El Crucero

One of the most difficult things to process in life is knowing how much God has for people, but to see those same people walking in darkness, broken-ness and pain.  Sometimes it is seen so physically, in cities all over the world (Managua or Pittsburgh), by seeing neighborhoods that are physically destitute; abandoned homes, broken walls, etc.  If God has a different world for them where is it?

The LORD tells us clearly that there is a spiritual battle raging and God’s people must engage in the battle, praying over the broken places, and working to build up spiritual walls:

“You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house ofIsrael, that it might stand in battle in the day of the Lord.” – Ezekiel 13:5

Yesterday, among other things, we took a significant time to pray at a high-place in Nicaragua working to do what is set before us as one of the callings of God’s people; to spiritually intercede, stand in the gaps for people, and build up a spiritual wall.  In Scripture, we see the wall as a wall of salvation:

“Violence shall no more be heard in your land, devastation and destruction within your borders; you shall call your walls Salvation, and your gates Praise.” – Isaiah 60:18

We were praying for such a spiritual wall in Nicaragua at place called El Crucero.  (It is actually the same village where the girl’s home is that D/J run).  The Lord has spoken to them that El Crucero is an enemy stronghold and so they are to be coming to this place to pray the Lord’s Kingdom, setting a foundation of its presence there.  El Crucero means “the crossing” and D/J believes it is a places where God’s Kingdom is working to cross into this land and restore it; they have been called to pray that crossing into reality and we had the privilege to join them in this.

It’s one of these spots in the world that is just simply majestic.  From one location we could see all the way West over the mountains to the Pacific, seeing the sun dance off the water there.  We could see all the way North to the volcano Moumbotumbo, which is a Nicaraguan landmark.  And we could see all the way East to both Lake Managua & Lake Nicaragua.

It’s difficult to recount the prayers and what happened in that place, but it is not difficult to know this: God’s people are called to such places and such prayers, and when we lose this calling, we are not operating in the fullness of our Kingdom responsibilities.  This is why in Ezekiel above, God clearly commands us that we are to be engaged in the battle in the unseen world by standing in strategic places.

As our team begins to turn towards our homes (we leave 24 hours from now), we are all wrestling with what types of change and transformation the Lord is leading us toward.  Surely this type of prayer is one of them; others are still being worked out.  Join us as work today to debrief our trip experiences, offering our hearts and minds to the Lord, that we may have eyes to see and ears to hear what he has been teaching us.

old prophets / new meaning

one of the gems of the Scriptures are the Old Testament prophets.  at first glance they seem to be raving madmen, on a mission from God… sort of like the misguided curbside prophet you see in Oakland or disaster movies that tells you the end is coming.  at a deeper level, they have a rich meaning because they convey God’s heart to his people – his long-suffering, his compassion, his patience, his ability to redeem, his calling to men and women, etc. 

one of the most powerful realities of the prophetic messages is that they have unending meanings… they had a specific meaning in its time, they often pointed to a meaning that was fulfilled in Christ or His ministry, and they also have had numerous meanings revealed to God’s people in the ages since.  in other words, someone can read Isaiah and know that a specific idea had 1) a meaning for God’s people who were contemporary with Isaiah, 2) a meaning fulfilled in Christ, 3) multiple meaning fulfilled in say the 3rd century, the 16th century and the 21st century. 

for the next few weeks, as i’m able, i’m going to blog through a number of prophetic messages that the Lord has been revealing to me.  i’ll be spending time in isaiah, ezekiel, jeremiah… and maybe some of the little guys too (Amos, Micah, etc.).

I hope you’ll join me… stay tuned.

promises, promises (thank you Burt Bacharach for this title)

2 Cor 1:20-22_”For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. “

I’ve been thinking about promises this morning.  Maybe I just heard Burt Bacharach in my subconcious last night, but it might also be because i’ve been reading a lot of promises in Scripture.

