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It’s funny to hear Dwight Schrute explain how he uses the Amish technique of shunning people who are guilty of some kind of infraction. But something about “shunning” is not funny. It’s too much like the way people in the church treat others who have messed-up or fallen.

Christians don’t call it shunning. Other terms are used like, “holding them accountable,” or “stepping them down,” or even, “disfellowshipping them.” One church leader uses the verse, “godly sorrow produces repentance” to justify being flat-out mean to someone who has sinned. It sounds a lot like shunning.

Condemnation, guilt, and shame never produce righteous results

Condemnation actually pushes us further from God. But there is a sick side to our souls that actually wants it. We feel like we deserve it, and as the guilt and shame mount within us, we think it’s all a part of the process of getting back on track, and reinstating our good standing with God. But that’s not the gospel!

There are lots of scriptures that point out the fact that those who are in Christ are fully and permanently justified, and declared righteous. One of the best passages is the familiar story of Peter walking on the water, falling, and being rescued by Jesus.

So much has been said, preached, and written about this story, but one part of it is hardly ever referenced. It’s the part when Peter got back in the boat. There was no browbeating. No heavy sighs. No, “Peter, you’re all wet!” Here’s all we’re told,

And when [Jesus and Peter] got into the boat, the wind ceased. Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.” (Matthew 14:32–33)

We should be more like that

Somebody falls, Jesus saves them, they’re soaking wet from all their mistakes, but they’re alive and the storm is over! As they come back on board with us, we worship God for how He saved them because it reminds us of how he saved us. After all, we’ve all been wet at one time or another.

Russian Cold War archenemy, Leonid Brezhnev, whispers in President Nixon’s ear

Someone said that when Jesus became real to them, so did the Devil. The fact is the moment we become followers of Jesus a spiritual target is drawn on our lives. With spiritual life comes spiritual attack. But the target is not so much on our backs as it is in our ears. The forces of hell subtlety and unceasingly whisper into the ear of God’s people…

Quit.

This one little word can give rise to great discouragement and defeat. It can convince us that what we are doing is futile, stupid, and/or that no one cares. It can cause our hearts to sink. It will entice our minds to dwell on past failures and disappointments, and give up on any hope for future success.

Anxious and unable to sleep

Paul was seeing incredible things happen in the city of Corinth, but one night he heard the insidious whisper of the Enemy to quit. As he tossed back and forth in his bed, God suddenly appeared to him and said…

“Don’t be afraid! Speak out! Don’t be silent! For I am with you, and no one will attack and harm you, for many people in this city belong to me.” (Acts 18:9–10, NLT)

Paul took those words to heart. He didn’t quit, but continued on for another year and a half, and accomplished great things in the city of Corinth. This experience, along with other times that God encouraged Paul, led him to write these words…

“I pray that the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceedingly greatness of His power towards us who believe.” (Ephesians 1:18-19)

Paul is telling us that when the whisper of hell says quit, give up, or throw in towel, it is important that our spiritual eyes remain focused on three things:

1. Your calling has hope attached to it!

It is centered on hope. God hasn’t chosen you to fail or succumb to attack. He who gives life, and calls those things which are not as though they were, has called you!

2. You’re God’s great treasure! 

You’re His valuable inheritance. You’re the apple of his eye. He chose you and loved you before you ever knew him. That will never change!

3. You have God’s limitless power within you!

Inside of you is the same spirit that rose Jesus from the grave. No weapon formed against you can or will prosper. All of heaven is shouting for you to not quit, but press on, continue, and keep going. Anything or anyone that says otherwise is a lie of the enemy…even if it’s just a whisper.

Former Chargers Quarterback, Ryan Leaf, was dubbed as the “biggest flop in NFL history.” The promising quarterback, who led Washington State to its first Rose Bowl in 67 years, called it quits a few months after his twenty-sixth birthday.

Looking deeper into Leaf’s failure is a powerful study how we tend to become what the most important person in our lives thinks about us. His coach at Washington State, Mike Price, believed in Ryan. Coach Price said, “Ryan had a temper and it wasn’t easy, but eventually he would respond and do a great job.” Leaf later said that Coach Price had been a profound positive influence on him. In the middle of his crisis in San Diego, Leaf told one reporter, “I wish Coach Price would call me.”

It’s not how you start, but how you finish

Jesus asked his disciples who they thought he was. Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus was impressed with his answer and responded,

“You are blessed, Simon (which means, “reed”) son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being. Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means, “a rock”), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.” Matthew 16:17-18 (NLT)

Peter went from being a weak, reed-like person, to becoming a rock-solid man of God. He went from being the disciple who denied Jesus, to being the one who preached the first sermon recorded in Acts with over 3000 people saved!

