God's Plan for Victory

I am now reading Shiloh, a historical novel by Shelby Foote about the Civil War battle of the same name. On the first day of the battle, the South routed Union troops, forcing thousands of blue-coated soldiers to quit the battlefield in fear. But late in the day, Union reinforcements arrived on steamboats. The novel depicts Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forrest pleading with his fellow Southern leaders for a night attack against these newly arrived troops. He reasoned that if they allowed these new troops to get off the boats safely, the next day they would have to fight a much stronger force. Instead, he said, they should strike now and end the battle while they had the advantage. Every other Confederate general refused to fight, however, saying their men were too tired after a grueling battle.

There is a strategy to winning a war. One reason that many of us enjoy games of strategy, from chess to Scrabble to baseball to backgammon, is that we employ those same thinking skills in a less violent undertaking. In all of those cases, winning occurs through sound reason, strict discipline, and anticipating our enemy's moves.

Scripture tells us that there is an unseen war going on in our lives, a battle between the forces of good and evil. God's side is stronger, without a doubt, but if we live in ignorance of this war, we can unwittingly aid the enemy's side. This Sunday, we'll conclude our study of Ephesians with a look at this unseen battle and how we can win, from Ephesians 6:10-18. It's Lord's Supper Sunday, so come ready to observe the sacrifice of our Lord, too.

Changing the World Through Being a Good Neighbor

I found this article in the Baptist Standard, and just had to share it with you all. First, because it's about a good friend of mine. John Wills was Carrie's youth minister when she was a teenager, and performed our wedding. I had lost touch with him in recent years, so I was thrilled to see an article about his new ministry. But second and more important, I wanted you to read about his approach to evangelism. I can only describe it as changing the world through being a good neighbor. This is the sort of evangelism many Christians today would feel very comfortable engaging in. And in a world where people crave real community, it might be the most effective method of all. Enjoy: Click here

God's Plan for His Church

One year, I went to a Middle School near my house to participate in See You at the Pole. For the uninitiated, See You at the Pole is a student-led event that happens on school campuses every September. Kids gather around their flag pole before class to pray for their school and our country. That day, as the kids prayed together, I noticed that there was a large stray dog who had wandered into the gathering. He was a pretty scruffy looking character, and he must have been attracted to this big group of people. At the end, we all made a huge circle around the flagpole for a final large group prayer. When we said amen, I noticed that the dog was surrounded by kids. All of them were petting him, scratching behind his ears. And this dog was in heaven. I've never seen a tail wag that hard. It struck me that this is what the Church is about. Needy, lost, unloved people should be drawn to us, and they should get showered with the love of God through the hands of people like you and me. That's the way it's supposed to work.

In our study of Ephesians, we've talked about God's plan for the world, for individual people, and for peace. All of those plans are meant to be accomplished through the Church. Organized Christianity has taken its share of lumps in recent years--most of them deserved. But the Church, with all its flaws, is still God's Plan A for accomplishing His transformative work on Earth. As far as I know, there is no Plan B.

So what part do we play in this? God expects us to be the "hands" of His Church. This Sunday we'll look at Ephesians 4:1-16, and see God's Plan for His Church.

God's Plan for Peace

Last night, I saw injustice in action. I had a baseball game on TV as background noise, when suddenly they switched to a different game, between Detroit and Cleveland. It was the bottom of the ninth inning. Detroit pitcher Armando Galarraga was three outs away from a perfect game--27 batters up, 27 outs. I called my kids into the room. "You have to watch this," I said, "A perfect game almost never happens." The first two batters were retired, one on a sensational over-the-shoulder catch by Detroit's centerfielder. Just one out to go...a soft ground ball on the right side of the infield...a close play at first...and the umpire called him...SAFE. The perfect game was ruined.

Only it was the wrong call. Replays showed it clearly; the runner should have been called out. My daughter Kayleigh doesn't watch a lot of baseball, and she was confused. "Aren't they going to review it? Won't the other umpires come and tell him what really happened? Can't he change his mind?" But a call in baseball, once made, stands forever. Armando Galarraga is an average major league pitcher (he was in the minor leagues as recently as last month). This was most likely his only shot at baseball immortality, and it was stolen from him.

