Get Rid of Your Small Ambitions

The title of this posting was the theme of a missions conference I attended some years back.  The phrase came to mind as I read Galatians 3:4 today, "He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit."

Abraham was a rich man without an heir.  The heart of men and women cry out for offspring.  I myself have walked the road of infertility and know the pain of unfulfilled desire.  This pain was the constant companion of Abraham whose longing to have a child was aggravated by the abundance of his possessions. Yet God made him a promise, not just an heir, but descendants as abundant as the stars of the sky and the sands on the seashore.  Wow, this would seem so much more than what Abraham had in mind.  And yet in comparison to Galatians 3:14, it is still small.

You see Abraham wanted an heir for himself, God planned an inheritance for all of humanity.  Abraham wanted biological offspring, God delivered the means to adopt sinners into His divine family.  In the interim: all the days, weeks, months, and years during which Abraham waited for God's promise to come to pass, God was slowly unfolding his eternal plan of salvation. He was setting in motion a way to bring "the blessing given to Abraham to the Gentiles," in other words, to all nations.

So of course I thought, "get rid of your small ambitions".  Abraham's desire, while great and his faith, which is to be applauded ("Abraham believed God" is a statement much repeated in the New Testament), pales and is minuscule in comparison to enormous plans the Father was working.  Not just redemption but the very presence of God restored to man ("so that we might we receive the promise of the Spirit").  It doesn't get any better or bigger than that.  God's presence indwelling man?  Now that's ambitious!

Makes you wonder, doesn't it?  What are you desiring?  What are you believing for?  Does it seem huge?  Does it seem impossible?  Does it take more faith than you currently have to believe for it?  Perhaps it is both huge and impossible (without God's intervention) and even difficult to believe.  Yet, after reading Galatians 3:14 doesn't it make you wonder if your ambitions may be tiny in comparison to some great plan our Father may be working behind the scenes, unbeknownst to anyone, including you?  I have to admit, that it makes me wonder. And so I hear again the challenge, get rid of your small ambitions. 

Holy Spirit Reliance

Belkis Lehmann

Everyone who dwells in this mortal body daily battles the struggle between their desire to live a life of reliance on the Holy Spirit and the flesh’s seemingly black hole attraction to rely on themselves.  Below are five encouragements I share with you, as I walk on this journey with you.  This list is by no means exhaustive but meant more to stimulate thought, and more importantly prayer.  Please take a moment and add your own thoughts and ideas by commenting on this article at the new Great Lakes Staff Facebook group   Let’s start a conversation to help and encourage each other.

1.       Live in the security of the Holy Spirit’s presence in your life.  It does not matter the quality of building materials used, if the foundation is faulty.  The Holy Spirit is the restored presence of God for the people of God.  HE HAS COME.  He is here.  He dwells in you.  He works through you.  This is TRUE.   Embrace it and make it your foundation.

2.       Practice listening.  Listening is a large part of hearing.  We must listen to the Spirit’s voice in order to know what He desires.  His direction may be terrifying, but we can carry it out with confidence when we know it is His.  Practice is required for improvement. If you’d like to hear the Spirit’s voice clearer during a counseling session, an evangelistic opportunity, or a staff meeting, practice listening regularly every day.  The more you listen, the more you will hear.

3.       Embrace the cross.  In order to rely on the Holy Spirit, we must cease to rely on ourselves.  This is like trying to get away from yourself.  Everywhere you go, there you are.  Only the cross of Christ is able to accomplish this impossible task.  It is not ascetic self-denial, per say. It is the moment by moment decision to live out Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”  Practically it means choosing others over ourselves, taking faith risks (we don’t need to rely on the Holy Spirit for that which is easy for us), and living by faith that God’s presence is with us.

4.       Fellowship with spiritual people.  The Biblical word spiritual means “of the Spirit” nothing more, nothing less.  This is how I use it here.  Spend time with people of the Spirit, people who challenge you, encourage you, and perhaps, even at times, rebuke you.  Most importantly those who cause you to desire a greater fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

5.       Cry. This may sound odd, but bear with me.  As I grow older I realize more and more God’s heart for humanity is one of compassion, kindness, love, and grace.  When that heart looks at this world, I think it weeps.  So crying for me (not for my own needs but for those of the world) has become a great way to fellowship with the Spirit, who laments in a way only an infinite, omnipotent, omniscient God can. 

What about you? How do you rely on the Holy Spirit? Continue the conversation here. 

The Ministry of Crying Part 2

Last time I shared with you the value suffering has in the life of a believer.  Simply put,

"Suffering is the currency that buys intimacy with God."

"Wait a minute", you might be saying.  "I want to draw closer to God and I am prepared to suffer for the Lord here and there, but are you telling me that I cannot grow in intimacy with Jesus unless I am CONSTANTLY suffering?"  Well, yes I am.  And no, I'm not.