Expecting the best brings out the best

A school superintendent in San Jose conducted an experiment. He brought three of the top teachers together and told them, “You’re the best teachers we have, and we are going to give you 90 of the top students and let you run with them, then we are going to compare results.”

When it was over, they learned these 90 students had progressed 30% farther than others. The superintendent then said, “I have a confession, these were not 90 of the top students, they were randomly selected.” The teachers thought about it, one responded, “Well, I guess that just shows what the best of best teachers can accomplish.” The superintendent said, “And I have another confession, you’re not the top teachers. We also selected you randomly.”

Relationships don’t grow on perfection, but on forgiveness

Ernest Hemingway told a story of a Spanish father and son who had become estranged. The son ran away, and the father set off to find him. He searched for months to no avail. Finally, in a last desperate effort to find him, the father put an ad in Madrid newspaper. The ad read:

“Dear Pablo, meet me in front of this newspaper office at noon on Saturday. All is forgiven. I love you. Your Father.”

On Saturday 800 Pablos showed up at the newspaper office looking for forgiveness from their father.

Forgiving someone can save a failed relationship. Believing in someone can save a failed life.

People who drown do so often within eyeshot of someone else. And those who can see the person drowning often are unaware that the person is drowning—because drowning doesn’t look like drowning.

A drowning person can’t call for help—they have to be able to breathe before they can speak. Their mouth is sinking below and rising above the water gasping for air. There isn’t time to exhale, inhale, and call out.

A drowning person can’t wave for help—they instinctively extend their arms to the side and press down to lift their mouth out of the water, thus they are unable to raise their arms.

There are people around you drowning

A person you know is not drowning in water, but in life. Whether you realize it or not, they’re going down.

A person you know is drowning in the waters of a family crisis. The lives of the people closest to them are unraveling and suffocating them in the fragments. They’re drowning in the hurt, confusion, and bitterness.

A person you know is drowning in self-confidence. They think they have all the skills to make it in life. They work hard and consider themselves a good, law-abiding peron. But the relationships in their life are strained because no one measures up to their standard. It seems the harder they try to come down to everyone else’s level, the worse things get. They’re drowning, but they’d be the last to admit it.

A person you know will readily admit they’re drowning, but they don’t believe you or anyone else can help them. Many people have tried but fallen short, and the disappointment has left them skeptical. They’re drowning, but they withdraw and isolate themselves from help.

The Unseen Weight of Failure

Then there’s the person you know who has failed miserably. They’ve messed up their life, and the lives of many others. They’ve broken promises. They destroyed trust. They’re barely treading water, and they’re about to give up entirely. What’s worse is they are convinced they deserve to drown.

Shame. Guilt. Regret. Isolation. These fallouts of failure are like weights below the surface, tied to the soul. There are unseen, unheard, and many times unknown. But God sees, hears, and knows; and is reaching out to save them.

“Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25)

Right this moment

God is sensitizing you and making you aware of someone who is being overwhelmed by circumstances. You may feel helpless, but there is no person or situation that is beyond God’s life saving power. God wants to show what a drowning person looks like and how to save them…and He’s wants reach out to them through you!

Being generous with money is in the DNA of church

The early church was amazingly different than the pagan culture around it. One way in particular was with money. The pagans were known to be very stingy with their money. But the early Christians were known to be very generous with their money.

“Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need…and they had favor with all the people.” (Acts 2:44, 47)

Even while persecuting the early church, Roman Emperor Julian said this about the Christians:

“Why do we not observe that it is the Christians’ benevolence to strangers, their care for the graves of the dead, and the pretended holiness of their lives that have done most to decrease atheism. For it is disgraceful that Christians support not only their own poor but ours as well, and all men see that our people lack aid from us.”

Look at the history of Christians God has blessed financially and you’ll find a clear track record of generosity among them. Whether it’s paying tithe to establish and maintain a ministry, or sending money to foreign fields, or raising money to build a new facilities, or taking special offerings to help a family in need, Believers who are open-handed with their money experience abundance.

What We Give Lives On

What those who have gone before us gave, and what we now give, lives on. Money placed at the apostle’s feet…a basket handed out in a tent meeting…offering plates passed down the pews of a sanctuary…or the hitting of the “send” button to complete an online gift, all connect us together to something much bigger than ourselves, and will live on long after were gone.

Water is one the most essential materials on the earth. Water sustains life. Water cleanses. Water heals. Water refreshes.  It is the object of many kinds of recreation and fun. However, it can also be the source of great destruction.