Oddly, I found myself feeling sorry for the umpire, Jim Joyce, a man with 22 years of experience who has umpired World Series games. To his credit, Joyce admitted after seeing a replay that he was wrong. "It's the biggest call of my career," Joyce said, "I just cost this kid a perfect game." But there's no going back. The toothpaste is out of the tube.

We live in a world of injustice. It is a world filled with hatred, violence, bitterness and prejudice. If we believed our God was oblivious to these things, He wouldn't be much of a God. But of course, He is not oblivious. He has a plan to right the wrongs. The Jim Joyce in all of us has an opportunity to be forgiven and--even better--reconciled to God and to those who have been oppressed. This Sunday we'll talk a close look at Ephesians 2:11-22 at God's plan for peace on Earth. See you then.

God's Plan for Your Life

I come from a family of artists. My childhood home was covered with paintings and drawings created by my dad. My brother originally went to college as an art major before switching to architecture. He uses his creative skills at work everyday, but still finds time occasionally to draw or paint just for fun. And now my daughter Kayleigh has followed in their footsteps. She's in the art magnet program at Johnston Middle School, and I'm consistently amazed at the beautiful works she creates.

Scripture teaches us that God is an artist. This Sunday, I will be preaching on Ephesians 2:1-10, which contains one of my favorite sentences. Verse 10 says, "For you are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which He prepared beforehand, that you would do them. That word "workmanship" is a translation of the Greek word poema, which means "work of art" or "masterpiece." Since before you were born, God has been working to equip you for the purpose He had in mind when He made you. Ephesians 2:1-10 talks about that process of transformation, what we can do to experience it to the full, and what it's all ultimately leading to. It will be a very affirming message.

God's Plan for the World

Just after the 9/11 attacks, thousands of young men and women enlisted in our country's Armed Forces. Indignant at the savagery of terrorism, these young Americans were determined to do their part to assure this would never happen again. Meanwhile, another story at the time got quite a bit less media attention. There were also people in the military in 2001 who went AWOL when our nation's leaders invaded Afghanistan and Iraq. I remember one young man telling the press that he didn't sign up to fight. He joined the military so that he could gain valuable skills, build a solid resume, and get money for college. But now that he would be required to put his life on the line, he was quitting...even though it meant facing military justice.

In a spiritual sense, American Christianity has a lot in common with that reluctant soldier. We have many of the outward signs of historic Christian faith, but underneath our "uniform," our commitment to God's Kingdom is weak. We follow Christ because we have determined that it's the smart play. Jesus forgives our sins and assures us of eternal bliss. He protects and provides for us, and if we play our cards just right, He might even give us the stuff we've been dreaming of. In reality, we are using God (or attempting to do so).

But the biblical description of following Christ is focused on God's Kingdom; all other things take care of themselves. True Christianity doesn't seek to use God; it is determined to BE used BY God.

This Sunday, we'll begin a six-week study of Ephesians that I'm calling "God's Plan for the World." What is God up to in the world, and how can we be involved in His work? We'll take a look at the plan He had in mind before He created the first atom (or the first Adam!). That plan is what life is all about; it's exciting to think of, to anticipate, and to be involved in. It is my strong belief that when we commit ourselves wholeheartedly to His plan, then we start to truly live.

When You Can't Hear God's Voice

Imagine you're stranded on the Southwest Freeway in the heat of the day. You pull out your cell phone to call the person you trust the most: Your parent, spouse, or best friend. But there's no answer. What do you do?

Do you curse their name, call them unreliable, assume they're screening their calls and are not answering simply because they no longer like you?

Do you throw your cell phone off the overpass into the oncoming traffic and swear never to call anyone, ever again?

More likely, you assume that there's a very good reason why they didn't answer. You know that they will check their voice mail and come pick you up as soon as possible.

It's not a perfect analogy to prayer, I know (for after all, we can always call someone else in my stuck-on-the-freeway scenario). But my question is: Why don't we extend God the same benefit of the doubt when we call on Him? This Sunday, we will conclude our series on Hearing God's Voice and Knowing His Will, but I would be irresponsible if I didn't acknowledge that sometimes we can't hear His voice, no matter how hard we pray. God is not limited by human fallibility; we know He isn't too busy, away from His phone, asleep or on the other line. But we also know that He loves us. When we can't hear Him, there is always a good and valid reason. So what might some of those reasons be? And what should we do in the meantime? We'll take an honest look at those and other questions this Sunday, as we study Psalm 13.