Shake and Bake

Last Wednesday, August 27, we finished our ten week study of ACTS 29 - a book by Dr. Terry Teykl.  In our last session we explored the 28th chapter of Acts where Paul is shipwrecked on the island of Malta along with the crew and other prisoners who were on their way to Rome.  Paul is building a fire to  help warm the men when suddenly a viper comes out biting Paul on the hand, grabbing his hand.  Paul shakes the snake off his hand and into the fire.  When the island natives expected Paul to die from the poison of a snake bite, Paul lives.  He doesn't swell up or have any negative side effects.  How to interpret this is important.

I don't think we should handle snakes as a sign of God's favor upon us.  If Jesus refused to jump down from the highest point of the Temple, knowing he would be rescued, but refusing to do so saying, "Do not put the Lord your God to the test," then I think we should not handle snakes as a means of testing our faith in God.  All this aside, what does it mean for us?  Dr. Teykl suggests a   few things.

1. Paul ignored the Viper Snake.
Do not give undue attention to the remarks or attacks that other may make on your character and integrity.  While you want to stand up for yourself, don't make more out of it than necessary. 

2. Paul shook the Viper Snake off his hand.
Do something to shake off the attack.  Is someone persecuting you in unjust ways?  Pray for them.  Seek justice. Pray again.  Turn their attacks over to the power of God who deals with all men and women.  Be as proactive in praying for those who persecute you as they are in their persecution of you.  The Scripture teaches us that the Holy Spirit is a good helper and counselor in these times.

3. After you shake, let it bake.
The fire can represent the Holy Spirit.  Turn the evil intent over to the Holy Spirit and let it bake in the Spirit of God's judgment.  As Terry says, "When the enemy comes in like a flood, rise and seek the Spirit's guidance."  Vengeance is not the way of the Christian.  Vengeance belongs to God, and not to us, but circumstances can leave us feeling lost and without direction.  Seek God's guidance.

4. Continue your service in ministry.
Don't let the misfortunes or trials of life keep you from the calling God has for you.  Those who ride horses know - if you fall off - and you will - just get back on.  Get back in God's will for your life.

I hope you've enjoyed my blog on Dr. Terry Teykl's book, ACTS 29.  I hope something I've written has helped you reflect more deeply on your own discipleship.  God bless you in your journey.

Dennis

Acts 12 - Prayers for Healing

It is not easy to be the body of Christ.  We are not a perfect people, but people striving toward perfection by seeking to live in relationship to the God who is perfect in love.  Nevertheless, despite God's continued love toward all human beings, things happen.  As Dr. Terry Teykl writes in this chapter ... "A pastor simply burns out, a leader's marriage falls apart, a youth director is slandered, a Sunday school teacher fails to et recognition, an associate does not receive a much-needed raise - the casualty lists are endless.  And the results are the same.  Feelings are hurt, a wound is inflicted, they come bound, imprisoned by resentment and anger and ultimately they don't minister any longer." 

This week, take time to pray for those you know who have been hurt and have allowed this hurt to cause them to drop out of church.  Let's pray that the wounds which have been inflicted will find healing in the presence of a God who loves them and loving Christian people who are willing to help them find their way back home to God's house.  We must never forget that prayer is not just about anticipating the coming of the kingdom in its fullness, but it's also about not leaving behind those who have felt left behind from the pain put upon them by others.  Let us pray for reconciled hearts, always with God, and whenever possible, with the people who have been at odds with each other.  This wee, pray that God will heal broken relationships.

For as Dr. Teykl writes, "As part of the body suffers, we all suffer.  When they go free, we are free."  I think if you read your Bible, you will find this statement by Dr. Teykl to be very biblical.  God bless you in your prayers this week as we continue our prayer journey through the Acts of the Apostles.

Dennis

Acts 10 - A Harvest of Households

As we continue through Dr. Terry Teykl's book, Acts 29, we are learning how to use the book of Acts as a prayer guide and in Acts 10 Dr. Teykl makes an interesting observation when he writes, "Cornelius was devout, he gave generously, and he prayed regularly.  Yet, he was lost - religious and lost."  What a powerful statement for today's culture, for in our world Cornelius would be considered a spiritual man, one who practiced a faith of human generosity in giving and godly conversation in prayer.  What a wonderful man he is and yet he was lost.  He was religious, but he was lost. 

Why was he lost?  He wasn't lost because he did not attend church or synagogue.  Let's be clear about that point.  Cornelius, though a Gentile, may have been what was called in those days a Godfearer, one who attended synagogue meetings for the prayers and the interpretation of scripture, but was not a Jewish proselyte, meaning he did not convert to the Jewish religion.  He was a spiritualist, but lost in terms of knowing a relationship with God.  It wasn't until the Holy Spirit sent Peter to his home that Cornelius and his entire household were saved - baptized in the name of Jesus Christ and now recipients of God's Holy Spirit!