Can you remember a time when you were promised something and it was not delivered upon?  I can remember a time when I was promised something when I was 15 years old (ouch – that was 16 years ago) – I was so expectant that I told my friends about it and when it didn’t get fulfilled, I was devastated.  (okay – deep breath, still a little pain).

What about you?  Can you remember an unfulfilled promise?  Of course you can; there’s probably even still a sense of disappointment (stop crying now, it was kind of rhetorical). 

Unfortunately, our human experience with unfulfilled promises has tragically marred our picture of God and we are unable to believe that God has/is/will deliver on His promises.  (not incidentally, this happens with most areas of our human experience – love, a father, justice, etc.).

This becomes tragic for a few reasons:

1.  We stop faithfully believing that promises will come to pass.  After being disappointed in a lack of fulfillment, we roll our eyes when a promise is made, not in the least expecting it to be fulfilled.  We take the posture of “i’ll believe it when i see it”, but the Kingdom of God works the other way around – “when we believe it, then we’ll see it”. 

2.  We stop pursuing the idea of promises themselves.  When we don’t believe promises will come to pass, we stop looking for promises in the Scriptures, in prayers and in conversations with others.  We rob ourselves of the vast array of promises that are in the Scriptures in which we can discover hope, purpose, redemption and restoration.

Today, look for the promises of God and wherever you find them, based on your standing with Jesus (see above verse) claim them as part of your inheritance as his son or daughter.

inception.

i finally saw inception yesterday, and i have to say that i loved it.  there are a number of reasons, not the least of which is how artistically stunning it was on all accounts (especially writing).  however, my favorite part of the movie were its spiritual themes.

one was the play of guilt and reconciliation.  the way in which leo’s character, Cobb, had come to carry such a burden of guilt and an incredibly strong sense of regret in his life, mirrors the same spiritual struggle in all of us.  it may not be caused by something as dramatic as the death of a loved one that we believe we could’ve prevented, but we all have moments in our life that we look back on with an extreme sense of guilt and shame.  in many ways the film is the struggle to be freed from guilt and shame; to be reconciled.  in the end of the movie, it is clear to me that he is reconciled and guilt/shame is removed. 

this is exactly the ministry of Jesus Christ to each one of us.  he steps into our guilt and shame and offers not condemnation, but reconciliation through the cross:

Rom 5:10-11_ “We were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.”

And any sort of guilt/shame/condemnation that we feel is not from God; it is from our enemy.  This is the second spiritual theme i saw, mainly through the character of Cobb’s wife, Mal.  As the main adversary in the film, and the one who continues to advance the condition of guilt & shame onto Cobb, she represents for me the struggle we all have with our own adversary who desires to keep us in guilt and shame.  our tendency and reaction is the same as Cobb’s – we’ll just lock up our guilt and shame, and whatever has caused it, into a prison which will at least keep it reduced to a small corner of our lives that we are faced to deal with only in dark moments.  but that is not how guilt and shame work – they grow and become more powerful in our lives.  this is exactly what the enemy wants for us and why Paul points out in Romans how condemnation is something that comes from the enemy, not from God.

Rom 8:33-34_”Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns?”

Finally, the idea of inception is a way of thinking about a spiritual principle.  When we are reconciled to Christ, our minds are transformed by the simple idea of the gospel – that we have been reconciled to Christ and freed from our sin.  In the same way that a simple idea can grow stronger and gain momentum in the film, this simple idea of the gospel can grow stronger in our lives and completely change us.  only this idea is not something that is planted in our minds as a way of manipulation; it’s the very truth of our freedom in Christ.

Col 1:21-22_”Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.”

Fear and Freedom

This morning I’ve been reflecting on Isaiah 51. We had quite an extended time of prayer last night, and there was a sense that many in the group had a lot of fear and shame in their life. There were about 10 who identified that this was true, and we sought the Lord together; all were freed and received in Christ a fuller measure of their freedom as sons and daughters of God. A few of the folks received it in powerful ways, that was evidence of the Spirit’s strong desire to free them. It was clearly a battle and afterwards, the entire group was exhausted. Here’s the point:

So many of God’s people live in fear and shame, and such a prison is created that they come to accept it as a part of their life. Yet, Jesus died for full freedom; to enjoy a feast and be filled, not settle for crumbs from the table. For such freedom, we have to fight to identify oursleves as God’s beloved, which is an identity that has already been secured for us.

