seed may look different above ground from the way it looks to the Christian person, but beneath the ground at the worldview level, the roots are to be the same and the life comes from the same source! The message of the gospel will be the same and the central doctrines of our faith will be in clear focus, since they are based on the same bible.

Explosion of Phrases by a Unique Configuration of People

HIS GRACE IS ENOUGH SO THAT I DON'T HAVE TO BE

I spent last week with a unique group of passionate emerging leaders for the Kingdom. I compiled many phrases spoken throughout the week that captured and challenged us though our fellowship, prayers and teachings. I pray that they may enlighten, empower and bless you. Enjoy!

Pain and Leadership

• Every important stage of deep growth have emerged from a time of great pain. Christ is not concerned with our weaknesses (mind), He is focused on our wounds (heart)
• We learn obedience from what we suffer.
• Jesus was molded by and through suffering.
• We are in service of creating images that were tainted with the fall. We were made in the image of God, so as we transform with the Spirit, we are reawakening the image of Christ within and through us. Satan is at war with this.
•  “Fear not” is the most restated command in the Bible. The other is “I am with you”
• Once being broken, we have perspective in the next brokenness.
• Leave your justice to God. In suffering, He is stripping away all things that keep us from being all that He wants us to be.
• We play a humble part of God’s eternal purposes.  We have lost perspective on the parts that we play from the parts that God plays.
• Good leaders are introspective people.
• Know who God made you to be, certain themes in your life. Make your “life themes” that explain at the core who you are. Then in whatever ministry and life service, these themes will come up time after time after time.
• Individual producer vs organizational leader.
• We must focus on what God made us to be, otherwise we wither away because we are living in the expectation of others. Ultimately, we have the audience of One.
• We must strive to come to a place of CONVERGENCE. Passions, skills and wiring'all come together. This usually comes later in life.
• Come into your ministry in your weakness.  Embrace your weakness because people don’t need perfection- they need transformation. Acknowledge your weakness to your team- they already know it and they are already talking about it!
• I have LEARNED to be weak. God can do far greater things in my ministry with my weakness than my strengths.
• Leak into your ministry your personal transformation and embrace your weakness as a sign of authenticity.
• If you only show your strengths and awesomeness (In one’s own power), then you are only showing yourself and not revealing the glory of your savior. Corrie Ten Boom quote: Corrie ten Boom was once asked if it was difficult for her to remain humble. Her reply was simple, “When Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday on the back of a donkey, and everyone was waving palm branches and throwing garments on the road, and singing praises, do you think that for one moment it ever entered the head of the donkey that any of that was for him? ...If I can be the donkey on which Jesus Christ rides . . . I give Him all the praise and all the honor.” 

  Reflections.........

• I love being with lost people
• I found my spiritual rest- my Spiritual Oasis
• Transformation happens when you experience and know the person of Christ. He is the foundation! It is a simple concept that we lose sight of.
• Can you crystalize a deliberate impact for the Kingdom?
• Reflect on Ephesians 2:10 “We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
• Reflect on 2 Timothy 2:2 “And what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men[a] who will be able to teach others also.”
• What you do with pain will determine what you will ultimately do with your life.
• God is raising a few passionate and authentic believers who will finish the task of the Great Commission
• Don’t say “I have learned…” Say, “I have begun to learn….”
• You live for the quality of eternal life NOW through the quality of the way you love others.
• Let me show you the “Rhythms of Grace!”

• Ask yourself: What is it that you really want? What is it that you really need? What life?

• Awareness: Most of our lives are lived unaware. Awareness in a leader is so important, if not, that leader is not a safe leader. An unaware leader will pass on the things they are unaware of – things that can hurt them or hinder them.
• We have no idea how to be children to our Father, but that has no bearing on how He will be our Father. YOU DO NOT KNOW HOW TO LIVE IN THE FATHER’S HOUSE, but that does not have any bearing on how He is the father. IT DOES NOT AFFECT YOUR PLACE IN THE TABLE. Just be at the table. Some are more engaged at the table and some are more quiet- but the Father is glad you are there.
• No amount of stories – no amount of theological content compares to the good news!

