Category: The Life of Faith

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The Life of Faith Through The Looking Glass

Change Your View

Through the Looking Glass     C.S. Lewis once said, “I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else”.

     Some people have the very mistaken idea that Christianity is just a religion – a set of rules and regulations by which we live our lives. Maybe that is because, all too often, we as Christians live in a way that is inconsistent with what we claim to believe.

Jesus said, “Love your neighbor”… Do we?

Jesus cared for the poor… Do we take the time?

Jesus reached out to the unlovely and unlovable… Do we make the effort?

     Christianity, in it’s truest sense, is not about religion. It is a relationship with the God of the universe. It is a relationship by which our entire view of the world changes, as we view those around us through the eyes of Christ.

     So, here’s a challenge for your week: Take the time to see those around you the way Jesus sees them. It may just change your view of the world, not just for the week, but for the rest of your life.

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The Life of Faith

Perfect Timing

pastor ron 048 Sometimes, when people see our program, Ron Phillips from Abba’s House, they forget that I am the pastor of a “local” church. While I do enjoy speaking and ministering around the world, in the words of Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz: “There’s no place like home”. There is just nothing like standing before my own church family and seeing the joy and unity in the Spirit that we have when we worship together.

Among the duties that come with being a pastor, I have the privilege of getting to pray with some of the businessmen and women in our church – praying over their businesses and employees. While I know that many people are taking a beating in the current economy, many entrepreneurs have the increased burden of physical structures, massive overhead, and all of the responsibilities that come with owning a business. Being responsible for, not just yourself, but the lives of dozens of other families who depend on you for income is daunting. These brave people need all the prayer they can get!

pastor ron 272The other day, I went with a few church staff members to pray for one such businessman. Don Lepard has been a faithful member of our church for many years, and recently started a new company. Global Green Lighting is a company that makes energy-efficient “green” lighting for cities and municipalities. The lights are designed to operate in such a way as to save the cities that use them up to 70% in public lighting costs. As you can imagine from the description and the pictures, a business like this costs a lot of money to start and operate.

pastor ron 201pastor ron 220As we began to pray for Don and GGL, our prayers focused on two areas: cashflow (investment income) and business (tangible customers). As we prayed for cashflow, I prayed that an investor would come to GGL by Friday. As we prayed for new business and new clients, I felt impressed to pray for business to come in from Germany. We continued praying, anointing employees, as well as walking around the property and asking for God’s favor on this company. We were finishing our prayer time when Don’s cell phone rang. On the line was an investment banker who said he wanted to bring by a client who was interested in investing in GGL. He stated that they would be coming by ON FRIDAY!!!!

pastor ron 261We left to have lunch with Don and some of his staff. While we were at lunch, Don received an email from a very large German-based company wanting to discuss a contract that would allow them to sell the GGL lights to their already established customers. Praise the Lord!!!

Within one hour of praying, we had a response to the two specific things we prayed for.

Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. ~ Psalm 37:4

We serve a mighty God! He knows our weaknesses. He sees ours hearts. He is well acquainted with our need. None of it gets by his watchful gaze. For those who delight themselves in Him, there is favor and blessing waiting. At times, the wait is longer than at others, but His timing is perfect, His plans for us are flawless, and He is good. He meets us at the point of our need in very real, very tangible, and sometimes, very specific ways.

Don stated that his favorite saying is, “I cannot wait to go to sleep at night so I can wake up early to see what God has in store for me each day!”

So, what is YOUR need? What does God have in store for YOU?

Don’t be afraid to be specific with your Father… He’s not afraid to be specific about your answer. Your answer may be just a prayer’s breath away.

pastor ron 052  pastor ron 099pastor ron 087

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The Life of Faith Through The Looking Glass

Silent Preaching

Through the Looking GlassSt. Francis of Assisi had this to say about sharing the Gospel…

“Preach the Gospel at all times and, when necessary, use words.”

In the church, we put a lot of emphasis on sharing our faith. However, many times, our actions speak louder than our words. After all… who is our audience???

… The waitress we chewed out for getting our order wrong at a restaurant;

… The clerk we belittled for an honest mistake;

… The guy at work who saw us wasting company time;

… The new next-door neighbor we never had time to welcome to the neighborhood.

Sometimes we may struggle with the right thing to say when discussing our faith. Maybe we should first make sure that our actions reflect the love of God before we open our mouths.

Here’s a challenge for you: Share God’s love with someone in your life today, and, if necessary, use words.

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The Life of Faith

A Love Stronger Than Death

He could not believe his good fortune. He had gone from a young man in hiding to the front of the line, in a manner of speaking. This was relatively unheard of, especially for someone like him, with the physical limitations of being crippled. Yet, here he was… sitting at the table of the king. As he sat eating, he pinched himself for the five thousandth time to make sure this wasn’t a cruel dream – a dream from which he would wake and once again find himself in destitute obscurity.

Ouch!

“Nope… still here”, he mused, taking another bite of the delicacies set before him.

