Joshua 3:4 --“Follow in the path I will show you. Now, you’ve never seen anything like this before, so follow about a kilometer behind the priests with the Ark.”

You will have plenty of time to see what I am doing, plenty of time to be ready for what I will ask you to do.

            Psalm 119:105 – Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

The small footlamp was not a spotlight! It gave little illumination beyond a step or two beyond. There are many times when we see no further ahead than a few steps.

Who is really called upon to trust God?

Many might say the ones with the footlamp. But I contend that both are called upon to trust God.

First the priests had to wade into a raging torrent driven by the rains. How far would you get into this torrent before you were swept away in and under it? But, that was what God said to do. The priests cross to the other side and wait for the people.

Joshua 3:16 says that the river was stopped a great deal above where they were crossing. At the Red Sea they apparently were able to see the water piled up on either side of them. Perhaps wondering when the wall might release and cover them with water. Here there was no way to see what held the water back. Might it begin to flow again sometime soon? I have seen such a flow where a dried up river suddenly filled with raging flow of water. Sunny day; no rain or threatening clouds, but suddenly the water filled and flowed in the dry river bed. The priests got over – but that was 20 minutes ago before the first of the Israelites started across. Was it safe? Would half the group get across, then be separated from the others? Well, no insurance company would sell you insurance against the chances. OSHA would certify it as definitely unsafe.

Still, they went across safely. Probably some with trepidation, some praying “Lord, I believe – PLEASE help me in my unbelief.” (See Mark 9:23-25.) Whether we can see a couple of steps or a kilometer, God calls upon us to grow in faith. Not all the circumstances are the same, but we can trust God in all circumstances.

Bill Stroup

Bill is serves as an Elder on the Advisory Team of The River Church

Martyred for Christ in Central India

Martyred for Christ in Central India    Dear Ministry Partners, My dad Dr. Mathews is on one of his two week trips to the villages. He is ministering in the central part of India where hundreds of first generation churches have been planted. As a result of these advances in the Kingdom, there is an increasing amount of persecution against Christians. He gave me this report of a Christian brother that he had met just a couple of days ago while preaching in his village.  This brother was brutally martyred for Christ. Raut was a Christian who lived next to a Hindu neighbor who has tuberculosis. As is the common practice, this Hindu neighbor went to see a witchdoctor who lives in the village. The witchdoctor told him that the reason he was suffering is because of his Christian neighbor who is practicing "Christian Witchcraft" against him. Raut is known to pray out loud with his family every day. The other day when the Hindu neighbor heard Raut praying, he was convinced that the prayers were meant to be a form of Christian witchcraft against him. So the man decided to murder Raut. After prayer, and as Bro. Raut was walking out of his house, the Hindu neighbor took his axe and attacked him and split his head wide open; Brother Raut fell dead in a pool of blood.  After killing him, the man walked straight to the police station confessing to the police that he killed a Christian who practiced witchcraft against him. The police took him into custody and a case of murder was registered against him. Our fellow pastors in the area took the body of Brother Raut and buried him. Please pray for the Christians and churches in this region that they will be bold in the midst of the persecution. Like Stephen may Brother Raut's Martyrdom be used to lead many to Christ.  Please remember his wife and three children who are going through a tough time. Pray that God would protect Dr. Mathews as he has a few more days of ministry in this region. For those of you who would like help the families of believer's like Brother Raut, you can contribute to our Persecuted Pastor's Fund.   These funds are used to pay for expenses that arise out of persecution and also assist the surviving family members.    Thank you for your prayers.       Finny Mathews, President, AIM President

It Matters Whom You Marry

My husband and I were once with a youth group. There were three kids sitting across from us at a meal: two guys and a girl. The one guy was a computer geek with glasses. The other one was a college student with slightly cooler hair and no glasses. The girl was obviously with him. But while the computer geek was busy serving everyone at the meal, clearing plates and garbage, the college student got angry with the girl for a small accident and poured red juice over her leather jacket and white shirt. She picked the wrong guy, and the juice didn’t seem to change her mind. She is in for some grief if that relationship continues and especially if it leads to marriage. 