Notice how Isaiah asks a question linking fear and identity in verses 12-13… Then, focuses on the type of freedom offered in Christ in 14-15. and that freedom is based on God’s character and our identity (v.16):

12 “I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mortal men, the sons of men, who are but grass,
13 that you forget the Lord your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, that you live in constant terror every day because of the wrath of the oppressor, who is bent on destruction? For where is the wrath of the oppressor?
14 The cowering prisoners will soon be set free; they will not die in their dungeon, nor will they lack bread.
15 For I am the Lord your God, who churns up the sea so that its waves roar— the Lord Almighty is his name.
16 I have put my words in your mouth and covered you with the shadow of my hand— I who set the heavens in place, who laid the foundations of the earth, and who say to Zion, ‘You are my people.’ ”

a promise for the city

I’m learning there is a clarity to spiritual life in Jesus, which can only come while ministering in his name, among those who are most obviously destitute.  One of the reasons I believe this is true is that we are able to see the worst of human conditions met by the greatness of Christ’s love.  A point that the Lord has been driving home as I open myself up to have his eyes and ears, is that althought the people we’ve been with our obviously destitute, all people are spiritually destitute.  We are all stuck in habits, dysfunctions, sins, addictions, and poverties of a spiritual nature.  Apart from Jesus, our lives are spiritually desolate; although we may have homes, food, water, clothing, jobs/purpose and money, we can be spiritual homeless, starving, thirsty, naked, purpose-less and poor.

We see this play out in our lives spiritually first, and then it has repurcussions in the physical world – in our neighborhoods, offices, schools, structures of society, and at large in our cities.  Yet, God doesn’t leave us there.  Again – the worst of human conditions are met by the greatness of Christ’s love. 

In Jeremiah 33, God speaks to these realities and promises.  He says:

- Call to me and I will answer and tell you great and unsearchable things that only I know.

- I will hide my face from this city because of it’s wickedness, BUT:

- I will bring health and healing to it.  I will heal my people and let them enjoy abudant peace and security.  I will rebuild.  I will cleanse.  (These are all promises spiritually first, and physically second).

- The city will be known for the Lord and it will bring Him renown, joy, praise and honor, peace and prosperity.

- Though it is a desolate waste, once more it will have joy and gladness, there will be marriages (again, spiritual to Christ and physical as well), offerings will be given and fortunes will be restored.

So, when and how does all this happen?  Well, Jeremiah prophesies next about Christ and indeed it all happens through Christ, and more specifically through his ministry which is continued by the Spirit of Jesus, through the church:

“The days are coming, when i will fulfill this gracious promise… in those days and at that time, I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.  In those days [my people] will be saved and will live in safety.  This is the name by which He will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness.” (Jer. 33:14-16)

And here is the fulfillment: “Jesus Christ has become for us wisdom from God, that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” (1 Cor. 1:30) & “For in the Gospel, a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith.” (Romans 1:17)

destructive forces

In Psalm 55, David writes: “Destructive forces are at work in the city; threats and lies never leave its streets (v.11).”  Indeed, this is true of all cities in the world; in the same way that they gather people together to live, they also attract the focused attack of the enemy.  Every city has its own spiritual strongholds, dark places and sinful habits. 

However, God does not call us to abandon cities; instead we see a model in Scripture of dwelling in them, incarnating Jesus in them, and working for their salvation.  We see this in the same Psalm, as David focuses on his own ability to call out to God in distress and ask God for his solution: “I call to God and the Lord saves me.  Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress and he hears my voice (v.16-17).”  Men and women of God are to call out to God on their own behalf, and on behalf of the city (notice that David is distressed at what he has just described in verse 11 – the state of the city distresses him).  What do you think happens when we cry out to God like this? 

