project jonathan 3: on intercession

"He . . . wondered that there was no intercessor..." (Isaiah 59:16)

The reason many of us stop praying and become hard toward God is that we only have an emotional interest in prayer. It sounds good to say that we pray, and we read books on prayer which tell us that prayer is beneficial — that our minds are quieted and our souls are uplifted when we pray. But Isaiah implied in this verse that God is amazed at such thoughts about prayer.

Worship and intercession must go together; one is impossible without the other. Intercession means raising ourselves up to the point of getting the mind of Christ regarding the person for whom we are praying (Philippians 2:5). Instead of worshiping God, we recite speeches to God about how prayer is supposed to work. Are we worshiping God or disputing Him when we say, "But God, I just don’t see how you are going to do this"? This is a sure sign that we are not worshiping. When we lose sight of God, we become hard and dogmatic. We throw our petitions at His throne and dictate to Him what we want Him to do. We don’t worship God, nor do we seek to conform our minds to the mind of Christ. And if we are hard toward God, we will become hard toward other people.

Are we worshiping God in a way that will raise us up to where we can take hold of Him, having such intimate contact with Him that we know His mind about the ones for whom we pray? Are we living in a holy relationship with God, or have we become hard and dogmatic?

Do you find yourself thinking that there is no one interceding properly? Then be that person yourself. Be a person who worships God and lives in a holy relationship with Him. Get involved in the real work of intercession, remembering that it truly is work-work that demands all your energy, but work which has no hidden pitfalls. Preaching the gospel has its share of pitfalls, but intercessory prayer has none whatsoever.

--from Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest, March 30

project jonathan 2

"If you become a necessity to someone else’s life, you are out of God’s will."

Before you frown at that rather strong statement, read the below excerpt from Oswald Chambers' My Utmost For His Highest and think about the kind of influence you ought to have for your "partner" in Project Jonathan:

If you become a necessity to someone else’s life, you are out of God’s will. As a servant, your primary responsibility is to be a "friend of the bridegroom" (John 3:29). When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been used in the right direction. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don’t try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we try to be amateur providences in someone’s life. We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God’s will and saying, "This person should not have to experience this difficulty." Instead of being friends of the Bridegroom, our sympathy gets in the way. One day that person will say to us, "You are a thief; you stole my desire to follow Jesus, and because of you I lost sight of Him."

Beware of rejoicing with someone over the wrong thing, but always look to rejoice over the right thing. ". . . the friend of the bridegroom . . . rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:29-30). This was spoken with joy, not with sadness - at last they were to see the Bridegroom! And John said this was his joy. It represents a stepping aside, an absolute removal of the servant, never to be thought of again.

Listen intently with your entire being until you hear the Bridegroom’s voice in the life of another person. And never give any thought to what devastation, difficulties, or sickness it will bring. Just rejoice with godly excitement that His voice has been heard. You may often have to watch Jesus Christ wreck a life before He saves it (see Matthew 10:34).

project jonathan

Doing one of Chip Ingram's daily devotional (March 20th), I've finally found the name for the Accountability "thing-y" we're doing.

Chip Ingram called it "Project Jonathan."

Jonathan was David's closest friend, more like a brother whom he trusted with his life, and was saved because of that trust.

The story of brotherly, sacrificial love between David and Jonathan is what true friendship is all about, and I believe a firm foundation upon which Christian accountability should be built.

So read the story and think about what Chip Ingram says:

How many close friends do you have? Not simply acquaintances or fellow workers or neighbors, but the kind of friend "who sticks closer than a brother" (Prov 18:24), and with whom you can share joy and heartache?

David found that having a true friend can be more valuable - it can be lifesaving. When Saul (Jonathan's father) conspired to kill Israel's future king (David), Jonathan put his life on the line by informing David of his father's murderous intent. Ignoring his own welfare, Jonathan put God's program first.

What kind of friend are you? Do you establish relationships with other people for what you can gain from them, or for what you can give to them? If you're having trouble developing close friendships, spend some extra minutes today reading John 15:13-15. There you'll find three characteristics of a growing friendship: It demands sacrifice (v.13), obedience (v.14), and communication (v.15).

Take time for the duration of the 21-day dinner-fasting to think about how you build your friendship with those around you.

sanctity of life

The very first murder occurred between brothers, Cain and Abel.

God's sixth command to not murder seems almost irrelevant to most of us who are not inclined to such extreme behavior, but the Bible makes it clear that shedding of blood, taking of another life, is not the only "murder."

Apostle John tells us that hate is equivalent to murder:

Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother's were righteous. Do not be surprised, my brothers, if the world hates you. We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. Anyone who does not love remains in death. Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life in him. (1 John 3:12-15, emphasis added)

A person doesn't wake up one day and decide to murder another.

Murder begins as an attitude of the heart.

"Sow a thought and you reap an act. Sow an act, and you reap a habit. Sow a habit and you read a character. Sow a character and you reap a destiny."

Hate, resentment, bitterness, anger... these are powerful emotions that can seem trivial at the onset, but can grow to shape our character.

We are created in the image of God according to Genesis 1:26-27. That signifies two things: ownership and value.

Human lives are sacred because we are made in the image of God. His seal of ownsership is on every human ever born. Our value and worth do not come from our achievements as the world dictates. Human lives are sacred because there was a price paid for it.

Just as we determine the value of something by what we are willing to pay, God was willing and did pay an incredible price of the life of His own Son to redeem us.

Our worth, therefore, is immeasurable.

From the wealthiest man in the world like Bill Gates to a bum on the street without a dollar in his pocket, we are equally valuable in the sight of God who sent His Son to redeem all.

So how do we prevent ourselves from hating or resenting someone who had hurt us in some way?

The first step is to take on a whole new perspective by seeing them as God sees them: valued in His eyes because He paid a high price for them.

We need to see another from God's perspective. That's the beginning.

We determine value not as the world determines, but as God determines.

--from Nakwon EM March 4 Sunday Worship Service