So to all the young, unmarried Christian girls out there, listen up: who you marry matters. You might think that the way he treats you isn’t so bad. It’s not going to get better after the wedding. You might think that he’ll change. It’s possible, but most don’t. You might think that you’ll be able to minister to him and help him. Possibly, but if you can’t now, you won’t then, and you will be at risk yourself. A husband should lead and cherish you, not need your counsel for basic personality or behavior issues.

Unless someone married is very frank with you, you can’t understand how much a husband will impact your entire life. Next to salvation there is no other long term event that will change so many areas of your life so deeply. Here are just some of the ways that marriage will impact every aspect of living.

1. It will impact you spiritually. If the guy is not a believer, you can stop right there. You have no business yoking a redeemed soul with an unregenerate one, even if he seems open to change. Christ has bought you with a price and it is not an option to give away that blood bought heart to someone who doesn’t know and love your Lord. It will cripple your spiritual development, open up a host of temptations, stifle your prayer life, make regular church going difficult, and cause massive parenting conflict if you have children.

If the guy is a believer, is he a strong one? Will he lead you in prayer, Bible reading, family devotions, and public worship? Or will you be on your own? Is he going to make spiritual growth a priority or do other things come first? Is he going to ask you how it’s going with your soul so he can help you grow in holiness and love for Christ, or will he leave that to your pastor? Is he going to lead the children in this, or will you have to spearhead that? In church, is he going to help the kids sit well, pray, find the hymn, or will you be the one pointing out what is happening next and helping the family keep up? Many women have married spiritually immature men, thinking that it wasn’t a big issue, or that the man would change, and they were wrong. They bear the scars.

The health of your eternity is at stake. Think carefully.

2. It will impact you emotionally. Is the guy you’re thinking of going to encourage you, love you, be kind to you, and seek to understand you, or will he want to go out with the guys when you’re having a hard night? Will he listen when you are struggling with something or will he be preoccupied with a video game? Is he going to be annoyed when you cry or will he get you Kleenex and give you a hug? Is he going to going to understand that you are probably more tender than he is, more sensitive to issues and comments, or is he regularly going to run rough shod over your feelings? One woman was struggling to breastfeed her new baby, believing that that was the best thing for her, but it was very difficult. Instead of giving support and encouragement, the husband would make mooing sounds whenever he saw his wife working at it. We have to get rid of princess complexes, but we do have emotional needs. Any guy who is uncaring about your feelings and self esteem is selfish and should be left alone.

Be careful – a husband can cripple or foster emotional health.

3. It will impact you physically. Is the guy you’re with going to provide for your basic needs? Will he be able to shelter, clothe and feed you? At one point in our marriage, I was worried that there was no employment opportunity. My husband assured me that he would work at McDonalds, dig ditches, clean up roadkill – whatever it took to provide for the family, regardless of his gifts and training. That’s the kind of attitude you want. A man who doesn’t provide for his household is worse than an infidel (I Tim. 5:8). You might have to help ease the financial burden, but unless your husband is disabled or there is another unusual circumstance, you shouldn’t have to carry it yourself.

Will the man you are with care for your body or abuse it? If he gives you little smacks, kicks, etc. when you’re dating, get away. It’s almost guaranteed that he will abuse you after marriage, and stats show that’s especially true when you are pregnant. Is he going to care for and protect your body or will he hurt it? There are women in churches across America who thought it was no big deal to have little (sort of friendly) punches or slaps from their boyfriends, but who are covering up the bruises from their husbands.

Will the man you are with care for you sexually? Is he going to honour the marriage bed in physical and mental faithfulness to you or will he flirt, feed his porn addiction, or even leave you for another woman? You can’t always predict these issues, but if the seeds or practices are already there, watch out. I recently saw a newly married couple and the husband was flirting openly with another woman. Unless something drastic happens, that marriage is headed for disaster.