He leads us to fulfill his mission in that city; he guides us towards His solutions and strategies for saving the people in that city and bringing both justice & mercy.  (The name of God YHWH literally means justice (YH) and mercy (WH)). 

Yesterday, we saw this play out as we walked prayerfully through the heart of the dump, then through a construction zone and finally to the edge of Lake Managua.  The construction zone is a project of the Spanish government (the Queen visited 4-5 years ago and her heart was so moved by La Chureca that she pledged 500 million towards a project to help the people there).  They are constructing on top of the dump (a place we stood upon and prayed last year) a very large recycling plant and a community of homes.  Their plan is to employ and house all the families of La Chureca.  They will move them into their own home for free and give them work in the recycling plant.  This is not a bad plan; it’s humanitarian and will do much good.  But it remains to be seen if this is God’s plan. 

Lake Managua comes up against the dump (look at picture here from same place last week) and on the opposite side of the dump is an untouched paradise.  This resembles what God wants for the people of La Chureca; it’s pretty close to perfection and it’s original design.  What the Spanish are doing is certainly not that. 

This is a parable for our own lives.  When faced with destruction we either run (see above – not supposed to do that) or we try to fix it.  Only the Lord has a strategy to fix and redeem people, land and cities.  Our roles is to come before Him, call out to Him in our distress, and wait for His plans.

against a tendency to drift.

“Day after day the wind blows away the pages of our calendars, our newspapers, and our political regimes, and we glide along the stream of time without any spiritual framework, without a memory, without a judgment, carried about by ‘all winds of doctrine’ on the current of history.  Now we ought to react vigorously against this slackness – this tendency to drift.  If we are to live in this world we need to know it far more profoundly; we need to rediscover the meaning of events, and the spiritual framework which our contemporaries have lost.” – Jacques Ellul, Presence of the Kingdom

the one?

I was reading Luke 7 this AM, and he shares this incredible question that is asked of Jesus: “are you the one to come, or should we expect someone else?“  So many in our culture ask this question today, whether conciously or unconciously, when they waver back and forth between belief and disbelief.  In this story, we have one of those who really should have no doubts, expressing sincere doubt.  Of all people, John the Baptist should recognize Jesus and not waver in his belief in Him as the Messiah.  Yet, when he is imprisoned, the reality of the Kingdom of Jesus of Nazareth seems a dream.  Jesus’ response back to him is to look for the evidence of the Kingdom among his works.  It’s always been interesting to me that Jesus quotes Isaiah in his response, but leaves out one important part of the Isaiah passage; he does not quote as evidence of the Kingdom that “prisoners” are being set free.  Why?  Because John is in prison… but it doesn’t negate the presence of the Kingdom.

Here’s the lesson: the presence of the Kingdom is based on Jesus as the Messiah, not on our condition or experience!  If we find ourselves in a place where we question the Kingdom’s presence, it does not mean that we should question the King.

suspended between our-selves

“Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and wept.” – Mark 14:72 

In the account of Peter’s epic failure, we are told that he breaks down. The word here (epiballo) is a deep word describing posture, action and force. It can have the meaning of being forcefully thrown down or cast aside. Of course, here, Peter ties it to himself. 

There are two other times it’s used that are of importance. Once is when Jesus is “seized with force” in the garden; the other is when Peter and John are arrested in Acts 4:3. 

I don’t think these are unintentional. It’s almost as if Peter here is connected to both the garden of suffering (where his failure began) and the future persecution of th early church (where he will not fail). 

He is at once suspended between who he has been an who he will become because of the cross & resurrection! This is exactly what Good Friday is all about; the cross & resurrection guarantee a new life so we need not live suspended lives. This is only possible when we allow the cross of Jesus to bring us to our knees, and allow ourselves to break down ad weep over the reality of who we are, in light of who he is!

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