There is news this week that California’s Oroville Dam is collapsing. The dam is succumbing to the power of water and putting thousands of people in harm’s way. A traditional Japanese proverb says that water is the most powerful force on earth. From the chasms of the Grand Canyon to the smooth round rocks found in a river, we see that given enough force and/or enough time, nothing can stand up against water.

Water and Spirit

A very insightful description of the Holy Spirit’s work is likened unto water. It is by the water of the Holy Spirit that we are brought into God’s family, that our lives are transformed, and that they are made effective.

“Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)

“We are saved through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5)

“John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now…you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you” (Acts 1:5, 8)

“He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)

Filled Again?

After Peter and John had been arrested, interrogated, and threatened by the Jewish rulers, they returned to their brothers and sisters in Christ. They cried out to God in prayer.  Then we are told,

“When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31)

These are the same people who were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. Now we are told that they were “all filled with the Holy Spirit” again.

What happened? Did the Holy Spirit leave them?

The power of the Holy Spirit is not static. It’s not like a lake or a pond, but like a river or an ocean. Flowing. Moving. Changing. We do not possess the Holy Spirit, He possess us! The Holy Spirit immerses us in the love and life of God’s kingdom. Not just once, but ongoingly.

As we live, minister, serve, give, etc., the Holy Spirit’s strength and power within us dissipates. We need to press in again to God for a new filling with the Holy Spirit.  We need to submerge ourselves again and again in the Holy Spirit’s deep oceans, and experience the power of water.

The Banned Music List

AC/DC, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath, Nine Inch Nails, Megadeth, are the kinds that always make the “Devil Music” list.

Oak Ridge Boys, Statler Brothers, Bill Gaither, Tammy Wynette, and a few other notables, don’t ever make the list, but one of the songs they love to sing should. It’s a song originally sung by Lorreta Lynn:

Now let us have a little talk with Jesus,
Let us tell Him all about our troubles,
He will hear our faintest cry,
He will answer by and by;
Now when you feel a little prayer wheel turning,
He will know a little fire is burning,
You will find a little talk with Jesus makes it right.

It’s good to sing about going to God in prayer, and taking our troubles to him. But to sing about having a “little talk with Jesus” is dangerous. Besides the weird notion of a “prayer wheel”, little talks with Jesus often slip into telling God what he needs to do.

People Reminding God?

The Devil would love you spend time in prayer informing God of what you think is wrong, and what he should be doing. Here are some great examples…

• Abraham reminded God that he and Sarah were too old to have kids.
• Martha reminded Jesus to the fact that if he had been in Bethany Lazarus wouldn’t have died.
• The disciples on the Road to Emmaus reminded Jesus how what they had been hoping for wasn’t going to happen.
• The Apostles after the Ascension reminded Jesus about finally establishing his kingdom.
• Peter pulled Jesus aside and reminded him to not talk about going to the cross.

Listen to how God responds…

• To Abraham…“Is anything too hard for the me? I will return about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” (Genesis 18:14)
• To Martha…“I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me, though he may die, he shall live.” (John 11:25)
• To the Disciples…“How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” (Luke 24:25–26)
• To the Apostles…“It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” (Acts 1:7)
• And to Peter…“Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew 16:23)

God’s Music

God loves music. He invented it. But there’s a specific song he loves to sing…

The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Others may have forgotten about you, but God hasn’t. He is aware of everything going on in your life. Nothing escapes his attention, nor has caught him by surprise. He knows the details of your life because he’s the author and the finisher of it. What makes this even, better is that God is mightier than anything you’re facing!

And while God’s saving you, helping you, and responding to you, he’s singing a song over you. Anything that suggests otherwise is definitely Devil Music!

X = ?

I can vividly remember my first algebra class in junior high. In a monotone voice the teacher introduced himself and then drew “x = ?” on the chalkboard. He then said, “Algebra is about finding out what ‘x’ is worth.” We then began solving different problems. It wasn’t too long before things started getting very confusing for me. I leaned over to my friend and said,

“I don’t think I’m going to like this class.”

I was right. I ended up not liking that class and math in general. It wasn’t until fifteen years later when I earned my Private Pilot’s License that during the training process I learned math could actually be fun and very useful.

What was the difference? Besides having an amazing instructor, I was doing something I loved.

God’s math

Like Algebra, some people understand God’s math, but many don’t. Things like giving, generosity and faith, can be difficult to understand. And when it comes to money and the idea of God prospering His people, real problems begin.

There are those who teach faith as a formula to get rich. Conversely, there are those who teach poverty as a way to prove holiness. Certain ideas, doctrines, and even words have become so hotly contested that people feel about them like I did after that math class…not liking the subject and lacking any confidence in it.

