The Process

Occasionally, people approach me for help and want me to fix in five minutes what it’s taken perhaps many years to “break.”  They’re looking for the big event and the quick fix.

Even God needed time to redeem the earth!  Two-thousand years passed between Creation and Abraham; another two-thousand years passed from Abraham to Christ, and another two-thousand-plus years from Christ to our day.  And redemption’s scheme still hasn’t played out completely.  The devil is still on the prowl.  “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8b). 

Don’t get me wrong.  I thank God for the “big events” in the Christian life.  I was born again on August 4, 1970, baptized in the Holy Spirit on July 22, 1971 and baptized in water on August 18, 1974.  Because of my fear of water, it took me four years to work up the nerve to get “dunked.”  And even then I positioned a pastor on each side of me to secure my re-entry from the waters of the Grand River in Rock Creek!

I’m thankful when God answers a prayer or grants me a hallmark experience.  Those times ignite my faith and move me toward higher levels in God. 

Long ago, the night skies outside of Bethlehem suddenly lit up when an angel made earth’s greatest birth announcements to a group of unsuspecting shepherds. “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (Luke 2:8-9).

In A.D. 29, 120 believers in Jesus Christ were gathered together in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem when sounds from heaven suddenly filled the atmosphere.  “When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:1-2).

The first “suddenly” of God announced the birth of a Savior.  The second “suddenly” signaled the birth of the Church. While we marvel at the big events in the Christian life, we must never forget that the intricacies of the Faith are hammered out on the anvil of time.  Salvation is both an event and a process.  I was saved, I’m being saved, and I will ultimately be saved.  Like you, I’m in process of “becoming.”  Remember, we’re human “beings.”

John 1:40-42 is a particularly meaningful passage to me.  “Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus.  The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah (that is, the Christ)’ And he brought him to Jesus.  Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon, son of John.  You will be called Cephas, which translated, is Peter.’” 

Jesus saw not only who Simon WAS, but who he WOULD BECOME.  That’s why He gave him a new name – Cephas in Aramaic, Peter in Greek.  Either way, both names mean “a rock.”  Peter, of course, is not presented in the Gospels as rock-solid, but he became a solid rock in the days of the Early Church.  By giving Simon a new name Jesus introduced a progressive change in character. 

Jesus looked past the Simon of “today” and saw the Peter of “tomorrow.”  He saw untapped potential.  That’s the way he sees us, too!  Don’t allow the process of you becoming more like Jesus to make you impatient.  Know that the good work He began in you will come to fruition.

Forced Disconnection

In the Gospels we read about Jesus’ need to withdraw from the crowds, daily life activities and the demands of ministry – those times when he got away to a “quiet place” to commune with His Father.  “But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed” (Luke 5:16).  If the Son of Man had to get away from it all, how much more do we?

I’m concerned.

It appears to me that life is too hectic and that many of us are experiencing emotional and mental burnout.  Many too, are forfeiting precious time in the Lord’s life-sustaining presence.  Someone aptly said, “If we don’t come apart and rest awhile, we will surely come apart!” 

My wife and I were discussing this concern the other day when Lori asked, “Why does it seem that some people find it easier to connect with God than others?”  Lori then said, “God’s presence seems to intensify when we experience a 'forced disconnection.'”

What is a “forced disconnection?” 

Whenever we purposefully set aside time to experience the Lord’s presence, and we refuse to allow distractions of any kind, we are practicing a “forced disconnection.”

Going to church with the express intention of worshipping God and listening to the preached Word without interruptions is an example of “forced disconnection.”  When we refuse to allow the concerns and drama of life to distract our worship, we are practicing “forced disconnection.”  Time spent in the Lord’s presence releases the hold that stress tends to exact on our minds.

I loved going to church camp as a kid.  And I remember thinking, “Wow, the presence of God is so much stronger at camp than in my home church.”  In retrospect, this was not true.  The truth was that when I went to camp I experienced a “forced disconnection.”  My heart became tender toward the moving of the Spirit because I was forced to focus on spiritual matters all day, every day.  I experienced the necessity of a “forced disconnection.”  I more easily sensed God’s presence because I did not have outside interruptions.

 Now let’s apply the necessity of “forced disconnection” to our every day life.  Are we turning off the television, withholding commands for “Alexa,” putting our laptop computer on the shelf, silencing our cell phone and getting away from the noise of the day to meet with God?

The Scriptures give this promise:  “Call on Me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart, I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord…” (Jeremiah 29:13-14).