Is he going to be tender and gentle to you in bed? An unbelieving co-worker once told my sister that after her first sexual encounter, she had trouble walking for a few days because her boyfriend was so rough. In other words, he wasn’t selfless enough to care for the body of the woman he said he loved.

Watch out. Your body needs care and protection.

4. It will impact you mentally. Is the man that you’re thinking of going to be a source of worry or will he help you deal with your worries? Is he going to encourage your intellectual development, or will he neglect it? Is he going to value your opinions and listen to what you are thinking, or will he disregard your thoughts? Is he going to help you manage stress so that your mind is not burdened that way, or is he going to let you struggle through issues alone? Is he going to care for you and be thoughtful of you if you are experiencing mental strain, or will he ignore it? I know of a woman who could handle pregnancy and child birth very well physically but postpartum depression took a huge toll on her mind. The husband overlooked it, continuing to have more children, until his wife ended up in a mental institution.

You might think that the intellectual or mental side of a marriage is small. It’s bigger than you think. Consider it seriously.

5. It will impact you relationally. How’s your relationship with your mother? Your dad? Do you love them? Does your boyfriend? Fast forward ten years: you tell your husband that your mother is coming for the weekend. Is he excited? Disappointed? Angry? Making snide jokes with his friends? Of course, a husband should come first in your priority of relationships, as you both leave father and mother and cleave to one another. But parents are still a big part of the picture. Whatever negative feelings he has about your parents now will probably be amplified after marriage. Your marriage will either strengthen or damage – even destroy – your relationship with your parents. The people who know you best and love you most right now could be cut out of the picture by a husband who hates them.

It’s the same with sisters and friends. Will they be welcomed, at reasonable times, in your home? Will the guy who you’re with encourage healthy relationships with other women, or will he be jealous of normal, biblical friendships? Will he help you mentor younger women and be thankful when older women mentor you, or will he belittle that?

Don’t sacrifice many good relationships for the sake of one guy who can’t value the people who love you.

So how will your boyfriend do after the vows? Because this is just a sampling of the ways that a husband can bless or curse his wife. The effects are far reaching, long lasting, and either wonderful or difficult. True, there are no perfect men out there. But there are great ones. And it’s better to be single for life than to marry someone who will make your life a burden. Singleness can be great. Marriage to the wrong person is a nightmare. I’ve been in a church parking lot where the pastor had to call the police to protect a wife from a husband who was trying to stop her from worshiping and being with her family. It’s ugly. Don’t be so desperate to get married that your marriage is a grief. If you are in an unhappy marriage, there are ways to get help. But if you’re not married, don’t put yourself in that situation. Don’t marry someone whose leadership you can’t follow. Don’t marry someone who is not seeking to love you as Christ loved the church. Marry someone who knows and demonstrates the love of Christ.

Reposted from  The Christian Pundit - August 11th, 2012 - All content © at The Christian Pundit, 2011-2013.  

Nepal and a Movement of God

Testimony from Bryan Plyler, Lead Pastor at The River Church

  

For my entire Christian life and ministry, I have wanted to witness and participate in an authentic "movement" of God.  By the grace of God, over the course of 21 years in Christ and 16 years in the pastorate, I have seen God move in the lives of many individuals and even in the corporate life of individual congregations.  But until now, I could not say that I have witnessed or participated in a widespread movement of God reminiscent of the Great Awakenings we read of in history and the great Gospel outpourings we read about in the book of Acts.  But what I witnessed recently in Nepal and northern India seemed to me like being in the 29th chapter of Acts!

I have counted it a privilege over the past seven years to lead our church in partnering with AIM in support of indigenous leaders reaching some of the most unreached and difficult mission fields in the world.  My recent trip to Nepal and northern India only served to amplify my conviction that this is the most strategic missional investment our church makes.  What I witnessed and experienced showed me that we are not merely partnering to address a need, but we are joining God where he is already doing a genuinely mighty and miraculous work.