To my original saying I would like to add these important words,

"It doesn't have to be your suffering."

You see the fellowship a believer has with the Lord is not exclusive.  It is a fellowship shared with all believers.  This is how John can write,"We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ."

You see fellowship with the Father is also fellowship with his people and fellowship with his people is fellowship with the Son, etc, etc, etc.  This is how you can "rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed." I Peter4:13.  

As we "mourn with those who mourn" we fellowship with the Lord and with his body.  As we enter into the suffering of others through intercession and participation, we grown in intimacy with the Lord. 

So don't insulate yourself from the suffering of the world.  Embrace it.  Pray for those in pain, as if the pain is yours, because in the body, it is. 

The Ministry of Crying, Part 1

As a general rule I don't like to cry.  I much prefer to laugh.  Laughing is fun, enjoyable, and contagious.  Everyone likes it.  Yet, for several years now, God has been teaching me to cry.  He's been directing me to weep, mourn, and grieve as I fellowship with him.  Here's how it began.

I spent ten dark years seeking God for a child.  I was like Hannah whose sorrow was so great that as she cried out to God no sound came from her lips.  Though, unlike Hannah, many sounds came from deep within me as I struggled through the many emotions of unfulfilled desire: rejection, self-loathing, abandonment, loneliness and the theological implications of it all.  It was a difficult time in my life, to say the least.

But, as so often happens, out of great suffering came glory.  God used this time to challenge and correct  misconceptions I had about him, myself, the world, prayer, etc. etc. etc.  It became a abundant time of learning and drawing near to God.  It became a time of great intimacy.  From it God gave me this great truth:

"Suffering is the currency that buys you intimacy with God."


This is more than my personal experience.  It is a Biblical and historical pattern. The Apostle Paul testifies, "I want to know him, the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings."  In Romans 8:17 he adds, "Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." If you look up the word "suffering you will find many Pauline passages that mirror these words.  He willingly endured hardship and pain, yes, for the sake of the gospel, but also to fellowship with Christ.

Recently, I read an account of a former Muslim believer who was imprisoned for more than two years in a metal shipping container in the Assab, a port town on the Red Sea.  Heat indexes reached 140 degrees.  He was fed very little and given only a small cup of water a day.  When asked how he was able to bear such suffering his response was, "Never have I felt so close to Jesus as when he was with me in prison."*

Why are we surprised at the rich fellowship that suffering produces?  After all, we serve a suffering servant.  Jesus life and death were both marked by great suffering.  He never ran from grief or pain, but embraced it fully.  Yes, on the cross, but also at Lazarus' tomb, in his family, his town, with his people. He experienced all the same reasons for suffering we do: loss, rejection, poverty, betrayal.  And many more most of us have yet to experience: persecution, an unjust trial and public execution.

Many believers desire greater intimacy with our Lord, but are unwilling to meet him in the place of suffering.  Who of us would abandon a spouse diagnosed with cancer, or a child wounded in a terrible accident?  Would we not rather embrace them, draw near to them, and stand by them.  This and much more is exactly what our Jesus does when we are the ones with the bad report, the one who's lost a loved one, or experienced rejection or betrayal.  He offers us his very presence, his companionship, his intimate fellowship.  Does it make sense to turn it down?

And so I encourage you, don't run from the tough, the difficult, and the painful.  Run into the arms of he who is familiar with suffering and pain. What you will find there will there will eclipse your suffering and transform your perspective.

But wait, there's more.  Don't forget to check back for Part 2.

*Live Dead Journal: 30 Days of Prayer for Unreached Peoples, 30 Days of Challenge 

Relevant or Counter-Cultural

Yesterday, as I talked with a friend the questions came up, "should the church be relevant or counter-cultural?"  Wow!  What a big question!

Of course, much has been written on both sides of the issue for many years. Each side has its proponents and detractors.  The divide between them can at times seem as the American church's own demilitarized zone in which each side lives in idealogical safety, periodically lobbing bombs across to the obviously deluded.

The question itself is the problem, since it allows for only one answer.  The Biblical mandate is for the church to be both relevant and counter-cultural.  Jesus exemplified this dynamic in his life and teaching.  He preached the gospel of the kingdom in such a way that people could "relate" to it.  He used analogies and parables from their everyday life and experiences, making deep spiritual truths "relevant".

At the same time he called for an ethic beyond their current culture.  He called his followers to love their enemies, choose service over position, and embrace a standard of righteousness greater than that of the Pharisees.  He walked a path marked by such extreme counter-culture, that at the end of his life, he had almost no one who remained by his side.  