Phrases God has spoken to me through others:

•  I hope to connect- not teach.
• I want to love strong and true.
• I am not a superhero
• As we all meet, use our spiritual gifts and take our place at the table, we enforce the power of community. The community “becomes” the tool to disciple us. Even though we are discipling, we as a community become a tool that collectively disciples us.
• I pray for the consistent smile of the Father.
• My heart and spirit have been set to rest, yet stirred up at the same time.
• We need to learn to crawl back into your Father’s lap.
• The will of my Father is where I will find my satisfaction. This is where the worship of God is revealed.
• Discipleship should not be in the classroom alone- it must be exercised in the ministry field. Take it out there! Let your disciples walk with you. Jesus took His disciples on a mission trip at stage one. He took them to Samaritan’s- People they supposedly were taught to hate. Cross cultural trip.
• The more I read the Bible- the less I understand.
•  It is not about power because we possess the same power through the Holy Spirit that Jesus had. It is about “Choice”- Choice to believe that Jesus has won in order to bring us back to Him.
• Jesus did not live in fear in what He might not become- rather, He lived in confidence and humility in WHO THE FATHER IS.
• Don’t seek to understand, but seek to be understanding.
• Thy Kingdom come – not an analogy, but a reality
• Don’t let Christ say, “You were missing me while you were rendering ministry for me”
• He does not love me for the fruit of my ministry, He loves me for me.
• God’s grace is enough so that I don’t have to be.
• Don’t seek Leadership! It is fine to lead, but not because you went after it.
• Mission’s does not equal life – you don’t need to be in ministry, you can be.
• Love God more than missions.
• People are addicted to ministry (they run out of fuel and become empty cups) VS People addicted to Jesus.
• Let go of service. Let go of performance. Just be available to Jesus!
• What does “success” look like in my ministry life?
• There is no “called” and “uncalled” in ministry
• Life is a short walk by on stage. It is not our show – slapping and screaming, “mommy, mommy, look at me!”
• Remorse hates the self and loves the sin. Repentance hates the sin and loves the Lord
• Ephesians 4:11-13 – The body heals itself. So must the Body of Christ. If we focus and concentrate so much on unity – we won’t get it. If you focus on Christ and service- unity happens.

• The power of God’s love is in you and I, but what brings glory and demonstrates His love to others is the love unified. His love is presented in US. When we love each other, there is a flash of love- the love between us is what we show to the world. God is love, so God is present in that space. That is the moment when the veil is torn and the light soaks through. We must love each other right- it is missiologically crucial. We can create a community, but if love is not there and nourished and intentional, the presence of God is not there. The community Church must be shaped to contain love. Cup analogy. Stop breaking my cup. If the cup is broken, it can not contain the water.There can be fellowship, but that is not Church. Church is when we are all sitting at the table. It is where we all “contain” ourselves and contain the love of God. The world see’s this unity that contains love. God is love- so the world see’s God through our love. Galatians 3:28 (Unity) Acts 13(Unity of Church)

Suffering Notes:

• Survey in Egypt of MBB’s showed that more than half that suffered stayed with God. Their faith was not their suffering, but how they responded to it.
• We are free to grieve. It does not show doubt. John 11- Jesus cries and grieves with Mary. He could have said don’t cry- where is your faith? I will heal him. Instead, He lets the pain and the grief spill.
• Pound on God’s chest, He is big and strong – He can take it.
• Give people the dignity to have pain and to express it. Don’t slap a Bible verse at them.
• Let your heart be broken. Only through a broken heart can we spill the clutter in our hearts.
• Mourning with people is a gift.
•  Leading people to the love of Christ will be done through the path of suffering because Christ revealed God to us through His path of suffering.
• Even the enemies evils, the Lord uses for my good.
• Jesus exemplified through the entirety of His life what it looks like for a person to go into a hostile place. His life was of suffering and rejection- even by His own people. So, think about your pain, rejection and know that He has lived it and conquered it for you.
• Sometimes God wants us to stay right where we are. He wants us to endure. Often our prayers automatically ask God for escape, relief, and to heal us from what we are enduring. We must change our prayer to, “Lord, teach me, show me, and build me up in my pain.”
• John 17:15 (Keeping us in the world) Why keep us in the pain? – Pain is a teaching tool for us to use to minister to others. Why protect us from the evil one? – In our vulnerability during the pain, the evil one speaks through to tell us that “how can you minister to other’s? You are weak” So, although our pain strengthens us and is used to minister to others- we can not entertain the thoughts of the enemy. That is why we need protection from the evil one.  Stay in the difficult context and stay focused in the person of Christ.