In the national leaders with whom I was privileged to interact, I witnessed a display of inspiring sacrificial and dependent prayer and faithfulness that God is honoring with open doors for the Gospel, answered prayers that pave the way for the Gospel, and a harvest of disciples who are trusting in Christ in response to their sharing the Gospel!  Over and over, I heard testimonies of healing and deliverance through prayer.  And I also heard the stories of how God is using such attesting signs to open people's minds to the Gospel and move them from darkness to light.  I saw again and again men of no standing with little formal education who had led hundreds of people to Christ and were overseeing the growth of literally hundreds of churches in villages in their regions!  I witnessed first-hand "people of peace", influential households not yet even in Christ themselves, whom God is using to bring the Gospel to thousands in a culture that ranges from ignorant of the Gospel to hostile toward it.  I did not see complex strategy or methodology, but I saw faith, prayer, sacrifice, faithfulness in service and preaching over and over again like I have never seen--except in the pages of the New Testament.  And I saw results like I have never seen--except in the pages of the New Testament!

My trip to Nepal and northern India left me more committed to our partnership with AIM than I already was because of what God is clearly doing with this ministry.  But along with that, my trip inspired me personally.  This trip revived me--it renewed my first love in our amazing savior and my own sense of wonder at his power to save and transform.  It convicted me of my own American self-reliance, encouraged me, inspired greater faith in me, and motivated me like never before to turn to God in prayer and seek what HE can do in and with me.  Having seen what a movement of God looks like in person, I am encouraged that God still moves as he did in the book of Acts, and furthermore, I can no longer be satisfied with what I can do for him with my best efforts.   I have returned from Asia with a renewed faith that God is moving there and we can participate in the work.  I have also returned believing that a movement in America is no further away than the distance between our stiff necks and our knees, and by the grace of God, I hope and intend to participate in that movement as well.        

Bryan Plyler

Lead Pastor

The River Church

Camden, SC

  

Recovering the Missional Passion of the Church

By Ed Stetzer

 

In order for the church to recover its missional passion, we must reclaim our lost sense of the awesome, overarching glory of God’s mission. Most Christians do not deny the orthodox doctrines of Scripture. We grasp the fact that God has revealed himself to us as Lord and King. But to borrow the words of author David Wells, the modern church has been “caged” by a diminishing of who God really is.

We have turned to a God we can use rather than a God we must obey; we have turned to a God who will fulfill our need rather than a God before whom we must surrender our rights to ourselves. He is a God for us, for our satisfaction– not because we have learned to think of him in this way through Christ but because we have learned to think of him this way through the marketplace. Everything is for us, for our pleasure, for our satisfaction, and we have come to assume that it must be so in the church as well.

We have shrunk God down to our size. We have limited the scope of his mission in our minds. We have unwittingly bought into the idea that progress is more important than redemption.

And this is chiefly why our zeal for evangelism and the gospel has been undermined– not because we don’t care, not because we don’t know what to do. We have simply replaced God’s purpose for the world with our own purpose for the world. Even when we serve and help and give and share, we too often do it from a sense of obligation or a desire to impress. We have become a church steered by many different motivations but all too rarely by a singular desire to glorify God. Wells is right: “We will not be able to recover the vision and understanding of God’s grandeur until we recover an understanding of ourselves as creatures who have been made to know such grandeur.”
The message that emanates from the life and work of the apostle Paul, who was without argument the most productive missionary in the history of the church, is that we cannot hope to be either faithful or effective in kingdom service while being overly concerned about our own needs.

