Daily devotions: Spirit Led - Zechariah 4:6

Zechariah 4:6             So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the LORD Almighty.”

Sometimes I get discouraged by what’s happening with the Church in our society. We seem to have this casual approach to God that is now turning into a disdain for God’s Word. People come and go to their churches as they please to the extent that Christian worship has now become a leisure pursuit instead of a regular spiritual commitment. There’s no longer a thirsting for the scriptures or a hunger for what God is saying to us. We can pick and choose what we like from the Bible and discard what we disapprove. Instead of being kept sacred and regarded as holy, we treat God’s Word as if it has a sell by date and throw it away because it is irrelevant to our personal needs.

And then just when I’m feeling sorry for myself and the Church, I receive an email from a church member whose family is on a teaching mission trip to Christians in Nepal. Here’s what one of them has written:

Monday (1st day of the conference) was busy and wonderful. I don’t think anyone counted actual numbers in attendance, but the room was pretty full. Many who were coming were delayed—one broken-down bus accounted for 15 late-comers. They arrived last night or early this morning. The church is simple and rustic—that is code for primitive and with holes in the floor for toilets. Participants sit on a carpeted floor all day. The worship team is young and loud and enthusiastic. We can tell when they sing an “old timey song” because the older Christians join in and begin to raise their hands. The young women and men each have their own dances they choreograph and perform during breaks. They would be a hit in the US…lots of the same movements.

We have 3 morning sessions and 3 afternoon sessions. Tom and John take turns in the 1st two sessions each half of the day…then the men and women break into separate groups, and I take the women, and John or Tom take the men. People wander in and out all during the sessions. Some have responsibilities with the children or cooking or cleaning up, so they come when they can. The pastors and leaders attending the conference are very quiet while a speaker is talking, and they take notes faithfully on what is being said.

People hungering for the Word of God! We may think that our sophisticated laid-back relationship with God is what He expects of a 21^st century church, but we are sadly deluding ourselves. God expects of us what He obviously receives from the Christians in Nepal: total commitment.

I look forward to a day when the Western Church will rediscover Christ and humbly serve Him completely. I yearn for a time when all churches across our land will gather together, not because they are powerful or mighty, relevant and fashionable, but because they are filled with Spirit-led people and not just spiritual ones.

Question for personal reflection

How committed am I to Christ? Am I truly Spirit-led or just spiritual?

Prayer:            Lord Jesus, help us to rediscover a hunger for Your holy teachings and a thirst for Christian theology. Prevent us from being too focused on ourselves and keep us totally committed to worshiping, serving, and following You throughout our lives. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Advent drawings called “Mackintosh Advent.” It’s an art nouveau rendering of Advent candles in a church window. If you would like to view a larger version, click on the following link: http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8469/8118931383_48d8bc70a9_b.jpg

Pentecost devotion: Thrown Down - Mark 13:2

Mark 13:2       "Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; each one will be thrown down."

It was a shocking thing to say, but Jesus said it any way. When He declared that all the great Jerusalem buildings, including the Temple, would be thrown down, He was prophesying about an event that would occur almost forty years later. It was shocking because Jerusalem had just been through an architectural renaissance of its city. The great buildings and the new Temple were proudly admired by the Jews. Some of their national prestige had been restored by these new worship centers and edifices. Jesus was spoiling the celebrations and puncturing Jewish pride.

At His trial, Christ’s words would be used against Him and bring about His execution by both the religious and political authorities. His words would be treated as both blasphemy and treason, causing Him to be arrested, tortured, and painfully executed.

Sometimes I wonder if Jesus would say the same about our own structures, edifices, and policies. Maybe we have taken great pride in building up a Church that doesn’t have long to exist. Perhaps we are pinning our pride to a system that is ready to crumble, or a theology that will take us down a dead end. This is why it is important to focus on the Holy Spirit at this time of Pentecost. What is He saying to us? What is He working towards? What is He asking us to do?

After Jerusalem and its great buildings were torn down in AD70 by the Romans, Judaism was reformed by the rabbis at Javneh in AD93 and Christianity emerged as a new faith. Perhaps then, we should be asking ourselves this question: if our church buildings and structures were to collapse within a generation, how would our faith reform and what new ways to Christ would emerge?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, You are the Foundation and Corner Stone of our faith. Build our people into churches of compassion, truth, and mission. Give us the understanding to see the Way ahead and help us to embrace the Holy Spirit as He reshapes, reforms, and renews Your Church on Earth. In Your sacred Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. if you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image is John’s latest Pentecost drawing called “Spirit on Fire.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7077/7251220410_933cbb13fa_b.jpg

4 Minute Devotions: Ablazing Grace

1 Thessalonians 5:19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire;

My very first Pentecostal experience occurred during an evening worship service in Glasgow, Scotland. A group of my Christian friends had heard about the new charismatic movement and we wanted to see what happened at Pentecostal meetings. The worship music was loud and lively. The prayers were long and tedious. The scripture readings were read from the Authorized Version, and the whole service seemed to be a blend of the old and the new. The preacher preached passionately and we all felt it would be time to go home soon. We were totally unprepared for what happened next.

During the preaching, someone stood up at the front and started to heckle the preacher, or at least that’s what it sounded like to us. Within a couple of minutes, people in the congregation were standing up all over the place, babbling forcefully. It was amazing in a weird way and when some people in the pews next to us started to speak in tongues, a few of the girls in our group became hysterical and wept uncontrollably.

I had no idea what was happening. There didn’t seem to be any control and at first, I thought the people were bewitched. Eventually, everything was quiet and the pastor began to interpret what had been spoken through the tongues.

Although I was uncomfortable with the whole process, I recognized the Spirit’s fire in the people. They were spiritually ablaze for Christ and their worship of Him was passionately sincere. Since then, I have experienced the same process, although I have never used it in the ministry God has called me to fulfill. In fact, it’s been many years since I have let myself be fully taken over by the Spirit in that way. It makes me wonder at times if I am guilty of putting out the Spirit’s fire in order to conform to my Calvinist ways.

I think we all need to be passionate about our belief in Christ and allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by the Spirit from time to time. There are so many things about God that we don’t fully understand and there are many ways of being open to the bidding of the Spirit, including speaking in tongues. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to publicly speak in tongues among my church family and Christian friends, but I also would never undermine anyone’s right to experience and vocalize the same.

Perhaps if we would allow the Spirit to work more in our hearts and minds, we would accomplish more for Christ and God’s Kingdom. I am so glad to be part of a church that is not blown about by current trends or fashionable fancies. All that we achieve and accomplish at Erin is through the work of the Spirit, to the glory of Christ Jesus. If it was ever anything else, it would be time to pack up and leave.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, You are wild and untameable, uncontrollable and without boundaries. You come and go as You please, seeking to fill hearts with Christ and churches with God’s presence. Permit us to experience this privileged presence and guide us all in God’s way. In Christ’s Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome :)

Today's image is one of John's Pentecost drawings called "Let the Fire Fall." if you would like to view a larger version, click this link: Firefall.