a simple desire

Divine Providence

The heavens tell of the glory of God.
The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or a word;
their voice is silent in the skies.

(Psalm 19: 1-3)

I haven’t written for quite awhile, because of the movement of Christ Jesus in my life. Eleven days ago on a Saturday afternoon, while my wife Kathleen and I were reading the “Mennonite Weekly Review” newspaper, several articles caught our attention. As usual, we moved from the newspaper to the internet to follow-up on articles of interest. We spent an hour or two surfing the net eventually landing on a website for an intentional Christian/Mennonite community in Tiskilwa, Illinois, call Plow Creek. This was of high interest to us, because we have been thinking about living in such a community for many years. As we read through the website, we pass through a page about something called The Way of Christ, which is “a lay led, Believers Church, Cursillo movement of Church of the Brethren, Brethren Church & Mennonite Christians. The Way of Christ is a three day event where participants share in a vibrant portrait of the grace filled life Jesus lived and taught. It is a time where the hope of Christ is celebrated, the believer’s purpose in life named, the love of God in Jesus proclaimed.” http://www.plowcreek.org/way1.htm

Apparently, at the same time I was reading about the weekend, the leadership team for the upcoming retreat weekend was prayerfully asking God if there was anyone else who was supposed to be attending. A little later that evening I sent off an e-mail to a contact person for The Way of Christ weekend inquiring when the next event would be held. I received a reply that indicated that the men’s retreat would begin on Thursday at Camp Menno Haven in Tiskilwa. That was only four days away! I thought I should go, but was it God’s will. When I told Kathleen about the schedule, she immediately said, “You should go.”

I prayed.

I felt God’s peaceful invitation calling me to Illinois, as my mind began to be filled with Satan’s opposing arguments.

I prayed.

I experienced the power of God’s hand bringing order to the situation. I easily obtained permission from my employer to take two extra days off and found a reasonable priced airfare from Maine to Chicago. From the moment of my commitment to the plan on Monday evening, I felt myself carried on the wings of God’s love. This was because I was following God’s will, and because dozens of people were now praying for me in preparation for the weekend.

I didn’t really know what to expect. I felt God’s presence in the hearts of my brothers in Christ who led the event. There were not a few leaders and a large group of participants, which is common in most Christian gatherings. Instead, there were 10 participants and approximately 38 men who gave all they had to help us become stronger Christians. They were our nurse-maids. They taught us, cooked for us, provided a clean and comfortable place to sleep, worshipped with us, prayed with us, sang with us, encouraged us, laughed and cried with us, and most importantly loved us without restraint. In addition to all this, at least a hundred men and women committed to pray during the three days in support of what God was doing.

The weekend answered a question that I had been carrying for a number of years. “How can we help men and women become completely committed Christians? I have observed that the loan pastor with a flock of 25 to 50 sheep usually didn’t help bring complete commitment to most of them. I saw here in this gathering of brothers in Christ an appropriate ratio. It takes a lot of love and attention to help a brother move from life as a partially committed believer to life as a committed Christian who is willing to live for Christ, and if needed, die for Him. Of course a 72 hour weekend will not accomplish a complete conversion, but it can lay a solid foundation. The road ahead needs to be filled with loving fellowship, where there is the willingness to open our hearts to the gaze of Christ Jesus and to the love of brothers who are also committed to loving our Lord Jesus.

What did I learn? First I learned that God answers prayers. Of course I knew that before, and of course my prayers have been answered before, but this was another example that prayer is a powerful builder of relationships. I learned that, as Committed Christians, we must live like Christians. It does not serve Christ to say we love Him on Sunday morning, and then fashion our lives in such a way that our thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors are no different than those who rebel against God. Yes, I knew that before, but I saw how love and commitment go hand-in-hand with new eyes, and I saw how love really brings new life. Satan, and the world he rules, destroys life at every turn. But God’s Holy Spirit gives eternal life. This does not happen by chance, rather there is a Biblically directed pattern that leads us into God’s eternal life. I learned about three ways to build our commitment to Christian living. This is accomplished through Piety, Study, and Action.

Piety is about doing what is necessary to have a loving relationship with God without hindrances and obstacles. Are you willing to listen to God? Are you willing to be honest with God about your pain and imperfections? Are you willing to repent for your sins? Are you willing to ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen you so that you can refrain from habitual sin? Are you willing to lay down your willful self-interest and follow God’s perfect will? Are you willing to submit and serve your brothers and sisters with humility? Are you willing to worship God with a full and open heart? Are you willing to give all that you have in submission to the call of the Lord?

Study is about learning the complete truth about what it means to be a committed Christian. Far too many churches teach partial Christian truth, because they are afraid of offending members of the church. Study means learning the content of the Bible and applying every teaching to your life. Are you willing to routinely read the Bible? Are you willing to study the text with the assistance of reference books and wise counsel from the Holy Spirit? Are you willing to ask questions of those who have acquired extensive Biblical knowledge and then verify what you have been told through your own study? Are you willing to place God’s Holy Word above your own opinion?

Action is nothing more than doing things in the world with the strength and love that God has given us. Loving and Christ filled actions are born from a holy heart schooled in piety and a mind educated in the truth of Holy Scripture. Are you willing to have your actions be consistent with the love of Christ? Are you willing to be known by the strength of your Christian love? Are you willing to act and speak when the world demands that you be silent? Are you willing to act by speaking the truth of God when everyone around you is demanding that you rebel against God’s commandments? Are you willing to serve God with all your heart, mind, and strength? Are you willing to serve your brothers and sisters by feeding them, clothing them, giving them shelter, and by exhorting them to accept Christ’s invitation? Are you willing to carry the weak in faith and lovingly encourage them as they grow in faith through contact with you and the God you love?

As I take my own inventory in response to these questions, I observe that I have emphasized piety and study in recent years, but the strength of my actions have been deficient. In the more distant past, I emphasized action and ignored piety. These three aspects of Christian living can easily fall out of balance. I saw clearly, through The Way of Christ weekend that it is absolutely necessary to bring piety, Study and Action into a dynamic balance. Too much of any one of these aspects of Christian living destabilizes the life of a Christian and will also destabilize the church.

I have seen many churches where emphasis is only placed in one area of Christian living. One church demands piety, and teaches little about the Bible and expects little action. Some churches teach the Bible without ceasing, and assume that reading scripture is all that is needed for Christian living. Others are only churches of action – members do many good works without seeking to be personally transformed by God or to be grounded in Biblical truth. The person who asks God to help him become Christ-like without reservation will begin to possess a God given desire for piety, study, and action. This desire need not be manufactured from our own willfulness. It will flow into our lives as living water. It will fall upon us as grace filled rain and flow around our feet as the stream of His loving grace. God will give us what we need to live as committed Christians whenever we ask Him for His help.

Lord Jesus, you gave me a great gift last week by drawing me together with brothers in Christ who were willing to be lead by your Holy Spirit so that they could lead me into closer relationship with you. I bow my head in awe. I give prayerful thanks for what you did through them. Lord Jesus, I pray that the days ahead will be guided by the providence of your loving Spirit. I pray that:

My life will tell of the glory of God.
My life will display Your marvelous craftsmanship.
Day after day I will continue to speak;
night after night I will make You known.
I will speak without a sound or a word;
That they will know I am a Christian by the strength of my love.