November 19, 2009

• a call to ALL believers: relaunching the praise assault

  Earlier this summer I wrote about II Chronicles 20 (the story of King Jehoshaphat) and importance of praise in fighting the enemy.  At the time I said we were launching a praise assault.

  I'd like to relaunch the praise assault. Praise and worship are things the devil despises. He's constantly trying to snuff our our joy.

  The apostle Paul was big into worship and praise. Many people think of him as focused on doctrine, which he was, but we find him also carried away in the Spirit with praise to God. We find him interjecting praise to God all the time in his letters. He was so taken up with the joy of the Lord.

  In his letter to the Colossians we find this particular call to worship and praise.

  12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
  
  15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
  

  –Colossians 3:1-3, 12-17

  There's a ton packed into those verses, so I'm not going to hit it all.

  But I think our first response to Paul's words might be: Ok, wait, how do we do that? Really? Especially as we've seen the division in the church once again. Yes, the division's been there, but I've become more aware of it again, and I hope you have also. It's a very good thing when we get a right assessment of our true condition. Yet we see our differences and we ask, "How can we really love each other? Really?" We look at those commands and say, "You have got to be kidding me!" "That love thing is a pipe dream." I want to tell you, my dear brothers and sisters, we can! Remember, God's commandments are not burdensome for the believer. We have Christ's life, Christ's very Spirit dwelling within us so we might love one another as He has loved us. I'm not saying we will do it perfectly but let's look to the possibility and see that the possibility can become reality as we yield to the Spirit of God in us rather than obeying the lust of the flesh.

  I've decided we have got to move forward into the promised land in terms of the promises God has for us. I wrote about this a few days ago in my post "no more lukewarmness! let us enter the promised land!" at tent of meeting. Our brother Bernie "so happens" to be writing similar things this week. Our heavenly Father has made this new life available to us, it IS a reality. Are you ready to come with me into the promised land? Any Joshuas or Calebs out there ready to trust that the God who promises has the power to perform His promise! Anyone ready to storm the promised land and by faith take hold of the inheritance we have as children of God? Anyone out there? I'm not talking about sinless perfection but I'm talking about a life far beyond what we can ask or think. To know the love and joy and peace of God so when the greatest, more furious storm comes, we can stand and not blink. Where we can turn the other cheek. Where we can forgive 70 x 7 times. That we can love and not expect love in return. That we can speak boldly without fear of men. I'm not there yet, I confess, but I want to be. I hate the sin in me more and more. God has given us all His Spirit so we might offer ourselves to Him to bear fruit to holiness. Sin is to no longer have dominion over us. Do we believe this? Do we believe we can live like Jesus? To live lives given over to our Father's business. Isn't that why we have received the Spirit? Or do we believe we've received the Spirit only to get a spiritual high?

  I've been thinking about dreams lately. No, I'm not talking about literal dreams...

  The first mention of dreams that caught my ear was in a movie about Alexander the Great. Ptolemy is quoted as speaking about Alexander: "The dreamers exhaust us. They must die before they kill us with their blasted dreams." (I don't recommend the movie for various reasons...) I don't know if he said or wrote any such thing but I liked it.

  The second was in the mini-series remake of "The Prisoner" (again, I wouldn't necessarily recommend watching it). People are mysteriously snatched up and end up in "The Village," and given a whole new life. Except this new life is not a good new life (as we think of the life in Christ). A few of them still have dreams of their real life. The powers that be (personified quite eerily by Ian McKellen, who plays "Number 2," – yes, everyone's a number there in The Village, you no longer have your own name), they want to keep people from dreaming, from remembering the reality that was once theirs. The life in The Village is no real life. It's bogus. It's all false, contrived, manipulated and full of fear.

  In a similar way Satan wants to snatch our dreams and our vision for the promised land. He's keeping us living in The Village. Trying to keep us blinded to the glorious possibilities of the Christian life. He's a liar and the father of lies. He's a deceiver. He's trying to steal our vision. He's trying to kill the dreamers and their dreams, or at least to discourage them and shut them up. I'm here to tell you the land flowing with milk and honey and abundant fruit is available to us today as believers. Not only for heaven. But now. Jesus said if we believe in Him we have eternal life. Now. Today. Yes, and also for eternity. But it begins the moment we believe. Peace that passes understanding. Joy unspeakable and full of glory. Love that covers a multitude of sin. Holiness unto the Lord. Sanctification by the Spirit.

  How do you look at the glorious possibilities of the Christian life? When you read you're supposed to love all Christians, when you read that you're to put off sin, when you read the beatitudes, when people put these things out in front of you, do you say, "Oh, that's only for certain people, or only for Bible times." "God can't really mean that for me. That's too hard." "Oh, yes, and besides, God doesn't know so and so." (Please see my post "postcards from England: are we excited over a dead fish and a car wreck?")

  I've had the dreams, not literal dreams, but I've got a little glimpse into the promised land, God's let me taste a little bit of the fruit there, some of the fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore, and I've come to tell you He means it for you, for me, for all of us, all His children. God has so much more than we can ask or imagine. Are we content with our safe, cozy, quiet, lukewarm Christianity without power, looking no different than the world, without living water flowing out of us, with the salt remaining in the salt shaker? How can we be content with that kind of Christianity? That's why I'm continuing to pray for and write about revival.

  I want to let you know that a firstfruit of those glorious possibilities is love for one another, the grace to welcome one another in spite of our differences for the glory of God and for Christ's sake. All of us. We've all been washed in the blood. We've all been covered with Christ's righteousness. We've all drunk of the living water. We've all eaten of the bread from heaven. We're all in the family of God. We can't claim to love God if we don't love our brothers and sisters. Family love is a fruit of our being born again into the family. How can we not love those our Father loves? How can we not love those the Son, our Savior, shed His blood for? Is His blood only effective for the Arminian? Is His blood only effective for the Calvinist? How can we not love those in whom His Spirit dwells? If we love Him, we will love the Church.
  