On this particular morning, the king was unusually quiet. The normal laughter and conversation that the king engaged in was replaced by a pensive quiet. The king seemed introspective today – almost sad. As he ate, his perpetual gazing out the window betrayed a mind that was lost in thought, a lifetime away. As the king reached for a piece of fruit, his sleeved slipped down from his wrist. It was then that the young lad noticed it…

A scar.

As the king continued eating, the sight of the scar became a focal point. He knew the king was a fierce warrior, but there was something different about this scar – something that beckoned him to inquire about its origin. In what heated battle did this great man receive this mark? What assailant could have gotten close enough to such a skilled swordsman to make such a mark? It only took a few minutes of his mind racing for his lips to form the words, and his heart to muster the courage to break the silence:

“Sire?” he said, his voice cracking with the single syllable.

“What is it Mef?” came the almost startled reply. His friends all called him Mef, since his given name was somewhat of a tongue-twister.

“That scar on your wrist… In what campaign did you receive that wound?” he inquired.

The king paused for a moment, almost as if suddenly being transported back in time to an event of life-changing significance. As he began to rub the wound, a smile crossed his face.

“I received this mark in a campaign that lasted for many, many years,” he said, now turning his full attention to his young inquirer.

“But you are a most skilled warrior, my lord. What fierce enemy could have ever gotten so close as to wound you in such a way? Have I heard of this great warrior in the stories and ballads of our land?” Mef’s mind was racing, trying to anticipate the answer.

“Enemy?” replied the king, almost laughing. “This mark is not the result of an enemy’s rage-fueled blade. No Mef… this mark came from one I loved more than life itself. I received this wound because of your father.”

Mef was dumbfounded. “My father???”

“Yes… your father. You see, I was a peasant. Your father was the heir to the throne. We were an unlikely pair… the statuesque son of the king, and this ruddy-faced shepherd. But when God chose to make me to ascend to the throne instead of your father, one would have thought that to be the end of our friendship.”

The king’s face lit up. “But you know what? It only made it stronger!”

“Ours was a covenant that not even death could nullify. Your father recognized the gift God had placed in me, and he was determined to see me succeed. He was the most unselfish person I ever knew. By birthright, your father should have been the next king, but he put his own ambition aside to see me succeed. I mean, even when your grandfather, the king, wanted to kill me, your father risked his own life, and the wrath of the king, to protect me. This scar is from a time your father and I made a covenant in blood that sealed our destinies. My friendship with your father taught me that we could accomplish more together than either of us could separately. There was power in our unity.”

Just then, the door across the room opened, and a slightly weary queen appeared at the entrance.

“David, there is a matter with your young son that requires your attention,” she stated, trying to remain poised.

The king laughed. “I’ll be right there, my queen.”

King David stood up, wiped his mouth a final time, and turned to his young interviewer.

“Mephibosheth, I want you to understand: Your presence here is the manifestation of the covenant between your father Jonathan and me – the culmination of a life devoted to a friendship both miraculous and wonderful. And just as a prince would (normally) be heir to a throne, you are heir to the promise I made to your dad. As I loved him and had his best interests at heart, so I brought you out of Lodebar – a place of no hope – and have made you like a son. My table is your table. All of the wealth of your father is at your disposal.”

With that, King David turned and left the room, leaving Mephibosheth alone with his new-found appreciation, not only of his father, but of the power of the covenant of friendship. (For more on the story of David and Jonathan, see 1 Samuel starting in chapter 18 and continuing into 2 Samuel).

This dramatic account of a very real story illustrates the covenant power of friendship. As the lives of David and Jonathan illustrate the power of unity in friendship, we participate in such relationships on a daily basis:

Our relationship with God (a covenant Jesus died to enforce);

Holy communion (the covenant meal reminding us of our obligations in our covenant with God);

Marriage (the covenant relationship between a man and a woman);

Friendships (who is your “Jonathan”?);

Church membership (we are members of the body of Christ, and in that unity is the manifest power of God at our disposal).

As Jonathan and David found strength and purpose in their friendship, so we have power in the unity of faith with other believers. Think of the promises of Jesus:

“If any two of you agree…” Matthew 18:19

“Where two or three are gathered in my name…” Matthew 18:20

But the miracle power of unity is not just our unity with other believers. It is also our unity with Jesus – it’s a package deal! John 15 spells out in great detail the importance of abiding in Him, as well as loving each other, and the power available to us if we do. The unity of the Spirit creates an atmosphere of peace – nothing broken and nothing missing.

So what are you waiting for? As the tabernacle of David, we must call the broken, crippled, and wayward to the table. We must go to “Lodebar” – the place of no hope – and announce to them that someone has made an everlasting covenant… a covenant that includes THEM!!!

Who is the “Mephibosheth” you are going to seek out?

 

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The Life of Faith

You Are Extraordinary!!!

Through the Looking GlassIn the movie version of the C.S. Lewis classic, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, one of my favorite quotes comes from — of all people — a mouse. The valiant mouse, Reepicheep, tells the obnoxious Eustace Clarence Scrubb…

“Extraordinary things happen to extraordinary people.”

A.W. Tozer put it another way…

“It is doubtful that God can use any man greatly until He has hurt him deeply.”

We are all products of our individual pasts. How we allow those pasts to shape us is up to us. Bad things happen, but whether we choose to move forward in victory or sit on the garbage-heap of defeat is up to us.