• Danger is very real – but fear is a choice. The enemy is very real, but how we respond is a choice!
• Embrace suffering as part of the discipleship journey and process. We want to construct the race course instead of running the race. Apostle Paul: Run the race you have been called to.
• When you’re in the furnace, use it to glorify God. Be a steward of it! God can use the pain to cast a huge light on HIM! This is part of the discipleship process.
• Model Perseverance!! Inspire bystanders with your focus on the King. Let the audience applaud not you but your King!!! Even when everyone is applauding you as you run your race, your eyes must keep focused on the finish line, regardless of all the noise of applauds and cheers from the audience. Hebrews 12:2

My Heart in His Hands

"Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life." Proverbs 4:23

I usually write long and analytical posts, but this time I wanted to keep it short and simply worded. Yet, we know that matters of the heart are anything but simple....

I will be the first to admit that I have always been foolish in the heart. In the past, the desires of my heart have led me astray. My passions have chased the heart of Man and not the heart of God. Yet, the amazing truth and power that I now recognize is that God needed to break my heart into pieces in order to draw me to Him. He took away the world's version of love in order to include me into the greatest love story to ever unfold. 

When my heart was broken, wounded and in agony, I received a heavenly visual. I was sitting at a coffee shop in Mexico writing out the bitterness in my heart.  As I closed my eyes, He was standing before me with His hands reached out. Without words, He spoke to my heart saying, "do you trust me?" If you do, place  your broken, wounded and darkened heart in my hands." I did. I remember saying, "...And don't you give it back to me until it is healed, strong, and bright" He promised.

To give Jesus everything does not mean what I choose to give Him. It is not a compromise. Everything means everything. Everything means my mind, my heart, my family, my hopes, my dreams, my pains, my joys.... everything is His. He is in control of everything. I trust Him with everything. Therefore, I walk in peace and assurance. This is faith at its best.

I look forward to the day when I close my eyes and revisit Jesus as He stands before me with my heart in His hands. This time, He will give my heart back as He had promised- healed, strong and bright. Yet, even when my heart dwells brightly within me, I will continue to passionately seek and chase after the heart of Christ - the lover of my soul for a love eternal.

"Do you trust me?" He said. 

I sure do. I trust you with my whole heart.

“A woman's heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.” 

An Obsession With His Glory

An obsession with the glory of God is the true knowledge of God. (anonymous missionary quote)

In the midst of the hecticness of life, there has been a question that continues to relentlessly poke at me. Today, I finally slowed down, stopped and acknowledged the question at hand. The question has been, "What is glory?" However, what amazed me was not the question, but where it came from. As I became still and asked God to sit down with me to discuss it, I realized that it was not me asking, but more specifically it was God whispering and asking me the question, "Mariya, What is MY glory?"

We use the word glory immeasurable times, but what does it mean to me.....? What does God intend it to mean? Like many words in the Bible, we see them to mean what we think or hope them to be. We give no deep spiritual thought to God's specifically used words, therefore, robbing such words of their power. We approach commonly used words in the Bible from our own worldviews and perspectives. I earnestly desire to know what God intends us to understand glory to be. More specifically, His glory.