On two occasions he called himself an “ambassador.” That’s a pretty important job. Where I grew up in New York, those were the people who didn’t have to pay parking tickets. They mattered. And Paul said, “We are ambassadors for Christ” (2 Cor. 5:20). Yet the only other time we read him referring to himself by that title, he said he was an “ambassador in chains” (Eph. 6:20). Yes, he was an ambassador– just as we are– yet that ambassadorial role, representing King Jesus, did not mean Paul was without hardship.
No one survives the harsh, abusive treatment he endured without living for something bigger than himself. We might assume, then, Paul was simply that devoted to the people he was called to serve. His compassion for them, his selfless interest in them, his desire that they experience the fruit of the gospel– all of these must have come together to make him an unstoppable force.

Well, yes, Paul was devoted to the churches and the people who comprised them. He possessed an uncommon zeal to see others convinced of gospel truth and redeemed through God’s eternal mercy and grace. But it wasn’t concern for his neighbors that ultimately motivated Paul to such extremes of spiritual exertion and sacrifice. It was Jesus’ love that “compelled” him (2 Cor. 5:14). “To live is Christ,” he said (Phil. 1:21).
And we, too– if we wish to be faithful to our calling– must live supremely for the glory of God and what he is doing through his Son in our world.
If we are not on this mission, then we must ask ourselves what we’re doing here. Are we just working to make the church a more acceptable place to our friends and neighbors? Are we looking for a nice place to socialize on Wednesday nights? Are we turning spiritual cranks and pulleys because we think the church is supposed to do those things, because we feel better about ourselves when we do them?

The only thing that really matters is this: our God has a mission. That’s why he sent Jesus here on subversive terms. And that’s why he established the church– churches like yours and churches like mine– to join him on mission to reestablish his glory over all creation.
This is why God has given his church the “keys of the kingdom of heaven,” so that “whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven” (Matt. 16:19). To people in the world who live chained to the notion that their desired ambitions can be achieved on earth, the church possesses their liberating answer. They are no longer forced to exist in the bondage of living from experience to experience. For some this “bondage” takes the form of workout gyms, corner offices, organic food stores, and all the apparent trappings of success. But for others it means gambling losses, broken relationships, wasted opportunities, prescription drug abuse. For many it’s a roller-coaster mix between the two, a frantic navigation of highs and lows. And for all it’s a life that leads away from ultimate purpose and permanence.

Through the gospel those individuals who are “bound” in spiritual darkness can be “loosed” from what has held them captive– redeemed from their slavery. God’s plan for overthrowing the devil’s dominion, freeing its hostages, and advancing Christ’s kingdom is for the church to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ in both word and deed. That’s how he pursues his plan of bringing all creation under his authority and deriving glory for himself in the process.

May this be the purpose behind all our subversion.

When we grasp the enormity of this calling and our role within it, we will begin trusting the Spirit to empower us to engage the lost, serve the hurting, and live “sent lives” as Christian believers united in kingdom purpose. We will live out the difference that Jesus makes in our hearts not because people expect it but because it shows what our God can accomplish. We will talk with others about the power of the gospel not just because they’re lost but because our Lord and King is glorified in finding them.
Begin your plan of action there, and get ready to see what happens around you when God starts making progress.

Adapted from Subversive Kingdom (2012, B&H Publishing Group)

Student Ministry Parent CUE

 Student Ministry Parent CUE: Reversing Darwin

1. Be a Student of What They are Learning
In the dog-eat-dog world of middle school and high school, survival of the fittest often seems like the law of the land. And when we’re on the bottom of the food chain, this idea of a pecking order can start to affect the way we understand God—and maybe even the way we believe God sees us. But what if we were able to reverse this idea? What if something in Scripture allowed us to turn survival of the fittest on its head? Maybe we can start to flip the idea of “only the strong survive” and live in the reality that God has a bigger purpose and a better picture in mind—and this purpose and picture involves all of us—the strong, the weak, the in, the out, those you would expect, and those you wouldn't. Maybe in an effort to reverse Darwin, we need to start by understanding who God created us to be and how to live like it matters. 