As we continue to use Acts of the Apostles as a guide for prayer, the emphasis that Dr. Teykl makes is the importance and significance of praying for entire households.  One ministry we can recommit to this fall is to pray for the salvation of entire households.  Do you know families that need the saving grace of Jesus Christ?  This week, think about the unchurched households on your street this week and pray for them.  Also pray for the families that God would send to your church.  Pray that they find a place in your church where they can come and worship together as a family, and if not in your church, then to a church God leads them.

As Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 5:18 - we are called into a ministry of reconciliation.  Let us pray for the reconciliation that needs to take place within families - both with God and within each of the family members.

Dennis

Evangelistic Outreach

Dr. Teykl makes a good point in this week's lesson on evangelistic outreach.  He says it is quite clear that the people who told others about Jesus were constantly finding themselves on "divine appointment."  What he means by that is being "at the right place to tell someone who was ready to hear."  He uses the biblical illustration of Acts 8 when Philip was led by the Spirit to go to a certain place where he met a man who was desiring to learn more about the way of God in the Bible.

This serves as a reminder to me that evangelism, winning a world to Christ, is not a task we Christians came up with to take over the world.  Heaven forbid that be our motivation.  God, in the work of Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit, is about the business of reclaiming and redeeming a lost creation.  Our job is to assist God in His own evangelism work.  It is our role to sense where the Holy Spirit is leading, for if we do, then God will put us in the places He has prepared, places where men and women are open to hearing God's Word for their lives.

This has powerful implications for a prayer life.  Perhaps if we spent more time in prayer for people, praying for them and their souls, then God would use our prayers to help open the ears, minds and hearts of people, so they can be blessed in a salvation that loves, redeems and heals all broken wounds.  In fact, your prayers for another might not be answered in a way that involves you, except for your prayers.  When you pray for the salvation of another person's soul you may not even be the best person to witness to them about Jesus; but God knows just the right person to send their way.  But first, God may be calling you to pray for them.

As I reflect on my prayers this week, I ask myself, "Who do I know that needs to know the Lord Jesus?"  Let me commit to praying for them this week, and for the person God wants to send who can best be the witness of God's love and saving grace to them.

Dennis

Deliver Us From Evil

                It’s week four in my blog and the title of our prayer session last night was “Deliver Us From Evil” and it is based on the story of church leaders who were put in jail for witnessing the gospel.  The story is told in Acts 4 where two of the disciples were put in jail temporarily for preaching the name of Jesus Christ.  When they were told they had to quit proclaiming God’s Word, their first course of action found in Acts 4:23 – 24 was to pray!  It should not surprise us that there will be opposition to any movement that can threaten to destabilize the norms and traditions of community life.  Most of the early opposition to the Christian witness came from within their own religious parties.  Remember, the first Christians were Jews and they did not see themselves as Christians, but as Jews who have been redeemed by Christ Jesus.  The fact that this faith did not mesh well with their established theologies found within their own chief priests reflects a reality that repeats in many different forms and thoughts. 

What’s important to understand is that it is OK for people to have different views and opinions, but to persecute someone because their views are different is when evil rears its ugly head.  In his book Dr. Teykl suggest that there are six areas where the spirit of evil thrives.  They include a spirit of religion that focuses more on  manmade doctrines and traditions than on seeking the face of God … a spirit of pride that stems from our feelings of independence and self-sufficiency … a spirit of accusation that dishonors leadership and blames them for everything we don’t like in our life and society … a spirit of prejudice built on attitudes of denominational superiority where one church thinks they are the only ones who do know the way to God … a spirit of judgment where self-righteousness focuses on works over grace, and a spirit of fear that arises out of the issue of control.

                What I find interesting about these spirits is how evil often arises when something good is distorted.  For example, there is nothing wrong with religion unless it becomes more about us than God.  In the Christian religion, we need to teach people the prayer of seeking God’s face, not ours for their help and salvation.  There is nothing wrong with pride if it is associated with a thankful heart that knows the truth about our own brokenness.  We need to learn the prayer of brokenness before God, always recognizing that we are nothing apart from God.  Accusation is not always bad.  Sometimes, when we make an accusation, we are revealing an injustice that needs to be revealed.  Accusation, like judgment, can be good things is the end goal is to protect and help people in love and compassion and grace.  We need to learn the prayers of honor for our leaders and compassion for those in need to be truly helpful.  Prejudice is never good, but it can arise from a healthy sense of self esteem, which is not bad in itself, but to keep one’s self esteem in check, we must learn the prayer of agreement, recognizing our need to work with others to get things done.  Finally, fear is a good thing if it is the fear of the Lord.  The problem with fear is that we often fear the consequences of displeasing others more than we fear displeasing the Lord.  We need to learn the prayer of faith that dispels ungodly fear, asking God to show us and move us toward the peace that can be found on the other side of a healthy fear of the Lord God the Almighty.