I have been on fire for God and ignited to play a role in His redemptive plan. I have pushed forward with boldness, passion, focus and determination. Yet, this crucial question of "What is my glory?" reminds me that I must understand the why before the what. Understanding before strategy. I am brought back to a moment that occurred a few months ago. I was desperately asking God, "What do you want me to do?" During church service one day, I felt Him say to me, "Silly girl, you are asking the wrong question. Don't worry about the "what," that is my business. You must understand the "why," and that is simply My glory."

We must understand the why- the fuel, before we can comprehend the what - the mission. The question of Why also allows us to understand and know the Who. Who HE is and Why we serve Him, before we can take on the What- the mission. Does that make sense?

Who - God and who HE is

Why - His Glory

What - His redemptive plan - the Mission

But what is HIS glory? To understand and grasp this question is critical because it is the foundation of my missional life. It is what holds me accountable in my walk as a Christ soldier. I must constantly measure my service and my motivations with the question, "Is this glorifying God?" If not, I must reevaluate and take it up with Him.

The Hebrew word for "glory" is from the same root word for "heavy/weighty". Glory refers to the sheer, mind-blowing, weightiness of God's presence.

The Bible tells us that it is through Christ that we really see what God is like. So through Jesus we see God’s glory in the flesh (John 1:14). This is no surprise because in John 17:5 we read that Jesus shared in the glory of God since before the world was made.

Ezekiel 10:4 helps us to glimpse and understand God’s glory: “Then the Lord’s glory rose from above the winged creatures and moved toward the temple’s threshold. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the courtyard was filled with the brightness of the Lord’s glory.” The word translated here as “glory” is kabod in Hebrew, being loaded with power, reputation, or honor. God’s glory is God’s weightiness in wonderful qualities such as might, beauty, goodness, justice, and honor. His glory is so powerful that man could not bear even looking at Moses’s face that was radiating with His glory.

God shares His glory with us. When we receive His gifts and blessings with gratitude and humility, when we use them to enhance His honor and His Kingdom, when we acknowledge Him as the source of all goodness, then we are glorifying Him.  Ruth Ward Heflin defines the glory as “the revelation of the presence of God. It is the manifestation of His presence. He is glory. He is everywhere, but glory is the manifestation of that reality … When glory comes down, it’s a bit of Heaven’s atmosphere coming down to us, a taste of His manifest presence.”

What does it mean then for us to glorify God? We cannot add to His glory, for He is already perfectly and infinitely glorious. It means that nothing delights us more than to feel His pleasure as we live to the praise of His glory. It also means that we declare His glory among the nations, inviting others to join us in our love affair with His glorious perfection. Glorifying God must consume and define every aspect of our life, spilling over to all people who encounter us. His light, power and glory radiate through us, making us the walking, living, breathing testimony and proof of Him. As His glory shines in us and through us through the manner in which we live and "be," we give the world a glimpse of Him. We give the world a taste of Jesus. We are children of light and that light is His glory within us, shining with power.

God is reduced to a means to some other end when it is about our own self-fulfillment - Glory of oneself. The results are disastrous for worship, for discipleship, and for witness. My mission must not become a consumer product rather than adoration I offer to God. Discipleship must not become a self-help program that leaves our spiritually hungry life untouched. Witness becomes an invitation to sample a product rather than an invitation to bow down to the King of Kings.

The glory of God is my supreme passion. This passion for His glory is my goal and it defines the manner in which I pursue it. Our collective passion as a Body of Christ is to see Him receive the glory that is due from every tribe, tongue, people and nation. We must not be content unless His glory is proclaimed and adored. The task is not about us, and it's not even ultimately about the nations. The focus is on Him.

I fall very far short of my own counsel. Yet, as I learn, grow and strengthen in faith, I ask myself such questions in order to hold myself accountable. I expect God to hold me accountable. It is only through His grace that I can live for His glory. Apart from it, I can do nothing.

I plead with you to seek His grace to make the glory of God your supreme passion. I read this today: God’s glory is solid and substantial. It is not mere reputation. It is not dependent on anyone or anything else. God’s glory reflects His essential nature.

Truly, my obsession with the glory of God is my true knowledge of God. It is simply, all about His glory.