Exponential terms

While I was praying for my family and the year that lay ahead, three words came to my mind: abundance, prosperity, and blessing. At first I wasn’t quite sure why those words would come to my mind, but I felt the insistence of God’s spirit, so I begin to pray:

“God, I speak abundance, prosperity, and blessing over my family.”

I spoke these words over my wife Kathie, each of our children, their spouses, and our grandchildren. As I did I could feel something begin to surge within me. My faith had a passion attached to it that was new and fresh. I was familiar with the words abundance, prosperity, and blessing, but it was like I was understanding them for the first time. I could sense God saying to me that those words were important to Him and should be to me as well.

Understanding the way God calculates things is something he wants us to get good at. This is summarized in the statement…

God loves a cheerful giver
(2 Corinthians 9:7)

God loves it when we become generous. He gets a thrill when we begin to use and apply his mathematical principals. In God’s math class we’ll learn that math is not only very useful…My God shall supply all my needs, but also very fun…Those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.

I think we’re going to love this class!

In deep waters, You carry me.
Out of land-locked lakes, You call me.
As storms rage, You protect me.
Again and again my life is sustained in the ocean of your love.

When land’s not seen, teach me to trust and even enjoy.
Take me deeper than I think I can go, and my faith will be enlarged.
Baptize me and overflow me with the water of your Spirit.
You’re the Commander of the sea, and Captain of my soul. (JHP)

Fear of drowning

There are people so fearful of water that they never venture into the ocean, or any other body of water. They see the waves and hear the surf, and anxiety grips them. But they have a good reason.

When you’ve almost drowned, you fear being in water, especially water that’s over your head. You lack confidence. You panic easily. The moment your feet can’t touch the bottom and you feel the pull of currents, your mind tells you that you’re going to drown, again.

There are ways of mastering the fear of water. Swim instructors teach people who are fearful of water how they must yield to the water and use their body’s natural buoyancy. Lifeguards tell people not to fight against riptides and currents but to swim at angles through them.

Dealing with fear of the deep

Fear and panic that stems from any prior bad experience can be crippling. There are situations so horrible that they almost suffocate the life out of you. You may still be alive, but you avoid anything and anyone that even comes close making you feel vulnerable again.

You know God has rescued you from deep waters in your life. You felt as if you were going under, but God has brought you out. Yet, now you sense his gentle push back into the deep. You don’t want to go, but it’s actually in the deep places that God will strengthen your faith and teach you things about Him and yourself that you could never learn on the shore.

As the tides, waves, currents, and storms come into your life, learn that God is sustaining you and keeping you. Discover that you were actually meant to be in the deep oceans of life so that you can help others who are like you once were, struggling, filled with fear and panic. They’re drowning and time’s running out. But you now know Who and what will help them, and He’s reaching through you to them.

God’s the Commander of the sea, and the Captain of your soul. When land’s not seen, you’ll learn to trust and even enjoy it. Bon voyage!

In the summer heat of Barcelona

He held his program up to block the light as he squinted his eyes to catch a glimpse of his son. “There he is!” he shouted. Pride filled Jim Redmond’s heart as he watched his son Derek, who was preparing to run the 400 meter event in the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Butterflies filled Jim’s stomach as he watched the runners take to their starting blocks. “Bang,” they were off. Derek was looking good. He was fast, real fast. In fact, he was the favorite to win. But suddenly he heaved upward and halted out of his stride. Grabbing the back of his right leg in obvious pain he fell to the ground. After sitting for a moment crouched down on the track, Derek managed to get to his feet and begin to hobble forward on the track.  But the pain was too much. The announcers told their viewers it was over for Derek.

He couldn’t watch his son from a distance any longer

Jim Redmond pushed his through the spectators and made his way out on the track.  The security guards tried to stop him, but he shouted, “That’s my son out there and I’m going to help him!” They yielded and Jim was able to make it to his son who was now crying in agony.

“I’m here, son,” Jim said to Derek. “We’ll finish together.”

No medals were won, no records broken, but 80,000 people cheered as a father helped his son cross the finish line.

Another father who couldn’t sit still

There’s another moment in time when a father broke through and expressed his love and support for his son. But rather than in a stadium filled with people, it was in a dusty little valley in northern Israel. Jesus had made his way to the Jordan river to be baptized by John the Baptist. And as he came up out of the water the Bible records this,

“Then the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, who I love; and with whom I am well pleased.’”

This is God’s heart for you 

Your heavenly father’s eyes are on you. He is not a stoic, distant, uncaring God who is idly watching you. On the contrary, the race you’re in has brought him to his feet, and along with the stadium of heaven, he is shouting and cheering for you. He presses past anything or anyone trying to stop him to say,

“That’s my kid out there!!! And we’re going to finish this race together!”