2. Be a Student of Your Student
Take a moment to think back—way, way back—to those first days of middle school. Or to the moments and memories that still define your high school experience. Or, get really bold and break out an old yearbook and see what you find. Feathered bangs? Side ponytails? Maybe even a mullet? Or, maybe seeing those old pictures brings back memories of who you thought you would one day be and all the adventures you hoped to have. Maybe you envisioned getting out of your small town and attending college in a bustling urban center, or studying abroad and soaking in the European culture. But even if those hopes and dreams didn’t pan out, they probably helped you dig deeper to define who you were, sometimes by simply figuring out who you were are not.
And for many of us, this process is still an ongoing part of our lives. It may even be that we were more sure of who we were at 18 than we are now that we have children, a job, a mortgage and a “life.” But why is it that we are still working so hard at figuring this out? Sometimes it seems that in our now grown-up lives we are working harder to convince other people of who we are. Whether on our Facebook profiles (yep, our students aren’t the only ones) or through conversations with friends, family and even other parents we are often caught up in a PR battle … with ourselves. We try to define ourselves by the way we represent ourselves to the world and in the process, we end up forgetting who we really are. Throw in 24/7 parenting duties, work tasks, daily household management, church and family life and any other threads of schedules and responsibilities and we get lost in the mix altogether!
And, as you may have noticed, we usually realize the weight of figuring out who we are in times of crisis or great change. Often, we find that somewhere along the line we have “activating events” that trigger us to shatter the image of who we think we are and dig deep again to find our true selves, to rediscover who we truly are.

And for our students, these activating events happen on a daily or maybe even hourly basis. They don’t make the team. They fail a test. They get dropped by a group of friends that were once their whole world. And like us, when this happens to our students, they get to pause, reflect, pick up the pieces and walk away in their new—or maybe just dusted off—identity. 

3. Action Point
Sit down with your teenager and talk about a time when something happened to you that redefined who you are. Maybe it was a divorce, or even some defining moment that occurred before they were ever born. Whatever it is, talk about how it changed you and led you to better understand yourself.
Then, ask them if anything has happened this week that has caused them to feel “less than.” What was it? How did it make them feel? Did it make them want to change something about themselves? Did it make them feel like they don’t really know who they are or where they belong?
Now speak into that place of vulnerability and insecurity. What do you see in your student that is unique? What would be lost if they changed themselves in order to fit in? Why does it matter that they strive to be just who God created them to be?

Be sure to carve out some intentional time to sit down and wrestle through these questions with your student. And remember, even if they don’t open up as much as you would hope or like, the fact that you took the time and cared enough to ask will pay huge dividends in the future. Because just knowing what they are going through means the world to your student, even if they aren’t able to show it.

*February 27 through March 13

Family Values

I know that everyone will agree that your family and your family time is important. But if you are not careful, your time with your kids will pass you by.  Here are five family values that could encourage you and your family. Take some time read, think and then challenge yourself and your family to make your time a priority.

Make It Personal

·         Put yourself first when it comes to personal growth.

·         What we model is more compelling than what we say.

·         Where are your faith, marriage and family on a ranking of your highest values?

Fight for the Heart

·         Create a culture of unconditional love in your home.

·         Relationships are built around heart connections.

·         Legacy is transferred relationally.

Widen the Circle

·         Inviting others to intentionally partner with you to have other voices helping to shape and determine the direction of our marriages and parenting.

·         Parents should pursue strategic relationships for their kids.

·         Become a valuable contributor to someone else’s circle of influence.

Create a Rhythm

·         Much of our everyday life seems to function in a fairly steady rhythm.

·         Families want to tap into the power of quality moments together.

·         Build a sense of purpose through everyday experiences.

Imagine the End

·         Focus your energy and effort on the issues that will have a lasting impact.

·         As parents, in the end, the most important thing is our child’s relationship with God.

·         We must be intentional each day about what is most important.

How are you and your family living the five family values?



Carringer, Chuck, Family Pastor at Faith Promise Church. http://fpchur.ch/jq “Family Life, Five Family Values.” June 6, 2011.