How do we, as the people of God, live out this same dynamic today?  The answer is in the gospel itself, which calls us to take up our cross daily and follow our Lord.  You see, without a crucified life, one quickly moves from counter-culture to self-righteousness.  Without the cross, being relevant can become being comprising.  Both of these pitfalls are covered over with the lure of self-interest, self-protection, and self-pride.  The cross, praise Jesus, is a trully effective method to kill self.  

The answer to the question of what parts of a culture the church should relate to and what part it should counter is, no pun intended, relative.  It all depends on the cultural element in question.  But before we run to our side of the zone and pick up our weapons, let us instead run to the Lord and pick up His cross.  From here we see Him, the gospel, people, and ourselves much more clearly, avoid pitfalls and, by His grace, walk in His ways.  

Get It In Writing

Genesis 15 tells the account of Abram cutting covenant with God. God made him a promise and Abram said, “how canI know it’s really going to happen?” God’s response would be the modern equivalent of saying, “I’ll put it in writing.”

He used the then method of committing to something: he made a covenant. Today we would write up a contract and sign it. A contract signifies obligation. The person is obligated to keep their commitment under legal penalties. Of course, there is no one greater than God, who can force him to keep his commitment. So says in Hebrews 6:13, “When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself.”

God reassured Abram by sealing his commitment in a culturally appropriate manner, he cut covenant. Today we have the written Word of God. What promise of God do you need reassurance of today? Look it up. He’s put it in writing.

Mary, Mary quite contrary

I have been pondering the account of Jesus' visit to the home of Martha, Lazarus, and Mary (Luke 10:38-42). The main question- "Why did Luke include this event in his gospel?" How does this account fulfill Luke's purpose of letting his friend Theophilus know the certainty of the things he had been taught. (Luke 1:1)

Mary is mentioned three times in the gospels, twice in John and once in Luke. Mary, of course, is famous for two things in particular. One she sat at Jesus feet and listened (this is the event Luke records). Two, she poured expensive perfume on his feet just before his death (recorded in John). These two acts have one very interesting commonality (no I'm not talking about feet). I'm talking about the fact that she was rebuked for doing both of them.

Picture the scene with me. Mary and her sister and brother were most likely in Jerusalem for the celebration of a Jewish feast. (These being the main times Jesus traveled to Judea.) Since their house is not far away, they take the opportunity to invite this fascinating teacher into their home. Undoubtedly they were impressed with his teaching and were on their way to believing that he was the long promised Messiah of Israel (a fact both Mary and Martha openly testify to in John 11).

And so as a result of Martha's invitation THE LONG AWAITING MESSIAH is a guest in their home. This had to be exciting! I will not contrast Mary and Martha's response to Jesus' presence. This has been done by many before me. I simply want to point out that Mary's desire to "sit at Jesus' feet and listen to what he said," seems to me perfectly logical. After all, this was a man who people traveled great distances going without food just to hear speak. And he is "HERE IN OUR HOUSE!" Wow, who could help themselves.

Yet Mary gets rebuked. She doesn't get called aside and reprimanded in hushed tones. No she gets called out in front of everyone including the guest of honor. Actually, the lady of the house (undoubtedly her older sister) asks the guest of honor to publicly rebuke her. Can you imagine that split second between Martha speaking and Jesus replying. How did Mary feel? Had she done wrong? Had her sister misunderstood her intentions? Had other?

I'm sure I'm not the only one who can relate to Mary in this situation. I am sure there are others who have been misunderstood and perhaps openly rebuked for choosing Jesus in a way or at a time that others felt was inappropriate.

That brings us to Mary's second rebuke. Again there is a gathering at her home. Jesus is there with the twelve. Tensions are high as Jesus may be arrested at any moment. Martha is serving and Lazarus was at the table. Mary pours expensive perfume on Jesus feet and wipes them with her hair. The rebuke is quick and direct. She is accused of being wasteful and uncaring towards the poor. Since Mary was surely a woman of wealth, this rebuke was calculated and precise. A rather low blow. Again we can relate. Our attempts at offering and worship misunderstood and used as fodder for calculated insults.

Yet I have only told half the stories. You see both times Mary was rebuked someone came to her defense. That someone was the Lord himself. He did not sit by and think to himself, "I'm sure this will work itself out." He spoke up, just as boldly as the rebuker. Martha he answered with compassion and defended Mary's choice as better. "It will not be taken from her." Judas received a slightly stronger rebuke. After all his intentions were far from pure.

“Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” Could it be that Jesus was defending not just her act but her intention? Could it be that Mary perceived something most failed to see? Something to think about.

And so I come back to my original question, "why did Luke include the account of Mary and her siblings?" Was it to let Theophilus know that choosing Jesus may earn him rebukes even from those close to him? Was it to let him know that he might be misunderstood and maligned? Was it to encourage him and other believers that in those times Jesus would be their defender?Whatever his reasons, he's sure encouraged me and I hope you too.