                This week, I am going to spend some time learning some new ways to pray that I explored last night in our study.  I hope you find your way to learn some good prayers to pray this week as well.

-          Dennis

Praying With Purpose

Yesterday in our Wednesday night group we studied the sermon given by Peter in Acts 2 and reflected on this text as a means of deeper exploration for prayer.  What stood out to me in this discussion was the importance of prayer as a means to experiencing the presence of God, and while Peter was preaching and not praying in Acts 2, he still gave us direction as to what to pray for when he told the people of Jerusalem to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins and the promise of the Holy Spirit.  While these early Christians never fooled themselves with false teaching that they could manipulate the Spirit's work by prayer, they did know the significance of praying with a purpose.  They prayed for people's souls - for repentance from sin - and for grace to receive God's forgiveness knowing that such forgiveness is an extension of the promise that comes with the Holy Spirit's presence.

So last night, during prayer time, our study guide asked us to reflect on our neighborhood and pray for specific schools and organizations within our neighborhood.  I prayed for Brained High School and the Brainerd Renewal project that is seeking to raise funds for the Bible in the Public Schools program that can bring a Bible teacher to Brainerd High.  I also prayed for Girls Inc. who has an after school program in our church 4 days a week plus all kinds of special camps helping to reach out to the young girls in the Brainerd area.  They are doing a fantastic job here in Brainerd.  When we got to the part where we were asked to pray for people's repentance and baptism, I prayed for the gangs of the Brainerd neighborhood.  While there are people far more qualified and educated than me who know how to address the problem of gangs, I can at least pray, and that is no small thing, if we take Acts of the Apostles seriously.  I understand the attraction of gangs for young people is the sense of belonging and sense of community it provides - what if those gangs were transformed into communities of faith and discipleship.  We can't make that happen, but God can make it happen. 

Oh, there will be some who think these are wasted prayers, but no prayer is wasted if it is prayed from a sincere heart and with purpose.  God hears our prayers.  All too often we pray for what we want God to do, and then we try to go and make it happen. What if we pray for what we cannot make happen, and wait to see what God will do with our prayers?

In the meantime, let me use this as a time for my own personal spiritual introspection as I pray for the transformation of others.  Is there anything I need to repent of in my life?  The promise of the Holy Spirit is real.  As Jesus said, the Spirit is like the wind where we cannot see Him or control Him, but He is real.  When you pray, think of sending your prayers up to God where they are taken away by the wind of His Spirit.  Where they go, we may never know, but if they are prayed from a sincere heart and with purpose, God will answer them - in God's own way - in God's own time - for God's own purposes!

Dennis

Acts 2 - Model for Discipleship

Okay, so I was on vacation last week and did not attend the Acts 29 Wednesday night study, and I was not around to comment on my blog the following Thursday, so I am playing catchup on Tuesday; but I had a great time away.  Summer is a great time for a vacation!

I find Dr. Terry Teykl's thoughts on Acts 2 both imaginative and provocative.  I would not make the point that religious homilies fail to budge people from their complacency, as he does in his booklet.  For me, worship is not about a homily or a sermon, but the whole worship experience and you cannot judge the value of worship and the impact it has on people by a 10 minute, 20 minute or 45 minute message.  We must also remember that the study on Romans which John Wesley attended on Aldersgate Street in London 1738 did not appear to impact Mr. Wesley until later, when after he left the study he writes that suddenly his heart was strangely warmed and then he knew that he was indeed loved and saved by God, even Mr. Wesley.

On the other hand, I really liked his comment that Acts 2:42 - 47 provides a model for discipleship and fellowship among believers.  Terry writes, "New converts did not just fill out decision cards - they devoted themselves to apostolic teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer."  As I pray today I'm letting my prayers be led by this text of scripture in Acts 2:42 - 47.  I pray that all our new members who have joined in the last couple of years are finding places where they can devote themselves to the teaching of the Word, fellowship, worship and prayer.  As I pray on these four facets of discipleship, I am reminded of how important both Sunday school (small groups) and Sunday worship is to believers in Christ.  

How about you?  Are you in a Sunday school class or small group of believers who know your name and pray for you and help you grow and learn the Word of God?  Are you faithful in a regular habit of worship each Sunday to help you give your thanks and praise to God?  They may seem like simple, mundane events some weeks, but when followed regularly, it makes a difference that can best be seen in hindsight.  My prayer is that God keep us faithful to the mundane, but significant disciplines of growing a faith in God.

See you again on Thursday!

Dennis