Do we believe that negative events in life are merely stepping stones, not cornerstones?

Do we allow others to define us, or do we live up to the high calling for which God has ordained us?

The truth is… YOU are an extraordinary person!

God thinks so.

Maybe you should too.

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The Life of Faith

got favor?

Gas GaugeIn May of 2002, I was preaching a crusade in Nigeria. After about a week of wonderful meetings, it was time to once again climb aboard a plane and head back across the Atlantic. As we were about to leave, we were praying with our host pastor, Dr. Nick Ezeh, and rejoicing in what God had done in the meetings. After saying our goodbyes, we turned and walked into the terminal only to be confronted by these disturbing words on the flight schedule screen:

Flight #— to Lagos: CANCELLED

Now, in the U.S., this is not really a huge issue. When a flight is cancelled, most of the time, there is another flight within hours. However, since we were in Calabar, Nigeria, and not Cleveland, Ohio, this was not the case. If we missed our connection in Lagos, the next available flight was FOUR DAYS LATER!

At this point, our team shifted into overdrive, trying desperately to speak to someone who might have a solution to our dilemma. We quickly discovered that there was a flight to Lagos from another town called Port Harcourt. The flight was scheduled to leave in 3 hours and 45 minutes. Great, right? Except for one small problem…

Port Harcourt was 3½ hours away.

If we left immediately, we would have a fifteen minute margin of error. If we hit traffic, had any mechanical issues, or were in any other way delayed, chances were good that we would not make our connection, and would have to get comfortable for a four-day layover. Our team quickly gathered all of our gear, and got back into the vehicles for the long ride to Port Harcourt.

Now, one thing about Nigeria is that twice a year they shut down all of the oil refineries for a week or two for scheduled maintenance, thus creating shortages, rationing, and gas station shutdowns all over the country. It just so happened that that shutdown fell during our visit. The whole time we were there, we witnessed lines at gas stations that made the U.S. gas lines of the 1970’s look like the express line at Wal-Mart. About an hour into our drive, I glanced down at the gas gauge of our borrowed vehicle, and noticed that the needle was below empty. Our driver, a very nice Nigerian gentleman by the name of A.G. Bright didn’t seem too concerned. I leaned forward and asked him if the gauge was broken.

“No, my brother,” he answered, “but God will provide, for we prayed for mercy on this journey. Also, you and Dr. Ezeh are God’s men… He will surely see us through.”

It is difficult to admit this, but my faithless soul was not comforted. As we drove on, my mind was filled with visions of our stranded team, standing by our vehicles in the middle of the sweltering Nigerian jungle, or worse, being taken captive by rebels or robbers.

As my mind raced through the worst possible of scenarios, all of a sudden, I heard the sound of singing. Mr. Bright had started singing praises to God, and was quickly being joined by others in the vehicle. As the praises went up from our SUV, my faithless heart still continued to fret, expecting our engine to come to a grinding halt at any second. However, after another HOUR of unrelenting driving, we came to a crossroads, with a gas station that stood like an oasis at the intersection. As we pulled in, we questioned whether or not it was even open, since it was without the massive lines we had witnessed everywhere else. Upon discovering that it was open, we soon found out from the proprietor that the station had been closed for a week due to the fuel shortage, but that he had just received a shipment, and was actually re-opening his station AS WE PULLED UP!

A smiling A.G. Bright looked at me and said, “See, Pastor Phillips… God always takes care of His servants. You are in favor with God!”

Now here we are in 2013, and we face challenges like never before. Turmoil in our financial markets, uncertainty and unrest about the state of our nation politically, and chaos and disquiet in various hot-spots around the globe make it difficult to have faith. Yet having the favor of God is not dependent upon who is king, prime minister or president. The favor of God does not hinge on “bull markets” or diversified portfolios. The favor of God is not even affected by our immediate circumstances… our job, our family, or even our gas gauge. The favor of God is about His goodness and His faithfulness. We receive God’s favor, not because we are good, but because HE is good.

Driving down those dirty, pot-hole infested roads of Nigeria that day, Mr. Bright became a shining example of how we get ahold of that favor.

Mr. Bright prayed… He prayed a prayer that said, “God, here is what I am expecting, and no one will be more surprised than me if You don’t come through.” (Contrast this with the prayer that many of us pray: “God, here is my need, and I will be shocked if You actually answer me.”

Mr. Bright walked by faith… He put his proverbial “money where his mouth was”. He had no choice but to move forward by faith, and he did it with gusto, literally driving into the unknown with nothing but a belief that God is true to His word and to His children.

Mr. Bright worshipped… He didn’t sit there and fret about the gas gauge. He opened his mouth and declared God’s goodness and faithfulness in advance.

What a powerful lesson! I want to be like Mr. Bright. I want to be the one who walks in favor, stands in favor, and lives in favor! I want to be the one whose life is centered in His presence, and in the blessing that God gave Moses for the children of Israel…

“The Lord bless you
and keep you;

The Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;

The Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.

So they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”

(Numbers 6:24-27)

That is the kind of favor I want.

How about you?

Pastor Ron