As I write this, my heart yearns for His deeper presence in my life.  Perhaps like you, I have allowed the cares of life to squeeze out precious time with Him.  The very presence that longs to sustain me, many times is pushed aside for lesser pursuits.  I plan to pursue His presence through “forced disconnection” in the days ahead!

Suddenly!

Have you ever noticed the “suddenlies” of God recorded in the New Testament?

Here’s a few:

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom His favor rests’” (Luke 2:13-14).

“When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.  Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting” (Acts 2:1-2).

“As he (Saul of Tarsus) neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him” (Acts 9:3).

These times of God’s intervention reveal His modus operandi, or His way of responding to people.  Have you ever experienced this aspect of God’s intervention in your life?

Often, life tends to rock along and we are required to wait and to endure.  Answers to prayer seem slow in coming.  Miracles evade us.  Then, all of a sudden, God shows up and brings a “suddenly” into our life.  “Suddenlies” constitute breakthroughs!

“Suddenlies” usually preclude a new season of God’s purposes in kingdom life.  For example, an angelic host suddenly appeared in the night skies over Bethlehem to “sing” earth’s greatest birth announcement.  This host had waited centuries to serenade unsuspecting shepherds!

Wind and fire suddenly filled an upper room in Jerusalem and 120 men and women were filled with the Holy Spirit, thus inaugurating the birth of the Church.  This group had been required to wait several days before their “suddenly” manifested. 

A light brighter than the noonday sun suddenly overwhelmed Saul of Tarsus; and Jesus Christ spoke from heaven, forever changing the life of this Jewish hatchet man.  That day in the dirt, God’s “suddenly” transformed a persecutor into a preacher!  Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, would later write two-thirds of the New Testament.  God’s “suddenly” was followed by a heavenly assignment!

But wait.  We usually don’t experience “suddenlies” every day.  Sometimes we are called upon to wait.  However, remember that God’s delays do not constitute His denials.  His delays do not signal His deliberate attempts to withhold His help we so desperately need at times.  When His purposes in our life have been worked out, He shows up with a “suddenly” and kingdom plans are set into motion. His timing is perfect!

Do you need God’s intervention in a situation today?  Remember, He is at work on your behalf this very moment and when His kingdom purpose for your life comes to fruition, your “suddenly” will come forth.  His modus operandi hasn’t changed!

I Hate to Wait!

I don’t wait well.  Do you?   And I have a theory:  The acid test of patience is how we deal with delays in the drive-thru lines of our favorite fast-food restaurants!

I hate to admit it, but often I act like the children of Israel. On one occasion they failed miserably in the “waiting department!”  They were required to wait on Moses, who had climbed Mt. Sinai to hear from God.  Moses’ delay sent them into an angry frenzy that ignited their rebellious and lustful natures.  The outcome was a golden calf – an idol!  

God’s unique purpose in our waiting is to renew and equip us for service.  “Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” (Isaiah 40:31).

What a revelation!  This is one reason why event-oriented Christians become impatient.  They hate to wait!  Furthermore, what they want, they want immediately.  They’re like the Christian who prayed, “Lord, give me patience, right now!” 

And often, event-driven Christians bounce from church to church, looking for the spectacular without ever giving attention to their need for solid Bible-based teaching and preaching and the need for participating and serving in a healthy community of faith.

What’s my point? While walking with the Lord, we tend to magnify events and downplay the process.  We often hear comments like, “Wow, can you believe that service?” or “I wish it could be like that every time we have church.”  The Children of Israel enjoyed their camp meeting on the opposite shore of the Red Sea following their deliverance from Pharaoh’s army.  Later they despised having to wait for Moses to descend the mountain.  However, it’s the process that makes us like Jesus.

In Psalm 95 we read this indictment against Israel:  “They tried Me, though they had seen my work.  For forty years I loathed that generation, and said they are a people who err in their hearts, and they do not know my ways” (verse 9-10).  Psalm 103:7 reminds us that “He made known His ways to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel.”  While miracles are wonderful (and should be expected), it is God’s overriding desire that we assume His nature.

King Saul, on his way to battle, grew impatient and became incensed when the prophet Samuel delayed his coming.  It was solely the prophet’s responsibility to offer the sacrifice (the event).  However, Saul despised the wait (the process), took matters into his own hands and paid dearly for it.  His anger turned to hate, which turned to bitterness, which turned to mental instability.  By the time he fell on his own sword on the battlefield, while the Philistines were closing in, he had been reduced to a psychopathic killer.

So, instead of becoming angry at God’s delays, do like Charles Swindoll says and “enjoy the view from Mt. Perspective.”  Understand that God is “producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).