  Let's remember this: our real enemy here is Satan. He wants us to keep us from dreaming. He doesn't want us to even imagine the promises of God are really available for us to pursue by faith. One of his tactics is to attempt to shatter the unity we have in Christ; of course He can never really do that totally for we are all in Christ, but he can certainly wreak havoc. We've seen it. He loves it when we argue and bicker. And when we do, we're distracted us from the work of the Kingdom and not only that but we're not being living witnesses of the love of Christ in how we treat one another. If an unbeliever would hear or read some of our conversations with or about other Christians, what would they think? What would God think? What does He think? He hears them, you know...In fact, whatever you speak or write to another believer, you're speaking it or writing it to Him...perhaps we should consider that when we're about to click that reply or submit button...Gulp!

  Today when I was out driving (I'm not making this up) I saw two things. First I drove by a harvester at work in the field. Then within about a minute or two I drove my a huge, huge pile of ruins. If we get stuck in the ruins (or contribute to the rubble), how can we ever get out to the harvest? We'll be stuck, we'll sidelined, we'll be distracted. That's what happens when we remain resentful toward one another and unforgiving. When we look down on one another  rather than submit to one another in love. And know this: that is exactly where Satan wants us.

  The devil's agenda is to put a wet blanket on the fire, to quench the dreams...but let me tell you, when God wants to send revival, nothing's going to prevent it from coming down from heaven. Think Elijah on Mt. Carmel. Those gallons and gallons of water on the sacrifice and the wood. Filing up the trench. Not just a sprinkling of water. The whole thing was covered in water. Can anything stop the sovereign hand of God from moving? No!

  I Kings 18:38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. 39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God.

  Do you believe the Lord can do that today? Do you sing songs like "The Days of Elijah" but don't really believe what you're singing? Do you believe God can wake us up out of our slumber? He can! Do you believe He can ignite us so we'll no longer be lukewarm. He can! We can't predict when, but we can say He can do it. And I'm praying for Him to do it again! Send the fire, Lord! I'm trusting You to move. I'm seeking You to move. We are so dead, dry and devastated now. Nothing will help us but a movement of Your Spirit coming down upon us!

  Ok, now I'll give you more Scripture regarding the commands we find at the end of Colossians 3. At the beginning of Colossians 3 Paul reminds us of the new spirit and new life we have in Christ so we might love one another (cf. Romans 6:1-7:6):

  1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God...

  If we are Christ's, we have been raised with Christ, we're to seek the things that are above. We are new creations with new hearts. We have died to sin to live to God. We can love one another as Christ has loved us. It's not a pipe dream, it's a definite possibility. As we walk in the Spirit, we can love all those who are born again by grace through faith into God's family the same way God loved us.

  Yes, these things are impossible for us, but possible for God! We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. As we abide in the true Vine, in the one who is perfect Love, we can bear this love. In fact, that's the only way we can love one another.

  Now, let's get to the praise assault...

  By the grace of God at work in you, by the power of the Spirit who has come to indwell you to conform you to the image of Christ, I invite you to launch a praise assault now.

  Going back to Paul's words in Colossians 3:

  15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

  As we lift up voices to Jesus Christ in praise and thanksgiving, our accusations against one another are silenced.

  As we lift up our hands to Jesus Christ in praise and thanksgiving, our swords to slice off ears fall to the ground.

  As we kneel and prostrate ourselves before the cross in praise and thanksgiving, we can't look down on one another.

  It's a start...as much as it is possible, as far as it depends on us, we are to live in harmony with each other, to live at peace with each other, to let our love be genuine (see Romans 12)...we can do this by the power of God at work in us!

  My dear blood-washed brothers and sisters, we are all in the same family. I thank God for each and every one of you. Yes, I know we have our differences. But we are all Christ's. We're all His sheep. If you are His, whether you are Methodist, Assembly of God, Presbyterian, Baptist, etc., etc., whether you are Arminian or Calvinist, I love you in Jesus. It grieves me so much to see the Church broken and shattered. Yes, I've got my theological bent for sure, but I know I'm to love you regardless. If you have been born again, if you are trusting in Christ's blood to save you and not your own works, we're all together in this magnificent and majestic family of God. There's nothing like in all the universe. We're here together for the long haul. We're headed to heaven! Let's start praising Him together today...after all, that's what we'll be doing forever and ever and ever...Let's ask God to give us the grace to love one another. It's something He longs to give us for His glory. May His Name be lifted up here and no other name. For He alone is worthy to receive all praise, honor and glory.

  Will you please sing the new song of praise to our God along with me here? Please add your praises and thanksgivings to our God as well as your thanksgiving to God for your brothers and sisters. As the Spirit leads you, please add a Scripture, a song, a hymn of praise to God. Let's launch a praise assault right here and let His Kingdom come into Xanga and Revelife!

  And then I'm asking you to consider doing one more thing. Please put aside whatever you were planning to blog on next and devote your next blog to praise to God and thanksgiving to God for your brothers and sisters in Christ. Just as we give thanks for family at Thanksgiving, let's ask God to help us to have His heart to love and give thanks for all our brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ, regardless of our differences. What a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration we can have together! Imagine it! I do! Let's make it a reality tonight. We can through the life of Christ in us! Soli Deo Gloria!

  Yours in Christ,
  Karen

  • 6:35 PM
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